Nine Miler

A guy caught one in Lake St. Clair a few years ago. www.clickondetroit.com/news/13929662/detail.html

Hot Sauce is a Quantum product. Make sure that using it in your reels (if they are not Quantum) will not affect the warranty before you use it.

You can leave Shimano and Daiwa together. I think we share a mutual respect.

I am just saying people exaggerate the benefits of dual braking and there are other things more important to a purchase decision. I have only used a PQ for a few minutes and they aren't for me but others love em. I don't think you can go wrong either way, really. I just prefer the Citica to the PQ, and I think more people than would like to admit probably would, too. The problem is they bought the PQ already, and have learned to love it.

I think the real answer is an "old farts" forum then. Some place where the "old farts" can interact without the kiddies jumping in.

Dual braking is not necessary. Don't let that be what makes your decision.

Are you sure the reel isn't as smooth, or is it that it is just a little more labored? You have a more powerful gear ratio in your spinning/spincasting reels so it should require less effort to retrieve your baits.

Yep

Not on your list, but I like the sometimes overlooked Shimano Castaic. http://www.***.com/Shimano_Castaic_Super_Free_Casting_Reels/descpage-SHCASF.html

X2

Wow, made the list. Amazing for such a heavy reel. : Oh, to the OP- there are numbers there, but these are in no particular order.

Sfritr, you obviously spent far too little time in Michigan, there are a million things that are great- spring smallies are just one. Falcon, I agree. As long as you can take the weather you can catch fish into November..

I managed a 0.0 on the circle center, but you still edged me by 0.01 overall. Rats!

10 oz. balances okay on a fiberglass rod nearly 8 feet long...I'm just sayin....

Your inaccuracy by category: Parallelogram 5.1 6.1 4.0 Midpoint 5.0 2.2 1.0 Bisect angle 1.3 0.8 0.4 Triangle center 2.9 2.9 4.8 Circle center 1.4 0.0 5.1 Right angle 7.5 3.6 12.3 Convergence 2.2 9.4 5.0 Average error: 3.95 (lower is better) Time taken: 128.5 I thought it was going to be easier, but it was pretty tough.

CTE-200 or 200GT

Sad news for sure. Send me a photo and I can donate a portrait. Send a pm if you are interested and I can shoot you my contact info. Dogs are one of my favorite subjects.

I can't comment on the MXF, but i do fish the LTBS69MLXF regularly. I mostly fish lightly weighted tubes, grubs and drop shots with it. It has plenty of power for any of those applications in my opinion. Then again, I fish mostly rocky/sandy conditions with some light grass. I also think you could get away with very light jerk baits, or even inline spinners. It is a little light for texas rigged plastics, and even shakey heads if you are not exposing the hook point, again, my opinion.

Try a small plastic swimbait, preferably a Yamamoto Swim Senko or similar. Pinch off some near the nose if you have to, but leave about 3" exposed past the skirt.

I think you may be right, I don't have any of the original packages around though. I always go tail down now, mostly because I have had a better time of avoiding getting the tail stuck on the hook point that way. I can't say the tail up method is less effective for catching, just more of a PITA in my opinion.

My pleasure.

It was wild to me, a Midwesterner. Wasn't around that very much growing up.

Looks like tiger muskie. Nice catches!

+1 for Kalin's.

A-Jay, Gamakatsu Weighted Monster- 5/0, 1/4 oz. http://www.***.com/Gamakatsu_Weighted_Monster_EWG_Hook/descpage-GWMH.html