jeb2

In the summer in the south, I think I'd just get some beer and go find some shade. Seriously. Fishing gets tough from 9-10am onto to late afternoon, even from a boat.

That's what I see on TW, too. And that matches everything else I've seen on the web so far. Mid to late September is the current due date.

I use the Sexy Spoon and my fishing buddy mostly uses the Lake Fork ones. Overall, I think they're pretty even. I've got some hogs on the Sexy Spoon, but there are some days when the Fork one does better. Mostly a winter technique for us, but can be effective on active suspended fish in the main lake in the heat of the summer, too.

One other thing to keep in mind is the camera. That is one area I'm pretty disappointed in with my HTC Evo 4G. Hard to take consistently good pictures with it. And it is THE reason I will be trading up when my contract is up in a few months. Being fishermen, most of us have common opportunities to take a quick picture. So having a good camera on your phone can be important. The iPhone has a great camera, but I've heard the HTC One blows it away.

50. Lighter, more bearings, not that much difference in line capacity. Great little reel.

My wife and my HTC Evo's have been awesome phones. Coming up on 2 years this fall and they've been flawless. HTC makes some great phones that always rank well in Consumer Reports. A lot of the negative stuff you read about Android phones are about older phones with the older operating systems. Most of them are really slick and polished now. Add to that the bigger screens that are available than the iSheep products, and you really have some much better choices in the Android realm.

I have. Some I've been happy with, some not so much. But I don't think it would have been any different had I been able to handle on in a store first. That does not tell you very much about a reel. It's how it performs for YOU in the conditions you fish in and the type of fishing you do that counts. And you won't know that until you own one.

I was one of the early adopters of it in my area, back last Oct/Nov. And it sure as heck was magic then! Caught crazy amounts of very nice fish on it. Far, far less foul hooking than suspending jerk baits and crankbaits. But by Jan/Feb, everybody and their brother was throwing them, and it's now just become another bait. Been quite a while since I've caught one on it now. Some say it will shine again this fall/winter. We'll see. I'm a doubter. I think the fish around here have just become accustomed to it.

Didn't make a huge difference. I think the bearings that come stock are probably ABEC 7's, too. It did improve it a little, and that's a good thing, but it's still not quite as easy to control in changing conditions as my Core 50 is. I still think the dual braking setup in the Premier is superior overall to the MGX system. So I'm going to be a little cautious about getting a new style Premier since they went to that system in those, too.

BPS does apparently fix and/or refurb at least some of their reels. They have an "outlet" store next to the Springfield, MO BPS and the reel cases are full of Johnny Morris reels that have been refurbed. Some other brands too, but mostly the BPS stuff.

I've had mixed experiences with them. Shimano handles all the Loomis stuff directly now. In the past, when Loomis was doing it themselves, the service was great and turn around time was short, usually about 2 weeks on a rod. Now it's well over a month. It took almost 6 weeks for them to replace a defective NRX for me recently. And my local dealer complains quite a bit about the service since they forced all the calls to go directly to Shimano. I've called them a few times while considering new Loomis rods. The Shimano folks know next to nothing about the Loomis rods, in my experience. They've even transferred me to folks that are suppose to be more knowledable on the products. Not. Basically parrot back to me what is on the Loomis website. With rods that cost as much as most of the Loomis ones do, the least you'd think they could do is have pre-sale calls go to someone who actually works at Loomis and knows what they're selling. So, like others here, I think they have some great products. But feel they need to pick it up some in the customer service area.

Oops, sorry. Like I said, not a big crankbait fisherman. I was confusing the Bombers with the Strike Kings. I do use both the Bomber and SK in the 6 sizes, and both work well. But obviously the Bomber is what I use in the 7 series.

You're right, except they don't make the Premier eqivalent in that reel anymore, the XTLP. Pflueger/Pure Fishing discontinued it a year or so back.

Yeah, that leaves me scratching my head some, too. If that is actually the case, they are apprently not listening really closely to what their customers are saying.

Sorry, yes, same as the current models. I was asking specifically about the Premier.

They told me mid to late September when I called them this afternoon. And the guy I talked to said the exterior finish was the same.

Another vote for them. I don't fish cranks a lot. Just don't have much confidence in them. The 6xd and 7xd are the only ones I've really had any consistent luck with. My go to cranks, for sure.

I bought a bunch of the Orange Seals at the same time for my Shimano's. I installed them in my Core 50 and my 2 curados, 50E and 200E7 all at the same time. They made a bigger difference in the Curado's than the Core for sure. I do feel they made a positive difference in the Core, just not as noticeable.

I always flush and relube the bearings before the reel ever hits the water for the first time. I do it again at least twice a year. Good advice, though. Many bearings come from the factory soaked in heavy oil or grease. Flushing them can make a huge difference.

I also have both and fish them quite a bit side-by-side. I agree with your overall findings. I've got Orange Seals on order right now for my MGX to see if it makes that last little bit of refinement come in. My Core already has Orange Seals. The braking system on the MGX is not dual, though. It only has the IVCB-IV centrifugal brake system. And the tackle tour review of the reel showed only a 5lb drag when they tested it. Mine seems stronger than that, but could use an upgrade there as well, probably. Not as weak as my Steez's drags, but close.

Will do.

Agreed. Probably the very best bang for the buck on the market right now, especially as they're trying to blow out the current models right now to make room for the updated versions coming out in Sept. Just ordered Orange Seals for my MGX. Hopefully that will put it more on par with my Steez's and Core 50 for the lighter baits.

I use Berkley Big Game for my backer on bigger capacity reels. I do use the same test, but doubt that's a big deal. I use the uni-to-uni knot. On smaller capacity reels like Core 50's, etc, I just fill them all the way up with FC, no backer.

Agreed. Give them a call.

I have the 7:1 version of it. Been fishing it a couple of months now, so pretty much have the settings figured out for different situations. I have it on an NRX 853, loaded with 12# Invisx. It struggles with lighter baits, like 1/8 t-rigs, smaller senkos, etc. My Core 50 and Steez's handle those better, also on 3 power NRX's, same line. But to be fair, those all have upgraded bearings. I guess I should get some coming for the MGX to level the playing field. For 1/4oz and up, it works great. But it's use for those days when finesse baits are required is limited. Overall, I'd agree with the recent review over on tackle tour when they concluded "The Revo MGX may be built with finesse applications in mind, but we think it makes an even better general purpose casting reel.". I know you didn't ask, but if I were choosing amongest the 5 ounce class reels I mention above, I'd get another Core 50, personally. Does it all with no fuss and no muss. Great little reel.