OnthePotomac

Been using backing on my spinning and bait casters for over 15 years with a tiny piece of duct tape holding down the end of my backing and another tiny piece holding down the end of the new line I am spooling and I have never seen a "bump" anywhere on the spool. Regarding the life of fishing line...stored properly forever. MY 20LB mono jumbo spool is 18 years old and doing well. It is my plastic swimbait line and even frogs at times.

I fish mine on a 7' Medium Carbonlite spinning rod with BPS XPS 8lb mono. I put a tiny swivel 24" in front of the bait ( a must to prevent line twist)with 8lb mono from the swivel to the bait and hook the fluke on a 4/0 EWG gammie. Now I will look at the video and see what Z does. Just checked the video and difference is he is going for smallies and my set up keeps it over the grass beds I fish all summer. BTW that KVD caffeine shad he is using is one of my favorite fished weightless on a bait caster and the Potomac bass just love the baby bass color.

What model Curado are you having problems with?

I have always used 17lb XL on my Curado 200I on a KVD spinnerbait rod (7' MH), Same set up for chatter baits.

I have converted to all SS bearings and leave the shield on. No problem cleaning or lubing, at least for the 15 years I have doing my own reels.

To each his own, but I have only ever used Super Lube, Yamaha Blue Marine and currently Shimano ACE2 and Cal's drag grease on my gears because I have micro gears now and that is what Shimano recommends for micro gear grease.

Do not fall into the trap of believing that you must purchase the top end of fishing equipment to enjoy fishing. Do a lot of reading on line and initially pick equipment that will fit your fishing program. i.e, where will you be fishing and how often will you be fishing and will you be in a boat, or on a bank. My advice would be to look at some Bass Pro Shops equipment until you get your feet on the ground. For instance, the Bass Pro Shops Qualifier is and excellent bait cast to start with. I am a Shimano hound, but have been bass fishing for 20 years. I started with BPS Qualifiers and they performed flawlessly for the three years I used them, then I moved into a couple of Shimano Curado reels. To this day my rods are BPS Carbonlites and all on sale. Let your pocket book be your guide.

My Chronarch MGL has what looks like CarbonTex.

?????

Three best are a uni, a uni, or a uni.

I have used the Berkley counter for years, just don't drop it on the hard floor, or throw it around. I am on my third one, but have always been happy with its accuracy considering you are dragging line through two tiny rubber wheels really fast.

TSI 301 for guns and reel bearings.

Every product maker has their version of "Junebug", but my favorite on the murky Potomac is Gary Yamamoto's #203. That color is vibrant in the water, but not too much.

+1 on the Mustad KVD hooks.

I use a 3/0 EWG, but everyone will have a preference. The 3/0 size has never let me down.

And now you know why they build Fords, Buicks and Chevys

I don't know if it is still made, but a few years ago I picked up (on sale for $80) at BPS a 7' KVD MH full cork handle rod, 4.9oz, rated at 1/4-1.5oz and that thing is a brute for throwing frogs and anything else into nasty stuff. If he really had a hand in designing it he really knew what he was doing. It was sold as a worm rod.

What do you have to lose? Go for it.?

If you live near a BPS go in and handle a medium, 7'2" Carbonlite 2.0 spinning rod, now on sale for $99.99. I have one and you will love it. Extremely light and sensitive.

I have heard several say in the past the Daiwa made Cabelas reels and now that they are one company who knows.

Regarding the earlier discussion on chatter baits, the Jan/Feb issue of Bassmaster Magazine has a good article on all of the name brand chatterbaits. The article only informs you on whether the particular bait runs deep, or shallow, tight or wide wiggle, size hook, etc. It does not say anyone is better than the other. Still, it offers a good analysis of each bait.

Take a really experienced boat person with you who knows what to look for. If you are not really knowledgeable in fiber glass boats, especially older ones, you can end up buying a real money pit. Old fiber glass boats can come with lots of fiber glass and gelcoat problems, which can get really expensive to restore.

Your boat, like all boats, are designed for a max HP for safety. It is not wise to exceed that rating for your own safety and insurance, if insurance is involved. No a good idea, especially if you are responsible for other lives in the boat.

When I retired and got into bass fishing in 2000 I did not know a thing about spinning reels and saved to buy a Stradic 4000FE in a local tackle shop in 1996 for $120 and it does not get used much. From there I have only purchased three more and all are going strong, but not used much except by my daughter and grandson when he was younger.. The other three are : Sahara 2500FB in 2006 for $60 at BPS Daiwa Capricorn CA2500A in 2006 for $100 at dicks Daiwa Exceler 2500A in 2007 for $60 at dicks

Shimano and Daiwa