castaway

I am a sucker for a good deal, your basic bargain tackle scavenger ;D.I buy used reels, crankbaits,rods if they are what I think I want.I just bought 2 flippin sticks from a local builder.I have 9 flipping sticks now, but I simply can't pass up a deal of a lifetime as my wife sarcastically phrases. : If you want good tackle on a limited budget, scour the the forum sites, and surf through Ebay.My best find was a new in box Daiwa CVZ 253A millionaire reel.I got it for $71.50 shipped. When looking on Ebay, vary your search selection for those who didn't spell correctly, for example when looking for Daiwa reels, I also type in Diawa and so forth. ;)Happy hunting, Ivan

Actually, I never had any problems getting a jig into the thick milfoil beds using mono.I don't think braid falls through the weeds better than mono will, but braid will definately bring them out of the weeds better.I seem to think the heavier lb test braid cuts through the milfoil clumps easier than the thinner lb test braid does, but it doesn't make any sense to me that it would be true. I tighten the drag down, I want that fish to be turn towards me on the hookset and ski them to the boat . I always seem like I am in trouble when I don't get them started coming up on the hookset. Ivan

I can tell you of one time their lifetime warranty wasn't worth the paper it was written on.I bought a Avid 7'3" MH AC73MHF Flipping stick, used it a couple of times and then while fishing it, I noticed the first guide nearest the handle, the epoxy was pulling.When I got home and as was calling Saint Croix about the rod, I noticed the pulled guide was resting on the telescopic butt section.The other flipping sticks I have owned never allowed the guide to hit when collapsed.I got this guy on the phone and I explained to him about the design and what I thought had happened, I must have hit the guide when collapsing it when it was extended, pulling the epoxy.The guy told me I must have forced the rod retracted excessively causing the damage, therefore the warranty will be voided from misuse. I swore at him as he hung up on me, took it to a local rod builder, he looked at the problem, told me the guide wasn't damaged, he could re wrap it but it looked fine with the exception of the epoxy discoloration where it started to pull. He told me to stop by a Walmart buy the $2.00 fuiji keeper so the guide can't be hit by the butt section blank. I did what he said and I still use the rod today. Saint Croix no longer has this rod in their Avid series line up, but if they did I most likely would buy another one having the Fuiji keeper waiting to put on it upon its arrival.They do make a nice rod though, I wish I would have written the jerks name down who I talked to.If I have another problem with anything, I am going to make a point to ask names and write it down from now on, probably won't need to worry about it, but that made me angry, that was why I bought the Avid series rod, because of the lifetime warranty, little did I know I didn't really need it , even when I thought I might have ;DIvan.

Tie one on and let us know how you do.In the past I have caught fish on traps back in the creeks right after ice out, but the water was warming up, not cooling off.I am not sure if it had anything to do with it , or not.I know the one day the surface water was 34 degrees,nearly drowned as I fell in when my boat hit something in the creek channel.Luckily there was another boat near by to pull me out. Never go fishing alone when the water is that cold, even if you are a good swimmer, you can't swim with all of the heavy clothing you will have in order to fish comfortably. Ivan

I love the Pflueger President I own, didn't care for the Trion. I own a Revo S reel that has become my favorite reel. Its a small reel, sits low on the rod, cranks fish to the boat with ease.I haven't used the SX model, not sure I would pay the extra money for the magnetic system and the extra bearings, in my opinion, the S model works extremely well with the revamped 6 pin centrifugal weight system. What do you consider to be finesse ? my standard weight is 1/8 oz. tungstun weight, both the Pflueger President and the Revo S will cast them with ease, although they are not the same models you chose, they the closest that I have to your choices. Ivan

Raul, What type of reel would be worthy for such a distinguished rod ?

They wouldn't do much for a person who was colorblind. ;D I see no reason for the high dollar tackle, but I am sure they are nice to fish with. I am still stuck with being fascinated with the Japanese baits, haven't found a desire to move up the food chain towards rods and reels yet. :-/ Ivan

I can catch fish on them, but it seems as though I really have to work for them with the exception of spring time when I can catch alot of fish in a day on them on certain days.I can't explain it, but they don't seem to produce as well as other types of lures will, so I am guilty of not wanting to use them alot over other different types of lures.I fish a rattle trap alot, probably why I have caught more fish on traps than I have spinnerbaits.it doesn't make sense, the spinnerbait looks more real and alive in the water, the trap looks fake, but the trap will catch more fish for me ?I have been determined to catch fish on them, bought the Van Dam videos, bought several different spinnerbaits, but the only way I can consistanly catch them is on a chartruese skirted bait running it about 6 " under the surface over the weed flats, but it seems like it takes a hundred casts, or more to get results. Windy days are better than calm days.What do you recommend I try ?The other thing, with a trap, I am constantly moving it in different directions, so it doesn't come back in a straight line retrieve, or it is ticking weeds, or snapped off the bottom and let settle back to the bottom again when I get results, the spinnerbait doesn't seem to produce trying some of the same methods.What should I be doing ? P N J

I like the Super Spook jr baits, they catch both largemouth and smallmouth bass very well for me.The bass pro shop slim dog is a super bait for the money.It flat out catches alot of fish,but the finish doesn't hold up very well on them.The biggest topwater bass, I have ever caught came on a little owner cultiva zip n ziggy lure.As far as I know they are discontinued , but they are one of the easiest walk the dog lures to use.The spittin image has been a great smallmouth bass bait for me, but the front hook likes to catch on the line alot fouling the baits action. I quit using them for that reason. One thing to remember, the smaller the split ring you can put on your topwater baits, the better, too big a split ring will bind up against the split ring eyes that are molded into the bait. A smaller split ring gives the hooks a wider radius of movement and the baits seem to work easier for me.I also put a lucky craft split ring for the line tie. Ivan

I used to agree with the low gear ratios, but the newer designed reels seem to have less torque than they used to.I use a Johnny Morris 5.2:1 reel, but I am not always correct.Hunt down some Manns 20+ Deep hog cranks.I favor them over the Norman DD22's, but both are very good baits.Norman made a Bulldog brand crank series 6, or 7 years ago that is another great deep crankbait. Ivan

The lure has to look good to you, before you will get good results with it.If not, you will never fish it.I only have one Lucky Craft Pointer that I will not fish. It was a christmas gift from my mother, she passed away shortly before christmas got here that year.If you think Lucky Craft are too expensive to use, don't buy them. As long as you never fish them, you'll never know what your missing. ;DIvan

Nope, It looks like tiny blood clots when cleaning the bearings.As always I put too much oil in the bearings, bad habit of mine, but after asking reel mech. if he had ran across that problem, he told me he no longer used it.I have a ton of different oils from buying different reels.I use Mercury engine coupler spline grease on my reels after re-doing my lower unit seals and water pump impeller last summer. It seems to work well in my reels so far. Jim , thanks for the sewing machine oil idea.I have use sewing machine oil for the bearings on the furnace motor,already got it in stock. ;DIvan

I have always closed the bail by hand to prevent the loose wraps from forming on the spool when you engage the reel by turning the handle.I love the Browning Citori I caught on sale for $49.00.I don't use a spinning reel enough to justify spending alot on one.I own a Shimano Sierra and a Sahara reel and although they are cheap reels, they work alright for what little I have used them. The Citori has an aluminum frame and side plates, liquid smooth, but heavy. I would not own it if I had to pay regular price for it. Ivan

Thanks for the replies.I thought the same thing about the weight difference.Not worth the money he paid for the spool,like $47.50 + shipping, but he is my friend that I fish with alot, so I will let him go about his winter project without objection.I knew the side plates were beefed up on the new HEG system, I just didn't know if it was necessary to be ? Raul, Thank you for the lure answers.I absolutely love the finish on the lures I got so far, They are really nice baits.It amazes me, I can get the lures 2 days after he emailed me saying he sent them from Japan.Ivan

I haven't used Sun yet, but I also heard good things about it.I have used Jinkai and Toray line and I loved both brands, but they are pricey if you change line alot.If you buy Sun line, I would be interested in what your thoughts are on it. P-Line has been very good line for me as well, I like the floroclear line. Ivan

I have a friend who swapped a MG50 wiffle spool out in his 100b SF reel to make it lighter in weight.From people he has talked to , the MG50 and the 100 series are basically the same ? Could it be possible to install the Heg 7:1 gears in a MG50?I was told that they redesigned the reels with aluminum sideplates to prevent the HEG system from binding up with the higher gear ratios, would it work properly in a MG50, or isn't it possible to change the gears out ? :-?Ivan

I like the whole LV series baits and the Bevy SP lures.The SP suspends, a great trap for when you can't get them to bite anything else. The bad thing is, they will catch anything that swim.The toothy critters are really rough on the finish,on one of my LV 500, the teeth from a Landlock Salmon nearly cut all the way through the side of the bait.Ivan

You ask a difficult question.Yes the higher priced rods are better in my opinion, They are lighter and usually more sensitive, but there are some very good mid priced rods on the market that will have good components, be sensitive and fairly light in weight.IMO, The Berkley series one rods for $60.00 is a great rod for the money, but there's nothing wrong with spending more if you can, or spending less if your on a budget.Buy what you can afford, but the rod, in my opinion is more important than the reel, but there will be other people who say different. I am not always correct.The important thing is to get out and fish. ;DIvan

If you measure them,most likely you can find the bearing size here. http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/CTGY/Fishing-Reel-Bearings Ivan

I also vote for Castaway rods, They're durable as Hell even thought they carry a 5 year warranty, I have never had to use the warranty yet.They are pretty light, but what impressed me the most are they are very sensitive. I have the standard series and the HG40 series and sensitivity wise they are equal, the HG 40 is lighter weight.The American Rodsmiths are a very good rod as well. :)Ivan

Their warranty is kind of blunt and straight to the point. Ivan http://www.bassrods.com/Rod_Construction.html

I apologize for spelling tactical assault wrong.Here is their site. Ivan http://www.bassrods.com/Assault_Rods.html

Tatical assault rods were spiral wrapped.I haven't seen them advertised anywhere lately. Ivan

Dang it Senko, They are going to make you type Shimano is great 1000 times in a post as a form of punishment, if you don't mend your ways, they will send you a Shimano tackle pack, rod and reel and as an additional bonus, you will get the new Shimano subliminal message tape to listen to while you sleep. ;D Ivan

I was well aware of that, just took the time to take a turn at stirring the pot. ;D I wasn't kidding about the Shimano triple impact lure though.