BradH

Currently, Bulk spools of Berkley Big Game braid from WM.

Unless your original bearings are worn out, just cleaning them and adding a single drop of low viscosity oil is the biggest improvement. The original spool bearings in a Lew's reel will be very good. Quite likely, as good or better than anything they'd be replaced by.

On paper, yes.

My biggest gripe. The drag. If fishing treble hooked baits, it's fine, although I'd still put a carbon drag washer in it. For something with a big, single hook, like a jig, Texas rig, or a spinnerbait, I'd like more drag.

6 something, around 26 to 28 IPT. With some of the casting reels getting smaller, I tend to look at IPT more than I used to. Handle length is also a factor. I can handle more IPT with a longer handle.

In one of the lakes I fish, rainbow trout are one of the primary prey species for the larger predators. Pink & white spinnerbaits have been effective there. I might also consider using them in pressured water where a chartreuse & white spinnerbait isn't working.

I did the drag washers on the Gen3 LFS, which by the way, are the same as the Gen2, in case you were looking for some. While there was slight improvement, it's still very underwhelming in the drag department.

Several. Big, deep diving crankbaits and big spinnerbaits. I use a Curado E5 for the big, deep diving crankbats. The single disk drag is fine for treble hooked baits. For big spinnerbaits I like more drag washers. A first gen Revo S with a set of winch gears and a toro handle.

Spool bearings- Mobil #6 Spindle Oil Grease- Any Calcium Sulfonate NLGI 1 or 2 grease. Drag Grease- Shimano or Cals

I have one. I'm not crazy about the drag. Other than that, it's fine. It's a single disk, white nylon washer. I should swap it for a carbon washer and see how that works.

No. If I upgrade, I either keep the old as a backup, or I give it to a kid.

I bought 2 HMX rods last year. If you stay off the internet, they are great.

For me, it's usually oil getting into the drag or the wrong grease. I buy used reels frequently, 99% of the time, it's oil in the drag.

If I needed another reel in that price range I'd get the Daiwa, or a Shimano SLX. That said, my local WM had an Abu Garcia Revo X on clearance for $61. I bought it.

It has not.

ML BPS Crankin' Stick with Curado 50E on one setup, SLX MGL70 on another. On 10lb braid you can send a small lipless into orbit, or poke it into a tiny target.

Something like the Daiwa Team S Jerkbait/Topwater rods perhaps? I really like mine. I'm not sure what I'll do if I ever break it. Those six foot, give or take a few inches, jerkbait rods are not so common anymore.

Both? My daughter is left handed and just starting to use a casting reel. I've picked up some used reels on marketplace and got some great deals on used left hand reels. I bought a few new Shimano SLX reels, the 100 dollar ones. I'm impressed. They punch way above anything else at that price. However, I did take them apart, add six ball bearings, and clean & oil the factory spool bearings before I even fished them. So it's not a truly out of the box evaluation. I'll buy an E series/Scorpion XT Shimano or a first gen ABU Revo if I see an used one priced fair. I couldn't say no to the Tatula CT over Christmas from BPS with the Monday discount and Veteran's discount on top of that.

Jerkbait rod. Something slightly faster than a squrebill rod, shorter too.

On my 200E5, right handed, I replaced the handle with one from a 300E (BNT3984). It is a slightly longer handle, giving me a little more torque. You might look up the Shimano schematic for a 301E and see if there is a left hand equivalent. It may be the same part number. Unlike the 200 series Curados, the knobs don't have a twist to them. It has the same 7x4 hole in the handle for the driveshaft. I have a Citica 200E I added a bearing to the driveshaft and put the handle off a Curado 200G on. The 200G handle has the fat, twisted grips like the E series, but you can replace the 4 plastic bushings with ball bearings. You might try finding a 201G handle. If you go this route, you'll need the locking plate along with the handle. Handle bearings are 7x4x2.5 if you feel like upgrading. BNT4355 is the G series handle. Dad's Old Tackle has it and the lock plate you'll need for it.

Good grief, I had no idea. I have a Curado 200E7 NIB just waiting until I need it. I had a Curado 50E and a Citica 200E stolen 10 years ago. That stung a little. They are great reels, though. It's largely why I know very little about new reels. My E series Shimanos and first gen Revos won't die. I'm still using a few 50E reels. I will say the SLX 70 MGL I picked up on marketplace compares favorably to the 50E after a full overhaul and adding 5 ball bearings to it.

I believe a Curado 200E5 falls within that range. I use one for deep cranks, so the single disk drag is fine with treble hooks. For big spinnerbaits, I'd use something different.

I think my favorite Revo is the first generation base model, the Revo S. Aluminum frame and side plate on the drive side, muti disk drag, lots of bearings. I don't think any of the newer models have made any measurable improvements. The Zata has a plastic/graphite frame. At that price point, that's a big "no thanks".

I have two ML Crankin' Sticks, 6' and 7'. One has a Curado 50E, the other a SLX MGL70. Both spooled with 15 pound braid and leaders of usually 6, 8, or 10 pound fluorocarbon. I toss flicker shads, shad raps, small squarebills, small floating Rapalas, lip less, whatever. A kvd 1.5 is too much, I'm tossing lighter stuff with this setup. I have a different rig for those. Go for it. Get the 7'. I have a blast with that setup throwing those baits.

Braid tends to foul on the hooks more and is less resistant to abrasion than fluorocarbon or even monofilament. That said, 30 pound braid, whatever is on sale. I always run a leader, probably five or six feet long, probably anywhere from eight to fifteen pound test.