sarcazmo

Love love love my helios reels. They can be had for ridiculous bargains on that auction site. The enw helios air looks pretty amazing as well. I will definitely be buying one. The only negative to me are the eva knobs... I just prefer the flag paddle style ones more.

Keep in mind the Pro Qualifier/Lews/Abu are pretty much the same reels. I'm a big fan of the PQ and BB1 however. Another couple of options are the Okuma Helios and komodo. I have 2 helios and 1 komodo and absolutley love them. Icast is a trade show thats a bout a week away. If you can wait there will probably be some new reel choices in your price range soon after.

After buying a steez I have a hard time spending more than 200 dollars on a reel. I just dont think the value per dollar is there. I may get one if I can snag one at a decent price, otherwise, 200 dollars and below lifer! :-)

They just redesigned the exceler as well. I'm not sure if its just cosmetic though.

Best 100 dollar rod. Next 20% off sale I'll probably pick up a couple envys to see how they compare to my KLX/ALX rods.

Looks like a fantastic value. I still would like concrete details regarding the differences between this and the type r version before I make a purchase though.

I've fished almost every hundred dollar rod out there. *** Black numero uno. BPS carbonlite numero dos. *** has the most comfortable handle/reel seat I've used. For a little more scratch I'd grab a klx.

Might want to look @ the *** spinnerbait as well. I dig their jigs, and will buy some of their tandem spins when they're finally available.

Over on TT i think they mentioned 149 and 199. Does anyone know the specific differences between the two? I think the R will have the faster retrieve and some cosmetic details but does anyone know anythign else? Drag star material etc?

I absolutely love my helios reels. Can be had for cheap on that auction site too.

Excellent advice thanks guys! I'm in the market for a couple new rods and one will definitely be a spinning for this. Does the mans jellly worm float?

So I've been out on the lakes just graphing looking for structure and have found some very promising spots. Mostly in 20-30 feet of water. I've picked up some big worms (Power team ribbon hinge and xcite maximus). I want to give deep shakey head a shot. I'm curious what kind of gear you use to throw this? Spinning with bigger (1/2oz+) shakey heads? Thanks!

All these revo problems are unsettling. I've recently become enamored with the lews bb1... I believe they are manufactured by the same company that makes Abus reels and the PQ. Bring on the daiwa tatula!

youtube.com has some amazing videos. There are videos showing you step by step how to clean and lube your reel. Theres a PQ dissasembly right there.

They're on sale right now for 80... You're welcome.

Great combo. Are you going to purchase them as a combo or seperately? If seperate I'd also suggest looking @ the *** series of rods. I've recently also become enamored with the lews bb1 series of reels. The yadvertise as being very easy to cast far. I thought it was marketing mumbo jumbo until I used one. Even packed in grease it casts like a champ and is very smooth. I just picked up 2 at that auction site, one for less than a hundred the other for just over. For the jigs will you be pitching and flipping them or using them for bottom contact? I tend to prefer 7ish foot rods for most things, but if I'm fishing along the bottom I like something a bit longer. The extra length really helps get extra distance. My first outfit ever was a PQ/Carbonlite combo. Still my 2nd favorite rod in that hundred dollar pricepoint. I believe the PQ is also made at the same place that makes the lews and abu garcia reels.

So I recently placed an order for 3 kistler klx rods. Since there wasnt too much info about them I figured I'd buy some and see for myself. I ordered the 7'3" heavy, 7'6" heavy, and the 5xd,6xd cranking rod. They shipped me one wrong rod, they gave me their 10xd rod instead of the 6xd rod. I sent an email and this morning I received a phone call from Trey Kistler himself. He apologized and offered everything to make it right. I told him it wasnt a big deal and I was going to need a more stout rod for deeper cranks and spoons anyhow and told him I'd buy the 6xd rod anyway. He offered me a VERY generous price and did not charge me any shipping. Doesnt get any better that IMO.

h20 mettle right now is on sale for 40 dollars and by all accounts is a great reel. If you can swing 60ish more you can get a bass pro carbonlite rod (Great rod, doesnt get the hooplah it deserves in that pricepoint) and pro qualifier combo. This is what I started with. Still have it, still use it, still catch fish with it. My pq casts just as well and catches as many fish as my steez so you dont necessarily have to break the bank to get a decent reel.

Why not? Will the curado outfish the PQ? Doubtful. I'd rather spend more on rods than reels personally. My PQ catches just as many fish as my steez. Casts well too! Fishing is no different than anythign else. Brand loyalty is an awesome thing but sometimes people let it cloud their judgement or allow it to persuade them into trying to convince others of unreal expectations. Just because something doesnt cost as much as another similar product doesnt mean its a far inferior product. I honestly never listen to people who only use or advertise one particular brand of product.

So apparently the Academy h20 reels are the same as the daiwa lexa and can be had for outstanding price right now. Just bought two. I also LOVE my PQ and recently really began digging my lews bb1. The knobs on the lews are the most comfortable I've used yet.

Bought 2. Essentially 2 daiwa lexas for less than the cost of one branded with 'daiwa.' Thanks for the tip!

Interesting. Might have to buy one and check it out. Heard nothing but good things.

Someone posted a schematic saying the mettles are basically the same thing as the daiwa lexa. Can anyone confirm? Does daiwa make academy reels?

You should be able to cast pretty far with a basic t-rig set up. If you'd like more distance have you thought about a carolina rig? Usually use heavier weights but because you use a long leader it doesnt really mess with the action so much. I especially like to use slightly buoyant plastics for this and it'll help you feel bottom contours.

All depends on what I'm fishing. I'm i'm cruising up the shore fishing brush piles and laydowns pretty shallow I'll usually use 3/16. I might add a little more or less but almost never go over 1/4 oz. If I'm fishing deeper structure 15-20 feet of water I'll go up to 1/2oz or a little more.