kickerfish1

Number of bearings has never been a deciding factor in determining the use or quality of a reel for me. The quality of the bearings and bearing placement however does. You can buy a cheap made in China reel with 10 bearings for under $20. I can promise you that reel will feel like junk no matter what you use it for. A friend of mine bought one of these for his son and the reel feels aweful.

With Tatsu I dont experience any line twist. I would suggest buying some when there is a sale. If you can get it for $30ish a spool, and back the reel some it will get you 2-3 reels off of one spool. It has been years since I have used Abrisix so I can't recall how that line would fair.

Zoom produces the Black color. On their website it is on the top right. You can buy them from many online retailers like TW. http://zoombait.com/trickflukes/flukes/super-fluke/

Actually I have used the same line for 2 years. I want also tell you I have used the same line for 3 years. The line I am referring to is Tatsu and one of its properties is longevity. For casting reels I have used 12# and for spinning 6#. Also keep in mind that some,of my reels may see less than 10 outings a year and only get used for about 7 months out of the year. I am not sure if the results would change if I fished year round or some of reels were used more often. Nevertheless Tatsu is a great line and has a longer shelf life than other lines I have used.

If you haven't tried a "black" super fluke yet I would highly suggest it. I have 20 packs of flukes and black produces far and away more and bigger fish. I can't explain the logic but that color has been outstanding for me the last 5 years. A guy that fishes the local tournament scene here won AOY while almost exclusively fishing a black fluke year round in less than 8 FOW.

Everything looks good and "buggy"! Nice tying!

Anywhere in the 1\4 to 3\8 oz range. I am partial to the northern style or bullet heads for more of a finnesse approach and the California style heads for deeper water or more of beefed up approach with a thicker trailer.

It is hard to establish a personal preference unless you have fished multiple brands and styles. There are far less reel companies than rod companies. I have found that over many years of trying dozens of rods and reels I have came to the conclusion that there are many companies that make a rod that fits my needs but only 2 reel manufactures that do.

Jerkbaits, just in time for fall/early winter. Some LC and Jackall

Maintenance records? ... Nah... I do have a stable of reels so the use gets spread out. Also I only fish for about 8 months a year. The reels get sent in for professional to the frame cleanings a minimum of every 2 years. If a reel gets heavy use or something seems off it will go in for service work. Most reel service places suggest a to the frame deep cleaning every year if the reel sees a good amount of use. This next year I am going to to a bearing flush/relube on an annual basis and still have the deep cleanings done every 2 years ago or so.

They do 15% for majority of their sales, however Black Friday has been 20% for as long as I can remember. Also they run a 25 days of Christmas Sale in December that has selected items marked down considerably plus Gift Cards on sale.

You can visit YouTube. There should be several videos about reels like yours. Most Shimanos are very similar in how they come apart and reassemble. Let us know what you find out but I am guessing it will be an easy fix.

This man knows hairjigs and materials!

Simple, fish before 11am and after 5pm. Clearly all the fish are at work during that 11-5 time.

Handle upgrade length relative the stock handle is worth considering. Often times adding a longer handle could cause premature wear on the gears. Personally 90mm handles are my favorite.

Thanks for the reply. I may just get a second Exscence DC. I have yet to find a reel that I like more.

RW if you need more and can't seem to find them anymore I would be happy to trade with you. A this point I could part with a few packs. I have 16 packs left right now. Shoot me a PM should the time come.

Empire strikes back and Return of the Jedi. Both are excellent. Not a big fan of the newer released movies that went back in time.

Great post! Judge #3 may never touch chili again. I too have had to "un"spicen my chili. I like hot things but in small quantities. Having two bowls of hot chili is just asking for it.

Maybe another reel tech/guru would be able to help or try emailing Abu?

Both of the above posters are no longer "active" on here. You may not find any follow up to the above.

Why not just fill your reel with some backing. 100 yards plus 25-50 yards of backing would be perfect. You can buy a bulk spool of Berkley Big game for under $10 to use for backing.

Nice looking victim! What your impressions of the Met DC to say other DC reels or even the standard 13 Met?

Looking sharp!

I really like the Tatula series. I feel the performance is right up there with a lot of reels I have that cost far more. Haven't fished the Curado I but it is on my short list of reels to buy this off season. Lews makes great reels with good ergonomics. IMO you have 3 very good options to choose from.