FloridaBassDude

Appreciate all the replies guys! Special thanks goes out to Quake though! Never knew Walmart sold high quality reels like that! Now I can't decide between the Helios or the Smoke, but for around $140 might just get both! And to Hogsticker and ghoti, glad you guys could assure me that the line capacity is perfectly fine, not scared to buy it now! Thanks again!

Got two questions for ya here: 1. Quantum Smoke or Okuma Helios...I really like them both, and their seems to be wayyyy more reviews of the Smoke, so it's been hard to compare them. 2. Going to pair the reel with a *** *** Black, but, should I go MH or H? Mainly fishing docks, and moderate to moderate-heavy brush. Occasionally hydrilla. Actually lets make that 3 questions. Braid size. Not sure what pound test, I would like to have as much line on the reel as possible (The Helios doesn't have the best capacity either IMHO) Thanks for the help!

Basically, I am about to purchase a reel for my flip-n-pitch combo...the Okuma Helios is up in my top 5, but I have one question...Is the line capacity strangely small or is it just me? I realize I can't flip 95 yards, but with say...40 pound braid, plus retying, snags, changing lures...I almost feel like it wouldn't last me but a couple trips! So my question is...will 95 yards of line suffice for more than a couple trips before having to respool?

Thank you all for your responses. Just to clarify, the bag/box I purchase will be sitting in my car all the time, because I can generally drive up to my spots, for times I can't, I will use a backpack/bag to carry my gear. The bag I have now just isn't big enough for my gear and I can't seem to find any bigger options that I like.

Need help choosing between two tackle boxes, tired of carrying around an over stuffed bag so I am going gigantic! http://www.basspro.com/Plano-7771-Guide-Series-Tackle-Box/product/10210344/ or... http://www.basspro.com/Plano-787-Guide-Series-Angled-Storage-System/product/10210367/ I like the 7771 Guide Series because of the spinnerbait storage, as I fish with them often. But, the size of the 787 seems so much more useful. I have never seen either in person, so my main question is...will the size of the 7771 be enough to hold all my gear or should I just buy the 787? Thanks so much for your replies!

How do you like your H Veritas? The MH seems too stiff for me so I feel like the Heavy might as well be a broomstick. Congrats on figuring out all your setups too!

Details! What kind of lures will you be throwing? Reel that will be paired with it? If you want a good ultra-light rod (really fun for bass) I would recommend an Ugly Stik Lite, 7'0.

4th of July will be your best bet for a sale. About the frogging rod cant help sorry.

Either a Pflueger Supreme, Okuma Raw, or the Lexa. All great choices.

Well I only have experience with an STX, so take that into consideration. For me, my frogging combo doubles as a flipping/pitching combo, if that idea interests you, then by all means get an STX, it's butter. If you just want a frogging combo, IMHO how often are you throwing frogs, so a $200 reel may not be worth it. So then maybe an SX is the better choice. All I can offer is that the STX is phenomenal and is super smooth, great reel. Good luck with your decision!

Question says it all. Was going to get the BB1, salesman talked me into STX, too fast for me, went to a Winch, and was not very happy with it. Casting distance was pretty good, but it wasn't very smooth, on the cast and reeling back in. Should I just go back to my original choice? It will be paired with a 7' All Star Crankbait Rod.

First off I am solely speaking of the Gen 3 Revo line... I had recently purchased an Abu Garcia Revo STX, to use for general cranking purposes (crankbaits,spinnerbaits,swim jigs,etc.) and I wasn't a fan. It feels awesome, light, smooth, great reel, just the ratio was way too high for me, and the closest Dick's only had the 7.0:1. I wanted the Winch originally, so I returned the STX. Now here's my question: What is the main difference between the STX and the Winch? Should I get the Winch or look for a lower gear ratio STX? I feel like i burn my baits through the strike zone so a 5.4:1 or anywhere near would be ideal. Thanks in advance for your help!

Generally most golf courses (unless they are ridiculously nice) do maintenance 1 day a week. Find out when that day is, call ahead and see if it's alright to fish when they are cutting lawns, etc. They might say yes, then no worries about cops!

Thank you all so much for the replies. Really helped me make my decison. I had my heart set on the Lews BB1. After 2 hours on holding what seemed like a thousand different reels, I ended up with a Abu Garcia Revo STX. But, I am sort of regretting it, heres why: I was going to get the Winch, but they were out of stock. The STX I purchased is a 7.0:1 Ratio, only one they had. It seems nobody uses the STX for cranking applications, only flipping and pitching. I am in the market (well I will be soon!) for a flipping/pitching combo. Should I wait for the Winch to come in stock, get it, and then use my STX for flip/pitch? I originally was going to get the Okuma Helios 2013 LP for flippin/pitching, but now I am all sorts of confused. Help!

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/18-fishing-flea-market That'll be your best bet besides Craigslist, or Ebay and so on.

Experience with them? I have no doubts but my last experience with BPS really ticked me off, scratched up my new reel and didn't include the instructions that come with it, just a box (the reel was upside down bouncing around the whole time!).

Man, I went out today and caught my personal best of 2013! Too bad I didnt have my tape measure , the thing was a monster! It she hadn't spawned already she could of been an 8#, possibly 9#. Guess it gives me a reason to go back tommorow!

Count me in!

I live in Florida, so moderate to heavy cover generally. I was going to go with a Heavy rod, but I love feeling every nibble I get, and I am not sure if I am going to get that same sensitivity with a Heavy rod. Do you think that the sensitivity of flouro will make up for the loss of being able to line watch? Thanks for the reply!

Okuma Helios LP Casting Reel matched with a 7'1" *** Black Med Heavy Rod. What do you think? It'll be my first combo set for only flipping/pitching and I was thinking about pairing it with some flouro... But flouro sinks if I am not mistaken, and I am quite the line watcher, anybody have a solution to that? I hate using braid too.

I live in FL, and the common answer would be sunrise/sunset. Whenever there is low light conditions, cloudy is always good for topwater. Being in FL is different from Illinois obviously, and sometimes I catch fish on frogs in the middle of the day when it's blazing 90 degrees plus. There's only one way to find out if they will go after it or not, cast it!

Seems to be that some people on this site prefer reels without anti-reverse? Atleast for cranking applications it seems. Any reason behind this? I always thought anti-reverse was a good thing companies now have with their reels? Thanks for the input.

I think it's a great idea to go ahead and buy a telescopic rod! 10-20 dollar rod, not so much! Although you will not be using it very often, I would go ahead and buy a reputable brands telescopic rod, such as: http://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-System-Minispin-Ultralight-Spinning/dp/B0000BY56T/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1367458110&sr=8-9&keywords=telescopic+rod or http://www.amazon.com/Okuma-VS-605-20-Voyager-Spinning-Travel/dp/B000MQTJW2/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1367458110&sr=8-14&keywords=telescopic+rod Buying a cheap brand combo could bite you in the a** in the long run when you hook into a nice fish, I have caught tons of nice fish while fishing small urban business ponds. Granted, the two combos I listed above could possibly be rip-offs, considering they are fairly cheap (I was surprised!) you may be better off just getting the cheapest combo possible. Either way, I hope you find what your looking for!

Hey everyone, as the title states I am in the market for a new crankbait reel, the one I have been using has all kinds of problems, so I am forced to retire it Good news is I am getting a new reel out of it! But I can't seem to find one I am satisfied with! I have $150 to spend, with a max of $200, but I would rather not spend it. I took a good look at the Shimano's, I have always been a Shimano fan, but from what I have heard, the newest line of Shimano's have not been up to par, the quality has just been horrendous. If only I could afford the old E series! Besides that weight isn't much of a problem, not a tournament fisherman (yet!), and I would rather have a low-profile, and a 5.2:1 ratio would be ideal! It will be paired with an All-Star Crankbait Rod, 7'0 if that helps. Thanks!

Yesterday I was fishing a pond, and the water level was down a foot or so, just enough to see the beds. Generally it is a very murky lake, so I was fishing a Cordell Super Spot, in black and gold. Ran it over a huge bed, small bass went after it but missed. Tossed over it again, and a huge bass comes less than a foot away from the bank and swirls around it. Casted 5 more times, hooking it EVERY single time. Finally landed her on the last cast, came close to 5 pounds! She must of been protecting her eggs, it was insane.