War Eagle 44

A lot of guys don't like the old Chronarch B because they complain that they're to heavy, let me tell you that never bothers me and the CH B is one of the best low pro reels ever made. Bomb proof, cast great, pitches great, very good drag, great factory bearings that actually aren't packed with grease. Total package that still holds its own today, I love mine.

Nice fish even though it wasn't a bass. What'd you think about the reel? I know one trip wasn't nearly enough time to form a solid opinion but what were your first impressions? The only Spydie I've ever had rust issues with (they were very minimal even then) was a ZDP-189 Delica. To be fair I did purchase this knife at a show and not from a shop and it didn't have it's box. On the up side the knife was in new and uncarried condition and I got it for a nice price. I'm not so sure that the small rust issue that the knife later developed didn't start before I purchased it because the "gentleman" I bought it off of didn't appear to be taking the best care of his stock. Spyderco makes a fantastic product, doesn't matter which knife you choose. In my opinion though any of the models that come out of the Golden facility are particularly special. Here's what I've been tossing in my pocket everyday for the last 2 plus years.

I saw these on TW about a month or so back, they sold out almost immediately and then I didn't hear so much as a peep about them on any of the boards so I figured they must be fantastic and no one wants it to get out yet. I can tell you this I'm an Owner hook's guy and I'd been able to hold out because I'd told myself I didn't need them I wasn't having any trouble hooking fish on the single Owner Twistlock (which is 100% true) but after seeing this pic and seeing hoe perfectly it "fits" the Rage Toad I don't think I can resist much longer. Definitely let us know how they actually work, especially how snag prone it may or may not be Dwight.

I'll start off by stating these 2 facts, 1 - I'm a Shimano guy to the bone and 2 - I've never even fished with a Revo, all I've ever done is mess around with them at the tackle shop. I own 6 E series reels; one 50 size, one 300 size, and four 200 size. I've fished them all pretty hard with the exception of the 50, especially the 200's and I haven't had so much as a single minutes worth of trouble out of one of them. They are super versatile reels because they come in three gear ratios, they are very simple to break down and maintain yourself (only needs to be done once a year unless you use them in the salt), the are very easy to "tune"/upgrade, and last but most importantly in my book they're super reliable. I'm not at all saying the Garcia isn't a good product, I'm simply saying I have zero experience with them whatsoever. In fact I don't even know anyone who fishes one. All my buddies either fish Shimano, Quantum, or Daiwa. My entire point to you is simply this, there's almost no way you get let down buy purchasing a Chronarch 200E.

I agree that the Endura is a very nice piece of cutlery but I never cared for the waved version. Also if I'm not mistaken that's also a ZDP-189 blade, better keep that bad boy nice and dry. My collection is pretty much split right down the middle between Spyderco and Benchmade, I think I actually own a few more Spydies but my favorite company of the two is Benchmade.

I love my Curado 301E for these types of lures and techniques (as well as umbrella rigs) but if you don't absolutely have to go low pro then it might be worth looking into the D series Calcutta. All of this is of course assuming that you don't find your Lew's to be acceptable. Who knows it could turn out to be one of your favorite reels, Lew's has a ton of support and momentum right now. Not to mention a lot of happy customers. They have to be doing something right.

I'm also using Owner Twistlock hooks. I'm simply looking for ways to get the absolute highest possible strike to land ratio I can from these baits, nothing more.

Right around the $150-200 price point is where I think the line of diminishing returns begin with regards to the majority of today's rods. There are a few exceptions to be sure, but for the most part this is what I've found. I think the line is a little higher when it comes to reels therefore I usually spend more on my reel than my rod. I feel it is the more important piece in the equation. In your case I would look at rods ranging from around $80-100. You should be able to get yourself a very nice rod to go with your reel in this price range. Of course these are only my opinions and you can choose to spend as much as you'd like. Either way you go I wish you good luck.

I use Owner hooks but I actually drill a small hole through the body so my hook has freedom of motion but at the same time doesn't completely start to break down the bait before I've even started fishing it. I was doing the same thing at first, cutting the bait, but it didn't hold my hook well while casting after doing this and also I couldn't catch nearly as many fish on one before it was ready to be replaced.

I agree, good move indeed. My favorite color Rage Toad is green pumpkin/chartreuse. If I can find that one I get plain green pumpkin and dye the feet chartreuse.

The Zoom bait will definitely catch fish and is the first toad style lure I caught fish with. I find the Rage Toad to be a "better" bait for my personal fishing style and the vegetation that my local lakes have in them.

Exactly! I'm sure this bait works but I've personally never been able to get even so much as a swirl on it.

I agree 100% on these baits, they can't be bested on the occasions when the bass are aggressive, in the weeds, and are wanting top water. I like Gambler's Cane Toad better if the fish aren't as aggressive for two reasons; one I can fish it much slower without it sinking and two it doesn't cause as much disturbance on the surface. Big O did a masterful job on this particular rage plastic, it's one of my personal favorites.

Here here! I've tried several different brands but I always end up back home. I'm a really big fan of P-Line's Spectrex braid as well so I'm looking forward to trying out their new offerings just shown at ICAST but in the end it's always the same, original Power Pro.

All Spro lures use Gamakatsu hooks as they own Spro.

Couldn't have said it better myself. As far as colors go I've found those to be very simple as well; white, chartreuse/white, and black.

I can see where the lack of support for their products less than ten years old would be super frustrating, luckily for me one of their big parts/warranty vendors is only about 40 minutes from my house and happens to be my favorite tackle store to boot (Mark's Outdoors). The only down side to Mark's now days is they stopped selling Shimano parts, they used to, not any more. They'll warranty or fix any Shimano reel it doesn't matter how old salt or fresh. I'd really love to have a new Stella but I don't see that happening any time soon. I just don't have that kind of cash lying around to "waste". I have a 3000 FD that I picked up at Mark's from a guy that used to work there that went to work for Shimano. It was one of his demo reels but it was one he never got around to fishing, in fact he never even opened the box, it still had the plastic dot on the lid. Picked it up for $400 even, no tax. I thought that was pretty good deal. I can't really remember what the 3000 FD's went for new back then. It's by far the best spinning reel I've ever fished with. I don't really fish it all that often anymore but I love to. Like the one guy said above I'm afraid I'll throw it in! Don't think I'm just being paranoid I've already thrown my Calcutta DC in the lake. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and let my boat drift into a fallen tree top, well a nice big wasp nest was right in the end there and in all the chaos of me dancing and flailing about my Calcutta Loomis CBR combo went flying out of my hand into the lake!!! It actually wasn't a problem because it killed two birds with one stone this particular occasion, by me jumping into the lake to save my rod it also got me away from the wasps. Wow, sorry to have gone WAY off topic there fellas. yeah Stellas rule.

I can't comment on the Seibert jigs as I've never fished one, I use Dirty Jigs. My favorite size is 5/16 then 3/8, I use these two the most by far. I like the 5/16 around heavy weeds and the 3/8 when the grass is a little thinner. As far as trailers go I use Paca Craws, Kickin' B's, Rage Craw's, Rage Menace, Zoom swimming chunks, Skinny Dippers, and Swing Impact Fat's. Just depends on how and where I plan to fish my swim jig as to which trailer I use.

I always straight spool my 51E, doesn't matter which line type I'm spooling it with. I recently spooled mine with some fresh S8S 30# timber brown. These reels were made with very light spools, I don't see the need to add the extra weight of mono or fluoro backing no matter how minimal it may be.

I think that's the best news I've heard about these rods yet! Can't wait to get my hands on a few.

I fish the lakes a little south of you; Lay, Mitchell (95% of my fishing), and Jordan. I'm a big braid guy having switched every reel I have to braid except my cranking reels. I've been using mostly braid for a little over 2 years, if I'm fishing shallow say 10 feet or less then I feel my chances are better running a fluoro leader. However I'm not convinced that it makes a huge difference in the number of bites I get when fishing say 20 feet or deeper. I'm not sure what the difference in water clarity is between the lakes you're fishing and the ones I'm referring to but all three that I'm fishing can get pretty clear at times. Of course they always have a green tint so I'm not sure if that's enough to make a difference or not. I catch plenty of fish using 50# straight braid on football jigs and t-rigged plastics all summer long as long as I'm fishing at least 20 feet deep. Take it for what it's worth, could be that I just think I'm doing ok but I might actually catch twice as many fish if I weren't using the braid. Good luck to you either way.

7' MH Fast Clarus (old out of production cork handled version) with a Chronarch 101B 6.3:1 spooled with 50# braid. If I have one tied on I'm fishing it in the heaviest grass I can get it through so I never have a problem using braid.

I'm not certain exactly what the deal is but this color combination has been absolutely killing them for me for the last 2 years. Because its belly has chartreuse, white, small black dots, and a touch of orange I'm not sure that it isn't more of a bream or bluegill pattern more so than an actual frog. Either way I'm not complaining because it consistently out performs any other colors I throw. An added bonus is that this color isn't locally available so I'm thinking there aren't that many guys using it.

I 100% disagree with this statement. I'm running Spiderwire braids on 3 different reels and I've not experienced a single problem yet. I'm using a different braid on each reel, all in 50# test. One is spooled with Stealth, one with Invisibraid, and the third with Ultracast Ultimate braid. All three have been fine, no breakoffs or premature fraying, no knot slip, no mysterious casting issues, they have performed just as well as most of the other brands I've fished. My all time favorite brand is Power Pro (original and S8S) with P-Line Spectrex being a very close second. I've tried lots of different braids From SunLine to Sufix and plenty in between and I can't find anything wrong with Spiderwire. Especially the Invisi and Ultimate. Fresh spool of 50# Ultimate ready to go.

I'm very surprised to hear of your troubles, I use the exact same hook for all of my toad fishing and I've never had any trouble hooking and landing fish. I use 50 to 65# braid on my regular frog rod (Powell Max 735) so I don't think your equipment is to blame. About the only thing I can think of is to try and set your drag so that it slips just a little on hook set to try and avoid tearing their mouth. Other than that I guess I'd just have to go along with the guy that said sometimes they just come off.