BadContrakt

I'm not going to lead the witness at all by giving any more information than needed. Let me ask you what exactly you would use this rod for, and what gear ratio would the reel be? 7 foot medium heavy / moderate fast Go.

I actually can't even stand to look at my spinning reel after this summer. Everyone in my family, including me, has struggled with line twist this year. Braid, Mono, and even some light Fluoro. Just ridiculous. But that's okay because, frankly, my baitcasters do everything my spinning reel does, but better. I actually just put it away for the winter this morning as I always bring it on the boat but NEVER pick it up. Waste of space. Only time I can ever see me using it is fishing a dropshot deep. That's where a baitcaster struggles.

I can't top you, as a matter of fact, I have more new & pretty stuff this year than broken stuff... Actually... Come to think of it, I've not broken anything this year. Just a handful of lost baits is all I've got to worry about, but everyone gets that.

I've taken it apart and dried it twice now and the drag is slowly getting better and better the more I dry it. So it is definitely true about the oil. It can't be on the drag stack at all or things will go wrong! However my Zillion and Tatulas remain un-phased and I ******* them with oil too. Although their drag system is much different.

Yeah seriously lol. I actually have some 10 inchers that are a bit thicker and heavier that I use for Carolina rigs. I could maybe try those. Would definitely weed out some of the 6 ounce bass lol! Thanks! This year I'm never returning to the same lake twice (unless it's large) and I'm scoping out the land of 10,000 lakes. This will definitely be a lake I'll return to next year.

Well the reel only has max drag it 10 pounds and right now it's probably maxing out at only about 5-6. So yeah it's pretty important. Where would one get these washers?

When fishing on the bank, I never hit the same spot twice in the same day. I even try to resist going back to the same spot for ~3 days to let it settle down completely. I find that if I fish the same shore-line (on the Mississippi River) two days in a row, the bite will be substantially less on the second day. Pressure is a big deal to fish. If you batter them with lures every day they won't have time to relax and get comfortable. Now if I'm in my boat on a lake, I will indeed hit the same spot 2 times in a day if I have to (if the lake is small or if the bite isn't good in other areas etc etc) and generally have decent luck the second time around as long as I'm using a different presentation.

Decided to head out for 3-4 hours this morning for some casual pre-work fishing on a lake I've never been to before. I live in Minnesota so I'm blessed with the ability to visit tons of new lakes every season. It would take a long time to cover them all! However, along with that blessing comes a curse. Small Bass. My PB is 4lb 11oz and that's a seriously seriously quality fish for Central Minnesota. Got to the lake and, of course, it's filled with carp like all the lakes in the St. Cloud area. I find that if there are carp in a bay, the bite is tough in that bay. Does anyone have any experience fishing carp-heavy lakes? Please let me know your findings or techniques for those lakes! Anyway. It was a successful 3.5 hours because I caught a lot of really healthy really quality bass. Tried a few baits but the only thing they wanted was a wacky worm. Water temp was 72.9 degrees with overcast and windy/sprinkling rain conditions. I stayed in 3 foot or less of water, fished the wacky rig along docks and reeds and smoked 'em this morning! Oh and I got a respectable (ballsy) Sunny to grab my worm as well. He nailed it like a bass. I'm finding that the only way to catch bass in Central Minnesota where the lakes are pressured SUPER HARD every day is with the wacky rig. Seriously. It's the only set-up I can reliably catch fish on. Disclaimer: These were all taken with my front-facing camera. I was solo this morning and had no cameraman. Sorry the pics are sideways, but for some reason the internet wants to register them this way.

That's the one I have. It's actually a very dark speckled green, not black. The casting distance and smoothness was exactly what impressed me so much with the Laguna. Such a shame that it's being problematic. I'll make sure to keep this post updated with what I do about it. Thinking I'll tear it apart again and do some searching on the interwebz to see if there's a fix floating around.

That's unfortunate. I really liked this bargain reel too. I might just get another Tatula (cause I absolutely LOVE both of mine) or maybe try another TWS Daiwa reel. I adore the TWS on both my Zillion and Tatulas. I don't ever want to use a standard line guide system again.

I generally start with top-waters as the sun rises, and then work my way down the water column as the sun continues to rise.

Just a squeaker LMB! Hey that's a good thing. Don't be embarrassed. It means you don't often catch small bass!

Just tried to call to sexually harass them but it was just a busy tone, and then I tried again and it said the call cannot be connected.

Degrease? So you believe even though I dried it there's still a film of oil on it? Seems pretty dry to me!

I just took apart the Laguna again this afternoon and dried very thoroughly all of the drag stack. No change. I don't know. According to the schematic, everything is properly in place and is also dry now. Maybe I'm crazy. Some time on the water will determine if the reel is truly different or not.

Hmmmm what's this rod made of? I wouldn't consider the current-made HMG a good crankbait rod.

You idiot! Why would you think that you can... Just kidding. Did I get you!? Seriously though. My dad owns his own repair business for four wheelers and dirt bikes etc etc and he lives 3 miles away from town and always takes keys out of the vehicles at night. You can never be too sure who's planning what and you're just better off going the safe route most days Taking the battery out of the boat is completely understandable, but the gas tank? I mean yeah it can get stolen just as easily (if not easier) than the battery but the mechanic likely doesn't have a gas tank laying around and if he did, who says it has the right connection for your motor? In this situation, I would have asked him before bringing it "Do you have a fuel source for my motor? Cause I want to leave my battery and tank at home." But it's whatever. The guy obviously handled the situation terribly and needs to lose some business to teach him a lesson.

You has this same problem with the Laguna? Or with another reel? Cause all my other reels remain unchanged even though I'm sure they're all just as oily.

I know it won't be the HMG or HMX so sure. Check it out and let me know what model it is. Really liking Fenwick so far.

I've never used grease. I feel that it harbors too much debris and dust. Always been an oil guy. Even if I have to reapply more often I would still rather use oil. That applies for my guns too. Not my wheel bearings though! I'm going to take apart the drag stack again and dry it really thoroughly and put it back together. I'm not going to enter the gear housing though. Just going to focus on the drag stack. Maybe you're right. Not going to do it tonight though. It's bed time up in here!

They probably got gear oil on them, yes. My fingers had it all over them. 90% sure there's no part of that reel that's dry lol. I do not purposefully oil anything on the main shaft that houses the drag star and handle but my fingers definitely get oil on them second-handedly.

Oh sorry I should have mentioned that. Yes. The drag does engage and it will loosen up when I loosen it and it does tighten up when I tighten it. I just feel as though it doesn't tighten as much as it used to. Also, the "drag spring washer" that you're speaking of, is indeed curved into itself (two curved washers facing each other to allow space in between them). My other Daiwas use the same system and I make sure it is correct before moving on.

So I've got a Daiwa Laguna that I've only had for a couple weeks. I never took it apart when I initially got it (which I usually like to do) but no big deal. Decided to clean my reels tonight and got both Tatulas and my Zillion done in a breeze. The Laguna, oddly enough, is the cheapest, simplest reel, and when I put it all together and pulled line out to test the drag, it felt weak. Not sure. It is rated at 10lbs max drag but it really doesn't feel like it's at 10lbs. Now I know you guys can't feel it. I'm not asking you to tell me yes or no that it's messed up, but I checked the schematic over and over and took it apart 4 times and made absolutely sure everything was where it belonged. What I'm asking is this... Can over-lubricating the gears lessen the drag tension? it seems an odd question but seriously. Could it? My other reels are as tight as my wife's skinny jeans but the Laguna seems to have lost some poundage on the drag tension. Thoughts? I drench all my reels in oil and it's never been a problem.

If it's a really pressured lake then go as finesse as the shoreline will allow you to. Weightless senko never fails. The question is, can you fish it? Or are there too many pads and mats in your way?

Agree with this.