Alpster

Ronnie, Thanks for the kind words, it really is easier on a big rod. This blank was made to throw a 5oz lead sinker. It was very easy to work on, large diameter and very little flex. I did get the CR722 IMX rebuilt, it is now spiral wrapped. I did not however change the grip, it's still stock. I will have it at Fork. Ronnie

Fish Tank, I have two (2) of them Calais CL200A (right hand). It's hard to describe to someone who hasn't fished with one how sweet this reel is. Good for you. Ronnie

The only thing I can add to what Avid has warned, is that this is the first WHOLE generation that has gotten ALL of it's information from the broadcast media. How many hours are today's kids spending in the library, as opposed to the internet or in front of a television. Just an observation. Ronnie

IT IS APPRECIATED Thanks Glen & mods! Ronnie

I promised pictures of the surf rod when done. I got to tell you, I thought it was hard to take a picture of a 6' long rod, a 10 footer is nearly impossible. Anyway, my man is coming to pick it up this weekend. For those who care, it's a 10' Lamiglas SMB121 surf blank, Fuji DPSD reel seat, Fuji BHVLG surf guides, Madiera A size metalic silver underwraps, Gudebrod E size Black over wraps with Eva Foam grips and Pac Bay cork tape. The pictures suck, but I had a lot of fun with this one! BTW, on a sadder note, I was working on rebuilding the G-Loomis CR722 GLX and broke it taking off one of the old guides. :'( :'( :'( Looks like I am going to have a 5' tube skipper now. I hate when that happens! Ronnie

The DC cast control technology is going to trickle down to the lower priced reels before long. It works too well to reserve it for only high $ reels. As has been said, the actual cost is probably not that high and once the R&D has been recovered, it will be offered in most of the line. Shimano (and probably others) are on the verge of a backlash proof reel, and when they get it, it will be interesting to see what happens in the marketplace. I think about plasma and LCD TVs. In only a couple of years they have gone from $5-10K to hundreds. JMHO Ronnie

I also try to bang them into cover, timber, dock posts, etc. to get a reaction strike. I also like to get a slow gurgle on top the water rather than a fast buzz. Like others have said, don't forget a trailer hook & hesitate before setting the hook. Ronnie

Avid, I will have 4 or five with me at Fork. You can take one out for a test drive and see what you think. It took me quite a while to get my head wrapped around the idea, but when you think about it, it just makes sense. Guides on the bottom, line can't touch the blank and the rod no longer wants to turn over in your hand. What you can't see right away that comes from fishing with it for a while, is better distribution of stress along the blank. When you hook a stout fish you can tell right away that the rod just works better. Muddy is Da Man! I hope he is getting a chance to fish a little in this warmer than usual weather. I'm really looking forward to traveling and fishing with he & Ron. Ronnie

That's the stuff dreams are made of! Beautiful bass! Ronnie

Looks like a mutipying fly reel. :-/ Ronnie

CULPRIT! Ronnie

You can flip & pitch with almost any reel, I would try to get a reel that fills another hole in the fishing arsenal. JMHO Ronnie

Nice January SMs! GOOD JOB men! Ronnie

I am not at all offended. It's nearly impossible to offend me. I am just trying to intelectually proccess how anyone can form a legitimate opinion about something that they have absolutely no experience with or knowledge of. This is far more interesting to me than fancy fishing reels. I will go fishing with you any time. I don't care what you fish with, or without, but I will watch you closely to see if there is anything I can learn. God bless, Ronnie

You asked for opinions from anyone who has used one, but all your gonna get is editorials from those who have never seen one and think they are too expensive to be any good! LOL Here's the tackletour review of my reel for what it's worth. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanocalcuttatedc.html Ronnie

I don't have the Calais 4X8, but I do have a Calcutta TE200DC (Digital Control) same technology. I won't get into another rock throwing thread about how dumb it is to spend a lot of money on a reel. But if I had the money, I would replace every BC reel I have (10 of them) with 10 of these. I would have to include the Calais DC, because the Calcutta only come in a 5:1 retrieve. If you are going to Fork in March I will let you try and decide for yourself. I think it's amazing! JMHO Ronnie

RM, Be sure to post a few pictures along the way. I am always impressed with your work and am still trying to steal some pointers. Keep on keeping on! Ronnie

Looks like a cool setup Ronnie, I'm glad not everyone's bench is nice & neat like RM's.LOL I was digging through my junk to find a sable brush to put a prime coat on the surf rod and I discovered the Loomis Back Bounce blank with the handle all glued up and remembered, Hey I ouught to finish this one too. It sucks to get old. Add the swimbait rod to the list above and I will just have to stop wasting those 5 or 6 hours a night that I've been sleeping. flechero, The underwraps were actually pretty easy with the power wrapper. Once started and alligned I just step on the pedal and hold on. If I had to do it on a hand wrapper, forget it. This big old surf rod is turning out to be one of my best looking rods yet. It's not quite so tedious with a very stiff, large diameter rod. The day really flies by, when your busy with one of these babies. Great fun though. Ronnie

YOU BET I CAN!!! :) Ronnie

Most baitcasting reels are designed to work properly with a specific diameter line. Because braided lines have a much smaller diameter than their mono & flouro counterparts for the same pound test, you must use a heavier line to achieve the desired diameter. Example: Most 200 series baitcasters recomend 12-17lb test line. 50 lb Power pro braid is the same diameter as 12 lb mono. If you use 12 lb braid, it has a diameter of 2lb test mono and will cause problems with line digging and casting. Ronnie

Dom, Just follow the yellowbrick road. Follow the yellowbrick road. LOL BTW I clicked on that link a while back and had to buy a tournament shirt, so be carefull. Even If I don't catch a lot of fish at Fork, I will be seriously stylin. ;D Ronnie

I get a kick out of those who are convinced that spending $300 on a reel is "rediculous" "overkill" "can't be worth it", "I can catch more fish with a willow branch", etc. They obviously don't fish much with a high dollar reel. Everyone wants to make a case for what they do LOL. If you are happy fishing with a Zebco 202 combo, GREAT! Live & let live. If some guys want to spend their hard earned bucks on a Stella or Steez, they aren't hurting anyone. I don't understand the animosity, if you don't want to spend a lot of $ on fishing gear, that's AWESOME, but why be nasty to the ones who do? :-/ (scratchin my head?) Ronnie

OK lefty, First of all, always hold your thumb on the spool when you release it. There is a little knob inside of the crank on the axis of the spool, tighten it down untill the spool isn't quite so free. If you take your time and work at it you can get the line untangled. Unfortunately you need to put that line on a light spinning reel. If you must use power pro, get 50 lb test, especially if you are new to baitcasters. You may be better off using 12 or 15 lb Berkley Big Game mono until you have a little more experience with a baitcasting reel, then switch to braid if you want. The 5500C is a great reel and will serve you well. Take a look at this thread and start over. It will be well worth your trouble. I hope this helps you. Hang in there, the best is yet to come. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1151590913 Ronnie

Well it rained all day here, so I decided to get this big old surf rod out of the way so I can get on with MY RODS. So I bit the bullet and wrapped the grips (just cork tape & eva foam) and glued up the reel seat this morning. Went ahead and did the underwraps and slapped a primer coat on and it's in the dryer. Early tommorow I will wrap the guides and prime them and hopefully get the last coat of finish on before bed time. This is the first surf rod I have done. When I'm finished I will post a couple of pics and get you guys opinion. My buddy brought me his factory made surf pole and said he wanted another just like it. I tried to reproduce it pretty close (exact same blank), the only difference is the underwraps as he was pretty rough on the old one. I also upgraded the guides to Alconites and used a better reel seat. I used a silver metalic A for the underwraps and will wrap the guides with Black E. We'll see how it turns out in a couple of days. Wish me luck! LOL

It's hard to imagine an angler who'd be impressed by another angler's gear, which might have a better chance of stirring jealousy. Holding a $500 rod, adds more to one's state-of-mind, than to one's state-of-being. Roger Thanks Roger, That's what I wanted to say. Ronnie