BigSkyBasser

I'm currently in Montana but planning on moving to Breckenridge/Fargo area. Years of bass fishing experience. Looking to be part of an active club that hosts tournaments, and gain fishing contacts for weekend/rec. outings. Non-boater but a great net hand with plenty of hours on a Ranger deck.

I love frogging and poppers, but you can't beat walking a spook in the north west.

I can spend upwards of $300 on my next reel. And I'm looking to pair it with a Veritas or a Kissler. So far the Chronarch C14+ is my breadwinner. I have yet to fish it and might demo it on TW first but I love the feel, and it doesn't sound like there's much about it that would disappoint even the most avid fisherman.

Yeah that is what I'm seeing because we mainly fish a series of dammed rivers with huge deep isolated humps off of points ranging anywhere from 25-45 feet. Unfortunately the water levels and current fluctuate so much that the smallies are constantly on the move. That's the Nice Thing about smallmouth though being that because of their aggression, you will get bit as long as a bait is infront of their face. I've been experimenting with casting a jig up a point and working it really slowly back over the descending edge. It's tedious but will produce almost as much as a dropshot will here.

Just going by how they feel I like the Revo better, it's easier to palm and the layout isn't so crowded. My biggest issue is how close the spool tensioner is to the crank arm. If you want a really lose spool then the arm actually catches and clicks on the arm. But other than that I've heard fantastic things about both and I can believe it based on the price. Especially the MGX.

I'm more of a smallie fisherman when it comes to tournaments, but up in Western Montana I have yet to perfect finding them consistently when a tournament depends on them. I will avoid beating banks for Largemouth if I know I can get even a small limit of smallies. I know generally where to look during any given day but they just seem so inconsistent as a fish. Anyone have good tips for consistently locating schools of smallies in deep water during summer tournaments?

I'm looking at reels that are going to handle being fished hard, and can handle the elements. I'm from western Montana and I'm starting to fish more and more tournaments as a non boater so I'm keeping my eye on higher end gear to start with since I have the budget to support middle of the line prices. I wish *** made left handed reels because I would love to demo some of their models. From what I've seen quantum also offers some nicer reels that fall into the affordable price range for weekend warrior fisherman. I'll have to give them a try as well as the Pinnacle reels. I've had my eye on the preforma spinning outfit for a potential drop shot set up but haven't looked much into their casting equipment yet.

Yes, I love the Shimano take on casting reels so far from what I know about the gear. Very user friendly and versatile compared to the lower end Abu reels I've tried.

I've been bass fishing since early grade school but just now started using casting reels as I realized the advantage of having such gear. I currently have a Shimano Curado E that I've started learning on and I've enjoyed it so far, Just looking to expand my arsenal with other reels that are good for learning. I have my eyes on the jdm Revo's. Suggestions?

As an out-of-stater I fished Pelican Lake and caught a limit of 4 lbers from shore in under an hour. Being from Montana I was blown away. Hopefully going to move there and join a club soon.

Noxon, Clark Fork River, Seeley Lake, Kicking Horse, and Upsatta are good starters. Echo and the Flathead River are excellent as well.