jbrew73

What Tom said. I would either completely tear down and clean the reel or apply a cleaner / lube and call it good. I used to ride around with a few bait casters in the bed of my truck. The normal day to day road grime and dust ruined my level wind pawls. I no longer ride them around and have no issues. Keep them clean. If not a clean and lube product would be a move in the positive direction.

I threw mine away too but not on accident.

I agree overall but I do like dobyns for moving baits and spinning rods slightly better than Falcon. They have a really smooth action. I don’t know if that’s is a quantifiable quality but I think so. With bottom contact Falcon is my favorite by far over a few other top brands that are in the $250 to $450 range.

How about ring terminals on the wires and use a junction block. If you ever need to add additional circuits you can do it easily.

I tried braid several years ago and I stayed hung up in wood way too much. if the bottom is clean I’d say it would work okay.

What do you find to be the pros and cons for elite vs siege?

I’m not saying that it’s the norm but I have seen heavier line cast light lures further. Same rod, same lure but 2 identical reels spooled with 10lb and 14lb. The heavier line would carry the lure by its own weight I guess. i doubt that works very often but for that setup it was obvious the heavy line casted better.

You catch some really nice fish!

What do you guys do with the video footage? I don’t even take a picture of a fish but maybe once or twice a year. I don’t use social media so I’m not posting pictures. Is bass resource social media? I still don’t really post pictures though.

7’ MH mod fast works great for those techniques. You could go a little longer or shorter but 7’ works best for me. Falcon or Dobyns are good choices available at several different price points.

I think some pros refer to the original stream bed in small creek arms as drains. is that what you’re referring to?

Falcon is my recommendation as they are light, sensitive and durable. They offer a rod for nearly any application at multiple price points. Dobyns is also a good option. They have endless price points and models to fit everything imaginable. Hammer is an other nice rod but offer fewer options although it seems they have enough to cover most bass fishing needs. They are very nice for the price.

I’m not really a spinning rod guy but I realize sometimes you need have one available. I spent well over $1500 in spinning rods over the last several years that were disappointing, including some $200-300 models. I have finally found Dobyns to be the spinning rod for me. They just have a perfect action. Give them a look and see if they have something to fit your needs or style.

Happy birthday Tom. I truly appreciate your wealth of knowledge and insight.

d**n, let’s not get so testy. We should all relax and hope the fires get put out by dozers or unicorns, whichever is the best for the job!

Beetle spin did this 15 years ago. I guess I was actually ahead of the trend for once in my life.

Some reels are noisy or geary feeling no matter what you do. Even $150-200 reels. I think the dimensions of the frame are just slightly off. Sometimes they get a little smoother with use, sometimes they get worse. I’ve learned to accept it. I either deal with it or I get another reel.

Never base your opinion on a product when the guy bragging about it is being paid or is given free products. Just saying. There is a lot of that going on these days. Use opinions from actual users that spend hard earned money on it.

Give us a little insight to the type of fishing you want to do. Are you fishing ponds, lakes , streams? From the shore or a boat? It is clear or dirty water? What type of lure or bait are you using? this forum is one of the most friendly and helpful around. There are guys on here with 50 years or more experience that are willing to offer great advice.

I like bomber and strike king squarebills. For everything else I like Rapala. Strike King medium and deep divers cast like tumbling potato chips for me. I’m clearing out the sk diving lures to donate to someone or trash them.

Doesn’t Cashion still use that reel seat?

Where did you buy those boxes? I haven’t seen them around here.

1/4-3/8 I would use 744 Over 3/8 745 would be my choice

@Bluebasser86what bobber stoppers do you use? They look like they have a larger diameter than most.

I’ve owned at least 40 Falcon rods throughout all of the series. I have broken 2. One in the truck door and the other after I beat it on the gunnel of the boat several times. I was having a bad day. 🤬