offsidewing

I have a 70MF and 70MHF AvidX in casting rods. Ran a double uni knot on 50lb PP to 15 pound AbrazX though the MHF and it went through the guides no problem. I was hesitant at first, but never noticed an damage to the knot or wear on the guides.

In Japan fishing for squid is called "Eging." Keep in mind while the Sephia is a shallow spool C3000 sized reel, it's max drag rating is pretty high. That style of fishing is designed to use 10-20lb braid. If you're looking for a spinning reel to use 15 or 20lb braid on, this would be it. Not sure if I would use this reel for locking down the drag on 6lb fluoro.

The new braking system on the Casitias, Scorpion/Curado 70, and Met MGL is different than the existing SVS Infinity system. The brass cone is larger creating more contact area with the brakes. The brake pads themselves are completely different looking. The advantage is you don't have to open the reel and adjust the brakes as much. I have the Scorpion 70 and I find myself only having to adjust the external dial to switch between Senkos, Fat Ikas, and Keitech Swim baits.

Hello All, Some hockey buddies and I plan a fishing trip every June. This year we are trying our luck at Lake Chautauqua in NY near the Erie, PA border (we let the guy from Buffalo plan this year). Most of the guys going are Walleye/Trolling guys (because you can spend most of the time with a 'soda' in your hand), but my first love is Bass Fishing. I'll be renting boats from the cabins we're staying in on the Northern half of the lake, so the only Nav tools at my disposal will be fishing apps on my phone. One or two of us usually break away for a morning/evening or two to bass fish. Does anyone with any experience on the lake have any smallmouth/largemouth hot spots they recommend in early June? I have a 50lb tackle bag dedicated solely to bass fishing, so I've got my bases covered on gear. Just looking for some advice on spots to try as I won't have much ability to track underwater structure outside phone apps and perhaps a map at a bait shop. Thanks!

Same here. When I know they're biting I'll tey somethinf new. Or, if a local on an unfamiliar lake suggests something.

For St Croix casting rods, the 66MF and 68MXF are a tradtional medium power or blank diameter at the reel seat. The 70MF is more Stout than most medium casting rods. The 70MF and 70MHF Avid X are some of the smoothest and versitile casting rods I own. I keep going back to those two rods for most applications with plastics and jigs.

TW had a sale on Seaguar Tatsu over the winter and I picked up a couple spools. Been using 6lb Tatsu this spring and it is spectacular. Before that I was using 6lb Yo Zuri Hybrid and Pline Fluoroclear.

96mm Metanium handle assembly fits a Curado I. A couple places sell the kit that includes the Metanium handle, bearings, knobs, nut, and retainer for around $40.

I have a Met MGL XG flying over the Pacific as we speak. I'm interested to see how it measures up against the 2013 Metanium.

In shallow water with heavy cover I'll use moss green braid tied directly to the hook. For finesse techniques in deep water I prefer a premium fluoro.

You may also want to check how much line you spooled on the reel. Yo Zuri Hybrid 6lb has only a slightly thinner diameter than 12# Inviz-X. 6lb Yo Zuri Hybird has the same diameter as 10lb InvizX. I fish 6lb Yo Zuri on a 30 sized Flueger supreme and I only fill about 90% of the spool - no casting problems.

Sold both my Met DCs in favor of the 2013 Metaniums. Never owned an Excense, but if you want to add a DC reel to your arsenal, I understand its a good reel at a fair price. If you want one of the best casting and versatile reels out there, its tough to beat the Metanium.

These threads offer the best kind of people watching... A part of me dies every time I watch my 68 year old dad try to sweep hook a jig in 25 feet of water with 5'6" MM rod and a Daiwa Gold Cup. His hand is just cranking away trying to take up the line like his grandson water skiing a Blue Gill back to the dock with a Lightning McQueen combo. When he misses the hookset He swears its his fault and not the gear. That was me until a couple years ago. We've fished the same glistening lake teaming w/ smallmouth for 30 years (50 for him). I've caught more fish in the last two years than I have my entire life after switching to modern gear. Now that I know better, I'm sucking up slack line and setting a hook with the flick of the wrist in an instant. Running cranks I still use a slower reel. Heck, I'll sling a Jointed Rebel on Zebco Omega. But when it comes to sucking up slack line ASAP, its a high IPT for me. Not sure how them old timers fished Senkos or the Ned Rig in the 60's, but it has to be easier with a higher IPT reel (spool size notwithstanding). *sarcasm font* Funny how different this converation changes when you talk golf clubs or computers in the work place...

I've owned both the 2013 Metanium and the 2015 Metanium DC. Both versions are excellent, but the 2013 Metanium is one of the smoothest casting, most efficient reels I've used. I sold the DC in favor of the 2013 Met.

Like all things, you can find a $330 Metanium 7 days a week. It takes patience and great timing to find one for $290 at Japan Lure Shop. Keep in mind JLS will charge about $15 shipping. So if you find a Met XG for $330 shipped, its still not a bad deal.

These threads are fun! St Croix if I had to choose one because of how they service their customers. There are lots of good rod makers out there, both "OTC" and custom. And to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, "a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."

I had a chance to get my new Shimano Scorpion 70 out on the water yesterday. I really wasn't expecting to catch any fish and didn't, but I wanted to test the castability of the reel. I had the reel mounted on a 7' MF St Croix Avid X. I fished a Green Pumpkin Fat Ika with a Gammy 5-0 EWG hook on 12lb Abraz-X. I started out with 2 brakes on and the SVS setting on 1. First off the reel felt solid in my hands. The only other 50 sized Shimanos I've fished are the Core 50 and 2015 Aldebaran 50. The Aldebaran puts emphasis on being purely lightweight, so comparing the Alde to the new Scorpion is not practical. This may be vulgar to some, but the Scorpion balanced and palmed as good to me as the Core. The Scorpion weighs a little more than an ounce more than the Core and it was tough to tell the difference in weight while casting and flipping. Now onto the casting. At first, with two brakes on and the dial set to 1, I wasn't impressed with the distance or smoothness of the cast. After 20-30 casts, things seemed to settle in a bit. The casting wasn't any farther, but I didn't feel any 'resistance' as the line came off the spool. As I flung the Fat Ika around the pond more and more, I decided to start messing with the brakes a bit. I took one brake off, leaving only one engaged, and set the dial to 3. There was a noticeable increase in casting distance and efficiency. I got more distance in the casts loading up the rod the same as I had earlier. Flipping the Ika 10-20 feet was effortless and required very minimal thumbing before the bait hit the water. I normally have a Metanium DC on this rod and the casting distance with the Scorpion rivaled the Met DC (worth noting that the Met DC isn't really a pure casting machine). I was getting 100+ foot casts reasonably loading up the rod with the Ika. I wasn't making "World's Longest Drive" casts, but was casting for practical distance without fear of a backlash. Considering the amount of fishing I do in the summer months, I like working Ikas and Senkos from shallow-ish to deep water and this amount of casting distance I can cover more water or have the boat be a little further from the strike zone (anecdotally important to me in clear water). This job is normally reserved for my Mets, but the Scorpion palms so much better to me. Given the casting distance I was getting with the Scorpion, I'll be taking my Met XG on my next trip to see how the casting distance between the two compare. As far as the Core 50, I wonder if Shimano had the Scorpion 70 in development when they went from the 09 Aldebaran/Core to the new 2015 Aldebaran. The new Aldebaran is a marked departure from the previous generation and left me scratching my head a bit when comparing old to new. I think the new Scorpion is closer to the old Core than the new Aldebaran. It's likely the Scorpion will replace the Core on my rod rack/reel bag, but there is still something magical and enchanting about the Core 50MG7. I don't know how to explain it. It's like a 60's Era Shelby Mustang - there's tons of stuff out now that's better, but there's just something special about it. My one gripe about the Scorpion is the length of the handle. This may be because I fished two Metanium XGs most of last season and they have a slightly longer handle with larger grips. But with the Mets when I'm burning the bait back to the boat it feels natural and the rotation of my wrist doesn't feel like I'm exceeding the radius of the handle. When I'm burning one back with the Scorpion handle, while 100 percent solid, the handle feels like I'm cranking on a Zebco 33 from my youth. I see a larger aftermarket handle for my Scorpion coming soon as they are available. The knobs are a departure from normal Shimano fare, especially if you've never fished the new Aldebaran. Also worth noting is that I never hooked onto a fish during my first 90 minutes with the reel. I expect it will perform the same as the other X-ship equipped bait casters and the drag remains untested. But as far as casting goes, the Scorpion 70 exceeded my expectations in distance and smoothness. I will need to see how the reel performs with a fish on before I make a final determination, but I really like what the Scorpion has going on right now.

Nice Crappie!!

At 6.2 ounces, the Metanium XG balances well on many rods. Also, there are several BFS spools for it as well.

Between the 2013 Metanium and Core 100, the Metanium. Between the Metanium and the Core 50? That's tough, really depends on the application. I might also add that I like the feel of my Scorpion 70 better than my Core 50. Just have to get it on the water to see how it fishes...

The Rage is a great value for sure. I bought my teenage son the Tourney ZX spinning rod for senkos when they were on sale for $69. despite all the rave reviews, I feel they get over-looked because they are a "Cabela's" brand.

What I grab when I only take one combo: St Croix 68MXF, 6lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, and if it was one bait for every where I fish: Fat Ika in Green Pumpkin.

I've tried Yo-Zuri Hybrid, P-line CXX, and P-Line Fluoroclear. Liked Yo-Zuri the best and the CXX the least.

Where did you get the reel from? I have one on pre-order and I'm anxious to get mine! I did get my Scorpion 70HG already though.

It seems in terms of fishing reels the calendar year typically designates the year of the model's release, not necessarily a production date. To me this seems to be more prevalent in the JDM market. Some manufacturers build in sequencing into the model, eg the Stradic 2500FJ and Stradic 2500FK. Some don't, like the Antares DC and the Antares DC. The calendar year makes it easier to distinguish the model's year of release rather than having to learn each manufacturer's sequencing if it's not incorporated into the model name.