bassbassontherange

Nice setup! I have been wanting to pick up a new rod, and have never tried any of the Zodias line before. How would you compare them to what you've had?

You'll see more people mentioning the Curado I than any other reel and for good reason. It's something that should provide you excellent all around performance for over a decade. You can find it for well under $150.00 online if you can wait for it to be shipped to you. There are a lot of good reels but it would be my pick at this price point.

I'll start by saying that Although I own more Shimano baitcasters than any other brand, I'm not only a Shimano guy. I own the Tatula type R that I just purchased this year and several other Daiwa, Abu, and BPS reels. This focuses on what I consider to be the new flagships for Shimano for some time to come. Undoubtedly, more people will own the Curado I. I've owned and still own Curado B's, D's, and E's (and a G that I sold), and I can honestly say the I series, at least from a first year performance standpoint does pretty much everything better than previous generations. The I's cast farther and more smoothly, they handle both light and heavy tackle exceptionally well, they're more adaptable to different weather situations, and the retrieve is smoother than it's ever been with other Curado's. It's my contention that at it's price point (anywhere from $120-$200), there's not a better all purpose reel on the market. That's not to say it's the best at everything. My Daiwa Tatula R is smoother, my Abu Winch is better for heavy cranks, but really, there's hardly a reason to go with a different reel in this range unless you're a tournament fisherman or you just like having the absolute perfect reel for every application. Time will tell if it holds up like the older Curado's, but I'm very optimistic. I've used mine heavily and they're better than new out of the box (mine all took a little break in). A tiny bit of maintenance every couple of months and you're good to go. Excellent reel in all gear ratios. As for the Chronarch Ci4+... first off, it's usually around $90 more, and can usually be had for $200-$270. I think it's justified that it costs more. I'm trying to be as objective as possible here, but the Chronarch is a better reel, hands down. I often see people say the Curado is smoother or casts better or is built better. I can't say from my personal experience that's the case at all. They're both good reels, but the Chronarch is just... slick. It's as smooth as any reel I've used (I own a Daiwa T3 and a Shimano Metanium), it casts as well or better than anything I've casted, and it gives you plenty of power for all but the heaviest applications. Some people don't care for the light construction, but I love it. It's light, but not slight, and is as solid as any reel I've used. I can't say I've banged it against a concrete wall, but it's never given me a single issue. People sometimes call the Chronarch a finesse reel for flipping and pitching, and although it can be used and excels as such, it's much much more. Both excellent reels. I own two of both in different gear ratios, and I use them for everything but the heaviest applications such as deep cranking and in heavy cover, where a lower geared reel like the Abu Winch or my older 5.1 or 4.1 Curados provide more torque. I usually keep 3-5 reels on the boat, and these compromise all but one or two every time. Do I think the Chronarch is worth the extra dough? Yeah, actually I do. Consider that these reels will probably be in your inventory for the next 15-20 years or more. That's an extra $4-6/year. Absolutely worth it for a reel that's competitive with anything I've owned right out of the box. I know people mod the Curado to get it there, and that's awesome. I'm talking stock. Try both. You can't lose with either. If you're in the market, I believe they're the best all around reels at their respective price points, with the Chronarch competitive with anything out there.

I own a couple of Chronarch CI4+'s, and was wondering if anyone could compare. It looks pretty similar, but is it smaller? Is it designed for lighter tackle?

Awesome, thank you.

Could you recommend a reputable site? I've been looking around, and I'm not finding much more competitive pricing.

Never fished it, but I'd love to give it a shot. The lakes that are more sparsely populated to me are often more rewarding. I need to plan a day to get down there...

Awesome fish! I wish I could find the time to get out more often. Really cool that your dog goes out with you. My lab would love that. What lake is the first picture, the one with your pb?

Anyone fished Kingman SFL for pike lately? I, years ago when I was still in high school, went out there and hit the areas around the island in the morning with buzzbaits and frogs and caught some pretty nice pike when we were targeting bass. I've been wondering if they're still in there and if so are people having luck in the summer heat. Anyone have any input?

I'd fish La Cynge, Bone Creek, or Bourbon if I were going strictly after bigger fish. I can't speak to some of the other lakes on here like Nebo, but they probably have similar offerings. Tanglewood has several lakes. They all have good numbers, but like you said, they're mostly smaller. The biggest lake, however, has some good sized fish. I've caught many 3-4 pounders out of there using more aggressive tackle, actively trying to avoid catching the smaller fish. Large buzzbaits, big plastics, ect.

My thoughts exactly. However I'd spend the extra cash on the new Chronarch Ci4+ with either a Carbonlite medium, medium light or similar. For tossing light lures (or as a workhorse, but especially tossing weightless gear), I've never used a reel that casts better.

I second (or third, or fourth...) the SE Kansas suggestion. La Cygne, Bone Creek, Tanglewood (private, but if you know someone, the lakes there offer very good bass fishing) they're really good. I have caught some good fish, over 5lbs, out of Bourbon SFL as well, and that's a little closer. Really cool lake with stuff to do around it when it's too hot to fish, like walk up to the waterfall at the north end of the lake or check out all the wildlife around there. Excellent channel catfishing at night is a nice bonus.

Thanks for the input. I'll give Lone Star another shot. I used to fish it all the time in college from the shore, but never pulled anything over a pound out of it. Then recently, when I got my boat out on it, same result, so I figured the fish were stunted considering the consistency the few times I fished it (even though they were almost ten years apart). Gardner, I notice you list Lone Star as one of your favorites. What's your experience there been? It's a beautiful lake, so I'm all for going out there just to go, but I don't know the lake all that well. If you have suggestions, I'm listening:)

Thanks for the advice Gardner! Looking forward to contributing on the boards.

Hey everyone! I'm new to the forum (and the general area), lifetime bass fisherman. I've been out of the hobby for the most part the better part of the last five years, getting married, raising young kids that needed a lot of attention. Things have slowed down a little for us though and I'm hitting the water again. Originally from Wichita, I fished the heck out of the neighborhood ponds growing up and hit the excellent ponds and SFL's in southeastern Kansas. There doesn't seem to be the plethora of great spots in this part of the state, but I'm new here; I could be dead wrong. I don't know many people in this neck of the woods, so private property holes, which used to be my bread and butter, are out. I'm wondering, what are some decent smaller lakes to try either from a small boat or from the shore in the Topeka/Lawrence area? I'd love to take my almost 3yr old son with me sometimes, but he's not going to do well on a long trip, at a big lake, hours away from home. I've fished Shawnee Co. SFL and caught some nice, but pretty sparse fish. I've also tried Lake Shawnee in Topeka and Lonestar Lake south of Lawrence. Both netted some fish, albeit small. Thanks for the input in advance! This seems like a great community.