MontclairDave

Are the Lowrider guides leader-friendly?

Interesting you mention Falcon. I have a few of their HDs and for $79 this line is a ridiculously good value. Also have a few Experts—lot higher $ point but I’ve had NO QC issues ever with either line. Maybe I should just stick with what I know. But that 40% rebate is temping…

*** Fishing is having a Dobyns promo: 40% back on your purchase of any Dobyns rod. So I am thinking of getting 735c for frogging. But TW has several reviewers noting that these rods’ guides have a tendency to pop out. Having just had a hassle with poor QC with another rod manufacturer, not eager for a repeat. Anyone have experience with the Dobyns Fury line who can comment on whether they’ve had any short- or long-term QC issues? Thanks!

Wow, a lot of great options here, some of which I have, others I’d like to definitely try. The cold water options are a big help of course right now. Thanks all!

Just got a bunch of these tasty “Firework” finesse jigs from Catch Co. Could use some help picking a trailer. I am thinking a 3” Rage Craw? What would y’all rig these with?

I’ve used both and can tie both well. I find the Alberto Knot to be a lot easier to tie than the uni-to-uni and I also think easier to learn. Not a huge difference in strength but the nod goes to Alberto knot, at least for me.

You’re clearly in the throes of a lot of huge challenges and if you can figure out what you have control over (not a heck of a lot), it may help you focus on the next right steps for you and your kids. For what it’s worth, when stuff starts getting taken away from me for whatever reason, I make a gratitude list of what I DO have in my life. It may sound like a crock but give it a shot. It may bring you some peace. Also, when life gets this challenging, it’s easy to assume that the ****-show will last forever. It doesn’t: as many others here have said, this too shall pass, brother.

What dealers, please? I’ve been looking to get one and it’s always out of stock.

x2

Fresh water fishing humbles me when I lose a big bass. And if you fish long enough it’s gonna happen. If it happens because I made a mistake with my gear or technique, I try to put a time limit on beating myself up for it and then focus on learning from it so I don’t repeat the same mistake. Example: not keeping rod tip down when a big fish jumps on you. Lost a huge fish on a topwater that way. For me, what REALLy humbled me is almost drowning surfcasting by myself in Montaulk. Turned my back to the ocean just under the lighthouse to retie a bucktail after snagging one in the rocks and a rogue wave knocked me off my perch into the water. DEEP dropoff there; lots of current. Waders started to fill up, I started to panic, and a huge hand comes out of nowhere, grabs me by the neck and pulls me half out of the water and back onto the rocks. Never never turned my back on the water at that spot again. And tried to always surfcast with a buddy after that. As I’ve gotten older, my risk tolerance and stamina have decreased and so now I mostly do freshwater fishing. But I can tell you a few scary kayak experiences too in the last few years. So ya always have to be humble about the water wherever you are, and it’s not always about losing fish. You can lose something a lot more precious if you’re cocky or not careful.

Randy is an interesting dude. Wise maybe but humble? Hmmm…. I actually stopped watching his channel because of those incredibly annoying percentage clickbait titles. It’s a non-starter for me on any channel.

What kind of line do you use on it? Is reel particularly suited to any one? I’ve got braid and fluoro options, can’t decide what to start out with.

Got mine from JLS as well and it came with a free Megabass 110 but a variety that is extremely shallow running with a pretty fast rise. Seems tailor-made for the shallow ponds I often fish. Can’t wait to try both out.

Black Friday is fun, but I think JDM gear has it beat this year!

Is there a big difference between the 7.1 and 8.5 reels? I just got the 8.5 and it hasn’t arrived yet but I’m now having doubts I should have gotten the 7.1 for more versatility? I already have a few 7.1 reels as well as a 6.3 so figured I might as well add a high-speed option.

Biggest of 10 fish for a Friday outing. This one caught on Gambler EZ Swimmer on weighted SB hook in shallows, which has been killing it for me for the past week. Rest caught on LuckyCraft Pointer 65, another great pond bait.

Update: after degreasing the tension knob and tightening to re-engage the detents, I fished all day Friday and the knob definitely kept loosening about as much as it did before. Next step will be to add some blue Locktite as suggested. Or, I can wait till Quantum ships me a new tension knob, which their warranty dept did last week and should arrive soon. Ironically, this whole episode has made me a better baitcaster because I’ve learned how to use thumb pressure with a very loose spool to control the cast. I still backlashed a bit on Friday doing that, but not nearly as much the prior week. There was almost no wind, so I’m not taking full credit!

Ha! I hear you. Figured at $50 from eBay it was worth a shot. Particularly since I LOVE my Quantum Tour S3 and have had zero issues with that one. We shall see how the tinkering goes…

Did what you suggested and I definitely felt the detents engage and spool is spinning freely. Will take it out this week first chance I get and let you know if that worked. Thanks!

Did that. Side plate seems to be closed correctly but when I place pressure on it, it has a bit of side-to-side play. Not sure if that is a defect or not, or has any effect on tension knob. (Doesn’t strike me as great engineering tolerance, though. Checked my Shimano Curado and Quantum Tour S3 and the side plates when closed don’t budge.)

Not sure if this is too much grease? And is there even an o-ring in here? My eyes aren’t great and I have zero knowledge of reel maintenance.

So, today I’m fishing with my new Quantum Vapor reel for the 2nd or 3rd outing and all of a sudden I’m backlashing a ton, after almost never backlashing on my first outings with the reel. Duh, I finally remember to check my settings and realize the tension knob is MUCH looser than I had it set before. So I tighten it just enough to eliminate side-to-side play on the spool and voila, no more backlashes. That is, until about an hour later and I see that the knob has come loose again. Anyone else have this problem with the Vapor? Is there a fix for it? Love the reel but this new glitch is definitely knocking the reel down a few pegs for me. Thanks!

Don’t tell Nattie Up North that women can’t handle Muskies.

Quantum Vapor PT gets my vote. You can get it new on eBay for $50 (retailed for $150 I think) and at that price it is an insanely good value. Bombs casts as far as my Quantum Tour S3, just as easy to dial in and rarely backlashes (when it does, it’s my fault, not the reel’s).