FishTank

I know I should but there is this thing in head that wants to see how far it will go. When it counts, I will retie the hook but the Albright knot to the braid is the one I really want to test. So far Gold Label for its intended purpose has blown me away. Also I hate tying on a new leader when I am out on the boat. Light braid and wind makes for a hard time of tying a good knot.

Over the years I haven't fished braid much. I typically only use it for topwater and thick vegetation. Depending on the situation, I might not use leader at all but when i did it was whatever I had left over from a filler spool. Then last year I started using braid on spinning gear again and realized that leader was almost a necessity to get the high pressured fish at lakes I go to, to bite. So I started using the various left overs I had from Big Game to Tatsu and again realized I needed something better. That's when I picked up Seaguar Gold Label. I have had the same leader tied on my main wacky rig set up since March. I caught 100s of fish and I have not retied or seen any fraying. As my numbers went up, I won't go back. I have very little confidence in fishing straight braid anymore.

Yes sir. I talked a guy kayak fishing last weekend that said he would only buy Lews because of KVD. When I asked about Quantum, he was clueless. KVD does have a fan base and his pull with them is strong.

Take a look at Varivas. Both of the lines I have tried, have not bled. I have also been using Sunline Xplasma. It bleeds some at first but then it's good to go. Great line though.

I have a Curado DC and haven't had any issues with it. I have to admit I can still get a backlash every once in a while but for the most part it does a better job of controlling the spool than conventional brakes, especially under windy conditions. With that said, I would rather use a regular reel, just a personal preference. The DC reel I have does serve a specific purpose in my fishing arsenal but I wouldn't buy more than just the one.

The one with the wooden handle, to me, was the last one they made that was of good quality. And like MN Fisher said, this has been revisited a few times.

I went down the Quantum rabbit hole around 2004 or 2005 with the Energy PT reels, both spinning and baitcasting. It started off well so I immediately bought the Tour PT. I loved the finish and feel of these reels despite how heavy they were but within a year and several shipments to and from Quantum, they all started falling apart in different ways. Quantum tried to fix/replace them and admitted they couldn't figure out why they were failing. So after a deep breath and a sore ego, I threw them in the trash. Fast forward to a few years ago, I was given a new Accurist (model prior to the S3) by a fisherman that thought it was fantastic and it too was a disappointment. I could never get it to work properly (braking, casting, drag, etc). I was able to exchange this one and the new one did the same thing. I ended up giving the reel back to the person that gave it to me and he too had moved on from Quantum at that point. My next adventure with Quantum came when I discovered Simmons Sporting Goods on Ebay. I picked up a Smoke S3, a Tour S3, the KVD Smoke and the Vapor. The Smoke S3 and Tour S3 have been great, no issues. The Vapor took two reels and many parts to get working right. The frame and the side plates were not manufactured properly. They did not fit, causing several issues but Quantum did eventually get me the correctly made parts and the reel now works great. I consider it one of the smoothest reels I have. Then that brings me to the KVD Smoke. It only took one 5lb fish and this reel broke at the base of the frame. I have no words but.... How?

Sure. I have had several over the years Sunline FC Sniper, Trilene XL and 100% FC, P-Line Fluoroclear, Power Pro, Big Game, YoZuri Hybrid and Ultrasoft, and Seaguar Red Label. These aren't lines I disliked. They are ones I have tried on multiple occasions and it was fine. I have then bought new spools and they seemed different, damaged or reformulated.

Depending on how light or heavy you want to go on lure set up its self....... I like the G. Loomis 803S and the Vanquish 3000C. I have done really well on this set up for both drop shot and especially wacky rigged Senkos.

I have this rod and it's kind of stout compared to other MH rods but a nice rod nonetheless. I use it for jigs and Texas Rigged soft plastic.

Good question...I was thinking how to explain it when I said it felt different but I couldn't really explain it then. After giving it some thought, the MG7 I have is a limited edition so it's slightly different in of it's self, and the MG7 is not as smooth as the Core, it doesn't cast as smoothly, and in hand, it just feels different. Also, there is almost a geary feeling with the MG7 similar, but not as prevalent, to the Metanium 12 that everyone complains about. I am partial to the Core though as it has always been my favorite reel. I lost the original one and the one in the pic I posted was purchased off of ebay, as was the MG7 but this isn't the first MG7 I have held in hand. I have worked on a few over the years for people and noticed the difference in each one. I have done what I could to the one I own and it really hasn't changed. It isn't bad in anyway and I wish I could point to a part (maybe the aluminum gear but I am not sold that is it) that causes me to notice the difference. When fished side by side, it's as though the frames are made of different materials and I am feeling the gears through the frame on the MG7. Again, I am still not 100% sure what I am noticing but in the end they are still great reels even though they are around 15 years old.

I have an MG7, the Core 101 and the 51. The MG7 to me is not the same reel. It feels totally different than the Core despite looking identical. I looked for years for another Core and always was tempted by the MG7's but the more I researched I steered away from it.

6lb Invizx or 6lb Sunline Sniper Invisible have been my favorite. I like Tatsu as well but it wasn't as soft as Invizx. I wouldn't use copoly on spinning gear.

I have the same and the more I use it, the more I am starting to believe it could be, as A-Jay says, the holy grail of crankbait rods. I have high praise for the Legend Glass but this rod is better in just about every way. I have also used it for topwater and chatterbaits too and it was great. St. Croix did a great job with this one.

I have always liked Cals or Shimano drag grease. A little goes a long way with both of them. Never had an issue with them breaking down or changing colors.

Big Game is good line but I wouldn't use it as a beginner. It's thick, it can be hard to manage, and it coils up the heavier you get. I would start with something softer and lighter. Trilene XL or Sufix Elite in 10lb or 12lb. Both are cheap and will work for the applications mentioned.

I use them pretty much on every order as well. Also, they just me another email..... Sleeper Gills are in stock. Just noticed the discounts were for their Ambassadors

If you have an Omnia Premium Membership, they just sent an email thanking their members and they are giving members a $10 gift card. You just need to spend $10. Awesome. Free stuff.

I have the Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse 700C and really like it so far. It's unique in that it has a fast tip and a moderate mid-section. It's great for BFS lures where you need to set the hook but gently. The fast tip gets the hook in but the soft section helps pin the fish without bending the hooks out. Pretty cool.

So far when you factor the JDM price and the overall quality/performance, it might be the best reel I ever used. Time and abuse will tell.

I tried a couple of them about the same time frame, maybe 10 years ago and they were great reels until they weren't. I had a slew of issues that made them unfishable. I think they lasted less than a year. Some people swear by them but I have yet to know a person who hasn't had some kind of issue with them in recent years. It's a shame.... they use to be reliable and well made.

Haven't seen Silver Thread in years. I remember it being good stuff but it had some memory to it when you got above 10lb. It's tough line though. Another two line I forgot about on spinning gear I like are Invizx and Trilene XL 100% Fluorocarbon. Invizx is great but the the Trilene was different the last time I tried it. Haven't used it since.

Just joking. I'm sure it's tasty. In my circle of family, I'm usually the one to try stuff like this. I use to be a big health nut but as the years have gone by I have grown lazy.

I never cared for YH for spinning gear. On casting gear it was pretty good but I got a few bad spools and never went back. For cheaper mono, I have been using Sufix Elite 6lb but it's super stretchy. I tend to like either straight fluorocarbon (Sunline Sniper Invisible 6lb) or braid with a FC leader, depending on the application, on all of my spinning gear.