FishTank

Just curious...... What reel? And is it readily available from other sources? If it is one of the knock off brands on Ali Express, I would pass.

I think the recoil guides add a little bit of sensitivity but the biggest thing they are supposed to bring is a reduction in weight. The GLX 803C I had was just as perfect as it could get and the new rod they sent me sort of seemed like a down grade but still a great rod. It was at the time my favorite rod and it was just not the same.

In the NRX I have the 803S, 853C, 802C and the 873CCR and I like the recoil guides. I have not had an issue yet. I also had the old 803C GLX with recoil guides but I broke it and had it replaced under Loomis's Xpeditor Service. The new rod does not have the recoil guides and it, unfortunately, is not the same rod. I kind of preferred the recoil guides. The only issue I can see with the recoil guides is if you try to pull a heavy snag or some heavy cabbage with braid and it cuts the guides but I have never seen this by anyone that has them.

G. Loomis 822DSR in either a GLX or NRX has been a go to for many anglers. You can find tons of reviews out there on both. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewgloomisnrxdsr.html

Jerkbaits especially the Megabass Vision 110's..... I seem to be drawn to them. Not sure why but you only really need to fish with about 4 colors to cover most everything. I seem to buy one or two every year and now I have two 3700 boxes full.

If it is a clear lake with spooky fish, I like to throw a shaky head with an 1/8oz jig head, senkos weightless, and fat ika. All fished slow. Another thing, I use light line 6lb to 10lb FC, no braid, and the longest cast I can manage. Another piece of advice, use the trolling motor as little as possible and try to spot up (on occasion) in an area where you are sure the fish are (let them come to you).

I haven't had the greatest of luck with Gami octopus hooks but the G-finesse hooks and the wide gap finesse hooks have been better. It seems the wider the gap on circle (distance between the tie and hook point) the better hook ups I have but I tend to like the 1/0 and 2/0 sizes for wacky rigs.

I use a 6'6'' G. Loomis 783C GLX. I haven't found anything better yet.

St.Croix Avid 7' H Fast.

A little info and fishing rod comparison. He always makes things simple.

The only thing I have close to me is a DSG and I always have them price match. They will price match and then take their coupons so I usually end up with a pretty good deal. It does drive me crazy how over priced they are on fishing gear though.

The guys I know that fish it use it on a shakey head jig and have great luck. I have several other worms I have tried for this technique and tend to like the Plasma worm from Bio Spawn. I will have to try this guy one of these days.

It's been awhile since this happened but it still makes me scratch my head.

I would go with a Shimano Curado and a St. Croix Avid 7 MH/Fast. You can just about everything with this set up. I use my own custom brake system...... ?

A dumb thing we had to deal with two weeks ago on the ramp..... Fishing a tournament with about 40 boats and one of the guys in the tournament gets out of the passenger side of the truck and gets up on the boat. The ramp only holds two boats at a time and other guy backs the boat down the middle of the ramp blocking anyone else from pulling in which is not a huge deal but...... The driver gets out to get the boat ready on the ramp and we all just have to wait and watch. He still has all the tie downs for the boat on and he has to get his gear out the lockers. To then top it all off, he changes his clothes next to the boat. It took him about 10-15min.

Just an overhand knot for me. Also, I have found, depending on the type of weight, if I tie two on the same line I get hung up less.

The Rapala DT-8 and the Gamakatsu G-Shield Tungsten Worm Weight. The DT-6 didn't doesn't get down deep enough and the DT-10 seems to go deeper than 10 feet. The shielded worm weight is a winner for me. It's pricey (super pricey actually). I hope it does what is says. Could be a game changer for my Texas rig fishing. We will see. One other would be the Frabill Pow'R Source. This may be great for my kayak and more convenient > if it's not crazy expensive.

From what I have seen (since I don't own one), the Tatula SV is a pretty good casting reel. I would consider looking at what rod, line and possibly what bait you are using. For me, my favorite set ups for crankbaits are a 2012 Antares and a St. Croix Legend Glass Med. and a Shimano Bantam with a G. Loomis IMX 903C CBR.

Sounds good. I have upgraded several over the years and it comes down to personal preference. For me, I have have found I like the ABEC 7 ceramic metal shielded bearings from Boca but the ABEC 5 ceramic bearings are much cheaper and are only marginally less in speed than the 7's. Also, I wouldn't get caught up in the ABEC rating. I would consider the source the bearings are coming from more important.

I have a similar system on an Abu Garcia Winch and it works pretty well. It takes some getting use to but you have three different ways to control your cast. One> the internal brakes which slows the spool at start up. Second> the external dial adjust the cast throughout and can let you feather a cast for a softer presentation (shorter cast though with a higher setting). Third> the cast control knob. It can help slow it down at the end of the cast. You push the internal brakes out to turn on and click in to turn off. I set my brakes inside to two on and two off, set the external based on the bait and conditions and the cast control by the weight of the lure. I have thrown baits from 3/8oz to 1oz this way, unless it gets windy. I then will put one more internal brake on.

Sorry I should have been more specific. I was thinking if you did the high end Hedgehog HD Air spool bearing or the like. It just seemed like a lot for a reel that was $100 to start with but if it improves it vastly then it may be worth it. The SLX I tried from another fellow fisherman was pretty good as is and it had been fished hard for at least a year. I thought it was probably the best $100 reel I had ever tried.

This is his reel reel below. I found an old listing for it on a defunct site. Lew's did not list the exact model as they combine some of the older schematics. Not an expert on Lew's reels (only have worked on three different models) but am I missing something here?

I would pass on this site and stick with either Boca, Hedgehog, or ZPI..... But putting $30-$50 into a $100 reel for two bearings, not sure about the return on investment here. On a side note, Boca has 25% off for their 4th of July sale. And like DVT said a good cleaning and relube can make a world of difference.

From the schematic of one I worked on recently.