Brett's_daddy

Should I get a casting or a cranking rod for the bait I use? I want flexibility, don't want to have multiple rods for each type of bait...just one that does everything well.

I use a Medium/Heavy Abu Garcia Vengeance spinning rod with a fast action now and like it...would it be the same for a bait cast rod?

I fish mostly shallow cranks (a few deep divers), soft bait (senko's), frogs and other top water lures and some buzz baits.

Nope, I just found that out yesterday . Looks like I'll be turning my attention to the Daiwa Tatula 100HSL for $94 (from the same place, he's matching an Amazon.com listing for the RH version).

How about the Academy Sports H2O Express Ethos rods? You can get them for $60 and just wondering if anybody has experience with them.

I'm thinking at least a 7ft. pole, MH with a fast action. I do mostly shallow cranks but some frogs, soft baits and buzz baits as well. I've heard that the Berkley Lightning Rod Shocks are good for about $50 and that Berkley has a new pole called the E-Motion that is getting good reviews and that goes for about $80 but what else would be a good all around casting pole?

http://www.americanlegacyfishing.com/

I am mostly a bank fisherman and have always used spinning reels but I really want a bait cast reel too but again will be mostly bank fishing with only the occasional boat fishing...do bait casters work well for bank fishing too or are they mostly for fishing from a boat? If they are mostly for boat fishing I may have to re-think my purchase of a bait cast reel .

Okay, newsflash... after re-reading my $25 coupon from American Fishing Legacy it cannot be used for reels that are on sale which unfortunately the Tournament Pro is so that means the Lew's Tournament Pro is $129.95 while the Daiwa Tatula 100HLS is $94 (he's matching the price from one of his Amazon.com listings)...to me this makes a BIG difference as extra money is just plain hard to come by for me (wife, kid, mortgage, holiday's and birthdays fast approaching etc., etc.) so I think it has to be between the Daiwa Tatula 100HLS or the Lew's LFS and correct me if I'm wrong but the general consensus would be that the Tatula would be a much better reel than the LFS (considering many of you would have chosen it over the Tournament Pro)?

Finculture knows where I'm looking .

$100 is at my limit so it'll definitely be the BB1 Pro, Tournament Pro or Tatula.

Okay, I am closing in on a decision for my new reel. I have been pouring over reviews and specifications and now I would like to hear thoughts from firsthand users. I know a lot of people have said that the Tournament Pro is very good but I've also seen some reviews that say the BB1 Pro is a little easier to clean, adjust and cast plus they say it casts farther than a Tournament Pro. I'm a beginner and will be primarily a bank fisherman with the occasional outing in my rubber boat. My thinking was if I'm fishing from shore I might want the extra distance so I can get out where the really big fish are (of course there are plenty of big fish near shore in the lily pads too)...does anyone know exactly how much farther the BB1 Pro casts than the Tournament Pro? I am also still considering the Daiwa Tatula 100HSL but am leaning a little more towards the Lew's. All three reels I can get for about $100 so the money is just about equal and it all boils down to the reel.

I was at Dick's last night and they have both the Tatula and Tournament Pro. The Tatula is definitely noticeably larger than the Tournament Pro but not enough that the size would make it would be unappealing to me. The Tatula is also easily heavier than the TP but again, wouldn't be a deal breaker in my eyes. Both have a nice audible click drag star system...now for the differences that did make a difference in my eyes, the TP has an audible click tension knob which I like and the Tatula's doesn't make a sound. Does that make any difference in the overall performance of the reel, doubtful but it appeals to me as I would rather hear a click and know I was at a certain level than hear nothing and guess where I am. The TP also has a much larger and easier IMO to set brake control system although the Tatula's isn't difficult...just not as big and easy to see/adjust. Both seem very smooth when reeling. I didn't try palming them because I don't think that's how I'll use it, I'm thinking having my hand under the reel will be more comfortable for me. The TP is a little more colorful with some yellow and stainless highlights to what I would consider a gunmetal blue reel body while the Tatula is practically all black which can look sleek and sexy...or boring...depending on your preferences . All in all I walked away impressed with both reels. Where I'm buying these reels the TP is $10 more than the Tatula. Now the hard part comes...making a decision!!!

I know I shouldn't do this but...found this and wondered how it compares to the other two reels I mentioned here... http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/shimano-citica-201-g6-low-profile-baitcast-reel-left-handed?repChildCatid=1391518 Obviously it only has 4 bearings, the Tatula has 8 bearings and the Tournament Pro has 11 bearings. I think the gear ration for the Tatula is 7.3:1, for the Tournament Pro it's 6.4:1 and for this reel it's 6.5:1...not sure what ratio is best for all around bass fishing. Other than that how does it stack up? If this reel is obviously inferior I won't consider it but I know Shimano generally makes good reels but I have no experience with this model.

The rod I have isn't anything special I think, it's the rod that came in the Abu Garcia Promax combo,7ft., medium-heavy with a fast action.

Okay, earlier I posted about a Daiwa Excelor vs. Lew's LFS but now I might be able to up the ante a little on price and here are the 3 bait cast reels i'm looking at: Daiwa Tatula 100HSL vs. Lew's BB1 vs. Lew's Tournament Pro. All of these reels I can get for right around $100 so the price is the only constant factor...what about the quality/features of each of these versus the others (I know that the Tatula has only 8 bearings compared to 10 for the BB1 and 11 for the Tournament Pro but does that really make a big difference)? Again, I'm looking for something easy to learn with as I am brand new to bait casting. Thanks for any input!!!

That's the thing, don't really know what I want. I've just gotten back into fishing a couple of years ago and really have no brand loyalties. I may have just sold my Abu reel so that would give me a little more freedom as far as which place i buy a reel from but unfortunately it doesn't make the additional $50 I would need magically appear...lol. I could get that Lew's Tournament Pro for $105 (It's on sale for $129 and than I have that $25 gift certifcate), assuming I could eventually save up the additional $50 to bring up to the $100 range between the Tournament Pro and that Tatula 100HSL which would be the better reel to start with?

I know this all too well...lol. My wife "likes" fishing when she thinks she's guaranteed to catch something (that's why they call it fishing and not catching honey...want guarantee's, go to the supermarket) but she definitely thinks I spend too much on fishing tackle, rods, reels etc. and we're pretty much just starting out (just got back into fishing a couple of years ago) but if she see's a shoe sale or if there's a fancy new Apple watch or electronic gadget coming out we're all over that . I have to get my 4 year old son (going to be 5 in November) a Dock Demon, bought him one of those kids rods (Spiderman) but that didn't last too long, those Dock Demons look a little more rugged.

Okay, I have also found a Daiwa Tatula 100HSL for $99...should this be in play too? Of course to get this reel I would definitely have to sell my current reel outright and get top dollar for it as AFL doesn't have this on sale . I do like the Lew's Tournement Pro and BB1 too...ahhh, decisions, decisions...would be much easier if I just had an extra $100 in cash lying around...lol.

I forgot to mention that this place gives you a $25 gift certificate that can be used on anything over $100 just for signing up for their email newsletter. That being said, I really don't want to spend more than $50 plus my reel trade-in, just don't have the extra cabbage lying around right now with my son's birthday and Holiday's fast approaching.

They actually have the Lew's BB1 for $129 as well.

Plus I'm just a beginner so I'm not sure i need a reel with all the bells and whistles...maybe it will overwhelm me...lol. I want a solid (not cheap) reel that is easy to learn on and will last me at least a couple of years.

The sticking point is I have to sell the reel i currently have first. That's why I like the idea of this American Legacy fishing trade-in program...that and they have some pretty good prices on a lot of these reels.

I know I probably shouldn't do this and add another reel to the mix but what are your views on the Quantum Accurist as compared to these other two reels?

The thing is I'm most likely getting the reel at American Legacy Fishing as they have a reel trade-in program and are offering me a good price for an Abu Garcia Promax RH reel I have. I don't want to have to add in a bunch of money on top of the reel trade-in and these two specific reels are the best they have in LH under $100.00.