Crankin4Bass

Acme Kastmaster

I'm so glad I listened to the bait monkey and have been stocking up for years.

For LM: watermelon red senko. For everything else: Acme Kastmaster.

I wonder how tedious the Autopilot 120 and 136 are to control since they have handheld remotes. Anyone have any experience with those models yet?

My comment was that the Daiwa gc 80 is slightly bigger than the Zebco Omega Pro zo02. Sorry, I've never seen the Platinum so I can't compare it to the Omega Pro. Sorry to hear about your wife's battle with cancer. Glad to hear she is on the road to recovery. Take care.

Great to hear your wife likes to fish with you! I have a Zebco Omega Pro z02 for my kid. It's casts well and is very smooth. It's been trouble free. It also comes with 2 spools and an extra dual paddle handle. This only thing I don't like about it is the button, because it has rubber cover over it. I don't know how to describe it, but just feels weird. Both spools come with cheap red Cajun line. You're going to want to change that out. We also looked at the Daiwa Goldcast GC80 and that looked more solid. The Goldcast comes in three sizes. The GC80 is the smallest. The only reason we didn't go with it is because it was slightly bigger than the Zebco. I preferred the Diawa, but it wasn't for me. You might want to check them out in person. Good luck!

I like to travel light when bank fishing. I only carry one rod and sling bag with one 3600 size box of lures, some hooks and a couple bags of plastics. I also have a pair of pliers attached to my belt with a holster.

This is good advice here. My first baitcaster was a Black Max and while the price was attractive to try out a baitcaster, it was super frustrating. So many backlashes I gave up on it. The Diawa Fuego CT is a great reel for the price. It has a solid metal frame and the braking system is easy to dial in. While I mostly use more expensive Shimano's now, but I bought a Fuego CT to test out. I paid $70 and I have to say I am really happy with it. It's really easy to cast with no backlashes. I always recommend it for a budget baitcaster. Whatever baitcaster you get, put some 12lb mono on it and learn with that. It's cheap and easy to pick out if you backlash. Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll start with teaching the dad knots and have him teach the kids.

Hope everyone is doing well. A friend who lives across the country asked if I could help teach his kids to fish over Zoom. He doesn't fish and the kids are 4 and 5 years old. I made a list on Walmart for basic gear for him to buy for his kids to target panfish. I have sent links to lots of great beginner videos. I am totally open to doing the zoom calls, but wondering what I can do over Zoom from inside my den. Any suggestions? Thanks!

There are tons of videos on youtube on how to set up bike for fishing. You can get a rear bike rack and attach a crate to hold gear and a soft cooler. You can add some PVC pipe to hold rods in the crate. Here's one idea.

They are in clam shell packs so people can't steal them. I hate opening those things. Thanks thieves for ruining it for us.

I have this one. https://www.amazon.com/Berkley-Pistol-Lip-Grip-Scale/dp/B00EVHL79G I don't recommend it as it isn't very accurate. Every time I weigh fish that are surely 5 pounders they come up as 2 lbs.

I use this KastKing rod rack. The ones I use frequently have reels and go in the front. Always retie. Less used rods go in back without reels. I used to have them stacked up in a corner but a couple rod tips developed a little bend. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CXZRJDH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Unused reels go in soft padded case: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-extreme-reel-tote

Hi Kevin. Wellcome to BR! 1) I have a GLX 783c MBR I bought in 2018. It's a great all-around rod. Very light and definitely not tip heavy. I don't have a Metanium MGL, but I have used it with a Curado 70 which is only 0.3 oz heavier and it balances well. I totally understand about not being able to see it in person. It's hard to find more expensive rods in stores these days. My local Cabela's had the EX version of the 783c MBR in stock so I went to check it out to get an idea. I liked the way that felt so I took a chance and ordered the GLX from the Cabela's website. The handle is the similar but the blank, guides, and finish are much better. 2) Sorry I don't have a NRX to compare with. I say go for it!

The Shimano Bantam MGL is available in 5.5:1 in Japan. Japan Tackle has them in lefty. I haven't used it so I can't give you feedback on this specific reel, but it's another option for you. https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/shimano/low-profile-casting-reels/reg0000234.html I use a Shimano Calcutta 200d. Upgraded from a Gen3 Winch after reading @A-Jay's review. It's a little bit heavier, but it's an awesome reel. The side plate is smaller on the palming side so you barely notice it's round. It's the smoothest reel I own. I liked it so much I bought another 200d and a 300d.

I've had a Perception Pescador Pro for about 3 years now and I've been pretty happy with it. It's my first kayak and just getting off the bank is great. When I bought it, having a frame seat and lightest weight were the most important things to me so I went with the 10.0 which is actually 10'6". If I had to do it again, I would have gone with the 12 footer. The seat is really comfortable and the kayak is pretty light (57 lbs). It's definitely not stable enough to stand up and the rod holders are terrible. I use a crate with a 3 rod holder zip tied to it. I use this for small ponds around me and it's perfect for that. I got it at REI when they had it 15% off. I think they do this sale twice a year in May and June. I would also suggest you take advantage of demo days to try out several kayaks to see what you like. Another one I would look at is the Old Town Topwater.

The casts Angler Saito makes into tiny pockets are impressive! I love watching his videos.

That's definitely a moderate action rod. He has his own line of Duckett Rods. Here's the whole line up at TW: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-DUCKFRODS.html?from=basres TW says that one is composite. So it's a blend of glass and graphite.

Wish they still made something like this. Saw on reddit today.

Anyone use this reel? Is there really a benefit to the arbor spool? http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-spinning-reels/pflueger-arbor-spinning-reel/1280268.html#srule=price-low-to-high&sz=15&start=6

I have three Presidents and one President XT and both models are great. I prefer the XT but it doesn't balance well on some heavier rods. The bait monkey says the solution to that is to just buy some new lighter rods. ?

My order of Rapala Subwalk came in. Now I can’t wait for the ice to melt.

Which bearing did you replace on the the Curado 70 to take care of the grinding?

All 4 of you Curado 70’s are grinding? Anyone else’s have this issue? I wonder what’s causing that?