jimmyjoe

Manufacturers can be responsive to fishermen's needs in two ways; 1) Cost, or 2) Performance. Spiderwire has given many people the impression that it is responsive to cost concerns, but is not concerned with listening to feedback regarding performance characteristics ..... at least not in a timely fashion. Whether that is true or not is up in the air. But people's impressions drive the marketplace, and reputations can make or break a company or product. jj

If you have a low-resistance lure, you won't notice anything. The more resistance you have, the more you'll notice the difference. For the finesse-type stuff you mentioned, I doubt you could tell the difference. jj

Bug. Report to mods; they can help. jj

Please be aware, @David Austin, that there is no such thing as "truth in advertising" for fiberglass fishing rods. Many of them are only 10%-90% fiberglass, with the remainder graphite. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing; some composite rods are truly excellent. But when it come time for you to compare different rods, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. And one thing that has not been mentioned here: 'glass rods are extremely durable and shock-resistant. Graphite rods can, under certain circumstances, shatter. jj

Never ever assume that a line-production reel is lubed properly. Some people will religiously clean and lube a brand-new reel even before using it. I'm not that OCD, but at the first sign of anything amiss after I've started using them, I clean and re-lube my reels. jj

If you've got SMB, you've got a bunch of acrobats. You might need a softer action. One of the ML/MF Fenwick Eagle 2 rods, perhaps?????? jj

Hey @WRB! Can I steal that and get it printed on a t-shirt? ??? jj

That's one thing that you rarely see mentioned; spinning uses the strong side, casting uses the weak side. Reaction time and torque control can be better with spinning, but using a baitcaster is definitely less tiring ...... at least for me. ? If finesse spinning is a Mazda Miata, then BFS is a hot-rodded go-kart. jj

Correct. I wasn't very clear on what I wanted to say. What you end up with is essentially grey scale; then you need to add back in the red and green to make up the total spectrum of what a bass sees. Sorry about that. ??? Like I said ...... supposedly. I'm sure not an expert. ? jj

Absolutely! Some youngsters just coming into baitcasters might not want to hear it, but that's an entirely different matter. jj

This was told to me a few years ago: "If you want a good idea of what a bass sees, take a batch of lures in different colors WITHOUT including red or green. Lay them down on grey concrete and take a black-and-white picture. That's what bass see. Mark your colors, because you probably won't be able to recognize which is which." I have no proof that this is true, but FWIW, my experience seems to go along with it, and I'll believe it until something better comes along. ? jj

Now there's a name I haven't heard for 40 years! Many years ago I tried Zone photography, and it didn't work out too badly. Good way to get good depth of field, but shutter speed was usually too slow. For every plus, there's always some sort of minus. ? jj BTW - nice pic!

I can just hear that young man now: "Largemouth bass? What about largemouth bass?" ? jj

Depends. What are you going to use it for? (I would expect the Curado is superior for flipping or pitching.) Is long casting distance necessary for you? (The Curado seems to cast further) Which size line do you intend to use? (The SLX is 150-size spool, the Curado is 70-size spool. The SLX will therefore store larger diameter line.) Do you intend to use many light lures? (The Curado would be a better choice there.) The SLX might be a hot coupe, but the Curado is a real sports car. How fast do you need to go? jj

^^^ This ^^^. Wear is controlled by the placement of bushings and bearings; no rotating shafts ride directly on "graphite" or plastic. The bugaboo is flex. jj

Although I love fishing just before a storm or front, I rarely actually fish in the falling rain. The very few times that I have, the bite has been from 4 feet up to the surface. Most bites were on traps and squarebills. Retrieve speed was high. jj

How long do you plan on keeping this reel? If you DO NOT plan on keeping it for years, get a cheap reel with a decent reputation, like the Shimano Sahara. But if you DO plan on keeping it for years, look on the 'tube for a video of the takedown and cleaning of the BG series from Daiwa. That reel can be easily stripped, re-lubed as new or better and re-assembled quickly, reliably and consistently. No other reel in that price category can compare in that way. As for advice that you have been given here, remember that a finesse reel is not the same as a run-and-gun reel. Great lengths of line are not payed out, and fast IPT is not really needed. As far as drag, please test actual pull as @bulldog1935 has suggested. I used to have a M/F rod that I could double over with 4 lb. nylon line. It's rather common to overestimate drag. No matter what you decide, good luck! jj

My go-to reel is a Curado 200 PG (power gear) in 5.5:1. I can use it for everything. I have higher gear ratio reels, but for convenience, not necessity. jj

I never fished slack line in the rivers. Once I came to the lakes, I was interested in slack line, soft plastics, deadsticking et. al. But I think it was a phase, because I've slowly gravitated back to my good ol' reliables: spoons, spinnerbaits and squarebills. Once a tight line man, always a tight line man. ??? jj

I swear, between you and @Ski, I'm getting a complex! ? jj

Sensitivity is different things to different people. To me, sensitivity is for contact fishing. I don't need it for semi-slack and I no longer fish slack line presentations. When I did, I used hi-viz line and "watched" rather than "felt." As in all things, .......... YMMV. jj

I'm a shorecaster; it's a spinnerbait. More angles and more (different) depths at different speeds. jj

Thank you for remembering me! ??? jj (<- used to be JJ, but I've shrunk with age.)

Find where water flows in, or where brush or grass overhangs the water's edge. Those areas support microscopic life that in turn supports fish. I use a small spinner or small spoon, probably at 8-12 feet in daytime and shallower under poor light conditions. I have seen fishermen who regularly target gravel and sand pits. Many use slip bobber rigs in deep pits. The problem in deep pits is that fish seem to "raft", or congregate in schools, and then cruise in a pattern that seems aimless to us but is, I am sure, methodical to the fish. Fishermen who target shallow pits seem to prefer ned rigs or wacky-rigged senkos. jj

^^^ This ^^^ I get this using reels that are not synchronized levelwind. I will occasionally look down at the spool and see that the line and the levelwind eye are at radically different positions. I have always suspected that this contributed to backlashes, so I pull line off to make sure that the eye and the line are in the same position. With nylon line it doesn't seem to be a big issue, but it seems to help a lot with braid. jj