jimmyjoe

Think about your fuel availability. Hope it's good (and consistent). jj

Great news! I think we can assume that there is nothing wrong with the reel. 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits usually weight 3/4 to.8 oz. The "1/2" refers to the weight of the lead head, not the whole lure. Don't ask me why they rate them that way .... they just do. So now you have a reference. What you need to do is throw gradually lighter and lighter lures until you expose a problem. And I do mean gradually. You're going to meet weight-point at which suddenly everything falls apart, and you birdsnest constantly. For you, and at this time, that will be your lower limit. Yes, you can practice and get better, but it'll take time and patience. Don't try to rush your proficiency level. You'll just frustrate yourself. Read up about different lines you can use (here in the forums) and different techniques (in the video library, accessed at the top of the page) and next spring I'll bet you'll be good to go. The reason I say "next spring" that is that this is the last of August already. You're in Illinois. You only have 2 or 3 months of clear water to gain proficiency, and I'm not aware of how many days a week you fish. You'll get there, don't you worry. We all did and you can, too. Good luck! jj

I see. jj

When I read your comment, I went back and re-read all the posts to try and find the one that mentioned decapitation. I couldn't find it. Has it been removed? If it hasn't, could you point me to it, please? jj

Being without electricity is annoying, but no big thing. Being without water, however ...... that's bad. Hope they get that straightened out for you ASAP. jj

Some do. Some don't. ???? jj

What you probably heard is that some were made FOR the US market, and some for the Japanese market. And yes, when that happens there are some that are more desirable to collectors. That does NOT mean that the same ones are more desirable for fishing. Some JDM merchandise is built better than the USDM merchandise, but some of the USDM stuff is better than the JDM stuff. Just depends. Alan Hawk has stated that the JDM Daiwa BG and Shimano Spheros have what he calls "inferior gearing" compared to the USDM models. Hawk reviews spinning gear only; I doubt that the spinning reels are the only merchandise that have this sort of differences, although I could be wrong. Simply proof of good advice: Don't buy blindly. jj

Before you go down that road, take a good 1/2 ounce lure and cast it out a few times. If it goes a good distance, the line feed consistently and there's no backlash at the end, then I'd say that's a good reference point and we can go from there. OTOH, if you can't get a half-ounce lure to cast right or cast consistently, then I'd say you may have a problem. If you think you need to call Shimano, their number is 1-877-577-0600. Discuss this with them. Simply tell them that this is your first casting reel, that you're having problems, and that you have no idea whether it's the reel or not. They're good to talk to. Glenn has a slew of videos on-site here about casting (very top of the page), and there are more on the 'Tube. The thing that stymies me is that you're using a DC reel. I can't relate to that, but fortunately other people can. ? jj p.s. - Oooops! I should read the post before me, shouldn't I! ??

Yup. I forgot that. Without enjoyment, there's no reason to do this fishing thing. Don't give up; I bet we'll get you in the groove somehow. Just give us a little time. ?? jj

You don't haul logs with a Corvette, and you don't race around corners with a Mack truck. You need to find out what the rod and reel that you have now does well for you. Then you need to tell us what you need to do, that this rig does not do well, and we can go from there. If all you do is buy another casting rig without a good, clear goal in mind, the new one will present as many problems as the one you have now. "Sounds like you need ....." won't do any good. Even the best of intentions have to focus on something. You NEED a reference point. Then you can go different places from that reference point. Hope we can help you soon. ? jj

Being 1,000 miles inland, I can't really imagine the reality of what it's like. That doesn't mean that I can't pray for all of you, young and old alike. BTW ..... we're in the middle of a drought. Just thought you'd like to know. ??? jj

The MGL spool is like a sports car; light, agile and kinda specialized. If a sports car fills the bill for you, then get an MGL. OTOH, if a minivan or pickup is more useful for you, don't get the MGL. jj

On a spinning reel, I had more wind knots with 832. However ... I'm a shorecaster, so I'm fishing the northern bank and facing the southern wind in spring. I also use in-line spinners a fair amount. With a senko or a worm, I didn't see any difference. jj

I tell you what ....... with luck like that, you better go out and buy yourself a lottery ticket! ? jj

Does your wife know about that? ???? jj

Absolutely true. jj

Stick with a Heavy, and go to a heavier frog. The weeds aren't going to have any respect for Medium or Medium-Heavy powers. jj

I'll go out on a limb here: I think the people who say fluoro has poor knot strength are using light (6,8 lb test) fluoro. The people who say they have no problems are using heavier (12, 15 or 20 lb. test) fluoro. Here's why: Let's say you have a 15 lb. fluoro that breaks at 8 lb. knot strength. (Half rating) You also have a 15 lb. mono that breaks at 12 lb. knot strength. (80% rating) And you have a 15 lb. braid that breaks at 14 lb. knot strength. On paper, the fluoro looks weak. But if your drag is set to 4 lbs. max, I doubt you'll ever detect any difference in the performance of the three lines. As for snagging up, you need to use a lure retriever. If you just pull and pull and pull until the line gives, you've damaged ANY line, not matter which kind. Cut off a long hank and re-tie. But let's say you're running 6 lb. test line, as you would for drop shot. You've set drag to 3 lbs. The person who uses braid wouldn't use 6 lb. test braid anyway. They'd use at least 10 lb. test braid, and then a leader. So we don't need to worry about the braid itself. The 6 lb. mono breaks at 4.8 lbs. knot strength. That's 80%, and I think that's reasonable. The 6 lb. fluoro breaks at 3 lbs. knot strength. With the fluoro, you're in trouble when you use 6 lb. line. With 15 lb. line, you'll probably wonder what the brouhaha is all about. These are all theoretical, and not related to any actual lines. I think they're also all worst-case. But like I say, I think they're reasonable in the sense of comparison. Just my 2 cents worth. jj

So true, so true. ? jj

The biggest difference is how comfortable it is for you to hold, and the way you hold it. I run my line through my fingers, a habit from fishing so many years in the dirty river water. Therefore, I'm more comfortable with shorter and lighter rods. Maybe you are, too .... maybe not. If you find them equally comfortable to hold, go for the 7'-02" for the distance and leverage. jj

I use floating early season in shallow water, where the spring sun is warming the shallows more than somewhere else. I use suspending early season in somewhat deeper water, but still on northern banks. I use only one sinking; the Rapala Countdown. I use it anytime, in somewhat deeper water. I'm a shorecaster. Boatmen might have a totally different set of priorities. jj

??????? The 806 is $260. That leaves you $240 for a reel. The Tatula 200 is only $170. The Shimano TranX in 200 size is $200. The 300a is, admittedly, higher. The Shimano Cardiff 300a is $120. The ABU Revo Beast X is $180. Did you have your heart set on a certain reel that sells for over $240? And yes, you can definitely hold off if you're uncertain of which way to go. There's nothing good about jumping too soon and making a mistake. Believe me, I know. ?? jj

On deep divers over an ounce, and especially on something like the 10xd, I don't palm. I'm right-handed, and my left hand is on the forend. So my left hand has a lot of the stress taken off it. If I throw somewhat shallower lures that are less than an ounce, then I'll go back to palming. jj

1) Companies sometimes introduce "loss leaders" into the market, to rob market share from their competitors. 2) This combo might not even be a loss leader. It might simply show how much margin is built into the rod and/or reel. 3) Many times "combo" sales are on models that are statistically slower sellers for that company. Other companies may look at it differently. 4) And the all-time best answer is ........ companies want to attract new customers. Sales do that, no matter what the product is. jj

I believe the line capacity will be OK. Perhaps marginal, but still OK, because there's no indication of which line the OP likes to use. Crankers usually (not always) use the thinnest line that will support their lure weight, so as to get maximum depth at a given retrieve speed. There is also no indication as to whether the OP wishes to us nylon or fluorocarbon line, which may make some difference. The OP has also not indicated whether or not he wants to consider using braid. I personally wouldn't consider using braid on cranks, but some people do. That would reduce the size requirement of the reel, although the quality of the gears and size of the handle would become very important. All in all, there are a lot of good choices here. jj