Bass fishing is best

Yes. If you buy tell him fatmaple sent you. Check his reviews the negative feedback is 'seller not gentle' lol. Guessing he has a short temper. Reel arrived in 10 days in case you are wondering. I was expecting to get ripped off TBH but he delivered and the reel was legitimate. Chronarch MGL.

I'd like to trade him for one of my dependents at times.

Got an Email from Ebay yesterday: 20% off memorial day sale for outdoor products. Wasn't sure if that covered fishing reels so I clicked on a link for a reel and the discount loaded up. Ended up grabbing a $175 3000 series CI4+FB for $140 after the rebate. I was very tempted to pick up a Stella with this deal but the Ci4 should do everything I need. I've found a guy there selling top notch reels for the lowest prices I've ever seen. Catch is only left handed bait casters, and no XG. I'm literally going to send him a Christmas card this year.

I don't know if you messed around with this reel yet but it pitches better than any reel I've ever held. I know it's not meant exactly for it but I love bombing lipless cranks and Ploppers. TBH I think Shimano has cut into their metanium market with this Chronarch MGL, specs nearly the same and the brass gearing. It's so smooth I thought the drag was too low the first few fish I caught. My plan was to get a few of the exact reels you mentioned later this year but I think I'll just grab another Chronarch or two, it's that good. After messing around with a Met MGL I just don't think it's worth the extra $. You won't want to put it down. I've owned a Curado i for a few months and absolutely loved it until I grabbed the MGL now it just feels average at best. Dumb question but do you pay taxes on items from Europe too? Got mine for $200 and it's the best money I've spent on fishing gear....ever.

I too have been fishing in a similar body of water south of you by an hour or so. If your weather has been the same as in lower CT I have 2 theories. I only post this because I've also noticed strange behavior most days. The numbers are way down, the size is way up. One is the colder weather. Except for a 4 day stretch it's been pretty cold here. Generally this is shorts and tshirt time of year but I've been wearing a light jacket fishing. I think this is affecting the spawn by pushing it back a bit. Second is the unusual amount of rainfall. My local body of water is up at least a foot. Most of the spots I fish are under water. Things have dried up in the last week until today. Saw a nice bass just as you described and threw everything I had, power, finesse, spinning and no interest. Spent about a half an hour fishing through were she was with no luck and about to give up. Last lure I decided to throw figuring it was too cold but what the heck. Whopper plopper 90. Crushed it on the first cast, slow retrieve. When you pause it the tail sinks down a bit and she couldn't resist.

I use braid exclusively if I'm fishing with a lot of tree cover on the shoreline. It helps me rip my lures out of the branches. I loved and still love watching Roland Martin fish.

I oiled the bearing while the cover was off, made no difference in feel other than I can now free spin it for a few seconds longer...so yeah I guess it was worth it. You should check if the cork handle is compatible I like it so much more than the foam on the Supreme. The Supreme XT is a very nice reel though.

The President XT has a similar screw. The only reason I unscrewed it was because the handle fell off twice. It's attached by a screw thread, if you unscrew this there is a phillips head screw underneath that you need to tighten to put it back on. If you're curious there is a bearing in there that is totally not needed IMO I'm guessing that's why the cap is there. My only gripe about the reel. I tried the same but the concave shape renders screwdrivers useless. I used a penny and that worked.

Congratulations! Now it's time to beat that one.

Then I vote 40 or 50. I originally loaded my 201 with 40, then changed to 30 and aren't in love with it. I may go up to 50, but that's because I throw trebles no leader and the lighter stuff seems to get tangled a bit more in the hooks, and for some reason I have to set the outer breaks a bit higher. With 40 or 50 lb braid it still holds plenty of line as @Bent posted.

Which Curado, the 200 or 70. If you have the 200 I'd go a bit heavier, if it's the 70 I'd go 30.

If the Stradic 2500/3000 came in a lower IPT I'd buy one in a heartbeat. It's a 7:1.1 and it is the best reel I've ever held. It casts effortlessly but what really impressed me is how easy it is to pitch accurately with this thing. I'll admit it's my weakest so therefore least used technique but I felt like a pro messing around with this thing. I plan on primarily using it for crank baits and small swim baits. I already own a curado 201 on 6'6 M Cabela's FE II(another under rated older rod) an older Lew's bb1 round reel on 7ft BLS MH for limited pitching and throwing the Whopper plopper. I do not throw a frog. I'd want something for bombing lipless and smaller swimbaits at a reservoir that allows no boats. I'm sure I'd swap it on the 6'6 FE for skipping on the kayak, but for now I want to enjoy firing this thing out there from shore and reach where others cannot. Budget is around $100 but as you already read I do not stick to budgets too well. I'll spend a bit more for finesse gear but I'm hesitant to get a top shelf rod for cranking, generally I don't think I miss nearly as many hits power fishing than I do slow throwing soft plastics. At first glance of the Dobyn's line up the Fury 7'9" MH swimbait rod FR 795sb or the 705cb stands out. I've certainly read nothing but good things about Dobyns time to take a serious look, and I do like their no hassle warranty. Another quick question, what are the guides made of? I'll never buy one with ceramic guides. I'm kind of jealous, I'd love to have a boat but I have the weakest sea legs anyone has ever seen. I'm fine until look down to retie or read an email, then the spins come. For some reason I can kayak all day and not get seasick, but a calm lake makes me nauseous on a boat. Thanks again!

@fishnkamp I've checked out the Supreme, held it and fished with it. TBH I can't feel the difference between the President XT. Weight and all the specs are almost exactly the same in the9525-9530. The cynic in me is convinced the extra $20 is the nicer paint job and magnesium body. Am I missing any other major differences? Not putting the Supreme down, rather expressing how nice the Pres XT is. The Supreme XT is clearly a cut above though, I really like that reel as well as the baitcaster version. I'll check out the Dobyn's, I've heard great things about the Fury. I really am partial for Fenwick partly due to sentimental value but I love how the reel seat feels in my hand on the Aetos. Do you use the Dobyn's casting rods as well? I'm in the market for a rod to pair a Chronarch MGL with. Thank you for your input, it is greatly appreciated and exactly what I was looking for. @Yudo1 @smalljaw67 Ebay, not too hard to find I don't know if links are allowed here. From Fenwick's website the newer version of the Aetos has more backbone, I take that as a bit stiffer which is just what I want. I'd be using it for ligher lures and plastics. The combo's are available in 6ft ML, 6'3ML, 6'6 M, 6'9 ML' and 7 ML. Thanks for your input.

I think the exact same way, only to me the first combo is perfection IMO. The sad truth is I'll probably end up buying both.

I picked up a Pflueger President XT 9525 last fall for trout fishing, I've fallen in love. My only experience with them was an old Trion a friend used..and still does occasionally. My master plan was to buy a Fenwick 6'6-7ft medium-medium light rod so it would be more appropriate for bass, mostly plastics and lighter lures. It's currently on a UL 5'6, too light IMO for anything but trout. Upon searching for a deal on a new rod I came across a combo deal for the President XT 9530/Fenwick HMG for about $115. The reel retails for $79, and the rod for $99. Was about to click the 'purchase' button when I spied another combo. Pflueger Patriarch 9530/Fenwick Aetos for $246. Retail on rod and reel is both $199 each. Now I have experience with both rod and reel on the lesser priced combo and love the performance of each. My question to you all is how much of a step up is the Patriarch, and more importantly the Aetos from the HMG. I loved my old HMG, it was ahead of it's time when it was new. I don't mind spending the extra cash on such a great deal but want to know for sure I'm getting a significant improvement. I'm going to see if my local BPS has a Patriarch and Aetos that I can put in my hands before buying, but lately they have not been stocking up on the higher end reels. Part of me wants to just buy 2 of the lesser combos and leave one in my FL house, another part wants me to buy the higher end one. Help me because the bait monkey has me this time. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Just picked up a new Chronarch MGL for less than $200, only issue I see is most people like to have item in hand the moment it is paid for...myself included. If it comes in without issue the seller has some Stradics I'm going to pick up next. For all the good deals on the bay I've noticed a few auctions where the item sold for more than what one could get in a store. I'm not sure if people get caught up in the hype or just aren't informed. Either way good for you for catching on. The value of something is what someone else is willing to pay.

Since you already have so much gear I'd invest in just 1 nice spinning setup. NRX and a Stella.

I was thinking about this and the one thing not to forget is the reels and spools keep getting smaller, so the need for higher ratios is necessary to make up for the smaller spool circumference. I have a Lew Childre round reel that is 5.2:1, although the IPT is only an inch less than my curado 7.2:1. (29 in vs 30 in) If that Lew's reel was a 7 I'd need some of that Bugs Bunny ether to fish. Conversely you would be worn out with a round reel retrieve ratio 3.8:1 on today's low profile reels.

Have you tried casting 1/2 oz lures yet? A couple of members have already mentioned the light weight being the issue and I agree. If the lure still falls slowly with tension loose you should stop right there. Brakes mean nothing if the lure isn't heavy enough to make the line drop quicker. Put on a 1/2 oz weight and see if your drop rate is faster. If so try casting it, if not there is something mechanically wrong with the reel. My first baitcaster years ago was a Quantam round reel and I had the exact same problem. I figured this issue out, switched to heavier lures and then moved on to all the other issues I had with Quantams.

I will say as far as celebrity endorsements go KVD lends his name to some quality products overall. The rod may not be for many but the KVD plastics, crainkbaits, and line conditioner have done very well for me at a fair price. Here is KVD talking about why he uses glass, or a combo of both. Makes sense to me, but once again he's a different creature on the water than I will ever be.

I've been pricing out a decent rod for saltwater and landed on the Mojo Inshore. Comparing the weights they look very similar to freshwater rods. Do any of you use saltwater rods for bass fishing too? I'd like a pole with a heavier lure rating (whopper plopper) and it would be nice to have it pull double duty in salt too. Forgive me if this a stupid question. I have enough fishing gear, at this point I'd like any new purchases to be more versatile use.

I have an old Cabelas fish eagle II that I was given years ago with an Lews round reel. It is a 6'6" medium and I still use it with a Curado I for lighter lures. For free it is a fine rod, light and I do like the action. If I had to purchase I'd probably spend the extra and look into a St Croix. Edit check cabelas, there is a Triumph X casting rod sale for the same price. $69 is a pretty good deal, even if it is their low end line. I've never held this exact model, but I'm headed to cabelas later this week to check one out. 6'6" M is 3.9 oz's! now that's light.

Anyone else get out for trout opening day? Caught a bunch of stocker rainbows and a nice brown, met a nice guy and his son that was unbelievably helpful with a measuring tape and showing me how to bleed them. First time in 20 years I've not caught and released but 2 of the rainbows looked too tasty. So if that guy is reading this, thank you again so much. Can't wait to hit the river again tomorrow. Bass aren't biting so far but it felt so great having something on the line.

Put on a pair of Maui Jim lighthouse or similar light frame sunglasses and you will be in love. I actually forget I'm wearing the brown lense pair. I feel every second wearing Costas, heavier and bulkier.

I occasionally bank fish in Bridgeport Ct. If you aren't familiar with it, there are some highly suspect neighborhoods but the fishing can be great, especially at night. I'm not bringing my $200 loomis with my curado, not even leaving them in the car. Generally at least one of my buddies is carrying and I still don't feel absolutely safe. "Sure take my $9 lightning rod" I'd rather not get shot or shoot at someone for my pole. In the mean time it's a decent cheap rod.