The Maestro

Glad to see I'm not just imagining my Curado E's actually feeling better than when they were new. I guess the gears and everything just work themselves into even better smoothness and alignment. I can just spin the handle (when there's no load) and they just go so fast and smoothly. I try that with my Pfluger and it spins for a fraction of the time at a fraction of the speed.

This guy's off his rocker. https://www.kijiji.ca/v-fishing-camping-outdoor/belleville/huge-lot-of-quality-fishing-rods-reels-tackle-and-more/1225011235?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true .

These were the reels that were out when I was first getting serious about fishing and just starting to build my arsenal about 10 years ago. I have 5 of them + a few lower model Shimanos. I can honestly say they work better now than when they were brand new but I don't have much of a frame of reference for comparison. I did buy a Pfluger Patriarch (casting) a couple of years ago and while it's a decent reel I was a bit disappointed that I didnt like it nearly as much as my Curados. For those of you who've been in the tackle game for a long time or just guys that have a bunch of different reels. Do the E series Curados live up to their reputation as an all time great reel?

This is just it. The stuff still works perfectly good but guys think "Boy that new rod/reel from xyz looks pretty sweet but I already have so many and it would be a waste to just relegate a setup to the dustbin. I know I'll sell one for close to what the new ones sell for and that way it'll be just like an upgraded trade. Genius!"

I had a quick look at the flea market and it seems like there's a lot of fairly realistic/reasonably priced stuff compared to the "dreamers" I've seen on kijiji. And yes I'm sure some buyers can the delusional as well. I make it a point not to over haggle. If the person refuses my offer I just move on.

I know what you mean especially when you're talking about those discontinued lines that hold a sort of "legendary" status. Most people that own this stuff won't sell it so there's not much supply. For me personally I would be willing to pay a pretty penny for a 7'7" heavy Cumara (the first gen black ones) just to keep it in storage in case the one I have ever breaks. I haven't used another rod that's quite the same or as much fun to set hook with. I guess I was talking about the more "typical" older equipment that has often been upgraded and improved upon being over priced.

I wasn't even referring to stuff for sale here. Tbh I didnt even know there was a for sale section on the site. Going to check it out if I can find it.

True. I'd still be embarrassed to ask what some of these people do even if I wasn't firm on the price. My experience has been that most people don't want to move much on the price and seem offended that you don't want to pay near retail prices for a 10 year old reel.

Do you guys think people are somewhat delusional about how much they think their stuff is worth? I see people trying to sell 5-10 year old rods and reels for barely less than what they were worth when they were brand new. I understand that quality gear will last a long time if it's been taken care of but I think part of it is that fishing gear has sentimental value to us that causes people to over value it. I know I personally associate my stuff with great memories of great days on the water. What do you all think?

That smallie is an absolute unit! Is the largemouth a northern? Are you prouder of one or the other? I'll watch the video later. Thanks for posting.

Insane. How much did they weigh? Baits/techniques? What was the fight like with the smallie?

I can't remember where I read it but someone was saying there's a video out there of a big bass rejecting live bait. I don't remember what the bait was (possibly a craw). Supposedly it shows the bass closely inspecting the bait and then completely ignoring it even though it was just a few feet away. Then once it was taken off the hook and placed back in the same spot, the fish pounced on it instantly. I've experienced something similar with a bass just under 5lbs that was living on a deep tree. It gave itself away when it followed my jig right to the boat. I tried every presentation I could think of over a 3 week span. Finally I bought a couple dozen nice size minnows. I could see the fish. I dropped one close to where it hung out. I could see the fish casually checked it out and turned away from it. It then chilled for a few seconds before violently striking it but I don't think it took it completely because she wasn't there on the hookset. Long story short I burned through all my minnows and finally caught it on my last one when I made a hail Mary cast to the tree about 20 yards beside the main tree it lived on. This is a completely useless analogy.

This is another big factor. Big bass have seen, interacted with and eaten the real thing everyday of their lives and we're trying to convince them that a piece of plastic is food. They're a top predator in their environment and will easily pick up on any negative cues or flaws in our presentation.

This type of behavior alludes to what I mentioned in my post above. These fish have become accustomed to feeding during brief windows. They've learned that sticking to these windows has kept them safe from exposure to predators while allowing them to conserve energy for growth. I used to look up tournament results and it always amazed me how for most local (Ontario Canada) tournaments there would only be 1-2 fish over 5lbs caught (unless it was on big smallmouth water). When you do the math we're talking 70-90 boat fields, 2 anglers per boat each fishing for 8 hours and they only manage 1-2 over 5lbs! And these aren't you're average anglers. These are experinced guys who know the water, and have fast boats with every electronic and technological advantage.

I believe there are far more big bass in lakes that have healthy bass populations than it would seem based on how many are being caught. The reason I say this is because in the 10 years (100's of days) that I've been fishing my home lake there was 1 day when the fishing was SO far above average it was ridiculous. It seemed like everywhere I put my bait there was a fish. And big fish too. Keep in mind I'm in Canada so 5lbs is a big bass here. I caught a 4lb 14oz, a 4lb 12oz, a 3lb 12oz and lost one over 6lbs and one over 5lbs. + too many 1.5-2.5lbers to count. I've never had a day remotely close to this despite having another 5 years of experience on this body of water after this particular day. It showed me that there are indeed way more big bass out there than I used to think. They're just difficult to catch. I believe most of the big fish have brief feeding windows and are much more difficult to make bite outside of these times. And yes. I definitely believe they are far smarter than smaller bass based on my observations.

I love jigs. Feeling a solid "thump" or seeing the line slowly move sideways are almost surreal experiences. A good frog strike is a pretty amazing sight. A big smallie slamming a spinnerbait is something you won't soon forget. Too hard to pick 1 favorite.

I agree selfies look lame. We all love good fish pictures. I use a tripod to take pics when I'm solo. I'll admit it's a bit of a pain and can eat up precious fishing time....you need to take a bunch to make sure you get a good one. I'll only do it when it's a truly BIG fish but for those times I have no regets about spending the time to get a nice picture. My big fish album has some really nice pictures of some great memories.

It's something I think about as I get older. At 43 I've seen how everything gets more difficult with age. I've always wished for a genuine fishing buddy to grow old with since I was just a kid. I have gotten my hopes up that I may have found that buddy in the past but sadly I've also come to realize that the feelings need to be mutual and it just can't be forced if it isn't there

So true. In some weird way I miss those days when it was all so new....the excitement of thinking a lunker could be hiding under the next lily pad....blissfully ignorant to the fact that I really wasn't fishing very high percentage water.

Very true. I'll re-watch fishing shows I have pvr'd and pick up on things I miseed before. Subtle things they don't talk about like how they work the bait with the rod, details on the areas they fish etc... it's amazing looking back at how all this info was really pretty much useless even though we'd hear it and read it over and over. But like you said at some point you just start to extract more from this information.

I LOVE fishing alone! 10-12 hour days are typical. I have a buddy I fish with occasionally which is a nice change but fishing solo also has its perks as some of you have already mentioned.

This is a big one. Making the adjustments on the water instead of realizing it on the drive home or at the diner table as you stated. Very well put. It absolutely starts to become instinctual. I can't really put my finger on anything specific as to why I've suddenly started to catch bigger fish. It's just the culmination of A LOT of hours spent on the water. This is hands down one if the coolest things about fishing I've experienced to this point.

This will be my 10th year since starting to fish on a more serious and consistent basis. I've made slow and steady progress from the beginning but in the last couple of years I've seen my success (both in numbers and size) take a marked swing upwards. It just feels like the pieces of the puzzle that have been gathered through 1000's of hours on the water are finally starting to all fit together. Has anyone else noticed that after a certain point your progression really starts to accelerate?

Thanks. I was thinking that it might mean that the fish relate mostly to visible cover like they would in a small body of water as opposed to having to try to find them miles off shore.

I've heard this phrase used but don't really understand what it means. Can someone fill me in please?