PhishLI

The brake tech is not the same as it was 7 years ago. Different animal.

I like it a lot. Tiny. Light. Throws very light baits well. Very good distance caster. No need to open a side cover to adjust brake blocks. Oil the brake plate regularly with the included oil and you should be quite happy. If you don't own a spool pin remover then oil the bearing on the spool shaft and side cover in place for the first several uses. It'll break down the grease a bit. Use just a touch of spool tension until it breaks in.

Try these. They come through grass nicely. They're heavy, dense, and cast very well. I control depth using belly weighted hooks, or unweighted when I wish to keep it higher. Weightless rigging weights 18 gr. total, weighted is 21 gr. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/keitech_noisy_flapper_frog_5pk/descpage-ketnsyf.html

Try these.

I have no experience catching walleye except for in 2 lakes in my general area as those are the only lakes where they're present. They stock several thousand fingerlings each year that when mature will control the white perch population. The particular lake I'm talking about is generally shallow averaging 6-8 feet for the most part with the perimeter closer to 4-5 feet for several hundred feet from shore in a number of spots. Farther towards the center it averages between 10-15 deep. There are two deep holes, but they don't cover much area. It's understood that dissolved oxygen isn't present here below 15ft, and the walleye cannot reproduce. It's basically a big bowl with particular bottom contours but no moving flow of water in or out. There's a large shallow flat, approximately 2-3 ft deep, covering several acres that's a prime Large and Smallmouth area due to a feeder stream where baitfish are present.The walleye seem to arrive in groups that are organized by size. They're either quite big, 24"-30" or 14-18". There are nights where we've caught 30 and not a single fish was a dud, a wet blanket, etc. I never mistake a LM bass for a SM bass, but it often feels like a big smallmouth's on the line when it's actually a walleye. They don't jump or tail-walk like a smallmouth, but the hard change of direction and pull is similar. It's definitely not the fight of even a big largemouth. Before I caught one here I had zero prep on what it would be like, but I was blown away. I've been trying to get my son in law out late one night so he can experience it himself. I'm never disappointed. It's a total blast. I mentioned your post to my brother tonight. He speculated that maybe walleye pulled up from deep water are starched and have no fight? BlueBasser86's experience mirrors our's, so we're not having a group delusion thankfully! PM me if you're ever out this way and up for a late night walleye grind. If we get on 'em you'll see what I'm talking about. Oh, and bring some big swimbaits. They smash 'em.

We've been catching them in a big shallow flat where they push white perch right up against the shore. I don't know how they behave elsewhere, but here when they eat a swimbait they fight hard for every inch, especially the 25"-30"ers. That fish in the pic made few hard runs and had a 7'11" H rod bent the entire ride in.

The only takeout food we'll order in the age of corona is Italian dinners that are cooked in a tin at 500 degrees F. No cooties! One baked ravioli, one baked eggplant parm, and an order of baked clams runs us $43 at our favorite spot, so that's what I bid on this reel last week. Hey, if I can get a decent reel for the cost of takeout for 2 why not? Plus I'm on a Quantum buzz since I grabbed a Tour S3 that I'm very happy with. I won this Icon PT for $39.99 + 8.95 usps blue shipping from Simmons which is an authorized Quantum dealer, so a safe bet. If the rain stops I'll get to fish with it today. Solid tank of a reel at 8 oz. It looks to be the exact frame and sideplates as the Vapor PT. Comfy in the palm. It spins nicely. It clicks nicely. ACS Centrifugal braking. We'll see how it goes.

My fishing buddy got one last year, so I've had a chance to fish with it. It seems to have a more benign braking profile than a Tat SV, which is good. I think it's fantastic. He loves it.

We're targeting bass but the Walleye are all over our swimbaits. Gantia, MS Slammer, Gantarel, Magdraft, Spro Rats etc. I know the walleye guys use a lot of spinning tackle like Eyecon rods. They feel like noodles to me. We're using much heavier swimbait rods and the fight is insane. These fish pull like crazy. It must be wild using light spinning gear.

Get it for $10 less by ordering directly from their site. No eBay fees. https://www.sportsmansoutfitters.com/products/lews-tournament-pro-lfs-speed-spool-baitcast-fishing-reels

I run this exact setup with 50 LB braid. Super vesratile. Great light jig setup or even small single hook paddle tail swimmers. Great frog setup. Last night I was throwing a Beast Coast Miyagi rigged on an Owner Beast 6/0 Hook and caught 'em good. This rod's a real sleeper and a super steal at $49-$59 on sale. I find myself using it a lot with either the Fuego CT or the Plfueger Supreme XT, even though I have far more expensive rigs. Don't be fooled by the pricetag. On top of being reasonably light it's seems to be nearly indestructible.

The smooth metal crossbar's there so the line doesn't "scrape" the wormgear shroud. A conventional line guide aperture found in every single reel with a disengaging level wind is also less than ideal regarding friction while the line is paying out, even if it's conical. They're all imperfect, but all happen to work quite well.

None. HockeyRanger man'd up conceded the point on page 2..

Friction in itself, or two friction surfaces interacting in this case, does not denote scraping. A tiny precentage of the line's diameter is in contact with either the round crossbar or the rounded line guides.

Yup. It essentially becomes lapping compound which is abrasive aggregate suspended or mixed with grease. Reel X here too.

Silliness. Is the line also "scraping" the rod's guides?

My fishing buddy's a fluke fanatic. He always has a fluke tied on, and has a ton of different types. He's cleaned up all winter through this spring with them by playing with his retrieve and action until they tell him what they want. He does quite well in the summer with them too.

Instant classic! Make it a sticky.

It swings, but...https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Eco_Pro_Tungsten_Swing_Swim_Jig_/descpage-EPSJ.html

Because Homeboy refuses to tap out.

This thread is awesome! Let it never end!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Daiwa-Catarina-TW-100-PL-RM-Left-handle-From-Japan/133320078130?epid=14025131911&hash=item1f0a7ef332:g:z-oAAOSw~MJeMm4e Another option/platform that allows for a good assortment/choices of aftermarket and factory spools. It's a smooth and powerful long caster.

Correct. While some people think of a reel as something that simply winds line back on, there's more to it. Subtle differences in rod/reel/line synergy are noticeable if you're sensitive to such things. I've hated particular rods and reels, but once combined in a ceratin way, which is often counterintuitive, magic happens.

If it feels good in your hand and does what it's supposed to that's all that matters, not the rod's price vs the cost of the reel. I have a few price mismatched combos and I'm not changing a thing because I like how they fish.

ICK when I'm lazy, and SDJ when I'm not.