PhishLI

The newer Icon PT is 7.0 vs 7.3 for the Tour S3. I'll have one here this week and mic everything up and see if there's a possibility.

According to their site that series is aluminum. Only the Tour MG is magnesium. Yes, I'll be on the lookout for brass gears from a lower end model that might swap in. Same for the Lew's Tournament Pro. However, if that isn't possible I'm not going to get OCD'd out about it, or try not to anyway.

The Tour S3 I have is liquid smooth, but just like the Curado K it feels oddly disconnected because of that. I'm not claiming this translates throughout the line or reel to reel.

This past week's cold front made it feel at times like February instead of April. Last weekend kicked off with huge wind gusts. The remainder of the week wasn't as bad, but periods of wind and 30s at night shocked the nicely stained water back to very winter-like crystal clarity. Lakes in my area average 4-6 feet deep with random deep holes and trenches. Cold winds chill them remarkably quickly. I didn't see a panfish in the shallows at all during the week. We finally had some steady rain with temps in the mid 40's, so I was hopeful for a turn around. I told myself that bagging a crappie on a Whopper Plopper early on was a good omen, but it wasn't. 5 hours later I was bassless, soaked, and about to quit. It was 2 a.m. and I'd already loaded 3 of my five rods in the truck when I found a spark and decided to try a different spot one last time. I made my way down to a cove that hasn't been good to me in the past with the hope that they might be pushing bait shallow, then waded in. I was right for the first time this night and nailed 3 one right after the other, one on the Miyagi, and two on a Black/Blue chatterbait. No bigs. The best was just 3 1/4, and the rain killed my scale, but that's how it goes. I wasn't even mad. Totally worth it.

I saw that one before it was snapped up, but it was RH. Too bad. Otherwise, I haven't found a LH deeply discounted anywhere.

Nah, I just have no choice but to use braid with jigs where I fish or I'll lose them constantly. I can uproot a pad stem with 15lb Big Game right now, but once they become more fibrous and deeply rooted they'll eat jigs tied to 15lb. I've had no problems with it. 8,10, 12.

Hahahaha. It is, sort of. But I run 12,15,and 20 on some of my baitcasters, and it's fine. I'm not doing slack line techniques much, that's true, but it's been fine for moving baits and it's very strong. If Sufix Advance was as inexpensive per foot as Big Game I'd never look back, but it's not.

8+1 in the KVD, 10+1 in the Smoke S3. I doubt it means a thing. Just guessing, but the weight difference may be a brass main gear in the KVD vs aluminum in the S3? If you get around to popping yours open please share the intel. If you watch the auction site, singles have closed at $75 sometimes. Pairs for $140ish. Simmons is an authorized dealer so warranty should hold up. You can call to confirm. The Tour S3 definitely does. Not much difference if any, probably.

Bearing count, afaik. I've been eyeballing them myself.

Once you've gotten down the mechanics of skipping you'll be able to use just about any rod. I'm usually pitching 1/2 oz igs, almost an ounce with the trailer, using a Tatula SV on on a Tatula XT 7'3" HF which is a pretty stiff rod. If I roll up on a dock I'll skip with the same setup still in hand even though it wouldn't be my first choice. Light plastics like weightless senkos and creatures get skipped using a 7' MF or a 7' MHEF. My fav for that is a Powell Inferno 703 CEF 7' MH extra fast. It's a super light rod and it's affordable.

Big Game is sort of rough feeling right off the spool especially when compared with something like Sufix Advance. XL is usually pretty smooth. Spinning or baitcasting reel?

The Tackle Trap has complete Daiwa handle sets . Check it out. https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=898_660_654

Yes, but it tends to get tangled in the trebles on splashdown unless you feather the spool to get the back end of the lure to kick out ahead of the line before it lands. It'll still happen anyway sometimes. Otherwise it's fine with the right rod, or judicious use of your drag with a faster action rod.

Wakes and Glides: 1.5 oz-3 ozs 20LB Big Game Wakes and Glides, Buzzbaits:1 oz -1.5 oz 15lb Big Game Poppers, Shallow Cranks, and Floating jerkbaits: 8lb Sufix Advance Copoly 8lb during winter. 12lb during summer Frogs 50lb Braid

Yes, when getting yourself accustomed to a BC setup it's smart to use an inexpensive line like mono. Stick with it for a minute until you're trained up. I started with braid and never had a fatal backlash during that period, and I was using 20 lb.Typical backlashes with braid can usually be picked out, but the bad ones sometimes can't be. Bad backlashes with plastic lines that can be picked out often kink the line and you'll need to re-spool or risk a break off away from the knot. Bad backlashes with braid that can be picked out don't usually harm the braid at all. I rarely use leaders on braid and my catch rate is pretty high, but I'm primarily fishing very shallow weedy lakes. Bass set up on ambush points and hit moving lures without inspecting them. There's no time. But even when throwing slow moving bottom baits line type doesn't seem to matter much. I've seen no difference using different lines and I use them all. BTW, the guy that I just trained on a BC uses straight 30lb braid on his spinning gear. He throws flukes all the time, deadsticking and twitching them, and he does great. The bass around here don't seem to care about braid at all.

I agree with jimmyjoe. Braid. I recently helped one of my "spinning only" pals make the transition. He picked up the SLX XT MH combo. Set it up with 12lb Big Game to get him going. After an afternoon lesson he was doing great, but complained about the same thing you are. Two days later the setup was strung up with 30lb braid and that solved it for him. He throws a chatterbait and spinner bait a lot, and got the feedback he was expecting with braid.

When something annoys me about my Shimanos I instantly prefer my Daiwas. That can flip on any given day.

Shimano doesn't include Micro Module gears in the heavy duty Tranx models. There's probably a good reason. Since line cap is meaningless in flipping, and the 70 has regular gears, I'd choose it over the K for this application.

Glenn, Have you had a chance to use lighter baits than frogs with this reel? Retail is $229.00 at TW.

A great shop close to me has the SX in stock, but there's no way to fiddle with it currently, as if fiddling would matter. If I show up in a moon suit maybe they'll let me in? I'll probably just wing it and buy it. I'll lose a few hundred bucks in plastics and hardbaits to the pads over the next few months, not to mention the baits I've bought that I'll never hook up on. It's odd that it's acceptable and understood that I'm going to lose baits while fishing, therefore money, but reel purchases must be scrutinized to death, affirmed by strangers, then bought on sale or else. If it ends up being a steaming pile of poo I'll just pretend it was two $100 swimbaits that I've backlashed into orbit and move on after I chuck it into the lake. (sigh) Thanks for the therapy session, Doctor Dom. I needed that. You're such a good listener. On to the next reel!

I use the VMC Touch-Lok Snap. #1 is rated at 66lbs. It's small. I haven't had any issues with it opening up.

The 6 pin individually selectable brake blocks got my attention on this one. I'd be less interested if it had the dial centrififugal.

Like anyone else who indulges in buying more reels than I'll ever need, I could keep purchasing Daiwa and Shimano and be perfectly happy. I've fished with many "other than" D & S reels, but have mostly hesitated chunking down my own cashola for them myself. Thanks to the human Metronome, Dodgeguy, and his relentless promotion of the Lew's Tournament Pro LFS, I tried something different. I'm glad I did. It's a very good reel that is effective with very light lures straight through to heavier ones. It's a like Curado 70 and a Curado K in one package performance wise, IMO. No, it's not as refined on the retrieve as the K, but it's perfectly fine otherwise, and way easier to adjust on the fly. I'm in no way suggesting that owners of K's or 70s dump them and run out and buy the Lew's, just that it has the practical utility of both of those reels, and is easier to dial in, in my opinion. Having been surprised by the Lew's I was inclined to take another chance outside of my comfort zone. I was curious about the Quantum Tour S3 for a while, but wouldn't pull the trigger. Quantum ran a super sale during the Classic this year and I was left with no excuses. It's not just another good reel. I think it's really great, especially if you value trouble free long casting. I bank and wade fish a lot , so covering water matters to me. I can fire average bass lures for distance with this reel like nothing else I have or have tried anywhere near it's price range. The braking isn't quirky, and it's smooth as can be on the retrieve. It's another very good option without apparent compromises, in the short term anyway. I'm feeling far braver having purchased and fished both the Tournament Pro LFS and Tour S3, so now I'm eyeing the latest version of the 2019 Okuma Helios SX. On paper there's a lot to like. It has an all aluminum frame and side plates. The disengaging spool shaft sounds interesting. I'm perfectly fine with a VBS-like 6 pin centrifugal braking system. It's light. I have a good feeling about this one. Am I wrong? Is it Junk? Just OK? If you have experience with this particular reel please let me know!

I'm south of you on western L.I., so the temps aren't as low and no snow, but the heavy winds and colder air have chilled our very shallow lakes quite a bit. Early last week the water was stained green, quite comfortable to wade in, and panfish were near the banks. As of Saturday night the water was way colder and has been shocked crystal clear. The baitfish are nowhere to be seen and the bite slowed down dramatically. I had a pretty good session Friday night into early Saturday morning, but that flipped quickly because of the heavy, relentless wind. We'll see high 30s at night again. The best bet in the short term is to work any cover, like pad fields, during late afternoon wherever the sun's been beating down. Other than that you just have to wait it out. Bass fishing closes here for the spawn May 1st through the end of the first week of June. That restart date may be extended due to lower temps. It was last year. Anyway, they still need to eat with the spawn coming, it's just less predictable as to where they'll be with the baitfish scattered and away from the banks. It's a puzzle for now.

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