PhishLI

If you're looking for perfection, no. Spool capacity is only one part of the equation though, and so is gear ratio, but forget that for now. One day you'll have the proper stuff. In the meantime you can use what you have within limits. You can get a decent amount of 20lb big game on those reels and play. Don't cast all the line off and you'll be fine for now. At least you'll find out if this type of fishing is for you.

If either of your two current reels have a gear ratio higher than 6:3:1 then you'll feel them working hard with baits over 2oz and especially lipped baits. Then there's the issue of the clutch mechanisms dealing with weight in excess of that. You can still play with reasonable baits if you limit them. A Ganteral Jr, Shellcracker G2, and other hard and soft baits in that weight range and a touch higher will be no problem if you wanna play.

The big walters like glides and wakes around here. That one was done mostly for them.

I have a pile of them that lost their tails to pickerel. I'm going use Mend-it to glue on tails from other bulk packaged baits like the Hazedong shad when I get more. If you want to use the jig hook somewhere else then just find a bait with a wide enough profile, carefully split it open and remove enough material to seat the jig hook and weight. Use Mend-it to put it back together. If you need to fill gaps before you close it up just chop up a senko into fine pieces with an X-acto knife and use that before wrapping it up.

The DSG fishing departments in my area are OK. There's one F&S connected to DSG around here. The freshwater fishing department is great and huge. Lot's of good brands like Megabass, Jackall, and other upscale baits can be found there. New offbeat or exotic stuff pops up often. Great terminal tackle selection too. They even sell Mend-it there. Between coupons, DSG cash, flash sales, price matching, and the fact that I get bombarded with gift cards during times of giving it's a good option.

The painter is legit. Thrilled!

I wade fish tree lined lakes at night alot and like to carry 4 setups when the terrain allows for it It's never pitch black out, so it's not like I'm blindly reaching for different rigs, therefore I'm not claiming I'm pseudo blind testing anything. While this could probably be said of a number of $100 dollar reels, I sure don't feel a $200 difference when I'm switching from the Fuego to a $300 reel and back down the line. BTW, $300 has been my self imposed limit, for the moment anyway...My buddy got an Aldebaran the other day. I held it. The monkey is whispering. That said, I certainly appreciate the nuances of my more expensive reels, but the real world gap in performance is not striking, IMO. It took me time and some frustration, but once I adjusted my casting mechanics to the point that I can run the spool loose and the brakes very low, between 4-6, I really came to appreciate this reel. It does so much well from throwing light to heavy baits with lower effort. If the wind turns on, just a few clicks up on the dial and everything's peachy. Very valuable at night. My two samples are still remarkably smooth on the retrieve after two seasons. Like you said "a bargain". I'd add "super bargain" to that.

Custom painted Buccas.

My brother ordered one on the 19th. He saw the ads running on the FB fishing pages he's on and figured it was safe. He just got usps tracking info sent to him the other day. Hopefully he doesn't unbox a pet rock or a grey market knockoff. "FahbooGarcia"...

I have that exact reel on a 7'1" OB2 MF and have been slinging 1/4oz jerkbaits for the past few weeks and loving it.

My buddy picked up an Alde 51 and a 7'1" M NRX the other day. Spooled it with 15lb PP. The reel is tiny and feather weight. In hand it feels way smaller than a K. The combo is super light. It's not a BFS reel but reasonably light baits are no problem. It's a great setup. For giggles he tied on an Ika and chucked it halfway across the lake.

I love all the obvious things about bass fishing. What's not to like? Friends, laughs, and photographs. The adrenaline pump is beserk. It's multiple challenges are relentless. Bass fishing checks everyone's ego constantly. But there are intangibles that are just as important to me. Firstly, regardless of how sophisticated my fishing has become compared to when I was young, I feel exactly the same now doing it as when I was 12. Fishing is the only activity I've found that never feels old to me. I'm never bored by it. I've revisited other former hobbies but the juice just wasn't the same. The bass fishing vibe is unique and has remained unchanged for me. It's like stepping through a timeless time machine. Perfection. What's even more valuable to me is this: The absolute peace of mind it gives me. The woods I walk through on my way to the lake act like an invisible filter. Every step I take through the filter removes any and every burden or grown-up mental stress spinning around in my head. Once I make that first cast I'm truly free. As free as a 12 year old. Awesome.

Probably. 90% of the fish I caught in several lakes between January and March last season came on the Rapala Shadow Rap in perch. The rest came on the IMA suspending lipless crank that I sort of fished like a suspending jerkbait. Halfway through March the Dark Sleeper bite took off like wildfire so I gave up on the jerkbait. I was fine with that as our lakes have big Pickerel and it's not fun unhooking them when they choke a 3 treble bait.

I have several XTs and like them. I picked up the 7'3" XT for frogging but I didn't end up liking it for that purpose. Missed a ton of fish with it. It's a stiff rod. My brother lent me a spare Lew's Carbon Fire 7'3" H. $79 at Dix and usually on sale for $59. My hookup ratio went through the roof whilst frogging, and I can throw lighter frogs with it. It's stuck between a MH and a H in some ways, but it's tough and good for other purposes. I throw baits like the Beast Coast Miyagi on a weighted 6/0 Owner Beast hook with it and have had no problem setting that hook. Great hookups with the 3/4-1 oz Dark Sleeper. I'm not suggesting that you should buy the Lew's, just that I had terrible luck with the XT and frogs and much better luck elsewhere. I really like the XT for pitching heavy T-rigs and jigs, and I throw some 1 to 1 1/ 2oz single hook swimbaits with it, but that's it.

Nope. Check the schematic. Part # 40. Conventional pinion.

I picked up a 7' MH 2pc and a 7'3" MH on sale at a local B&T to have as knock around rigs that I could chuck in the truck and not be so worried about them. I'm really careful with my "good" stuff. But once I fished with them I came to appreciate how good they really are. A steal at the asking price. Caught tons of fish on them. Both wear rod socks now.

I like my Curado K, but I don't love it. I'm surprised whenever someone on these boards inquires about "which reel as a good all-arounder" or " first baitcaster" and people recommend the K. It's not a good lighter bait reel, IMO, so how is it a good all around reel? Its unpredictable at about 3/8 ounce and can be tough to dial in there with less than aerodynamic lures, and worse below that weight. The external adjustment dial stinks in every way and I don't like the thumb bar height, especially compared to the Chronarch. That said I enjoy using it when I'm throwing 1/2oz baits. It's a nice reel there and above. Very smooth and long casting. I'm keeping it but I should've just gotten another Chronarch. No complaints at all with that one. It does everything very well. So yeah, I think the K is over rated/hyped.

I had two legit tanks shake off in right front of me within a week in early July. I got over that quickly, but convinced myself at the time that it was an omen and that would be it for me getting big ones after that. But it wasn't as I did get a few more. Having a fish break off with a hook/lure stuck in it's mouth really takes the shine off the experience for me. Pretty much ruins that day. It's a close second to killing a fish. Our lakes are small, like 20-60 acres, so it somehow seems worse to me.

LM: Megabass Hazedong Shad 4'2" Green Pumpkin/Blue rigged on an Owner Twistlock Light 3/32 5/0.

It's on the Lew's site. If you enlarge the schematic you'll see the turned journal extending the pinion. The bushing shown next to the cam plate is marked part # 155, but the nomenclature is missing in the notes. It's the same arrangement on the Tournament Pro LFS which shows the correct info for the same part #.

Looks like one bearing and one bushing which if fine. It's supported on both ends.

Nories Spoon Tail Shad 5"- 23 1/2" LM. Beast Coast Miyagi-21 1/2" SM. Dark Sleeper 3" 3/4oz-29" Walleye.

Yes. Hook through the intersection of the crisscross. Hook will be 90 degrees to the worm.

I'm happy to have my 200-300$ reels. I'm buying more for sure. I have my eye on the Elite Long Cast. I like tech and gadgets and gear, but if those more expensive reels were taken away then replaced by Fuegos I wouldn't skip a beat. It's not like a revelation going from a 300$ reel to a Fuego. If anything the Fuego is under priced for what it is. Other than a few more yards that can be gotten using a Curado K with heavier baits, the Fuego is the better all around reel, IMO, as I can definitely throw lighter baits more consistently/better with it. I have one Fuego on a frog rod and the other gets moved from rod to rod depending on what I'm up to. Both have gotten tons of fishing hours and lots of landed fish and are both as smooth as when I got them. My Tat SV went geary and the brake inductor ramp sheared with similar use. Still a fine reel after repairs, but more of a specific use reel than the Fuego, IMO. The point is, you're not making much of a compromise by filling rods with Fuegos instead of something else. It's not a Steez A or an Anteres or a Bantam, but it's not far off in practical use from most of the more reasonably priced expensive reels. Clean and lube the bearings and you're ready to go.

Wednesday was cold. It was tough be outside in the afternoon, but Thursday was beyond cold. Woke up to a real feel temp of 3°. Water was iced over wherever I drove by it. We were nicely in the high 50s by Friday and in the 60s on Saturday. I wasn't hopeful though. I figured the deep cold would have them shut down for sure and the best case scenario would have me getting some swings in on my new rigs. Hit a spot with a wading bud at 8:30pm. Southerly winds were cranking, but we started at the southern end because we can almost reach the deeper water from there. No bueno. Threw the world at them without a sniff. Instead of working our way north stopping periodically we just jetted to the north end at 11:00. Rollers were crashing against the north cove and the water felt noticeably warmer. I downsized to the Berkley Champ swimmer rigged weedless and got short strikes immediately. Frustrated with that I downsized again to the 1/8oz Storm GT360 with its open hook. 2 casts later a whopper Pickerel took the bait. First fish of 2020! Crazy fight. I then switched back to the Berkley, but this time I pushed the hook point up. 3 casts later a nice well fed chunky girl chomped it. I knew she was a dandy as the drag slipped under my thumb. A fighter! I went right back at em, but after a Pickeral sliced through my 15lb flouro without ever coming close to setting the hook I cashed out right then. A good night for a northeast January.