Eric 26

Glad to read you kept your composure and figured a way back on the boat.

I do agree with you in terms of some of the answers being snarky along with the members who write them generally being a bit snarky but none are worse than wet blanket, he’s just one miserable SOB who just seems stuck in his ways.

Although my Piscifun reels are offered on Amazon I’m assuming you’re lumping all CDM market reels together? If I’m correct my experience has been wonderful with my 4 spinning reels and 1 casting reel that is currently my bfs reel as it came with 2 spools. I will say I’m not sure how their customer service is but thankfully I’ve never had to use it other than to ask a question which someone here in the states actually answered quickly.

I’m going to echo @DaubsNU1 on the 1/16th ounce jig head and Gulp Alive minnows.

Awww come on @gim you are killing me, did you buy it or not? Inquiring minds need to know 🤔

Although they may not have significant value I do believe I have the same blank in a 6’-4” light powered spinning version 🤔 I’ll check tomorrow and try to remember to update this post. Ironically enough I just put the reel I use on it this past Wednesday and just used it today with definite results but unfortunately no pictures at my local retention pond. I will also add I personally feel they could have at least added another guide on my version at least, overall I’d give this series of rods a 6-/2 to a low 7 if were to be asked.

Although I don’t own any reels branded Okuma I do own 3 of their casting rods and I feel they are a steal for what I paid. But I also do own 2 Dream Tackle Design Reels which were a collaboration as Dream Tackle Design manufactured only the spool as far as I know for the Hakai bait cast reel. They then used the magnesium Hakai frame painted it silver vs black and used a short shaft spool design with red or blue accents and sold them for themselves. I will say after owning these I would have zero issues buying an Okuma product but if you can find who’s manufacturing them for them as I don’t believe they manufacture their own reels no differently than Lews, BPS, or many others you may very well save a few bucks such as I have.

@Bazoo Im going to double down on the Okuma suggestion for no other reason than what you said about the lure range is exactly what the reel excels at. As stated I’ve thrown a 1/4 ounce plug then switched over to a 1/2 ounce Colorado bladed spinner bait with zero issues and of course on appropriate rods.

I’m going to go ahead and give my .02 my apologies in advance if it’s long winded. First off you haven’t shared much information such as your age which I’ll explain or more importantly your fishing experience up to this point other than being a beginner. So as far as your age the reason for me asking is are you brand new at this or is it something you’re getting back into, I myself fished as a kid until about the age of 15 mostly with my older brother and his friends but he was a fishing fanatic. When I got back into it around age 25 my brother gave me an old Daiwa spinning reel and I bought a Shakespeare fishing rod for it at the local K-Mart. I bring this up as I feel you were given some really good advice already and the point of you get what you pay for is as good as any, and I can honestly tell you low price doesn’t always mean shoddy gear. I currently have and really like 4 Piscifun spinning reels along with a Piscifun casting reel and 1 Kast King Royal Legend 2 bait cast reel, as far as the KK the only real complaint I have is mine at least feels a bit loose if that makes sense although I only paid about $40.00 to my door. If it were me I would personally go to a independent fishing shop or at least a Bass Pro, Scheels or Academy where you can handle some reels including the Abu Max X which BPS has for $48.00 or you can buy a Black Max combo for $55.00 or $45.00 directly from Abu Garcia with some kind of code. If you do opt for the Max X reel only you can pair it up with a Daiwa Aird X for roughly $60.00 which is a rod I don’t have experience with but many on here share high praise for it as an example of lower cost doesn’t always mean shoddy gear, although my color match ocd wouldn’t allow me to do it😉 The reason I bring this particular combo up is another piece of advice shared is getting a spinning reel so you can use lighter baits more effectively and use the casting combo for heavier stuff. Again cheaper prices don’t always reflect poor quality but until you have some discretionary money you don’t mind loosing by taking a chance, you may wind up with something that is unserviceable unlike buying an Abu Garcia which has been around forever along with parts. Again I’m not trying to steer you away from any brand and there are a ton of options out there.

I’m going to throw out the Okuma Hakai reel from Tackle Warehouse in that price range and I see a couple places offering it for less. I have 2 Dream Tackle versions which are basically just a different color and I find it can really sling a Strike King 1.0 square bill which is a 1/4 ounce with zero issues. Tackle Warehouse says it’s a centrifugal brake system but the Okuma site says magnetic which both of my DT reels are magnetic brakes only.

@new2BC4bass I believe you’re thinking of @volzfan59 as he has and likes his BPS JM Platinum casting reels. Maybe he will see this and respond.

I like the VMC jigs. I use both the Dominator marabou jigs and the Moon Tail hair jig. I like both 1/16th ounce and 1/8th ounce for the ponds I fish.

You can buy. 1000 yard spool of 4 lb for $25.00 on Berkeley’s website and when you sign up for their email you get 10% off your first purchase.

I’m not sure if this female came from my backyard or not but she sure has one heck of a brood following her, there were 9 followers 😲

@WaskaCrank12 I truly believe in Karma and my hope for you is it repays you 10 fold 👊🏻

This is exactly what Sierra specializes in. They are a corporation that buys large lots as I understand that they can then pass on to the consumer. If you really scour their website or stores which I’m able to visit a brick & mortar store you quickly realize every once in awhile they are offering a killer deal that if it applies to you then you should jump on it immediately unless they add a no return policy which would be the only thing holding me back from the deal.

I’ve purchased 2 rods through Sierra and both were exactly as advertised.

C’mon Man be a trendsetter 🤣

Exactly what was said above 😆

@Glenn Im not trying to dispute anything you posted above and I totally agree with everything you posted, but I for one feel there are some decent reels to be had at a lower price point every once in awhile. The fact that there are so many reels to choose from it feels almost impossible to “catch lightning in a bottle” but when you do good for those that have and will hopefully continue to. I will say that when I got back into fishing and wasn’t looking to spend a lot of money I found Piscifun reels and the (4) I have are treating me extremely well and have been for years. Again everyones mileage may vary.

So although my suggestion is no longer available it would have been a Okuma TCS-A medium plus rod as I have this blank in a casting rod and absolutely love it. I will still recommend a medium plus rod in any manufacturer you may prefer along with the action of mine which is more of a moderate fast yet handles both single and treble hook baits well. One caveat is that it prefers lighter wire hooks and realizing your fishing in Florida that may not be ideal but I’m going to stand by my recommendation. Best of luck and please keep us updated on the search. I’m going to add a PS here as i looked this morning and they are offering the same blank in both a 6’-10” & 7’-0” version.

I’m really looking forward to a hot cup of coffee sitting on my patio and reading this along with several other articles on here.

That is one heck of a list 👍🏻

Our favorite bonded pair of birds showed up the other day, it’s a bonded pair of ducks my wife and I have named Butch & Bernadette. They started coming in the spring about 5 years ago and visit in both the morning and evening before flying off to settle down for the night. This year Bernadette came maybe a handful of times then abruptly stopped which upset my wife thinking maybe something bad happened to her but I told her she was probably busy laying eggs and being a good mom and lo and behold they came together on Tuesday evening much to my wife’s delight. BTW Butch came twice a day since coming back this spring. We’re still waiting on the hummingbird’s.

I’m not going to lie those big boats used to freak me out when my FIL would have us out on the Illinois River and his boat was a 36’ cabin cruiser.