Eric 26

For me it’s my way of relaxing. Before I lost my older brother it was our time to laugh and stay connected. I don’t get much free time now and I’m not complaining as my son as did my oldest son had and still plays football every Saturday which I coached in both their little league years (he’s currently a freshman), my daughter was a competitive swimmer and along with having a great job that unfortunately keeps me busy spring through fall. I have 3 kids who never found the enjoyment in fishing which is ok by me as they along with my wife continue to feed my personal bait monkey with the understanding that when time for me frees up I’m going to put all my gear to good use. ?

Go to the forums section look for the header marked more topics. It’s right under other fish species.

You will be surprised how fast and fun it is to build a collection if you’re patient. I’m by no means a rich man but watching for sales and good deals including on this flea market yields great results. I’ve yet to pay retail on any of my gear.

I appreciate the suggestions for reels, but both the zillion and bantam are a bit higher than I’m looking to spend at this time. For the rod and applications I’m looking to use it for I know I can buy another revo x in a 5.4:1 ratio. My other option is to buy any left hand reel in my price range in a 6.?:1 ratio and slow down my retrieve but that’s not what I am looking to do. It’s not so much that a reel such as a Tatula has critical features as much as I was looking to see if it would be cost effective. If memory serves me correctly Daiwa used to offer the Tatula in a 5 speed ratio but only in right hand retrieve and I’m using left hand reels.

Thank you all for the replies? I’m really enjoying the answers and reasons being given. The reels I’m more or less considering are a Abu Garcia RevoX and a Daiwa CA80. I love both reels and realize they aren’t top of the line but I really enjoy both. I’m just curious more than anything about the cost effectiveness vs selling them and buying something higher end.

I figured the Japanese domestic market would be mentioned but I’m more curious if it would be cost effective to achieve on a lower priced reel even if it were purchased second hand like on our flea market. I know lower gear ratios aren’t very popular anymore but I’m looking for a low profile reel with a 5:? gear ratio. Lews offers a 5 speed reel but only in right handed model if I’m missing out on any other manufactures please let me know.

As the title suggests I’m curious about the opinion of everyone here. I’m going to replace a reel for next season on a rod I’m going to use for smaller crank baits. I’m really happy with my Daiwa Tatula reels as I like the braking system. I’m curious if it would be worth or possible to swap out a fuego gear set for a lower 5.?:1. I currently enjoy using a Revo X winch for my mid to larger crank baits and have no problem buying another one as I don’t know of any other low gear ratio reels in the mid priced offerings in left hand retrieve other than the Kast king reel(budget priced) I’m looking to replace. Please keep in mind as I’ve stated before I’m not comfortable tearing down and rebuilding the reel myself.

Wondering what the general opinion is on this matter. As an owner of mid priced reels $99.00-$150.00 is it worth upgrading or do you all feel it’s a waste of good money?. Also as someone who is not comfortable doing the actual work would this affect anyone’s opinion. I know there are lots of members who have far more knowledge than myself on this matter and I apologize in advance if this question has been asked and answered.

I do not own a curado but have both the Shimano SLX and several Tatulas including the Tatula 100 HSL. The shimano IMO is very comfortable as long as you don’t mind adjusting the centrifugal brakes for different weight/situations with different lures. IMO it’s not that bad with the beetle wing side plate. The Daiwa Tatulas have IMO the easiest braking system to use for any and all situations. If possible handle both in store and choose whichever feels more comfortable for you.

Reading the reviews on this site are what really got me looking at them. The price for the quality is what sealed the deal.

I’ll throw Okuma evx series or tcs series in this conversation.

Never fished for trout but they are beautiful. Congratulations to your son on a job well done and the well earned bragging rights??

I agree with bringing them both.

If it were me I would choose rod #1. I would pair it with braided line or low stretch mono ( suffix advanced) and use it for pretty much anything with a steady retrieve/reaction style baits. I throw Texas rigged tubes on a moderate/fast rod with 10 lb suffix advance and although I’m mainly catching moderate size bass I have no problems detecting the bite or bringing them in through moderate to heavy vegetation.

Keep us posted. I bought the same one along with some others in the bin.

Sorry to hear about your friend. Praying he pulls through his battle ??

Although I don’t own either the Kastking or shimano slx rods I do own both of the reels. I absolutely love my slx reel and for the $99.00 price it’s well worth it. I also own several Tatulas including a Tatula CT and a Tatula 100. The slx is a bit smaller than the Tatula but I don’t find the Tatula to be too big for my hands which are average sized. You can also get a Daiwa fuego which is a Tatula without the t-wing system and save a couple bucks. The braking system on the Daiwa’s are in my opinion the most forgiving and easy to use. You can search braking systems on this forum bulldog1935 wrote a great piece explaining the different braking systems. As far as rods I think if you want a 2 piece rod the Kastking gets good reviews and is a great bargain.

I got my Lews carbon fire first gen. for the same price $39.99 was $79.99 and in my opinion it’s worth the $79.99 price tag it’s a 6’-10” med. and the other is a 7’-3”” which was $50.00, both casting rods.

Although mine is not a USA made version, I still enjoy my “ASR shaky head” rod. It’s 6’-10” med power/fast action and really launches them out there. I’m pretty sure I bought this in 2007/2008. It has one of the most comfortable cork grips in my opinion.

I would grab the Lews. I have 2 Lews Carbon Fire rods and a Hank Parker signature series rod. They aren’t as light weight or have as nice of guides as some of my other rods but they have caught quite a few bass for me. Lastly at that price it gives you leftover money to keep the bait monkey fed with new lures to cast on your new rod. Good luck and keep us posted on your purchase . I’m going to add that your probably at some point going to want to buy “application specific” rods “frogs, jig/worm and so on. With this rod being a general use rod save your money now and figure out what those more specialized techniques are and spend your money on those rod/reel combos later.

As a kid we went on a annual fishing trip in Minnesota. Spoons were a big part of fishing for northern pike and I’m pretty sure they still are today.

I used a Cortland CTR 6’-3” light power x-fast action with a Daiwa Laguna 1500 spooled with 6lb Cortland monofilament. The Daiwa has been moved to a 6’-6” bps bionic blade med. powered mod. action rod and the Cortland rod now has a bps pro qualifier 1000 size reel with 4 lb Kastking fluorokote line. I use both for ned rigs but I prefer the Cortland combo.

I’m really happy with my “Wynn” grip equipped rods. 3 Lews, a Denali and a bbs carbonlite 2.0. Also no issues as well although I don’t get out as much as I’d like.

I fish my small lipless on a old bps bionic blade spinning rod,6’-6” med power moderate action. Reel has been changed to an older 1500 size Daiwa Laguna with 6 lb Cortland camouflage monofilament. I also fish ultralight (creme) lipless cranks on a St. Croix 6’-6” premier light power fast action rod (moderate action) as far as I’m concerned, with great hookup and landing success. As far as casting gear I go with a 6’-10” Lews Carbon Fire med power (no longer available) but the Lews Hank Parker casting rod available at Wal Mart is identical with the exception of Wynn grips vs Eva, I prefer the Wynn grips. I have a Denali Fission 6’-8” med power that I’m going to put into use for my smaller crank baits this fall. The 2 Lews rods have 6 speed reels and the Denali has a 5 speed all spooled with 10 lb Suffix Advance Mono. I’m going to try 4and 8 lb Suffix Advanced next season. I also fish my smaller square bills on these setups as well as 1/4 oz swimjigs and spinnerbaits.

Congratulations to the young man ?? That smile says it all.