akmac

Originally what I wanted but I was pegged at 200 bucks. It will probably be my next purchase, have to get rid of some stuff first.

I have spent enough time with the reel to consider it good and broke in. Have not had any more grindy type noises on the retrieve, I'm guessing the grease just needed worked into the gears. First off this reel is not just super light, but super comfortable. It palms so well, a joy to fish all day. The retrieve is super smooth, even under load, just feels rock solid. No gummy or spongy feel at all. It is a super smooth, quiet caster. I got around the same distances casting square bills as I did with my Tatula CT Type R, but with more control and less effort. The convenience of being able to adjust the braking system without removing the side-plate is great. The drag is pretty darn smooth, such that I didn't even know it was giving line on a 5.22 lber until I felt the spool moving with my thumb. The drag is also super strong, you can really clamp it down if needed. Really the only complaint I have is the slight amount of back-slop on the anti-reverse. It's not enough to affect hooksets or performance though (probably just me being too picky). I have decided despite the flaw, I like it so well I am going to keep it and just send it in at the end of the season to be looked at. I have it paired with a MHMF St. Croix Victory rod, and couldn't be happier with the feel, balance, and palmability.

Just tell people you released 3 fish. No need to tell them how they were released:)

I got it in the mail today, quickly put a reel on it and ran out to the lake. I threw a Fat Rap on and it handled way better than I was expecting. The rod is light, extremely well balanced, and way more sensitive than any of my other rods. The rods I have been using are Enigma IPONN, St. Croix Bass X, , and 13 Fishing Fate Chromes. I thought my IPPON's were balanced and sensitive, but they don't compare to this rod. I had 8 bites, 3 of which I know I would not have felt on my other rods. Like I could feel the water pressure move my bait as the bass swam by it, prompting me to pause, then wham. And when I got bit, it actually scared the crap out of me- I am not used to this kind of sensitivity. This is my first 200 dollar rod so I can't compare it to others in this price range, but my initial impression is that this rod is amazing. It is light, but feels like it could take some abuse. The balance is crazy good, and it loads perfectly for long, effortless casts (at least on the crankbait I was throwing). It definitely fishes like a true Moderate Fast, didn't get to tie a spinnerbait on, but I can't wait to try- feels like it could/should handle a spinnerbait or larger crankbait well. I will report back after I spend more time with other lures in different conditions, but I am very pleased right now.

After reading this I decided to monkey around with it a bit more. Threw the handle forward and it just suddenly started spinning the way it should. Not sure if they are connected, but the reverse slop improved a bit after. Still not as good as I like, but is now acceptable. Maybe it does just need broke in. Think I'll give it a workout this weekend before sending it back.

I did open it up and put a drop of oil on all the bearings, went through several cast cycles and no change in the amount of back slop. Buttery smooth for me would be anything better than my $120-$150 daiwas. This reel has a slight grinding/crunchy sound, just doesn't feel smooth at all when turning the handle.

I got the Lew's Tournament Pro LFS in the mail today Unfortunately I will be returning it. The anti-reverse has some back play, and it sounds/feels a little rough when I turn the handle. Not buttery smooth like I imagined it would be. Maybe got a lemon?

The large one's or the smaller version? I don't care for the small ones. I do find the larger version in that color on ebay from time to time, never seen them under ten bucks though. At 2 bucks, pick me up a dozen-I'll pay you double:)

Looks like the same concept as Yozuri Hybrid. I wonder how they will compare. I LOVE Yozuri H., just wish it came in something between their 12lb (.013) and 15lb(.016) diameters. This line comes in both .014 and .015. If it is comparable or better than Yozuri H., I will definitely be checking it out. I should mention the reason I love Yozuri Hybrid is because of it's low stretch properties. If this line stretches like mono, I would probably pass.

I went ahead and ordered the 7'2" MHMF version. It was hard to find in stock and the bait monkey told me it wouldn't be available if I didn't pull the trigger now. I'll report back after I spend some time with it.

Bill Dance Signature Bomber Fat A. There was something about that translucent fire-tiger in warm, stained water. Rapala Rattln' Fat Rap, black and gold. Square bill action, wiggle wart depth. It was a killer cold water crankbait. Berkley Fathead slotted tubes. If nothing else worked, I could always get bit on them. Have yet to find a tube that I like better. I think I'm going to cry now...

I like a 6'6" rod (short enough to allow me to slam down without smacking the water or hitting other obstacles). This rod has to be light, comfortable/balanced,- hammering away on a jerk bait all day can be a chore. I like Moderate Fast action. Has just enough give, but enough tip to throw that bait side to side.

Anyone have experience with these models could chime in on how they fish, what you use them for? My experience with St. Croix rods is they fish a little lighter than their rating. On paper I like the 7'2"MHMF, but if these rods fish a tad lighter like my other St Croix's I would probably go with the 7'1"MHF.

The next frontier- Fly fishing:)

Your still talking about a gigantic body of water that can absorb a lot more pressure than a small lake. In order to make it more of an apples to apples comparison lets look at how many acres there are per boat. For 1000-1500 boats on a 144,000 acres there is 144 to 96 acres per boat. A 700 acre lake in my area can see 50+ boats on a busy weekend. That is 14 acres per boat. Another 300 acre lake in my area can see 30+ boats on a busy weekend. That is 10 acres per boat. I'll leave you with one more thing to chew on. We had a phenomenal lake in my area that was mostly protected from tournament pressure because of a 2 fish, 18" limit. People would drive from all over, even out of state because the bass fishing was so good. You could find schools of 30-50 bass, never caught so many 4-6lbers in all my life. It was bass fishing nirvana. Then the state of Iowa decided to allow tournament directors to set their own length and bag limit up to 10 fish. It only took 2 years but this lake crashed hard. Sure you can still catch a fish, but nothing like it was before the rule change. The drastic drop in catch and quality was entirely a result of the rule change which led to a massive increase in tournament pressure. And please don't misunderstand me. I'm really not hating on tournament fishermen, I LOVED doing it when I was younger. It's an awesome sport. Really just nothing else I would rather do to pass the time. I just wish there was a way to do it more responsibly (catch, measure, release from the spot from where they were caught), and that we had a few refuges that the non-tournament catch and release fishermen could enjoy.

I brought it up to the Director and his response was "They don't listen to me anyway". This guy host the largest of all the open tournaments in my area. At one of his weigh-ins I watched a guy pull out early. He grabbed the only bass he had in his live-well and threw it as hard as he could from the upper parking into 6" of water below before speeding off. The bass went in head first and broke it's back. Several people from the general public were watching. Some of us reported the incident, but this guys circus continues on.

Sam Rayburn is 114,000 acres. It can handle a lot of pressure. Translate that kind of pressure to a lake under 1000 acres and see what happens.

You took my "the dirty little secret is- a good number of fish die after each tournament" quote out of context. The next thing I said was "studies have shown as much as 30% croak up to 3 days AFTER swimming away." Do you think science is dumb? -"And the bass caught by non-tournament anglers survive?" IF they practice catch and release- YES! I promise you fish caught and released immediately back to from where they were caught will survive at a much much much higher rate than those that sit in a live-well all day, are then get put in a small bag with limited 02 and other large angry fish that is sometimes rested on hot pavement (I see this at our local weigh-ins all the time) before they are allowed to flop around on a scale, get their picture taken, and then finally placed back into a different area of the lake from where they were caught.

A lot of things have changed. Popularity of tournament fishing has exploded. Not hating on tournament fishermen, used to be one myself, but the dirty little secret is- a good number of fish die after each tournament. Some studies have shown as much as 30% croak up to 3 days AFTER swimming away. Fishing in general has exploded- think frying pan. Technology has advanced to the point where fish literally have no place to hide. Information technology has advanced knowledge of secret spots, tactics, lures, techniques. Advances in equipment, lure design, line etc.. make catching easier (when there are fish to be caught). Many invasive species that compete for food/space (plant and animal) have entered our fisheries. In my neck of the woods nutrient pollution from agriculture has led to massive algae blooms, not just in our lakes but now even in some of our flowing rivers. I have seen several partial fish kills in the upper end of these lakes during peek algae blooms in the past decade that I never noticed before algae became a problem. These algae blooms block light, which leads to a massive reduction in oxygen producing plants, that in turn leads to a massive reduction of available food sources, reductions in zooplankton (microscopic food), and reductions to the oxygen supply. Couple this with increasing temperatures and many fish suffocate and or starve to death (think young of the year). That's a lot of pressure being exerted on a single species of fish that's survival (once established) is mostly left entirely up to the fish itself. It will take a complete paradigm change to reverse the current trend. Hopefully technology will advance to the point where every fish caught in EVERY tournament can be weighed and released immediately to where it was caught from. I know this wouldn't fix everything, but it would be a good place to start.

I decided to go with the Lew's Tournament Pro LFS. I will report back after I spend some time with it. Thanks for all of your help.

You won't be disappointed, it's a great reel.

I use Yozuri hybrid as well, great line for the money. Thicker line per lb test rating than other lines, 12 lb is .013, but it is low stretch, low vis, manageable, and affordable. Do you use line conditioners? If not I highly recommend it. I use Reel Magic, and it makes this line shine. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The SV spool has a mechanical magnetic breaking system, meaning the magnetic control is applied the second your spool starts moving. This is great for lighter lures, controlled cast in the wind, and skipping. The trade off is distance. Not that this reel doesn't cast far, just not as good as other options. The elite uses a dynamic magnetic breaking system that increases as the spool increases in speed. This makes it a better reel for heavier lures, and long cast. The reviews I have read on the elite, sounds like a really good all-purpose reel. Some people claim it cast lighter lures well, just not quite as good as the SV. But on the long end it is no contest. The TW is for Daiwas T-wing (line guide) system. When you push the thumb bar the T-wing shifts forward into an open position allowing for less friction on casts, leading to a little more distance. If your fishing smaller ponds, and don't use anything over .016 diameter line, I recommend the Tatula SV or Shimano SLX 70 MGL. If you want more of an all purpose type reel that can reach out there, I would recommend the Tatula Elite, Lew's Tournament Pro MGL, or Curado 150 MGL. If you struggle with control/backlashes the Daiwa SV or Shimano DC reels would be the way to go, although I have read the DC reels can be a bit noisy on the cast. As far as palmability, find a retail store and put some of them in your hand. I find all of the reels I have mentioned to be compact and comfortable.

I'm shopping/researching reels in the 200 dollar range. Have a thread started with some good discussion that might help you make a decision. What is your favorite line setup? Braid, braid-leader, floro/mono/copoly, diameter/lb test? From what I have learned there are a lot of good options in that range, just need to find what suits your needs. My short list right now is the Lews Tournament Pro LFS, Curado 150 MGL, Tatula SV TW, SLX 70MGL(incredible value). I use straight floro/copoly most of the time so I like reels that have a little more spool capacity. The SLX 70 MGL is to good of value to ignore though. If I was throwing braid I would buy it today. I also have interest in how the new Tatula TW 80 performs. If I had another 50 dollars to spend I would straight up buy a Tatula Elite. Good luck.

Agree 100%. Yozuri Hybrid is a thick line by rating. Basically 12 (.013) fishes like 14, 15 (.016) like 17. in both strength and diameter (never understood why Yozuri would rate their line that way when it is actually much stronger than it's rating) Under certain conditions I will throw 12-14 (.013-.014) Gamma Polyflex, or 10-12lb Stren Magnathin. Good to know I won't run out of line too fast. Appreciate your input.

12lb Yozuri Hybrid.