So many of you own such beautiful tackle. Much of my tackle is old, but it's like an old Timex watch that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin':

 

On 9/29/2025 at 8:24 PM, Falkus said:

Picked up a Rick Clunn reel.. why not?

Only $25 and change total with shipping on eBay

 

 

I'm going back for this same deal myself! Grabbing a second one of these- now that one is listed for the right price.

 

Have you rebuilt yours yet? Wonder how it turned out?

 

And Swamp Girl, be glad you have the older tackle that still works! Most of the new stuff will never last as long as what you have now.

@FloridaFishinFool 

 

Not yet — I haven’t taken it apart yet, but from my observation, it feels really smooth with no grinding noise. I’m just waiting for a day when the house is empty so I can take everything apart and grease it up to perfection.

I have never found a satisfactory explanation online that tells me the specific differences between the A, B, and C models.

 

You got yourself a B model. I picked up an A model for $25 last month, and my latest one in the mail now cost me $20 plus $7 in shipping, so a steal of a deal for a beast of a reel. This one is a C model. I am hoping this one comes with both centrifugal and magnetic brakes. The A model I just received only has magnets.

 

I wonder what features your B model comes with? You will find out when you get inside.

 

When I used to watch Rick Clunn fish I recall he had like 2 or 3 rods on deck and all were the same. He did not like to change it up much apparently.

 

 

Rick Clunn

One Rod, One Reel

Monday, October 15, 2001

 

The man with arguably the greatest record ever in the sport of bass fishing uses just one rod and just one reel for 98 percent of his fishing: a Bass Pro Shops Rick Clunn 704 series heavy-action 7-foot rod, and a 6.3:1 Rick Clunn XPS signature reel. Why? Read on.

 

"If you look in my rod box you won't see a different rod and reel than those unless I'm fishing a spinning rod," Clunn says. "The reason is that it's a fallacy that you have to have different rods and reels to be a bass fisherman."

 

---------------------------

 

I was surprised to see Rick Clunn using the really rare signature reel. The only one with a real flipping switch that resets the reel manually. I had thought this reel was the only one, but apparently Doyo made this same reel for other brands with this same rare feature.

 

***The flipping switch on this reel is a manual cast reset switch. It is NOT the same old common flipping switch that simply makes the cast thumbar an auto resetting situation. This Rick Clunn signature series reel can be cast and reset by only one hand by way of that button on top.

 

You can pitch a lure, feather it as needed, and with a quick easy movement of the thumb on that switch, the reel can easily and instantly be manually reset to set the hook instantly without using two hands to do it. I thought I had found the only reel that does this, but members of this forum have found that Doyo made other reels similar to this one marketed elsewhere around the same time period as this one around 2000 to 2001 era.

 

 

 

This is the first and only image I have ever seen of Rick Clunn actually using this reel. And when Rick Clunn fished with this reel he had a slight advantage other fishermen did not have- the instant reset switch. All other fishermen had to manually reset their reels with a second hand usually turning the handle to reset the reel so they could set the hook. Rick Clunn and this reel was one step ahead of the game back then.

 

A really cool reel to have, and modify it slightly with newer swept handles and metal drag star. This reel also came with a double cut away brass main gear with full sized drag washer on top and bottom side of main drive gear. It also comes with one of the first ball bearing mounted pinion gears, and has both centrifugal and magnetic brakes. Old Rick Clunn was not fooling around with this reel. He made his career on it!

 

And if anyone else is interested in picking up an old Rick Clunn reel, one of the purple right handers just hit ebay with starting bid at only .99 cents.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/197746448900

 

Technically it is and is not a Rick Clunn signature series reel. It is because it is the same as the blue colored signature series reels Bass Pro made for him. And it isn't a Rick Clunn signature series reel because the endorsement contract ended and Bass Pro simply continued making the exact same reels beyond the Rick Clunn contract, and the only change is the color from a navy blue to a Barney purple while keeping the same RCX model numbers intact.

 

 

Rick Clunn article says:

 

"When Bass Pro Shops approached him about a sponsorship, he asked the company to make him a composite rod with the type of action he liked. "I kept testing the rods, and the one rod I liked is the heavy-action rod.

 

"Anytime you go away from a heavy rod you will lose fish," he reiterates. "Most people want light-tip rods because they think it's better for casting and it wiggles better in the store. Heavier rods are like a cue stick in the store.

 

"But on the water, it will hook and land more fish any other rod."

 

Despite Clunn's conviction that the one rod, one reel method works for him, he says that it might not be right for everyone.

 

"If you're not losing any fish and you're happy with what you're doing, don't change," he says. Try his method "only if you're losing more fish than you think you should be, or if you're not happy with what you're doing.

 

"If that's not a problem, don't change."

 

-------------------------------------------

 

I won't Rick. This is the one thing I may find some disagreement with you on because for 1, you fished for $100,000.00 paychecks. I fish for fun. I can afford to lose a fish or two. Using heavy rods for me is not fun. I do prefer the MH's most of the time, and even a M occasionally. But rarely will I pull out a H. I did tonight using a frog. But 90% of the time its MH for me.

 

"High-Speed Reels

The matter of reel choice is simple: You can slow fast-retrieve-ratio (6.3:1) reels down, but "you can't speed up a slower reel without wearing yourself out," Clunn notes.

 

He also says that durability and castability are key factors in using one reel. "They have to be able to cast those big baits -- making 3-4 casts a minute with a big 3/4-ounce spinnerbait -- without breaking down."

 

"Without breaking down" he says! Thanks for the solid reels! Here it is 25 years later and we are still buying them up and getting good use out of them. I think Rick would get a kick out of that. I would like to ask him one day who came up with that manual reset switch? You or Doyo or Bass Pro?

Wife said if I put down the nicotine, that I could acquire a "reasonable" glide bait....in day two and I'm beginning to think I should just take another part time job and keep the nicotine...

 

(Pic included was my last Tackle Shack Austin haul)

On 10/4/2025 at 2:22 PM, Swamp Girl said:

So many of you own such beautiful tackle. Much of my tackle is old, but it's like an old Timex watch that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin':

 

John Cameron Swazye - I was fond of the one where watch was strapped to the tip of a snow ski. 

FM

 

TW just got Megabass Kanata+1 jerkbaits in so I had to get one

...this is a 1.125oz 6" bait, and the big girls around here eat big gizzard shad. This should be fun as the water cools way off. 

 

Original

+1

On 10/8/2025 at 11:27 PM, txchaser said:

TW just got Megabass Kanata+1 jerkbaits in so I had to get one

...this is a 1.125oz 6" bait, and the big girls around here eat big gizzard shad. This should be fun as the water cools way off. 

 

Original

+1

 

Welp, you talked me into it. I'm following you on this endeavor. 

 

And I also officially made it to Friday nicotine free (I think it's supposed to be tomorrow, but I ain't arguing about it), so I've got a glide bait to pick out if anyone has anything that they are big on at the moment...

On 10/10/2025 at 12:20 PM, MississippiPug said:

 

Welp, you talked me into it. I'm following you on this endeavor. 

 

And I also officially made it to Friday nicotine free (I think it's supposed to be tomorrow, but I ain't arguing about it), so I've got a glide bait to pick out if anyone has anything that they are big on at the moment...

Good on ya for quitting smoking, chewing, dip’n or anything tobacco.

On 10/10/2025 at 11:20 AM, MississippiPug said:

 

And I also officially made it to Friday nicotine free

Congrats that's not always an easy thing to give up stick with it.

 

On another note figured I'd leave this here...grabbed it last week and while it might be a bit overkill it has turned out to be a pretty decent jig / worm setup:

23 hours ago, Motoboss said:

Good on ya for quitting smoking, chewing, dip’n or anything tobacco.

Yes, all of the above. Most recently we chiseled it down to just pouches, but 20 years with a substance is rough to get off of, no matter what it is. And trust me, I've had to put a couple other not so good for you things into the rear view, and nicotine might be the toughest of all of them. Crazy. 

 

Anyway, wife asked me what I wanted to order for a week+ nicotine, and now I don't have a clue. Ha. 

One Academy gift card down; one Bass Pro gift card to go. Got a new bladed jig (I have some Siebert Fogys on the way courtesy of the brown truck), some new pegs, new 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG’s (got scads of 3/0 and 4/0 but ran out of 5/0), restocked on Zoom Tricks and Rage Menace and Craws in green pumpkin, and am trying Yamamoto Zakos in green pumpkin as a trailer. 
 

 

Decided to try out the new Spro KGB Lil Guy. Got it in the mail this afternoon and just HAD to go test it out. I got a bunch of them on it, including this 5lber.

 

The action on it is really nice, and it seems like it can be fished at a variety of speeds. It is a nice little bait that I definitely feel I’ll use more than the big chad shad.
 

It weighs in at .9oz, and I was actually able to throw it really well on my Expride 610m, surprisingly. 

That bait is on my short list.  Waiting for the color I want to be in stock.

21 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

That bait is on my short list.  Waiting for the color I want to be in stock.

 

Great, something else I want.

 

I like the Grand Shad myself, looks more like a bluegill.

51 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

Great, something else I want.

 

I like the Grand Shad myself, looks more like a bluegill.

 

Yea, the Grand Shad looks pretty spot on to the juvenile bluegill in the lakes I fish. The bass seemed to think so, too. I got 7 of them in an hour yesterday on it! 

On 10/7/2025 at 7:54 AM, MississippiPug said:

Wife said if I put down the nicotine, that I could acquire a "reasonable" glide bait....in day two and I'm beginning to think I should just take another part time job and keep the nicotine..

If I take up smoking will that help cure my tackle addiction?  

1 minute ago, king fisher said:

If I take up smoking will that help cure my tackle addiction?  

Only one way to say for sure....

1 hour ago, TheBaitMonkey said:

 

Yea, the Grand Shad looks pretty spot on to the juvenile bluegill in the lakes I fish. The bass seemed to think so, too. I got 7 of them in an hour yesterday on it! 

Were you fishing at "The Fisherman's Dude Ranch"?

FM

 

6 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

Were you fishing at "The Fisherman's Dude Ranch"?

FM

 

 

That place looks sick! They need to bring it back. 

Got my Siebert Fogys. Just in time for the weekend!

 

I dove in and grabbed a 5” KGB Chad Shad after being impressed by the new Lil Guy collab they did with Spro. I was able to get it out today for a few casts and they fish really similar (shocker, I know).
 

The 5” has a little longer body, a slower rate of fall, and glides further side to side. The back piece of each glide is about 39mm. The front piece of the 5” is 60mm while the Lil Guy is 50mm, so that could be why it glides further.

Mike has the new Rage Hawg in stock.  Missle Destroyers on sale and his new Table Rock Swim Jig.  

Replacement tackle of what was lost last week while catching those giant smallies on the Saginaw Bay.  Apparently, I ordered the wrong size RKCrawler from FishUSA.  I ordered the 50 instead of the 55.  So I ordered the correct size 55 this morning.  I think i can still use the smaller diving ones. The 55’s should be here by Monday. Which, is when I plan on going back to the bay again. This Gobey color absolutely crushes both types of bass and pike on Saginaw Bay and great lakes.

 

 

Bought another KVD 300 deep in chrome gold black back from kVD warehouse here in michigan.  This jerk bait has caught a lot fish on cloudy days with stained-dirty water. 

 

last 3 photos is of the one it is replacing.  it has been through some beatings.  Between the 5.5 smallie and it taking a direct hit being thrown at a metal over hang.  It has been retired. 

Well… have been diving down the finesse glidebait rabbit hole and picked up this 86 Baits Failsafe -