Well I sold most of my stuff this past Sunday, both yaks and all rods 23 of them and 23 reels also along with most of my lures and plastics. I had way too much stuff and it was creating A never ending addiction. I got permission from the wife to own 1 rod and reel, besides my 3 beaters. This made it really hard to choose a rod, I was looking at megabass  p5 super destroyer, tequila baccarat, and a couple loomis rods. I don’t trust myself with the recoil guides of the nrx + so I had to look lower or higher. I had really good luck a couple years ago with my 844c mbr. After 3 days of consideration and fondling of rods at my local shop I finally decided. G loomis conquest 844c mbr reel was a oddball being a tatula 80 but why not. 

On 5/2/2023 at 11:24 AM, NorthernBasser said:

Of my Curado's, I've come to like my 70 and 150 MGL's more than my 200's. But man, the 200K is a workhorse! Just a solid, all-around reel. You're gonna enjoy it. 

Are 70’s and 150’s for smaller baits ? I’m confused on what 150 Mgl and 70 are for.  Sounds 150 is a lighter reel and the 70 for BFS? 

23 minutes ago, Mbirdsley said:

Are 70’s and 150’s for smaller baits ? I’m confused on what 150 Mgl and 70 are for.  Sounds 150 is a lighter reel and the 70 for BFS? 

 The 70 MGL and 150 MGL can definitely cast lighter lures better than the 200K, but they can also be used for "normal" baits as well. The 70's frame is smaller than the 150. The 150 is smaller than the 200K. Also, the 70 and 150 are quite a bit lighter than the 200K. Also, the 150 comes with bigger knobs than the 70.

 

The 70 isn't BFS. They actually make a separate BFS Curado. The 150 holds more line than the 70.  But you can absolutely throw swim jigs, chatterbaits etc on the 70.

 

Right now I have five 70 MGL's, three 200's and one 150 MGL. I love them all but especially love my 70's. They just disappear in your hand because of their smaller frame. I do wanna get another 150. 

6 hours ago, Jmurphy87 said:

Well I sold most of my stuff this past Sunday, both yaks and all rods 23 of them and 23 reels also along with most of my lures and plastics. I had way too much stuff and it was creating A never ending addiction. I got permission from the wife to own 1 rod and reel, besides my 3 beaters. 

 

 

Ok, this makes me sad. ?

8 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

 The 70 MGL and 150 MGL can definitely cast lighter lures better than the 200K, but they can also be used for "normal" baits as well. The 70's frame is smaller than the 150. The 150 is smaller than the 200K. Also, the 70 and 150 are quite a bit lighter than the 200K. Also, the 150 comes with bigger knobs than the 70.

 

The 70 isn't BFS. They actually make a separate BFS Curado. The 150 holds more line than the 70.  But you can absolutely throw swim jigs, chatterbaits etc on the 70.

 

Right now I have five 70 MGL's, three 200's and one 150 MGL. I love them all but especially love my 70's. They just disappear in your hand because of their smaller frame. I do wanna get another 150. 

 

Ok, this makes me sad. ?

I had way too much stuff, there is no reason why I needed that much stuff. I picked the mbr because it will work for a lot of things, it might not be the exact specific rod for technique but it will work for them and it’s good enough for me. I got tired of hauling my 90lb kayak off the deck and through the apartment and then down the stairs to put it on top of the car. It was not heavy just awkward  I want to teach my kids and wife more about fishing and focusing less on my obsession of catching the largest bass around here that I can. I have owned the high end stuff and now I don’t have to be curious about what it’s like, that’s worth the price of admission to me. I wasn’t parting with my lews $70 reel from Walmart or my abu max pro, pinnacle deadbolt classic either. I like my cheap stuff also due to the value you can get at times.

One of my reels from Ali Express came today. Initially said May 12th arrival date but it came a week early, which was a nice surprise. 2 weeks exactly. Not too bad. MGL 70 for $162.

 

I’m fighting the bait monkey hard on a rod. Looking at the phenix feather 7’7 heavy, phenix m1 7’4 heavy and phenix recon 766 for deep football jigs ? 

Local store had "Pro day" with a bunch of Elite series tour guys and sales.  The Elite Series is in town for the Lay Lake stop next weekend. 

 

I had to get a 8 speed reel, went up there to grab a Tat SV TW, or Elite, but hate the graphics on the SV TW, and the Elite was close enough that I might as well get a JDM Zillion.

 

Took a gamble with this Shimano, haven't bought a Shimano in a really long time.   Paid 169, regular price was 209......that's all it took for the monkey to steal my wallet.  

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Local store had "Pro day" with a bunch of Elite series tour guys and sales.  The Elite Series is in town for the Lay Lake stop next weekend. 

 

I had to get a 8 speed reel, went up there to grab a Tat SV TW, or Elite, but hate the graphics on the SV TW, and the Elite was close enough that I might as well get a JDM Zillion.

 

Took a gamble with this Shimano, haven't bought a Shimano in a really long time.   Paid 169, regular price was 209......that's all it took for the monkey to steal my wallet.  

Yeah I will be posting a picture of my curado MGL later lol. I got the 6.2 ratio though. I went in my local shop yesterday and they had them for $30 off  I looked down and saw the tatula 80 that I bought the previous day was $30 also. I talked to the salesman who knows that I am a regular and he told me that he would make it right. I walked out the door with one for $148 something. I thought that it was a good deal at that price. There decent reels, the mgl spool is a quicker one but there nice. I think that you will like it ? definitely a little different than a daiwa but in a good way.

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Local store had "Pro day" with a bunch of Elite series tour guys and sales.  The Elite Series is in town for the Lay Lake stop next weekend. 

 

I had to get a 8 speed reel, went up there to grab a Tat SV TW, or Elite, but hate the graphics on the SV TW, and the Elite was close enough that I might as well get a JDM Zillion.

 

Took a gamble with this Shimano, haven't bought a Shimano in a really long time.   Paid 169, regular price was 209......that's all it took for the monkey to steal my wallet.  

Nice...the curado 150 gets stellar reviews.  I haven't owned a shimano casting reel since the mg50...about 17 years ago.  Maybe this year I'll buy one.

1 hour ago, KP Duty said:

Nice...the curado 150 gets stellar reviews.  I haven't owned a shimano casting reel since the mg50...about 17 years ago.  Maybe this year I'll buy one.

Unless your wanting BFS. Since your thinking Shimano think about the Bantam or Metanium. I really think they are in a class by themselves.  I think the frame construction makes them super solid and they are very smooth.

FM

3 hours ago, KP Duty said:

Nice...the curado 150 gets stellar reviews.  I haven't owned a shimano casting reel since the mg50...about 17 years ago.  Maybe this year I'll buy one.

This reel is absolutely fantastic for the price.....just came home for a quick potty break ?

 

I lost a giant a few hours ago on it because I forgot to set the drag, but have gotten a 4 and 3.5 since.  

I love the handle and grips.  

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

This reel is absolutely fantastic for the price.....just came home for a quick potty break ?

 

I lost a giant a few hours ago on it because I forgot to set the drag, but have gotten a 4 and 3.5 since.  

I love the handle and grips.  

 

Man, you don't mess around! And that is a GREAT reel!

 

8 hours ago, kingmotorboat said:

I’m fighting the bait monkey hard on a rod. Looking at the phenix feather 7’7 heavy, phenix m1 7’4 heavy and phenix recon 766 for deep football jigs ? 

 

Ever hear the saying '(Bait) Monkey see, (Bait) Monkey do"?

 

You see the rods, now just do it.

 

5 hours ago, Jmurphy87 said:

Yeah I will be posting a picture of my curado MGL later lol. I got the 6.2 ratio though. I went in my local shop yesterday and they had them for $30 off  I looked down and saw the tatula 80 that I bought the previous day was $30 also. I talked to the salesman who knows that I am a regular and he told me that he would make it right. I walked out the door with one for $148 something. I thought that it was a good deal at that price. There decent reels, the mgl spool is a quicker one but there nice. I think that you will like it ? definitely a little different than a daiwa but in a good way.

 

Your downsizing lasted all of what, 2 days?  ?

23 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

 

Man, you don't mess around! And that is a GREAT reel!

 

 

Ever hear the saying '(Bait) Monkey see, (Bait) Monkey do"?

 

You see the rods, now just do it.

 

 

Your downsizing last all of what, 2 days?  ?

I wanted a backup in case I blow one up lol. I just wanted to compare the daiwa mag brakes to the shimano centrifugal brakes. The next purchase will be for the wife, she won’t give up her zebco reels. She complains about them and how they are temperamental, I am thinking a daiwa gold cast or whatever they call it. I need to find someone who knows something about them though so that I know if she will still have the issues she does. The next purchase after that will be a new spinning rod for my daughter, lucky her. She turns 16 this year time for her to get her first fishing license ? I am doing better lol not really, but baby steps they say.

12 minutes ago, Jmurphy87 said:

I wanted a backup in case I blow one up lol.

And what happens if something goes wrong with the backup? Better get a backup for that one just incase.

 

(And so on..) 

4 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

And what happens if something goes wrong with the backup? Better get a backup for that one just incase.

 

(And so on..) 

That’s a great idea, lol. I am definitely trying though. Doesn’t seem like it, although that’s my addition and obsession. I will see how this goes. The hours at work are definitely not like they used to be so that ultimately decides if I buy something else or live in a cardboard box with my stuff. I think that’s a easy choice maybe.

5 minutes ago, Jmurphy87 said:

That’s a great idea, lol. I am definitely trying though. Doesn’t seem like it, although that’s my addition and obsession. I will see how this goes. The hours at work are definitely not like they used to be so that ultimately decides if I buy something else or live in a cardboard box with my stuff. I think that’s a easy choice maybe.

For sure! You're doing what you gotta do. As a fellow fishing/tackle addict, I can imagine it has to be tough. Keep up the good fight! 

1 hour ago, NorthernBasser said:

 

 

 

 

Ever hear the saying '(Bait) Monkey see, (Bait) Monkey do"?

 

You see the rods, now just do it.

 

 

 

 

im trying to wait for a sale ? 

He’s coming for us all…..

 

 

scott

I broke weak! Was wanting to replace my aged Silstar Lexus for a “do all” rod; crank baits, swim baits, spinner baits, ploppers and the like.

Was going back to GLoomis as all of my main use rods are 15/20 year old originals but just didn’t like the feel of the new Loomis (Shimano) rods. 
Sooooooooo, KISTLER KLX was my choice.
 

I thought about a new Gary Loomis signature rod but the customer service and build quality reviews were atrocious.

I have never seen a company with such a high (5 star) rating as Kistler and the options are phenomenal.
After one call I was sold on my choice.

 

Now the wait begins for it to be built………………..

 

 

Curado 150 MGL XG 8.1 review:   

 

Bought this reel because I desperately needed a 8 speed for buzzbait fishing.   First and foremost, this reel is dynamite for that task.  4 hours of buzzbaits, hundreds of casts, several quality fish caught, one giant lost.....I couldn't ask for more in a buzzbait reel.   The difference between a 6 and 8 speed for these baits over the course of an afternoon is worth every dollar for a dedicated reel.   

 

ERGOS:   5/5   This is a 150 sized reel hints the name, but wow does this reel have a fantastic profile in medium sized hands, and palms like a dream.   To me this 150 size is a Goldilocks sized reel as it will hold 90-100m of 14-16lb mono/fluoro which is what I'll be using.     

 

User friendly:   4.5/5  The reel is not like the Shimanos I bought in the past to include Calcuttas, Calcutta DC, Calais 100a, and several lower end models.   This is an extremely easy reel to pull out of the box and start fishing.   This reel is not over finicky on your spool tension setting, get close on the drop test, set the brakes to 4 and it's pretty hard to backlash this reel.    I took off half a star because the new Zillions ruined me.   That is my standard for this category.   

 

Castability:  5/5   When you combine how this reel performs in this category with the last category, you get so very much for your money at that $200 price point.   This reel will bomb cast with the best of them, and I didn't have it set up for maximum casting distance either.   It gave me everything I asked for with little effort and zero backlashing.   

 

Drag:  3.5/5   Typical drag on a higher end reel, but once you fish with those new Zillions and their clicking drag, everything sucks in this department.    Not Calais, Zillion, Steez smooth, but plenty smooth.  

 

Handle/Knobs:  5/5   I used this category because a $200 reel with a handle and knobs like this one deserves it.   Wow does this reel have the perfect handle and knobs for power fishing.   This reel comes with a better handle and knobs than the Zillion SV TW which is twice it's cost if you use the USDM model.   The size of both the handle and knobs really stand out on this reel when you keep in mind how small it fishes and feels in your hand.    Just a dynamite feature, and something I wouldn't expect from a reel at this price point.   

 

I can't rate durability but I'm hard on my reels in terms of fishing them year-round, 5/7 days a week, and they get a drop of oil here and there.   I'll know in a few months if it's a durable reel. 

 

Glad I brought Shimano back into my life, it's easy to get fanboyish on one brand, I just love Daiwa reels, but Shimano and Daiwa are really like two sides of the same coin, they both just make exceptional reels.     

 

Testbed was a Loomis special edition GLX MBR 6'6 MH Fast 

Line used was Sunline Super Natural 14lb green 

 

8 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I took off half a star because the new Zillions ruined me.

Tell me about it. Now that am used to how crazy smooth the Zillion is, it is the new standard. But that 150 mgl is definitely on my short list for my next reel so thanks for the review, great job. And boy would I love that Loomis rod. That’s definitely NOT in my budget, baitmonkey or no. 

Here the picture of the reel, got it spooled up with 14lb sniper I had laying around.

On 4/27/2023 at 9:00 PM, Dangerfield said:

Rounding up some final purchases before the season starts next month. Waiting for a bunch of stuff to come in. Still need another two reels, jerkbait rod and a few more rod holders. 

 

12v 18ah Dakota Lithium LiFePo4 battery, charger, wire clips, shrink tube & all the fixings

Borika TRK150 

3600 Plano Tray 

Roboworm Straight Tail Worm - Oxblood Red Flake & Morning Dawn Hologram

Megabass Spark Shad 3" - Sight Killer Pink & Sight Chart

Raid Head Swimmer Libero - 7g / Pink Trick & Ice Black

Megabass Magdraft 5" - Sunshine Gill

Megabass Magdraft 6” (Bassmaster Classic) - Aurora Shad (SP-C)

Duo Realis Crank G87 15A - Pumpkin Craw & Ghost Minnow 

Berkley Money Badger - 6.25CM - Firetail Green Craw, Ghost Morning Dawn & Special Red Craw

Berkely Dreger 20.5 HD Perch

SK Tour Grade Dbl Willow Spinnerbait - Golden Shiner

Power Pro SSV2 10 LB X 300 YD Moon Shine Braid& 40Lb X 150 Onyx

 

My gear arrived! Really surprised at how much smaller the 5" Magdraft is compared to the 6", same goes for the Duo G87 15A which is monstrous compared to the Dredger. The BlackPak Pro is outfitted with 10 tether tubes now.

19 hours ago, Dangerfield said:

My gear arrived! The BlackPak Pro looks is outfitted with 10 tether tubes now.

 

WOW! ?