13 hours ago, Bigbox99 said:

Why did you capitalize Tatula, but not Steez?  Have you switched to the tatula team?

You can't swap to a Tatula team when i've built my house on the Zillion team. When Daiwa wakes up, and puts back 34mm spools a normal zero adjuster in their Steez, i might move to that team, but they're a bit lost right now, so they might need to lose a bunch of sales on their Steez line before they change.

1 hour ago, JHoss said:

Maybe not side-by-side for all of them, but some. The ones that haven't been side-by-side tested, have gone through many rounds of experimentation. Let's talk plastic craws for instance. I've easily tested 30+ varieties from Yum to Megabass. I'll cycle through multiple varieties in a trip to try and settle on the best one. After doing that 10 or 20 times, I start to see a pattern that X model catches more or bigger fish than Y model 80% of the time. Once I've found that pattern, I'll remove the inferior ones from the rotation and focus on the 2 or 3 "best" ones come tournament time.

 

Yeah, you've done your homework.

 

FWIW, I love Rapala Cleanup Craws and Rage Bugs too. 

I dunno if I'd call it high end, but if you're a river rat like me and spend most of your time fishing in waders, a Folstaf wading staff is very well worth it.  You can wade fast water much easier because of the added stability, and it deploys with just one hand.  It's like having 3 legs.  You can also better navigate steep river banks and poke around for deep holes and obstructions.  My fishing buddy called it a sissy stick until he took a swim in a cold stream and had to go home.  Now he too never hits the rivers without it.

My gear is what my 50 years of fishing has taught me works the best for me.  My boat was the best value I could find that covered all my bases for the water I fish.  I choose to “splurge” on traveling to different locations to fun fish.  Besides Virginia, I go to Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Canada, and Florida.  I like spending my $$ on different experiences.  Traveling with friends to fish and meeting friends in other locations and experiencing different waters, is priceless.  

 

 

No single piece of equipment has changed fishing for me like this piece of equipment.  There's nothing even close.  In fact, there are only two other things that have done more for my ability to catch fish than the Ultrex:

1.  Time on the water (lots, and lots, and lots, of MAKING time to fish)

2.  Bass Resource forums.  It is direct access to everyone else's experience on top of my own.

3.  Ultrex

 

Take everything else away and I'll keep these three and fish with a tree branch and a string.  

Rain gear... Invest in good rain gear and you'll never be afraid to fish on the rain... 

13 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

I disliked fluorocarbon line for years until I bit the bullet and picked up some Sunline Shooter.

 

100% agree with the fluoro.

 

I've never used Shooter but using cheaper fluoro is setting yourself up for disaster and disappointment.

 

All it takes is one not-so-great cast and your rod is done for the day. The spool could be ruined as well.

 

I currently use Tatsu but I'd be open to something similar as long as it performed well.

17 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Seems really easy to me.  A hammer is a tool - too many reels get treated like hammers.  

A violin is an instrument - this is how you should treat nice tackle - keep it nice for the 5th generation and beyond.  

 

That's the way I treat all my gear whether it's the Procaster 100HN I got on closeout for $30 or the PXL Type R I got on closeout for $300.  Same for rods.

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

@Swamp Girl

 

Cheep and worth every penny.  

I keep covers on all my casting reels.  I'm sure I have over $300 in covers.  Don't have any for my spinning reels.  Need a couple to correct that situation.

Most expensive is what I use for bottom contact: NRX 803 and 873 with both having the shimano Core 50 with 7.7 brecious gears and both have longer handles

 

1 hour ago, new2BC4bass said:

That's the way I treat all my gear whether it's the Procaster 100HN I got on closeout for $30 or the PXL Type R I got on closeout for $300.  Same for rods.

I keep covers on all my casting reels.  I'm sure I have over $300 in covers.  Don't have any for my spinning reels.  Need a couple to correct that situation.

In addition to protecting reels during transit, reel covers on combos protect reels from dust in storage.  

 

Yeah, the 4600C Black Cherry has a Tailwalk neoprene cover, too.  Any time I start a reel project, I usually buy both braid and a Tailwalk cover from Naturum in Japan, both discounted - I add it to my noppin.com cache of reel parts before shipping together, IXA bearings from KTF, even Avail parts from Hedgehog are cheaper buying in JY on their Japanese website.  

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

In addition to protecting reels during transit, reel covers on combos protect reels from dust in storage.  

 

Yeah, the 4600C Black Cherry has a Tailwalk neoprene cover, too.  Any time I start a reel project, I usually buy both braid and a Tailwalk cover from Naturum in Japan, both discounted - I add it to my noppin.com cache of reel parts before shipping together, IXA bearings from KTF, even Avail parts from Hedgehog are cheaper buying in JY on their Japanese website.  

I too use covers on all my reels and rod sleeves on all my rods.

My Curado reels are 35 years old and could pass for near new, as well as my GLoomis rods.

I never worry about cost,,,,it’s the return quality in use that is my objective. I was always taught if it’s worth having, work [save) for the best you can get then protect that investment while you enjoy it.

 

Still using 30+ years old combos has met this personal philosophy.

 

I have recently invested in new Edge Rods (Gary Loomis) and Curado MGL reels as new technology is real. If I could only have one setup my GLoomis M/f 6’6” 782 MBR rod and Curado cu200 reel is still my all time favorite combo.

 

 

10 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

In addition to protecting reels during transit, reel covers on combos protect reels from dust in storage.  

Transit is why all my reels have covers on them when not in hand.  I got a large boat rash on a pristine Chronarch 101A when trailering a short distance between lakes.  I now put the cover back on before picking up my next combo.  A few seconds be damned.  

7 hours ago, Motoboss said:

 

Still using 30+ years old combos has met this personal philosophy.

 

I have scuffed reels that are more than 30 years old that are still in service. 

 

7 hours ago, Motoboss said:

I was always taught if it’s worth having, work [save) for the best you can get then protect that investment while you enjoy it.

 

I was always taught to take the road less traveled. That road is bumpy.

22 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I do understand your position and I respect it. We've just walked different roads. My roads have been bouncy. I've driven logging roads that delivered a violent ride. Everything was tossed, including me. 

This is the story of many of my fishing adventures.  I'm one of those guys that lives out of a backpack and sleeps in a hammock for up to 5 days at a time.  My gear has been all over from canoeing through Algonquin Provincial Park to the backwoods in the UP of Michigan in search of tiny streams meandering through the woods.  None of my reels have a mark on them.  I carry them in padded pouches and when it's time to play they come out and are put on a rod.  When I land a fish, the rod butt goes into my wading belt and the reel stays off the ground. 

 

My most blemished piece of "gear" is my Subaru Forester.  For only being 4 years old and having 53k on the clock, it's full of scratches and dings from traversing narrow primitive roads and getting hit by falling branches and nuts.  It literally looks like it has triple the mileage.  It isn't something I'm worried about though because I bought it to be a mule.  Some guys I know will have their truck in the body shop the second an acorn puts a dimple on the hood.  I do more wheeling in my Forester than most others do in their Jeeps, Broncos, and pickups, and I don't even have a dual range transfer case either, but I do run all terrain tires rated for severe snow service.  When I'm out bushwhacking, I like to keep a 16" chainsaw in the back just in case the trail is blocked by a fallen tree.  Plus it's also great for procuring firewood.  Great tool to have handy when you're out brush busting.

For many years I tried to like mono but was never really satisfied with any of the many brands I used;  until recently.  I purchased a spool of Suffix Advance, the most expensive mono I've ever used;  wow, what a winner!  Definitely worth the cost.

I will continue to consider the rough-road-rash argument to be rationalizing neglect-abuse.  

Buy an on-rod reel cover or three.  But you don't do this, my rosy red.  

Our caliche county roads get scraped more than logging roads, but you still drive through the river bed on as many crossings as those with low-water bridges.  

I've hiked and busted brush with fly rods all my life, including a dedcade in Alaska, and never marked a fly reel. 

 I've also been posting photos of my reels on the internet since it arrived, and people always claim I must never take my nice tackle fishing.  Below, I'm taking bass out of the eddy on the right bank, and crossed the river to get there - my buddy w/ the camera hasn't crossed yet, and other buddy is on the bank heading down the fast run to the next get-in.  

Salt exposure for people who live at the coast is another neglect-abuse.  It's too easy to stack the rod in the corner of the garage and put off simple rinsing as - I'll think about it after next weekend.  

This probably makes excursion fishing an advantage.  Every reel that's making the trip gets maintained when staging gear.  First thing home, every combo gets rinsed on a rod rack for the same day the boat gets washed inside and out, drained and aired out.  Then each reel gets individual maintenance over the following week.  

 

(the rod rack photo is shared with a group-trip)

Certainly not the gear experts that have commented here.  I use Falcon Lowrider rods, I think they are 200 bucks.  Love them.  I wanted to have a backup for the All 'round model so I bought the BuCoo model with the same ratings for 100 bucks.  It does not feel the same.  Same length, same ratings, different grip, different color but it doesn't feel right.  Is it all in my head?

34 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I'll will continue to consider the rough-road-rash argument to be rationalizing neglect-abuse.  

 

Could be. I just don't have your certainty.

 

35 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I've also been posting photos of my reels on the internet since it arrived

 

And they're great photos of handsome reels. I've posted no photos of my reels. Not my thing. 

@Tackleholic what is it about this particular mono that you find superior above all others? TIA…

1 hour ago, redmeansdistortion said:

This is the story of many of my fishing adventures.  I'm one of those guys that lives out of a backpack and sleeps in a hammock for up to 5 days at a time.  My gear has been all over from canoeing through Algonquin Provincial Park to the backwoods in the UP of Michigan in search of tiny streams meandering through the woods.  None of my reels have a mark on them.  I carry them in padded pouches and when it's time to play they come out and are put on a rod.  When I land a fish, the rod butt goes into my wading belt and the reel stays off the ground. 

 

My most blemished piece of "gear" is my Subaru Forester.  For only being 4 years old and having 53k on the clock, it's full of scratches and dings from traversing narrow primitive roads and getting hit by falling branches and nuts.  It literally looks like it has triple the mileage.  It isn't something I'm worried about though because I bought it to be a mule.  Some guys I know will have their truck in the body shop the second an acorn puts a dimple on the hood.  I do more wheeling in my Forester than most others do in their Jeeps, Broncos, and pickups, and I don't even have a dual range transfer case either, but I do run all terrain tires rated for severe snow service.  When I'm out bushwhacking, I like to keep a 16" chainsaw in the back just in case the trail is blocked by a fallen tree.  Plus it's also great for procuring firewood.  Great tool to have handy when you're out brush busting.

Mine is 20 something years old and steering wheel has been polished smooth and glossy from use.  The odo quit working at 231k and I have since put in a low milage ebay motor and WRX 4:11 trans/rear diff.  It's got to be at 350k+ on the body and other components by now.  I might 6 cylinder swap it next for fun.  I have Yokohama Geolanders on mine and they are great for severe snow rated A/T and super quiet.  It used to be my dedicated kayak car but now it's the winter car.

3 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I have scuffed reels that are more than 30 years old that are still in service. 

 

 

I was always taught to take the road less traveled. That road is bumpy.

I drive a 4x4 and travel many a bumpy road, but that is no reason to not protect the items for the reason I am on those roads.

6 minutes ago, Motoboss said:

I drive a 4x4 and travel many a bumpy road, but that is no reason to not protect the items for the reason I am on those roads.

 

I surrender.

 

Just now, Swamp Girl said:

 

I surrender.

 

 

Ha, never surrender your position. Battle scars are earned, some more than others.

4 minutes ago, Motoboss said:

Ha, never surrender your position. Battle scars are earned, some more than others.

 

I don't actually surrender. It's far too late for my reels to look mint again. They'll keep grinding against each other when I clutch half a dozen rods and walk through the long shadowed woods. 

1 hour ago, Bigbox99 said:

Mine is 20 something years old and steering wheel has been polished smooth and glossy from use.  The odo quit working at 231k and I have since put in a low milage ebay motor and WRX 4:11 trans/rear diff.  It's got to be at 350k+ on the body and other components by now.  I might 6 cylinder swap it next for fun.  I have Yokohama Geolanders on mine and they are great for severe snow rated A/T and super quiet.  It used to be my dedicated kayak car but now it's the winter car.

I'm running Falken Wildpeak AT Trails.  I went up a little over OEM, from 225/60 to 225/65 and got another half inch of ground clearance.  I also have a CVT cooler and skid plates in the diffs and CVT.  I wish these still came with a manual option and the dual range transfer case they offer in Australian and South African markets.