Gregoire

I just took the dog to the park. He usually flies around running with the other dogs. Tonight he ran a bit, but his heart was not into it. I hate to say I hate this heat, because i also say I hate the cold but c'mon man...I might have to head up to the cottage to escape with the weather forecast.

I actually caught my PB pike using the R-type and it held up very well.

I think that would make a nice combo for casting musky baits.

I throw top raiders with my revo winch and have not problems with it. I think the revo toro winch would be a good reel for you IMHO. What rod are you going to pair it with?

That is a nice reel but only comes in a right hand retrieve. I think Bosh is looking for a LH reel. Just to add a bit to this thread the best musky fisherman I've ever been in a boat with uses spinning reels when casting and a tekota for trolling, not your traditional reels, but he uses musky rods with them and does not seem to have any trouble putting fish in the boat.

I have not been fishing musky for that long, but I think that the need to go big for reels is greatly exaggerated. In my experience Musky will stand and fight you were they are, as opposed to making long runs. I also have found that I do not put out very much line when trolling, maybe a maximum of 100 feet. In many ways I think the big reels are part of the past generation of musky fishing, before braid became commonly used, and there has slowly been a move towards smaller reels with big drags, especially for casting.

All I know is I saw a guy using that reel on The Musky Hunter. The revo toro winch gets very good reviews from musky anglers. I have heard and read that the 50 series is ideal for tossing double cowgirls and bucktails. I have a revo toro 51 and like it, but found it a bit heavy for casting. I have a revo winch that I enjoy using for casting and feel has more than enough muscle to handle casting most musky baits. I would add that if you plan on tossing really big baits like bulldawgs and sledges (2 oz. plus lures) you may want to look in to something bigger. It does sound like you're getting a good deal on the reel, and if you think it would suit your purposes I would buy it.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to take it out on the water soon. I looks as feels like the best reel I've had. I'll let you know my impressions when I get it out on the water.

I find that the sideplate comes loose very easily on my r-type as well. I do not spend much time adjusting the breaks though. I used the reel pretty hard last year so I should do some maintenance on it, because it does not seem nearly as smooth as it was when I got it out of the box last year.

Having done a bit more research I understand why one piece rods are more common, but I would like to see more options out there in 3 or 4 piece rods, at least in terms of flexibility in the price point. There are either low end rods that run to 60 bucks, or high end rods that run 350 or so plus. I guess this is all dictated by the market and there is not a huge demand for this type of rod.

According to the guide to eating ontario fish there are walleye in the lake. Check out the link: http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/en/publications/dataproducts/sportfish/advisories/LAKE44387758.html

I have used cradles to catch smaller musky, but to be honest with you I would recommend a bigger net for bigger musky. It is much easier to keep them in the water that way. I know if I had a musky that was close to 50 inches on my line I would want it netted.

I second the vertical jigging using a little cleo or such. I removed the treble hook and put on a single hook and tipped it with a worm, and had some success dragging that close to the shoreline drifting for brookies.

I was just up wawa way last week. Kinniwabi pines was recommended as a place for a nice sit down meal. There is a place just after that before you go into wawa, by the gas station, something kitchen that is a dive, but has great burgers. The Canadian Tire in town, the clothing part on the side, has a selection of what looked like locally made worm harnesses. There is also a tackle store in town, right by the lake, across from the chinese restaurant. I didn't go in, but they may be able to give you some tips. The driving directions that you have already received sound right to me. Have a great trip!

If you ever make it out to the pickering area tighlines in might have some. I always seem to find stuff there that I have trouble finding at other stores. I would call ahead if you are going to make a specific trip as I am not sure if they have them.

The fact that you are making your own rods is awesome. I would like to move into doing that, but first i want to educate myself about blanks and the materials. I find that I cannot often find the rod that I would like off the shelf. I am very interested in making 3 or 4 piece rods, as I like having the ability to pack up and travel with my rods. I also do not understand why one piece rods are seen as being vastly superior...if they were wouldn't there be a push to make fly rods one piece? By the way I would be an interested purchaser in a loomis musky rod if you ever had one for sale.

One word: Zoolander What is this? A Center for ants? It needs to be at least...3 times bigger. The files are in the computer???? I think I have the black lung. Ahee! Merman...I was a merman!

I guess I thought you were saying that there is little to no difference between cheap and expensive spinning reels. I did not think you were picking a fight, nor am I. Just trying to engage in a conversation. I think it is important to talk about these topics as many people would like information about tackle because they need to choose between reels and don't have the experience with gear. I really like getting informed, unbiased opinions about gear before I buy it and find it hard to find sometimes, especially in terms of using it for fishing in ontario. On one side I can see what you are talking about in terms on the difference between spinning reels not being as drastic according to price, especially when comparing them to baitcast reels. My first baitcaster was purchased at Canadian Tire as part of a cheap combo. There was a huge difference between that and the r-type I purchased and the abu revo toros that I own. I spent the most ever on the Pluton I just purchased and have noticed that it is vastly superior in terms of the way it is made. I would argue with you that the smoothness of higher end spinned reels, and the anti reverse in particular are vastly superior than cheaper reels. A week ago I was using a shimano saros an abu specialit reel (i got the combo for 30$ at Canadian Tire, and I really like the M 7ft rod). I could feel a difference between the two for sure. I guess I could try comparing my abu soron to my abu specialist to see a difference as well. In addition the weight difference between some higher end reels makes a huge difference to me. I feel like I could cast with my patriarch all day, not so with the sonora. Now I may just be getting weaker in the wrists since got engaged, but that is what I noticed. I'm not trying to pick a fight here, just get input from an angler with way more experience than me. By the way what rods do you pair with your stradics? I remember reading in a previous post that you like the st. croix avid series.

Don't you think this is a bit simplistic? Weight, smoothness of drag and smoothness of retrieve would be areas that I would think are improved with better quality reels. I may have been biased, or blinded by the marketing but I found there to be a huge difference between the higher and lower quality reels when I compared them head to head. Judging by your post I'm guessing that you have a preference for baitcasting.

When I went for the patriarch I was also considering the CI4 microline. What really got me was the difference in weight between the CI4 and the 9525, but when you look at spool capacity the CI$ 1000 is actually closer to the 9530. The spare spool that comes with the patriarch is nothing special at all, but the price difference is noticeable. Try looking on ebay for a bit of a better deal.

I have a r-type baitcaster paired with a r-type MH 2 piece rod. Overall I like the rod more than the reel. I found that the reel is made with some cheap parts, and is nowhere near the quality of the other baitcsters that I own. Having said that the baitcasters that I have are twice the price. Also the customer service by rapala is great. I had an issue with the rod and reel last year and I sent an email and made a trip to the factory in Oshawa and had them both replaced. If I was looking at another baitcaster for bass fishing I would look at the shift, but I have found that I enjoy lighter spinning outfits.

I feel like I could cast all day with the patriarch. I'm looking forward to catching a fish that will test out the drag so I can see how smooth it is.

I think I saw a variety pack for sale at Lebaron yesterday.

nice fish

I purchased this reel a few months ago with the intent of focusing on fines fishing for bass, and maybe the occasional walleye if I get the chance. I got the chance to take this rod out fishing a few weeks ago at my in-laws cottage. I was restricted to shore fishing as I do not own a water craft of any sort, but was able to make my way along the shore line for a bit as no neighbours were around, and I have already cleared going on to there property on previous trips. Overall I was impressed with the reel. It is by far the lightest reel that I have ever owned. I was particularly impressed with the lightweight spool that came with the reel, as it looks awesome. The spare aluminum spool is significantly heavier, but would come in handy if I ever wanted to spool up with mono or fluoro. Here are a few pics: I was also impressed with the handle of the reel, as it is made form quality materials and is extremely lightweight. I used two spinning reels on my first trip with this rod. I wanted to see the difference between the higher end patriarch and a lower end reel, in this case a shimano sonora fb. I had the patriarch paired up with a loomis bronzeback ML rod and the sonora with a st croix avid ML. The patriarch was spooled with 5lb green power pro and the sonora with 6 lb mono.The difference between the reels was more than just the weight. Casting was easier and I was able to cast much further and more accurately with the patriarch. I also noticed a big time difference in feel between the two, but that may have been because of the difference between braid and mono. I was casting light reaction baits, and soft plastics all day and had a little bit of luck, mostly catching 1-2 lb bass that looked like this: Overall I would say that the Patriarch is a great reel. This was my first experience using a higher end reel and I noticed a significant difference in quality and ease of use. The one thing I will say is that the Patriarch's magnesium frame means that it will scratch easily. I was not as careful as I should have been when laying it down and it already has some rash on it, however this is not a big issue for me as I plan on using the reel, not keep it in a glass case. I liked this reel so much and noticed such a difference between it and the Sonora that I found a deal on ebay and bought a Stradic FI. I am looking forward to comparing the two reels. I would have purchased a CI4, but I wanted a reel that was a bit more robust, and also think that if I am spending over 100 bucks on a reel I should get a spare spool. I switched the 5lb power pro from the patriarch to the stradic and spooled the patriarch with 3lb red power pro. I think I am going to pair the patriarch with my avid, and the loomis with the stradic. I look forward to comparing these reels soon. I also recently pruchased a Daiwa Pluton and paired it with a Daiwa VIP musky rod. I look forward to getting out to chase some big girls soon in order to do a review of the rod and reel. If anyone is interested I could give a review of the rapala r-type casting reel, the abu garcia revo toro 50, or the abu revo winch as well. I have all summer to waste time. I figured I only have to start working on the house right before my wife gets home. Thanks for reading