12 Volt Man

I use a 1000 size reel only for 4 and 6 pound test.

for 8 and up I use a 2500 or the newer 3000 sizes.

one thing with the 1000 size reels is the drag is not as strong as it is designed for light lines..

so if you are targeting small fish, no problem for the 1000 size.

but for larger fish, the 2500 size is better. and manages line better too because of the larger diameter spool (larger coils means it casts better and will have less problems)

but for UL fishing, the 1000 sizes are great.

good catch.

they retail for $250 at Fishingworld in Hamilton which has competitive prices.

I find that with Shimano baitcasters (the ones with the magnets) you really only need to set them once and then leave them alone.

and use the cast control knob for adjustments.

I have found that generally 3 weights on, 3 weights off alternating works perfect.

after some practice you will be casting without any fear of back lash in no time.

I agree about buying quality equipment. I learned on a chronarch 100A, and its still going strong, 12 years later.

you get what you pay for.

when I was learning, I took the hooks off a half ounze rattle trap and practiced casting in a feild.

and once you learn, you never forget.

you can not use your rig for a year, pick it up and cast like you never stopped.

its like riding a bike or having sex..lol

St. Croix has a whole line of new pink pearl coloured quality bass rods marketed specifically for women.

just sayin' folks..when christmas and birthdays etc come around...its another idea.

yeah, flying fish is the sweetest fish I have ever had. had it many times in the Islands. it amazing when marinated in lime, garlic and peppers then breaded and fried. amazing!

do you mean wire leaders or just a ball bearing snap swivel on the end?

I use a good quality ball bearing snap swivel on the end that helps prevent line twist when using spinners and it makes changing lures frequently a 'snap'.

but I don't use a wire leader unless I am targeting pike.

I agree with that. A nice rare peppercorn crusted tuna steak is tough to beat.

no bass or pickerel can even come close.

Vagina jokes aside, probably the best fish I have ever eaten was fresh fried red snapper caught that morning straight out of the Caribbean Sea in Cozumel Mexico. I still dream about it. and the restaurant on the beach and the great rum punch helped a lot with the experience

and I have eaten a hell of a lot of fish in my time. good ocean fish like snapper, good grouper or mahi mahi beats any freshwater fish IMO.

used to have one of those snapshot reels. hated it.

you can cast much farther with your finger than with the trigger clip IMO.

much better off getting a shimano Sedona if you ask me.

I like trilene XL (the red box one) in green colour.

it disappears underwater. good stuff.

I don't sign up for those contracts because you can get screwed over if the price drops and you are locked in at the higher price.

what I am on is just an equal billing plan: you pay the same amount each month, even though the bill comes out every two months.

keeps it relatively easy and easy to budget. its easier on the pocket book to pay a little each month than more once every two months IMO. easier to budget.

The reason why I mentioned getting married. Is because I've been told to buy now cause once kids cone the disposable income dries up.

I would gladly sell a few kids for a few more Sustain FE reels..

shhhh...don't tell anyone

Personally I think you are better off spending more on the rod rather than the reel.

a better rod will cast farther, give you better hook sets and be more sensitive to detect bites. it will also be better balanced to help avoid arm/wrist strain.

the thing is, all of the spinning reels mentioned in this thread are pretty good.

thats the nice thing about todays reels, you don't have to spend $200 to get a great spinning reel anymore.

even back in the early 90's you literally had to pay $200 to get one with instant antireverse and a balanced rotor (back then the stradics were one of the few that had these qualities).

now, they all do.

another vote for the St. Croix Premier (same blank as the Triumph but its made in the USA not china so the quality control is probably going to be better). I would go 7 foot fast action med. power.

I would go with the shimano Symetre 3000 size.

Mind me asking what rod you put that reel on?

G. Loomis SJR 782 GL3.

amazing combo. perfectly balanced.

and no, its not for sale

I had the rod already though. I upgraded an older stradic with the sustain. I almost bought a new stradic, but am glad I spend the extra cash and got the Sustain. its a bit smoother, has an even smoother drag (thanks to a ball bearing on the spool shaft) and has two titanium lipped spools which is nice. it was expensive, but at the same time, thanks to the identical spare spool included and reel cover, in addition to the reel itself, I think you are getting a lot of bang for your buck with this reel.

its just a lot of bucks that all

but then like most of us, I don't buy a reel like this every day. if i did I would be in the poor house.

I have a Daiww Tierra 3500 sized reel that has a pretty large reel foot. it holds 210y of 12 pound test mono so it is pretty large.

I think they go for around 120 bucks.

I treated myself this season and bought a Shimano Sustain 3000FE. amazing reel. incredible drag, super smooth, casts a mile. super comfortable septon handle grip.

but it was pricey.

but well worth it.

I have caught Legit 5 pound smallies on Lake of Bays in the Muskokas on live minnows a few years ago. insane fights. unfortunately, that was before I had a digital camera, so there are pics, but they are on my uncle's camera.

pike are pretty famous for short striking. what I used to do was add a trailer hook to spinner baits and top waters while fishing with them.

take a peice of plastic tubing, put it over the eye of a trailer hook, and then place this through the barb of one of the main hooks on your frog.

you have just added a trailer hook. should help with the strike to catch ratio.

with my Shimano's, I never touch the internal centrifugal brakes after the intial setting.

I set 3 on, 3 off.

and never really touch them again.

what I do adjust is the cast control knob when I change lures.

it should be set so it falls at about 1 foot per second when you press down your thumb bar.

then, cast away.

if the brakes are set right, you really shouldn't have to touch them very often, if ever.

the first and only time I have been on a bass boat was on Lake Tarpon near Tampa Florida.

with a 150 HP motor on the back the guide accelerated up to 60 mph. it was insane.

a memory. peels your eyelids back going that fast.

and now, they are putting 200's and 250's on the back of the same size boats. this was back in the early 90's when few had bigger than 150 HP motors on them..

I was fishing Bayfront Park in Hamilton this morning in the rain with ultralight gear.

had a blast catching small bass, perch and bluegills on #1 Mepps Black fury's and 1/16th oz rapalas (original).

catching small fish on UL gear is a lot of fun.

 

Now I know that a Curado, or Core, or Calcutta is going to be a smoother, longer casting reel....but are they really worth the money?

 

when you look at the performance over the life of the reel, I think so.

I have a Chronach 100A that I bought in 1998 that was almost $300 at the time.

12 years later, not only is it still working fine, it is still smoother than most of today's more modern reels.

so in that sense, yes I think in some cases it can be.

now, if this reel breaks, I know you can't get parts for it anymore. thats the only thing.,

shimano builds reels to last over a decade but only makes compatible parts available for a few years. sucks if you ask me.

I wonder how this stacks up to the citica

based on the specs, it doesn't look like it makes much sense to go with the Caenan over the Citica.

you are much better off spending the extra bit of cash and get the citica intead.

for a bit more you get:

-high efficiency gearing

-super free spool system (its going to cast a lot better)

-better anti reverse (has 'assist stopper')

-and an aluminum frame. not graphite.

I know its a budget reel, but when you are already spending $100 for this one, it probably is worth the next jump up IMO.

those new Flat Raps seem very similar to the discontinued "Long Cast Minnow" of a few years ago. this must be the replacement.