Basspro 2015 Spring Classic

[5bites]

Champ touched on this. Casting far and casting far with a light lure are two different things. Casting and pitching are two different things also. Bearings to me are good for bearing salesmen. Put tension on the spool with the cast control knob and your free spin advantage with those high dollar bearings goes out the window. That's my observation. If you have confidence in them by all means use them.

Anyway what really shines on a quality reel for casting is a light balanced spool that starts up quick. This is why Daiwa and shimano own the market for a pitching reel. I currently use exclusively daiwas though. Braking is important also of course but getting that lure moving as easily as possible is the beginning of a perfect and accurate pitch, skip, or roll cast.

So the pq is a great reel for the money. I know, I've used a buddies. The fact it casts an average lure though doesn't make it a great casting reel for all lures. That's where spending the extra $$$ comes in. Imo the best reel for the money is easily the Daiwa T3 1016 now that it's on sale. Tackle warehouse is sold out though. Your next best bet is a used steez in the sub $250 range.

I'm sure most of you know that stuff and I'm not trying to sound disagreeable. I've owned lots of the very best reels you can get and some of the cheaper ones. I'm all for spending less when I can. I buy used all the time. Actually I'd never buy a new steez. That's crazy. Anyway what I'm saying is yes there are great reels for the money out there but consider the application. Pitching generally requires a more expensive reel.

[Seth]

I pitched all last year with a PQ and thought it was fine. Maybe I'm not pitching as far or with as light of lures as you guys though? Most of my pitching is in the 20-30' range with 1/4-3/8oz lures.

[5bites]

I didn't say it was impossible. I can pitch with a Abu 5600 but it's not gonna be neeeeeaaaar as pretty as with a steez. Fast spool start up is critical to keeping the bait low to the water. This is doubly important if you skip.

Talking about pitching distance is as useful as talking about casting distance. Most reels cast far well. Not all cast light lures well and especially pitch light lures well. Not all work in wind well. In fact I just sold one of the new lews lfs ssg1hl's because it did not pitch well at all. It lifted the lure to much on start up. With a heavier lure maybe not but it didn't pass my test. I won it at a banquet last year and was hoping it would win me over to the lews brand considering their price and popularity. I'll be sticking with Daiwa for now though.

[5bites]

I'll admit that one of the higher priced lews may be just what I'm looking for but that would defeat the point in switching.

[Seth]

Makes sense because I've tried skipping with casting gear a few times for the heck of it and failed miserably!

I'm looking in to upgrading my jig/worm setup to something that is much higher quality. Bottom baits are one thing where I have noticed a difference in using higher quality gear. I'm planning on using a 7'1" 13 Fishing Omen Envy MH for the rod, but haven't decided on a reel yet. I've been looking hard at the Lew's line up, but not sure which would be best suited for that purpose. Which reel were you thinking of in particular?

For skipping, do you think the MH would be too stiff? I'm guessing you'd need a rod with a little bit of flex in the tip so you can sling the bait and get some speed built up.

[5bites]

You are on the right track. I use 13 fishing rods too. My main pitching rod is a heavy 7-1 envy but the mh omen is darn close. Speed is what's important for pitching. The faster the better. The power (med, mh, heavy etc) is for the weight of the lure. I tend to fish a power above most people. If my buddy Dave is pitching a tube on a 7' mh I'll be using a heavy. That may not be you.

I build rods too and I'm still waiting on someone to bring out some xfast blanks that resemble the loomis bcr854. That was probably the best pitching rod I've used yet due to its speed. Mud hole released domed new blanks but I've yet to try them.

Anyway back on topic the rod you picked will be awesome. I use that rod myself. As far as reel jump on eBay and get a Daiwa t3 1016. Or shop for a used steez. The 50 series shimanos (chronarch, core) are fantastic pitching reels. Low line capacity is what to look for. Less line is a lighter spool. Somehow the 3d braking on that t3 defeats this which is why I recommend it. Daiwa has a t3 ballistic also but it does not perform like the 1016.

So if I were to personally pick out the perfect combo for you I'd say the 7-1 omen, used steez or t3, and 17-20lb sunline shooter. If you want to save a little look for a used 50 series shimano chronarch e-series.

[Bill Babler]

Champ,

If you still have those Johnny Morris reels I would be interested in purchasing from you. As far as PQ's, I have seen Edwin Evers cast them a pretty good ways. He likes them just fine.

And gets paid $50,000 a year to say so. I harken back to KVD. "Jut cause it works for me, does not mean it will work like that for you. Use the equipment that works best for the way you fish and what your fishing for." KVD does not fish BP reels. And as he says, he can fish what ever he wants and his choice is not BP even though they are his biggest sponsor. Might want to put that on the burner a bit and see what flames up.

A reel is priced at 50 bucks for a reason. Another reel is priced at 250 bucks for a reason. Can a 50 dollar reel preform as well as a 250 dollar reel. NO. not even close. Yes Edwin Evers, KVD or any of the cast for cash pro's can make it look so. Can you?

How many days can you be without that reel just if it happens to puke? What if god forbid you are on vacation and 2 of them puke. What ya gonna do?

For the last 20 yrs. I have fished only Shimano and Daiwa and now some Lew's. Still all Shimano spinning, but I have passed the torch on the casting to the Daiwa and the Lew's. I really like the Lew's but I am a gear horse and if I put a Steez in your hand while your fishing with me you will not want the Pro-Speed Spool back, or any other casting reel for that matter. Can we all afford to fish Steez? Of course not nor could most justify it even if they wanted to.

I speak from 20 yrs. on the water on a nearly everyday basis and no one is paying me to say so. I have had fishing equipment from every company in my boat that the clients have brought. From Stella's to Steez, to Pro-Qualifer to Revo. During that period I have had but a handful that did not use my equipment, even though they brought their own and thought it was good. Until I handed them one of mine. What I'm saying, is this stuff lasts a long time. Buy the best you can afford and you will not be sorry. I have never had a Shimano-Daiwa or Lew's casting reel quit on me. Never.

My time on the water is valuable. Not so much from a monetary standpoint as much as a time standpoint. a piece of equipment that breaks down for me is a piece of equipment that I no longer own. I will not tolerate it.

My livelihood and my reputation along with my piece of mind are on display everyday that I'm on the water. I cannot afford a 50 buck casting reel, when across the street I see 200 in a recycle bin and know the reason.

Most of us that can afford to fish however can fish a Lew's Tournament Pro, or Pro Lite. Skip that restaurant lunch for a month and take the brown bag you can then buy a couple of them. They will last you a very long time, and you will not have to lug a 9 oz. 50 buck reel around, that may or may not break your heart.

Good luck on any that you chose.

[fishdoctor]

Correct me if I am wrong Mr. Babler, but don't all of the top pros get paid to use the brand of reel that they do? Just curious, do you pay full retail price on the brands that you constantly promote on this forum? If not, sounds a bit hypocritical to me. The original post was to inform people of a good deal on a decent reel. A few people chimed in they liked the reel. It turned into a post where if you don't pay high price for a reel that it is no good, especially if it is a BPS reel. I appreciate the guy informing us of a good deal. Others not so much. But to each his own, that is why this is a free country. Just funny how these always turn into a pissing match on here if you don't use certain brands.

[Terrierman]

One idea might be to go ahead and buy some of the $50 PQs but maybe not quite as many, saving some money back for one higher-quality reel. There are baits like regular ballhead jigs, Senkos, etc. that you don't need to throw as far, and frankly, a football jig is heavy enough that you can pretty much launch it out there on just about any reel.

But for your jerk baits (tough to throw in some conditions on ANY reel), Warts, topwaters, etc., you might have yourself a couple of the better, smoother reels. And you don't have to break the bank to buy a nice reel that will throw a mile. I have several of the $149 Lew's Tournament Series (TS1H) reels and just love 'em. Do the trade-in deal at BPS and you can knock em down lower. I believe you can get a nice long-sleeve microfiber T-shirt from Lew's too, although not sure. I'm way too big for a 2XL, which is their largest size, so I never pursued getting any.

Now if they start offering sublimated pro-style jerseys, by gosh I'm getting all of those they'll let me have. Hell, I'll sew two of them together if I have to in order to make one to fit me.

I don't think you're going to be able to trade in for anything Lew's at BassPro. Ever.

[dtrs5kprs]

Correct me if I am wrong Mr. Babler, but don't all of the top pros get paid to use the brand of reel that they do? Just curious, do you pay full retail price on the brands that you constantly promote on this forum? If not, sounds a bit hypocritical to me. The original post was to inform people of a good deal on a decent reel. A few people chimed in they liked the reel. It turned into a post where if you don't pay high price for a reel that it is no good, especially if it is a BPS reel. I appreciate the guy informing us of a good deal. Others not so much. But to each his own, that is why this is a free country. Just funny how these always turn into a pissing match on here if you don't use certain brands.

Ever been part of a Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge conversation?

Like most equipment, some costs more, some works better. Those don't always intersect, but a lot of the time they do. Some of it just depends on the level of torture you put gear through, and the performance you expect based on your ability.

I am sure Bill simply put public the thoughts many had. If you see a big bucket of refurbished reels it might be because they sell a lot and there is a higher chance of one coming back due to numbers. The other option is not great. That is true of any brand. Have seen a lot of refurb Lews for sale too. So far of the several I own none have failed. Might just be lucky.

I don't need a steeze or a Stella. For my level and expectations Daiwa and Lews are fine, with a bunch of old Curados that won't fade away.