My favorite reel for bass is a Browning Syntec I won at a United Anglers
dinner. I have large hands and this reel fits them well as well as being a
smooth reel. Worst reel is a Shimano Corsair I bought to use for fishing
from my kayak. Talked to the tackle store the other day and Shimano will
swap it for free for the new model Corsair. Casts bad, and the line gets
caught between the spool and frame. As to spinners, I have a Diawa I bought
about 20 years ago in Tampa on a business trip to fish off the shore when I
had extra time. Still is smooth as glass. Fought a 40+# salmon in the Sac
Delta for 2 hours on 6# test line, before the line frayed on the gill
rakers. My newest Shimano Spinner is a 2000 AKX (?) and is slightly rough
when reeling and takes too much effort to get the bail to close when
winding. As too why I was fighting a salmon on 6#? Was throwing a
rattletrap for 3-6# stripers in the lower delta and the salmon decided to
hook up.

"TNBass" wrote in message
...
What happened to your Abu? Those things are built like Grandpa's axe....
when the handle breaks, replace it.... when the head breaks, replace
it....
and repeat for generations. Chances are, replacement of just a part or two
and a good cleaning, and that Ambassadeur will be as good as new. I've
repaired and rebuilt dozens of them, and I still use eight or nine of them
regularly that date back to the early sixties.

I'll admit that when The Rodmaker or BassPro let me use their Shimano
reels,
it's evident that I've jumped ahead a few decades in technology. They are
more compact and are more comfortable to palm during retrieves; they
provide
a firm hookset without the "clunk" that I always get with my Ambassadeurs;
they have smooth drag systems; they cast lightweight lures like a
dream....
much less effort, fewer backlashes, and further distances. They look
pretty
sharp in the rod locker, too.... like a row of little BMW G3's parked in
the
garage. However, as those who have fished with me can attest, I'm more of
a
rusty, dented pickup kind of guy, so I'll stick with my old, round, red
reels.

According to my chief authority on reel repair, Quantums are good
reels....
to steer clear of, that is. He's as fond of Quantums as dentists are of
Halloween.... they provide plenty of opportunities for him to ply his
trade.
On the other hand, if he had to make a living repairing just Shimano
reels,
he said he'd probably starve to death.
--
TNBass
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www.secretweaponlures.com -------------------=- 0')))
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"Darin Lee" wrote in message
...
was wondering if anyone can answer a question on baitcasting reels. In
shopping around online looking for a new reel for next season I can find
all
kinds of info on ratio's and retrieval rates etc....but what I really want
to know is how well it casts! My old two bearing Abu reel...now junk
unfortunately...casted smooth, easy, and fast....distance and accurracy
were
great...my newer Mitchell and Quantum do not cast near as well as the old
abu...what do I look for? How do I know I am getting a smooth casting
reel?

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