Search found 152 matches

by North Branch
Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:29 pm
Forum: Reels
Topic: Reel for St Croix XS68MXF; Stradic or Fuego
Replies: 6
Views: 5000

Re: Reel for St Croix XS68MXF; Stradic or Fuego

Those three reels... the Stradic, Fuego, and Patriarch get compared on here quite frequently. There are a couple of good threads on them. In the end, everyone has their favorite... mine happens to be the CI4.
by North Branch
Sat Feb 18, 2012 2:48 am
Forum: Maintenance & SuperTuning Q&A
Topic: Spinning reel drags
Replies: 5
Views: 3663

Re: Spinning reel drags

I finished cleaning all my bait casting reels and treated all the drags with Cal,s drag grease. What do I do with my spinning reel drags? My quantums have 1 synthetic washer and 1 ceramic. Do I just clean and use Cal,s or what? Also any good forums or sites for spinning reels and cleaning? 1/3 of m...
by North Branch
Sat Feb 11, 2012 2:49 am
Forum: Reels
Topic: Stradic Ci4 3000 - Bail Trip Problem
Replies: 20
Views: 11087

Re: Stradic Ci4 3000 - Bail Trip Problem

I have 3 CI4'S, and all of the bails close easily by turning the handle. You may have a bad one, or you may be trying to close the bail with it in a position to close to the spot that trips the bail. If you are going to close using the handle, make sure it is farther away from the trip. That way mom...
by North Branch
Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:05 am
Forum: Fly Fishing
Topic: StCroix fly
Replies: 3
Views: 5657

Re: StCroix fly

Well, your in luck... or maybe not in luck. :D I've been in the market for a less expensive fly rod. I narrowed my search down to a 9' 5wt Imperial or a 9' 5wt Winston Passport. Unfortunately, my local fly shop only had a 9' Imperial and a 9' Avid... no Passport. So, I got to try out the Imperial vs...
by North Branch
Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:01 pm
Forum: Show and Tell
Topic: Personal best Smallmouth
Replies: 15
Views: 6016

Re: Personal best Smallmouth

Sweet smallie!

Awesome that you put her back too! There are some great genes to pass on there. =D>
by North Branch
Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:20 am
Forum: Custom Rods
Topic: Some general questions on rod bulding
Replies: 15
Views: 9086

Re: Some general questions on rod bulding

minimal finish and thread. also good construction practices for bonding the reel seat to blank. graphite arbors + rod bond = good masking tape =bad Yep, I had a look at my custom LX and compared it to my over the counter LE. You can tell that Matt used slightly less thread, and with the smaller gui...
by North Branch
Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:31 pm
Forum: Fishing Line
Topic: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning
Replies: 11
Views: 5469

Re: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning

I was told, and tried the Fish-N-Fool knot that won Knot Wars. It is supposed to work well with slippery braids too. It certainly worked well with the 832 last year. If I try the Samurai again, or the the PP Super Slick I'll try them with the F-N-F knot. If that doesn't work all give the polamar kno...
by North Branch
Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:32 am
Forum: Fishing Line
Topic: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning
Replies: 11
Views: 5469

Re: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning

phatbass wrote:palomar
Thanks, I'll give it a try, but I'm not a big fan of the palomar knot on bigger lures... especially with trebles. It takes about 2 feet of line to tie the knot. :lol: Just kidding. :mrgreen:
by North Branch
Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:59 am
Forum: Fishing Line
Topic: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning
Replies: 11
Views: 5469

Re: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning

phatbass wrote:you don't need anything more then 20lb samuari for finnesse and besides breaking strength has never been an issue with the proper knot and its still the best .
Just curious, what knot do you use to tie your Samurai directly to the lure?
by North Branch
Sun Feb 05, 2012 7:22 am
Forum: Custom Rods
Topic: Some general questions on rod bulding
Replies: 15
Views: 9086

Re: Some general questions on rod bulding

Actually, i would argue that your rod is more sensitive because of the way it is built forward of the reel seat! Other than the better, lighter and smaller guides, what else "forward of the reel seat" would contribute to the sensitivity? I like your explanation of the "balance" and sensitivity... m...
by North Branch
Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:39 am
Forum: Custom Rods
Topic: Some general questions on rod bulding
Replies: 15
Views: 9086

Re: Some general questions on rod bulding

- Weight can effect sensitivity anywhere on the rod, including the butt - it will effect the entire rod to some degree... and on some builds, it can really kill the sensitivity. Others builds, it might not be noticeable. But it is true that the closer the weight is to the tip, the more effect it wi...
by North Branch
Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:17 pm
Forum: Reels
Topic: I've Never Owned a Baitcaster, What am I missing?
Replies: 24
Views: 9125

Re: I've Never Owned a Baitcaster, What am I missing?

North Branch: Thanks for you answers. I'm not trying to argue but in my area there isn't a lot of musky but people do seem to put a lot of pressure on them. There are lots of musky fishermen but they don't catch a whole lot of anything. Big northerns are push overs and I do fish for them regularly....
by North Branch
Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:40 pm
Forum: Fishing Line
Topic: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning
Replies: 11
Views: 5469

Re: 832 vs Samurai for finesse Spinning

Something to consider on Samurai: I've seen some independent tests on breaking strength of most of the mainstream braids, as well as personal experience. A 20 lb Samurai will break at 20 lbs only on a tensile strength test. Once you add a knot to the equation it is going to break a bit lighter (20-...
by North Branch
Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:23 am
Forum: Reels
Topic: I've Never Owned a Baitcaster, What am I missing?
Replies: 24
Views: 9125

Re: I've Never Owned a Baitcaster, What am I missing?

Well, think of a baitcaster as a direct drive winch. Everything is aligned horizontally versus the vertical alignment of a spinning reel. It simply gives the baitcaster more "pulling" power so to speak. That makes it advantageous for fishing bigger lures, handling bigger fish, and working heavy cove...
by North Branch
Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 am
Forum: Freshwater
Topic: light spinning reel, fuego, patriarch or Ci4 ?
Replies: 26
Views: 16161

Re: light spinning reel, fuego, patriarch or Ci4 ?

I wouldn't say that the 9530 is "bigger" than the 2500 series Shimano reels. It's about the same size. Whatever the case the difference is not noticeable. Bronzeye makes a good point about the wider spool reducing the coiling. I use braid, so it's a non issue for me, but I still prefer the wider spo...