A reel to match!

[PaulR]

I recently bought an LTA -a 7' medium action spinning rod for soft plastic use (and topwater use) for largemouth bass. And I must admit I was a tad sceptical. (I'm a bit hype sensitive.) In fact I almost returned it upon receiving it -what a mistake that would have been! "It's not THAT much lighter than other top rods," I thought. But then I put it on a scale, along with all my other rods, and at 3.5oz. it was nearly 25% lighter than my other rods that were a foot shorter! "OK, I'll give it a workout," I decided.

The rod has a very powerful mid and butt section -a rather powerful medium action -but the tip is light. And it took me some time to adjust. I kept trying to power out casts -as I would with a MH rod. Finally I got smart and let the tip do the pitching, and distance and real accuracy just took care of itself. I was pretty excited about being able to stand tucked into a brushy shoreline (I'm a small water bank fisher), with just the tip of that rod protruding from the cover, and be able to pitch that lure a long way with exeptional accuracy. And I took some really nice bass with it -I managed an 18", a 19" and a third just shy of 20" -pretty good fish for my waters here in Colorado. The rod ( - - blocked - - ) home splattered with mud and algae, was unreturnable I suppose at that point, but the thought never entered my head. I was pretty well sold. Especially after I solved the second problem...

With my LTA weighing only 3.5oz. it was a crime to put my "heavy" Daiwa BG15 reel on it. Don't get me wrong, I love that reel, but at 12oz. it was simply too heavy. I searched the catalogs and couldn't find another reel, that had a large enough spool to offer casting distance, that was much lighter. (The Daiwa SS Tournament series would only save me an oz.).

I then found and purchased the Ray Scott SuperCaster spinning reel, and at 8oz. (with the graphite spool) I have a 7' soft plastics spinning outfit that weighs in total less than almost every other reel on the market!

I also have to mention a bit about rod sensitivity. I've been fishing for a while, and spent a lot of my formative years using glass, then S-Glass, then graphite. And I believe that the single most important factor affecting a rod's sensitivity (of comparable modulus), is the rod's weight. It simply doesn't take much to move that LTA/SuperCaster combo in my hand, and of course the rigidity exists in the blank to transmit all the ticks and taps a good soft plastic lure receives. In fact I had to be careful not to snap a little guy into the brush behing me. The definition of tips and taps sort of got confused there for a while.

Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with this rig. And I urge all you spinning tackle users to look into the SuperCaster reel. It's the right reel for the LTA.

[Lightninrod]

Excellant review PR! I too still marvel at how light my 7' MC baitcaster is. Coupled with a Daiwa TDZ, the combo weighs less than 11ounces ! Truly a joy to use and to catch Bass with.

Dan

[Koyak]

Paul,

I have a SuperCaster also and it is one sweet reel. I've used it on my three different rods - ray Scott Sportackle, Custom made rod, and the 7 Helium spinner.

My conclusion - I need to buy 2 more supercaster reels and one more Helium spinning rod . I've used 4 - 12 lb test lines on the supercaster and it works very well. It is the best spinner when it comes to managing line twists.

THe helium spinning rod is just a sweet rod! ..What more can you say about the rod.

Mike

[jcheetam]

I've absolutely fallen in love with my 7' MH Helium Spinning rod! I am most impressed with the reel seat, it makes every other reel seat seem bulky in comparison. I have mine paired with a Shimano Stradic 2500 MGF and it is one sweet combo.

[Koyak]

paul R,

I finally tried fishing small spinner bait with this combo and I am getting some horrible lines twists. I don't have line twist problems when i am fishing soft plastics or sliders. It seems that lures that create line tension create line twist problems. Also, after I reel in a bass I get some the same horrible line twists. Could it be that line tension while fishing this reel creates line twists? I am seriously thinking about sending this reel back.

mike

[Lightninrod]

[PaulR]

Hi Mike,

I haven't experienced the problem you mentioned, that I can remember anyway. In fact I have very few twist problems. I did however give up on spinning tackle for spinnerbait use years ago, switching to levelwind gear. (I carry two or three rods with me). Spinnerbaits are just too much work for spinning reels -especially with fast retrieves as when bulging a tandem. They put undue stress on the handle, bail, and gears (although this last may be less a problem now with all the extra bearings new designs offer).

Line twist is a part of spinning tackle I suppose, however you can minimize it, or in many cases eliminate it. Here's what I do (much you probably know):

-When loading the reel make sure the line comes off the filler spool in the same direction as the rotor turns (most reels go clockwise).

-Don't overfill unless you can handle it (skill-wise and emotionally!).

-Avoid very stiff or very soft lines. I've had few problems with Trilene XL, XT, Berkley Sensation (I like this line!). I've had more management problems with Maxima Chameleon (stiff) and Berkley Ultra-Thin (super soft). I'm having no problems with Spiderwire Stealth braid (outside of the inherent challenges of using something more akin the sewing thread than nylon -but that's another story).

-Only load as much line as you need. For bass 100 yards is plenty. (For Chinook salmon I need 300 regardless of line test). Since the diameter of the filler spool is usually larger than the reel's spool, you will get some twist as you load up, and it accumulates the more you put on.

-Use a reel with a large spool diameter, and avoid reels with small spool diameters like the plague they are!

-BACKREEL!!!!!! Drag is unneccesary and twists the line. Tighten the drag all the way down when fishing, switch off the antireverse and give line to a fish only when you need to. It's easy, puts you in control, and the line comes off the reel the way it went on, with NO added twist. (I even backreel Chinooks. No kidding!)

-If you are using lures that twist the line, have just newly loaded a long length of line, or have had line taken off the reel via the reel's drag, take the time to clip off the lure and hang the line in the water to allow it to de-twist. It's worth the few minutes it takes.

Hmmmm...think that's all there is to it.

Paul

[Koyak]

Paul,

Great tips!

I've been fishing daiwa spinners for the many years and i never had these line twist problems. I agree with you the baitcasters are much better for spinner baits but when I am fishing from the shore or wading a river, it's a hassle to carry two plus rods. Oh well. It's back to the Daiwas. I guess I'm going to have to send the supercaster back and dish out the 300 for a japanese Daiwa.

Mike

[PaulR]

Mike,

I re-read your post and realize I may have babbled on uneccessarily. Sorry for the unasked for advice.

Sorry to hear your SuperCaster isn't working out. It's time the other reel companies got with it in terms of spinning reel weight though.

And, to answer your original question, no, I haven't had the problem you mentioned specifically with the SuperCaster -yet. I've only fished soft plastics with it so far. I'll check it out though. I only plan to use it for soft plastic/finesse use so I probably won't send it back even if it does twist under tension.

To tell you the truth I can't imagine what could be causing the problem, outside of reeling while the drag is slipping, or maybe a roller problem. The drag screw has a lot of travel, could it be set a bit loose? The drag clicker is on the quiet side. Maybe the roller is not doing it's job? Is it stuck? Tolerances too close? I checked mine and it rolls just fine under tension. I can't think of anything else that could cause this. But, I'll go ahead and pitch a spinnerbait with it just to see.

As far as carrying extra rods.... I usually carry more than one rod. I just set the others down while I fish. If I'm wading, I stick the extra rod into my right hip boot. I did just see a "rod sling" for sale in a magazine ad. Inexpensive ($10.00) and obviously easy to make. It's a nylon or poly strap with a cup sewn in the bottom to hold the rod, and the rest is slung over the shoulder. If it really keeps the rod out of the way it could be useful. Maybe I can rig one that'll carry 2, 3...an extra tackle box maybe???? Although I have to laugh when I hear bass fishing being compared to golf, (I see bass as a hole that chases your ball!), they are similar in one respect -it's tough trying to play 18 holes with only one club.

all the best,

Paul