Tag Archives: spin fishing

Testing Out a Major Craft Finetail Banshee FBA-602L

I’ve never been one to care about matching rods to reels when it comes to colors, but when I saw the Finetail Banshee…I couldn’t resist! When I ran across the rod on Digitaka’s website I thought WOW, “that rod would pair up perfectly with my Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 spinning reel.” So I pulled the trigger.

I have been wanting to try a rod with Fuji Titanium Guides and Torzite inserts. CHECK

I wanted to try a Fuji TVS reel seat. CHECK

So I took the rod out this morning and was pleased with its action and power rating. With a flick of the wrist I can cast a 2.2 gram jig a LONG ways. And as you can see…they pair up nicely with each other!

Caught 4 Little Bass This Morning…

The wife and I went to a local lake to fish for about an hour this morning. We ended up catching 4 between us so that means the skunk is off her hands!

It is good to see them starting to move into the shallows finally. The temperature was 55F and sunny with winds out of the South-Southwest around 10mph. The water temperature was still around 50F but it is warming.

I was using the Major Craft Finetail Stream Switch Style rod and she was using her TenRyu Super Yamame rod. Although it was a short outing, we both had a lot of fun.

If the weather trend continues…we’ll be fishing a lot more often.

Got Out With the Major Craft Finetail Stream Switch Rod Today…

I paired this rod with the 2020 Shimano Vanford 1000F reel and it worked well. I am liking this rod due to the portability and action…it’s really sensitive and casts light lures well.

It was a joy to cast and I am looking forward to trying it on a specific stream in Arkansas that I have in mind. It’s quite a hike to get to the water and I think this rod will be perfect.

Stay tuned for that trip…

Exploratory Trip 14MAR2021

We said to heck with the weather and went to a nearby river to see if the White Bass had moved upstream on their spawning run. Of course we were checking to see if the Neosho-strain smallmouth had decided to come out as well.

The stream was in great shape with a decent flow, but it was still in the low 50F’s. Still a bit cold for things to start properly moving but that will begin to change soon.

Unfortunately, no fish were caught, although we did run across a few fingerling smallmouth bass romping around in the shallows.

Needless to say…we just needed to get out!

My, How Far We’ve Come…

I was sitting here at my desk looking at the Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 spinning reel and glanced over at my display case full of vintage reels.

The Bache Brown MasterReel #2 caught my eye so I pulled it out. It truly feels like a “coffee grinder” and weighs a ton, and it has a cork spool hub too. I’m sure it was state-of-the-art back in its day. But there is no comparison to the Presso LTD. The Daiwa feels like you’re “reeling air” because its so smooth and has bearings exactly where you need them.

I’m typing away while listening to Aphex Twin- “Lichen” Extended. If you ever listen to this artist…you’ll have no choice but to be immersed in reflection and contemplation! And it suits my mood today as I clean fishing gear and tackle, re-spool a few reels and check that everything is in order and ready to go.

And I wonder what the original owner of this Bache Brown #2 was thinking. Was he as enamored with his new reel as I am with my new Daiwa Presso LTD? I’d bet even money that he was…