The annual drawing for a rod and reel starts today. This years drawing is for an Okuma Cedros CJ 30S reel on a Custom 8' St. Croix Bozerod (valued at 350.00) The drawing starts today March 23rd, 2013 and ends at midnight on June 30th, 2013.
Each and every rod and or reel you have serviced until June 30th will equal one entry. Good Luck, Michael

03/23/2013 - Drawing for Rod and Reel starts today

The annual drawing for a rod and reel starts today. This years drawing is for an Okuma Cedros CJ 30S reel on a Custom 8' St. Croix Bozerod (valued at 350.00) The drawing starts today March 23rd, 2013 and ends at midnight on June 30th, 2013.
Each and every rod and or reel you have serviced until June 30th will equal one entry. Good Luck, Michael

Since the Shimano G series came out late last year I have not seen one good thing written about these reels until Mr. Calixto Gonzales (TF&G Saltwater Editor) mentioned the 200 G7 in his artical. Mr. Gonzales was writing about using light tackle on the Texas coast. He stated he caught two redfish ( one over 30) on a Shimano 200 G7 mounted on a St. Croix inshore rod. His remark was that the drag played out smoothly and with no hesitation. He also remarked as to how the G7's guts were strong enough for the hostile denizens of the Texas coast.
The much more popular 200 E7 is out of production. You can still buy the reel in its new form as the Chronarch 200 E7. Still the same basic reel with a few changes, Including the $20.00 price increase.
When the E7 came out It had a MSRP of $179.95 Toward the end of the year most large retailers dropped the price to as low as $119.95 to make room for the new G series.I myself lowered my price to $129.00 What I remember most about the E's was that they wern't real popular until the end of the year when the G's were revealed.
When the much anticipated G model reels first appeared on the scene within days people were commenting on them, all negative. I dont know why there were so many negative comments about the new curados when hardly anyone had tried them yet. The biggest change had been in the handle. The E's have two ball bearings on the handle that the G's do not. While the bearings on the handle will make for a little easier turning handle pad. Most reels dont have bearings on the handle and turn very well with out them. The G's came out with a MSRP of $159.95 Twenty dollars less than the comparable E reel at the time. That would be equivelate to the price of two less bearings in Shimanos way of doing bussiness.
I have not used the new G model reel as of yet but plan to do so when Its time to start chunking croakers and piggies. When this happens I will know for myself If I like it or not.
I do have an opinion on Shimano reels. Most If not all of the Shimano reels I have used in the past performed very well. Other than the ABU revo's and round reels I use on occasion I use the older CU 200 and Castaic reels for most of my fishing.
Shimano has been building reels for a long time. I believe they build an exceptional reel. It works great, is easy to maintain and will last a long time with proper care. I know this to be true from my own expierence and the number of these reels that come thru the shop for cleaning and repair.
On the subject of the older CU 100 and 200 (the old green reels) there are a lot of fisherman ( myself included ) still using them today. Parts for the reel are running out. The CU 200 is comprised of 57 parts. The Shimano parts list shows 20 of these parts as NLA (no longer available) Some of the parts can be substituted with parts from other reels, some cannot. Some of the more important parts that are NLA are the yoke, frame, spool and left side plate.
You may still be able to find some of the parts thru some of the suppliers (Southwestern Parts, Nutters) but If they have It and the supply Is low the price sky rockets
Any fisherman who enjoys using the CU 200 and wants to do so as long as he can should consider buying a couple of them to sacrifice for parts. The old green reel has had a long and sucessfull run but one day unfortunatly it will come to an end.
Lets consider following the lead of the fishermen down south and get our trout limits lowered. Even if the law says you can keep ten fish a day you can still limit yourself. Always release what you dont need and keep praying for rain, it seems to work
Michael

03/23/2012 - Thank you Calixto!

Since the Shimano G series came out late last year I have not seen one good thing written about these reels until Mr. Calixto Gonzales (TF&G Saltwater Editor) mentioned the 200 G7 in his artical. Mr. Gonzales was writing about using light tackle on the Texas coast. He stated he caught two redfish ( one over 30) on a Shimano 200 G7 mounted on a St. Croix inshore rod. His remark was that the drag played out smoothly and with no hesitation. He also remarked as to how the G7's guts were strong enough for the hostile denizens of the Texas coast.
The much more popular 200 E7 is out of production. You can still buy the reel in its new form as the Chronarch 200 E7. Still the same basic reel with a few changes, Including the $20.00 price increase.
When the E7 came out It had a MSRP of $179.95 Toward the end of the year most large retailers dropped the price to as low as $119.95 to make room for the new G series.I myself lowered my price to $129.00 What I remember most about the E's was that they wern't real popular until the end of the year when the G's were revealed.
When the much anticipated G model reels first appeared on the scene within days people were commenting on them, all negative. I dont know why there were so many negative comments about the new curados when hardly anyone had tried them yet. The biggest change had been in the handle. The E's have two ball bearings on the handle that the G's do not. While the bearings on the handle will make for a little easier turning handle pad. Most reels dont have bearings on the handle and turn very well with out them. The G's came out with a MSRP of $159.95 Twenty dollars less than the comparable E reel at the time. That would be equivelate to the price of two less bearings in Shimanos way of doing bussiness.
I have not used the new G model reel as of yet but plan to do so when Its time to start chunking croakers and piggies. When this happens I will know for myself If I like it or not.
I do have an opinion on Shimano reels. Most If not all of the Shimano reels I have used in the past performed very well. Other than the ABU revo's and round reels I use on occasion I use the older CU 200 and Castaic reels for most of my fishing.
Shimano has been building reels for a long time. I believe they build an exceptional reel. It works great, is easy to maintain and will last a long time with proper care. I know this to be true from my own expierence and the number of these reels that come thru the shop for cleaning and repair.
On the subject of the older CU 100 and 200 (the old green reels) there are a lot of fisherman ( myself included ) still using them today. Parts for the reel are running out. The CU 200 is comprised of 57 parts. The Shimano parts list shows 20 of these parts as NLA (no longer available) Some of the parts can be substituted with parts from other reels, some cannot. Some of the more important parts that are NLA are the yoke, frame, spool and left side plate.
You may still be able to find some of the parts thru some of the suppliers (Southwestern Parts, Nutters) but If they have It and the supply Is low the price sky rockets
Any fisherman who enjoys using the CU 200 and wants to do so as long as he can should consider buying a couple of them to sacrifice for parts. The old green reel has had a long and sucessfull run but one day unfortunatly it will come to an end.
Lets consider following the lead of the fishermen down south and get our trout limits lowered. Even if the law says you can keep ten fish a day you can still limit yourself. Always release what you dont need and keep praying for rain, it seems to work
Michael

Its time for our annual drawing for a rod and reel. This years prize is a new Shimano Chronarch 100 D7 on a custom 7' Bozerod, medium power, fast tip, waiting for your name to be placed on it.Valued at over $500. For each rod or reel you have serviced from 3/1/2012 to 6/30/2012 you will receive one entry. Example, If you bring in one reel for service you get one entry, bring in one rod and four reels you get five entries. On the morning of July 1st 2012, one name will be drawn from all entries and he/she will win the prize. Good Luck Congradulations to Sean Reich, this years winner

02/21/2012 - Annual drawing for Rod and Reel

Its time for our annual drawing for a rod and reel. This years prize is a new Shimano Chronarch 100 D7 on a custom 7' Bozerod, medium power, fast tip, waiting for your name to be placed on it.Valued at over $500. For each rod or reel you have serviced from 3/1/2012 to 6/30/2012 you will receive one entry. Example, If you bring in one reel for service you get one entry, bring in one rod and four reels you get five entries. On the morning of July 1st 2012, one name will be drawn from all entries and he/she will win the prize. Good Luck Congradulations to Sean Reich, this years winner

1 Always avoid dipping your reel in water especially saltwater.After use in saltwater ALWAYS lightly spritz with fresh water to form beads that will run off. Never spray a hard stream.Remove spool if possible and allow to dry.
2 Avoid hitting your reel against rocks, docks,etc. Scratches and dents expose bare metal and cause corrosion.If your reels paint or chrome is flaking salt has got to the metal and should be treated soon.
3 Never drop a reel in sand, sand grains can damage drag disks and ball bearings. If this happens stop using it until you service it.
4 Make sure your reels are not exposed to saltwater spray.When in a boat,on the surf or jetty place your rod where it is least likely to get wet.
5 Immediately after each fishing trip, rinse the rod and reel under low pressure freshwater, then remove the spool, shake out any excess water and allow to to air dry before reassembly. Reels should NEVER be soaked for extended periods of time because water will penetrate ball bearings and cause them to rust, even though a ball bearing case might be stainless steel, the bearing itself may not be.Soaking can also cause jerky drags.
6 Always loosen the drag completely whenever the reel is not in use. This will prevent damage to the drag washers due to compression.
7 When storing saltwater reels you should remove all line and backing because the line will hold saltwater residue and can and will cause corrosion. This is the main reason most older Penn Senators have lost their chrome coating.
8 Don't store your reels in pouches or covers, especially if the reel is wet. It is always better to store your reel on a shelf or in a cabinet.
9 Fishing in Freshwater, If you fish only a few times a year (3 times or less)have your reel serviced at least once every year. If you fish regularly (4 times or more) have yor reel serviced once per year minimum.
10 Fishing in Saltwater,If you fish only a few times per year, have your reel serviced a minimum of once per year. If you fish on a regular basis your reel should be serviced two to four times per year.You can determine how often by having it serviced at a two to four month interval then ask the servicer how often he recommends by what it looks like internally. This way you could add or reduce service intervals accordingly while getting the maximum life out of your equipment.
11 For seasonal fishing it would be wise to have your reel serviced at the end of the fishing season rather than at the beginning of the next season. If moisture were to get inside your reel, then you put it aside for four or five months, some reel parts may become damaged from corrosion. If you are going to have it serviced anyway, the best time is at the end of the fishing season.
This guy waited to long

10/23/2011 - the Fishing Reel eleven commandments

1 Always avoid dipping your reel in water especially saltwater.After use in saltwater ALWAYS lightly spritz with fresh water to form beads that will run off. Never spray a hard stream.Remove spool if possible and allow to dry.
2 Avoid hitting your reel against rocks, docks,etc. Scratches and dents expose bare metal and cause corrosion.If your reels paint or chrome is flaking salt has got to the metal and should be treated soon.
3 Never drop a reel in sand, sand grains can damage drag disks and ball bearings. If this happens stop using it until you service it.
4 Make sure your reels are not exposed to saltwater spray.When in a boat,on the surf or jetty place your rod where it is least likely to get wet.
5 Immediately after each fishing trip, rinse the rod and reel under low pressure freshwater, then remove the spool, shake out any excess water and allow to to air dry before reassembly. Reels should NEVER be soaked for extended periods of time because water will penetrate ball bearings and cause them to rust, even though a ball bearing case might be stainless steel, the bearing itself may not be.Soaking can also cause jerky drags.
6 Always loosen the drag completely whenever the reel is not in use. This will prevent damage to the drag washers due to compression.
7 When storing saltwater reels you should remove all line and backing because the line will hold saltwater residue and can and will cause corrosion. This is the main reason most older Penn Senators have lost their chrome coating.
8 Don't store your reels in pouches or covers, especially if the reel is wet. It is always better to store your reel on a shelf or in a cabinet.
9 Fishing in Freshwater, If you fish only a few times a year (3 times or less)have your reel serviced at least once every year. If you fish regularly (4 times or more) have yor reel serviced once per year minimum.
10 Fishing in Saltwater,If you fish only a few times per year, have your reel serviced a minimum of once per year. If you fish on a regular basis your reel should be serviced two to four times per year.You can determine how often by having it serviced at a two to four month interval then ask the servicer how often he recommends by what it looks like internally. This way you could add or reduce service intervals accordingly while getting the maximum life out of your equipment.
11 For seasonal fishing it would be wise to have your reel serviced at the end of the fishing season rather than at the beginning of the next season. If moisture were to get inside your reel, then you put it aside for four or five months, some reel parts may become damaged from corrosion. If you are going to have it serviced anyway, the best time is at the end of the fishing season.
This guy waited to long