Are fishing reels important enough to take strongly opinionated positions about, or are they, at their heart, just another tool to do a job, and strictly a matter of personal preference?

It's still a $500 reel that you can't adjust without removing the handle and drag star.... wrong... the cast control cap (that red piece in the pic below) can be adjusted w/ your fingers: http://www.japantackle.com/Shimano/Shimano_Aldebaran_BFS1.jpg instead of being on the handle side as with most ...

I read the Daiwa vs Shimano review, and all I could think of was needing a pair of channel locks to adjust the spool tension on the Shimano reel. Not something I would do, or expect to have to do, with a reel of that price and quality. Maybe they're just setting us up to have to buy OEM aftermarket ...

I just read part 2. Another great read.
Thanks.

PeteRobbins wrote:"good friend and fellow outdoor writer Pete Robbins!"

That's Cal's nice way of saying "delusional blogger and tackle whore Pete Robbins"

He probably figures it goes without saying.

All my kids are too big to sell into slavery. Just my luck!
Cal sure makes it tempting to go.

Cal,
Reading your blow by blow was the next best thing to being there.
Thanks.
Mark