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UL spinning reel upgrade

Yesterday i made a serious upgrade to my bluegill setup (Okuma Celilo 5'6" UL w/ 80s shimanno speed-master series reel 2-bearings) the reel whaich was great in the eighties just doesnt match up with todays reels in smoothness and deeper spool width for castability. I added the Pflueger Trion series reel 4725GX withe spider wire 8# rated braid 1# test mono diameter equivalent. All i can say is the sensitivity level of this rig is now off the charts. on a fifty foot cast into seventeen feet of water i could actually feel the diameter of the gravel change with acute awareness. the only bluegill i caught was about 6" but it felt like a smallmouth hitting a jig on my larger bass rigs. I held off as long as i could upgrading this line on my panfish rig (because of the expense of braid) but was well worth it!!

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Comment by Slip Sinker on July 29, 2016 at 6:48am: thanks Gary fo r your very kind comment!... this site has really turned me around in the way i fish... i was largely a LMB and SMB fisherman... now mainly UL and panfishing. whenever i find a useful tip on my trips i like to share.

Comment by Gary Boysen on July 29, 2016 at 4:24am: 36 pages of awesome pics and tips. I've been up since 4:30am, gone through a pot of coffee and learned a ton while enjoying your posts and the guys' comments. I'll be getting a UL set-up in the near future. I've got a few of Carl's jelly jigs that are in need of getting wet.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on May 20, 2012 at 5:44pm: Buy fishing gear before paying the mortgage... theres a man after my own heart.

Comment by Slip Sinker on May 20, 2012 at 11:15am: here is that vintage shimano speedmaster cx 1000sq. circa approximately 1983, small narrow spool was terrible with mono but with braid and a thorough cleaning and oiling spooled with braid it is finding new life on my 5.5 Celilo ul rod.

a great feature on this reel was the fighting drag.

many revolutions on this reel.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on May 20, 2012 at 11:05am: LOL Nice one Ken. Sorry, if I do that, let just say my wife has my balls hung and bash like a pinata.

Comment by Slip Sinker on May 20, 2012 at 10:56am: Leo... i do things a little different. before i pay my bills or buy food i head to the tackle store with a list to fill. ;)

Comment by Slip Sinker on May 20, 2012 at 10:43am: Definitely the line makes the most significant change in sensitivity. Ive been using braid since 2005 and i believe I've increased my catch ratio significantly.

Since posting last nov i have purchased two other Celilo rods. A 4.5 foot and the 7 foot ultralight rods all spooled with 1lb test mono dia 8lb braid. AWESOME ADDITIONS! the best way i could describe my fishing sensations fishing with the 7 fter is that of fly-fishing. On my first outing with this rod (spooled with high visibility yellow spider wire) yielded about 50 crappies. Casting up against the bank or seawalls. What a blast!

The 4.5 ft rod feels like i was arm wrestling with the panfish. A much better fight experience.

The old 80s shimano reel was stripped down and cleaned of all the old dried grease and reoiled. Now runs very smooth and is now mounted on the 5.5 fter and used for bobber and bait.

Just got back from the lake shore fishing and caught a smorgasbord of fish including white-bass rock-bass, bass, and crappie. No gills. They are currently bedding right now but not in this rocky area of shoreline

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on May 13, 2012 at 4:59pm: Okay so the question begs to be asked - did the reel change the response. or the line?

Comment by Slip Sinker on May 13, 2012 at 2:56pm: usually when snagged with a light wire hooked jig the jig usually pulls free with a slight to moderate straightening of the hook.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on February 27, 2012 at 3:53pm: Nice combo Ken. I'm serious when it comes to creating a saving account called BBG Saving. Hang around here long enough, you'll be investing in tons of gears because everyone here is so in-tuned to catch the gills. Seriously though, gill's gears can handle huge fish!