The absolut worst ever 2024

Raul reply :

Which is the absolut worse tackle, gear, boat, etc ( fishing related ) you have ever purchased or received ( yeah, they usually come as gift ) in your life. To me having a distinguished place in the "Hall of Shame" are:

Line:

Magnum 7/20 & Magnum 14/40.- wohooo, got most of you on that one, didn 't I ? ;D, perhaps not many have heard of it but this line was developed by DuPont ( when it still owned Stren ), in theory the line was either 7 or 14 lb test diameter with 20 or 40 pound resistance, it was a eliptical shape line supposedly designed for BCs only, according to them the eliptical shape made the line lay flat on the reel. It behaved horrendously ( zero castability and more memory than a pack of elephants ), it had more air and water drag than a parachute and it was quite a triumph to tie a decent knot with it.

Lures:

Aside from you know which ones ( TV lures ).-

Heddon Cousin and Heddon Cousin II.- Oh boy, these ones have been in my tackle box for more than two decades ( actually they are in the Memories T-box ) and I 've never caught even a friggin cold with any. They are so bad that they don 't even hang up ! , have thrown them in the nastiest cover and they come out of it like if nothing happened, but I bet I throw one of my Megabass inside of that and it 's going to hang up in an eyeblink. :

Rapala 's Long Cast Minnow.- yeah, even in this world a company known for it 's excellent reputation can have a skeleton in the closet, this is it. Yeh, yeh, it does cast nice but be careful where you throw it cuz if it touches something hard the teeny tiny lip is going to break and you end up with a fancy Spook.

Reels:

Daiwa PT33SH.- one of the first "burner reels" I don 't know if they remanufactured it but the old one I gave away was an authentic POS, the quality was nothing to be desired, it had the lousiest drag I 've ever seen ( a Zebco 33 had smoother drag than that thing ), it made all sorts of noises and when you reeled in it felt like a coffee grinder.

Daiwa 's computerized reel.- kool looking worthless POS, it had a small "puter" sitting on top with a LCD screen that supposedly told you how much line went away in the cast and how much line had been retrieved, only problem was that the 'puter was good for 2 casts. Another thing it had ( pretty innovative ) was the levelwind assembly, when you pressed the thumb bar the line guide parted into two pieces, ech one moved laterally to allow the line to flow without "obstructions" , oh it did make some nice casts and everything was fine until you engaged the spool with the handle, the line guide closed ....... trapping the darn line between the two pieces !

Quantums classic baitcasters.- yup, they started back during the age of the dinosaurs for those who don 't know it, lousy drag, lousy bearings, coffee grinder feel and a disposable pinion.

bass109 reply :

some people love stren but i dont

berkley Rattl'r, flying lure, ambush stealth diver,

Olebiker reply :

Shakespeare 1969 baitcaster. I was too poor back in 1969 to afford an Ambassadeur so I bought this one and put it on a Fenwick Lunker Stik. Both of them really stunk up the joint.

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

Quote
Which is the absolut worse tackle, gear, boat, etc ( fishing related ) you have ever purchased or received ( yeah, they usually come as gift ) in your life. To me having a distinguished place in the "Hall of Shame" are:
Line:

Magnum 7/20 & Magnum 14/40.- wohooo, got most of you on that one, didn 't I ? ;D, perhaps not many have heard of it but this line was developed by DuPont ( when it still owned Stren ), in theory the line was either 7 or 14 lb test diameter with 20 or 40 pound resistance, it was a eliptical shape line supposedly designed for BCs only, according to them the eliptical shape made the line lay flat on the reel. It behaved horrendously ( zero castability and more memory than a pack of elephants ), it had more air and water drag than a parachute and it was quite a triumph to tie a decent knot with it.

Lures:

Aside from you know which ones ( TV lures ).-

Heddon Cousin and Heddon Cousin II.- Oh boy, these ones have been in my tackle box for more than two decades ( actually they are in the Memories T-box ) and I 've never caught even a friggin cold with any. They are so bad that they don 't even hang up ! , have thrown them in the nastiest cover and they come out of it like if nothing happened, but I bet I throw one of my Megabass inside of that and it 's going to hang up in an eyeblink. :

Rapala 's Long Cast Minnow.- yeah, even in this world a company known for it 's excellent reputation can have a skeleton in the closet, this is it. Yeh, yeh, it does cast nice but be careful where you throw it cuz if it touches something hard the teeny tiny lip is going to break and you end up with a fancy Spook.

Reels:

Daiwa PT33SH.- one of the first "burner reels" I don 't know if they remanufactured it but the old one I gave away was an authentic POS, the quality was nothing to be desired, it had the lousiest drag I 've ever seen ( a Zebco 33 had smoother drag than that thing ), it made all sorts of noises and when you reeled in it felt like a coffee grinder.

Daiwa 's computerized reel.- kool looking worthless POS, it had a small "puter" sitting on top with a LCD screen that supposedly told you how much line went away in the cast and how much line had been retrieved, only problem was that the 'puter was good for 2 casts. Another thing it had ( pretty innovative ) was the levelwind assembly, when you pressed the thumb bar the line guide parted into two pieces, ech one moved laterally to allow the line to flow without "obstructions" , oh it did make some nice casts and everything was fine until you engaged the spool with the handle, the line guide closed ....... trapping the darn line between the two pieces !

Quantums classic baitcasters.- yup, they started back during the age of the dinosaurs for those who don 't know it, lousy drag, lousy bearings, coffee grinder feel and a disposable pinion.

I used the 7/20 stuff it sailed UP LOL

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

The

Walking

Worm

(hiding head between legs,...yes, I bought them)

Triton21 reply :

The Dawia MILLIONAIRE. I had an early red, pearl handle 5000 in the 60's and thought that I could save $20 and got a Millionare.

What a POS!!!! Lasted about 2 months and the 5000 still works as well as when it came out of the box.

Kelley

frogtog reply :

Helicopter lure and that Flying lure have you ever. ;D

Spencer W reply :

Quantum Accurist baitcaster, lasted about 10 outings before it went in the garbage. I didn't use it much but it was out of warranty.

justfishin reply :

Raul,

I remember that oval line. Man, that was some horrible stuff ! I remember the first time I tried to feather it on a baitcaster when pitchin to a specific target, it was ugly, lol. I also remember all the PR about that line, we all wanted it,lol. Hmmm, reminds me of some of the line out nowadays !!!

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Every spinnerbait I have ever bought :

Yo-Zuri X-Tex ... the only line I have ever completely despooled (on purpose :) after about 10 cast at the lake

Ghetto_Basser reply :

Iron Silk fishing line

Mattlures reply :

Shimano corsair. worst reel ever. Dont get me wrong Shimano is still top dog but every company has a flop

Sam reply :

Bass Pro Shop Johnny Morris baitcaster.

Totally destroyed itself on Smith Mountian Lake for no apparant reason the first time I used it.

Took it back to the Hampton, Virgnia BPS store and the guy told me he would give me a full refund towards another reel.

I asked him what reel he would suggest and he said the Shimano Curado as he said the Johnny Morris baitcaster was not a good reel.

So, I made the trade and received a small credit.

So far no problems with any Shimano baitcasters.

T-rig reply :

Daiwa Regal 2500xi spinning reel.

Smith Hutley's Vassallo lure.

Catt reply :

Shimano Curado with the flippin switch on the side, at least I think it was on the side cause it's sitting at the bottom of the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

Del from philly reply :

IRON SILK LINE-you guys were right!.....its like casting metal wire (nice for nots tho)

Shakespear composite rod- Snapped 2 of these in 2 days.......break SO EASY

basser89 reply :

I was SOOOO close to adding another vote for Iron Silk but since its the absolute worst ever, I have to give my vote for Berkley Vanish Transition! At least with the Iron Silk, you weren't going to loose a 3/8oz spinnerbait on the first cast you made with it! ;D BAD Vanish! BAD! Vanish

Bankbeater reply :

When my wife and two girls ask me what I want for Father's Day and my birthday I always tell them GIFT CARDS. They tend to buy reels, rods, and lures based on how pretty they look.

Ghetto_Basser reply :

What's even more awsome is that on Ebay right now you can buy Iron Silk for 30.00 bucks for a 330 yard spool. ;D

Siebert Outdoors reply :

quantum ex 300

vanish

Lucky craft. THere I said it. Take that. Now your asking why. Paint doesnt last and have yet to have one that actually suspends. 1 out of 3 was close the others I had to change hooks and split rings so they wouldnt sink tail first. Price vs quality just isnt there for me. X raps last longer and actually suspend.

Dont get me wrong they are good lures but my luck hasnt been good with them. Its just a lure I dont need. For the 45 bones I spent for those 3 I could have got alot more for my money. Something about those lures and I just dont get along. So I dont buy them.

beetlespin91 reply :

shakespear synergy 10, my first outing with it i has a bass on and the drag went out so the line broke.

cajun red line, it didnt cast good and every time i got a good fish it would break.

heddon torpedos i just cant catch anything with them.

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

Quote
quantum ex 300
vanish

Lucky craft. THere I said it. Take that. Now your asking why. Paint doesnt last and have yet to have one that actually suspends. 1 out of 3 was close the others I had to change hooks and split rings so they wouldnt sink tail first. Price vs quality just isnt there for me. X raps last longer and actually suspend.

Dont get me wrong they are good lures but my luck hasnt been good with them. Its just a lure I dont need. For the 45 bones I spent for those 3 I could have got alot more for my money. Something about those lures and I just dont get along. So I dont buy them.

I am positive RW will tell you to take them back for an exchange, but doing it with every lure would get a little tedious to me.....

I own one, American Shad Pointer....I bought it simply b/c it is cool looking. I am too afraid to lose a $15 lure that it just sits in the box. I look at it occasionally, admire the craftsmaship and then shut the box again LOL

Avalonjohn44 reply :

Line: Yo Zuri Hybrid - Kinked up and slipped off the reel, was very brittle.

Reel: Okuma Helix Spinning reel - Usually Okuma is pretty good, and maybe I got a plain old defective reel, but mine flat out sucks. The bail won't close when you start reeling, it only half-closes. Many times the drag won't engage and the bail flips open.

Lures: Berkley Frenzy Cranks, Matzuo America Cranks, both cheaply made wastes of plastic and metal.

RoLo reply :

MY BLACKBALL LIST

Browning Rods Unprovoked breakage

Shakespeare Spinning Reels Disgraceful workmanship

Quantum Casting Reels Fragile gearing (twice)

Stren Mono Too wiry for spinning

Humminbird Depth Sounder Corrode where Lowrance will not

Strike King Grass Frogs Fuse with any plastic they touch!!

Roger

roadwarrior reply :

Quote
Lucky craft. THere I said it. Take that. Now your asking why. Paint doesnt last and have yet to have one that actually suspends. 1 out of 3 was close the others I had to change hooks and split rings so they wouldnt sink tail first.

WHAT!

The only explanation I can think of is that someone lifted the lures that were rejected at the factory and resold them to GMAN.

Or, maybe he's just pulling our collective legs!

roadwarrior reply :

Quote
Line: Yo Zuri Hybrid - Kinked up and slipped off the reel, was very brittle.

WHAT!

Are you conspiring with GMAN?

llPa1nll reply :

Oh GMAN totally forgot about those quantum POS reels. After that I switched to Abu Garcia, Shimano and Diawa and have never bought a quantum reel again. So my list.

Quantum ex 300 reels

Berkley tournament strength line (can u say one hookset and you break it off constantly)

Berkley vanish fluorocarbon

Dean Rojas Spro Frogs paint peels off these on the first fish, at $8 each I was pretty disappointed with that.

Mike's Silver Buddy replicas the finish and paint comes off in your hands (silver tainted finger tips, Lovely)

Poe's wooden crank baits (I have allot of these the wood has cracked and now they suspend/sink)

Lucky Craft Man reply :

Here would be my list:

- G Loomis Rods

- Shimano reels

- Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line

- Any Gary Yamamoto Lures (especially the Fat Ika)

RW are you still alive?

Actually my true list would include:

- Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon (I was able to break 12 lb. test with my bare hands)

- Gorilla Braid (They shouldn't be allowed to sell that crap)

- SPRO Frogs (I couldn't hook a single fish - though from what I hear I got a bad one with a denser then usual body)

Daniel My Brother reply :

Quote
Here would be my list:
- G Loomis Rods

- Shimano reels

- Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line

- Any Gary Yamamoto Lures (especially the Fat Ika)

I would just like to add that Memphis BBQ is overrated.

roadwarrior reply :

Quote

Quote
Here would be my list:
- G Loomis Rods

- Shimano reels

- Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line

- Any Gary Yamamoto Lures (especially the Fat Ika)

I would just like to add that Memphis BBQ is overrated.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8-)

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

Quote
What's even more awsome is that on Ebay right now you can buy Iron Silk for 30.00 bucks for a 330 yard spool. ;D

I use it on a few reeels baitcasting only its great for that its really strong and straightens out when u cast from coils to a very sensitive line

.dsaavedra. reply :

i bught a shakespeare synergy spinning combo from kmart once, first day after 8 2-3lb bass the thing wouldnt reel anymore. i think the bearings all fell out...cuz it rattled too.

fisherguy12 reply :

kick tail(live pointer type lure with 5 joints)the tail broke 2nd time using it

Redlinerobert reply :

That I purchased:

Yozuri Hybrid line. Should be called Yozuri Inbred line.

That was a gift:

A box full of inline spinners. I think the largest was 1/8 oz, I have no idea what ever happened to that box.

guest reply :

worst line was the yo-zuri x tex or something. How such a quality company could sell such god awful crap line is beyond me.

Anything with the word "Shakespeare" on it.

Most underrated product. - The zebco 33. A much maligned classic, it works and is alot of fun to fish.

justfishin reply :

Avid, my first reel my dad got me was a 33, I bought my sons first reel when he was small and it was a 33 and I just bought my granddaughter one last month. Its a great starter reel for kids and a inexpensive good reel for anyone whom fishes.

Rw, I might add, ICE COLD BEER IS A HIGHLY OVER RATED THING !!!

Hookemdown. reply :

Quote
Avid, my first reel my dad got me was a 33, I bought my sons first reel when he was small and it was a 33 and I just bought my granddaughter one last month. Its a great starter reel for kids and a inexpensive good reel for anyone whom fishes.
Rw, I might add, ICE COLD BEER IS A HIGHLY OVER RATED THING !!!

Don't forget a PACK OF SMOKES!

guest reply :

Worst Reel: BPS Magna Closed Face, early on what a piece of crap!!!!!!

Rod: Eagle Claw UL Fibergalss(The old Yellow ones) felt more like a buggy whip

Lures: Renegade Cranks;Bodies seperate from lips, Tubes; don't get it; BPS Topknocker; Just who is this Dubois guy anyway ;D

justfishin reply :

Worst baits ever?, Tubes, Spinnerbaits, Torpedoes? What, did I wake up in Bizzaro world? Is it opposite day, what am I missing here. How can you not catch bass on a tube? How can you not catch bass on a spinnerbait? How can you not catch bass on a Heddon Torpedoe? Tubes and spinnerbaits are my two best producers ever other than jigs for bass and I have also heard in here that jigs don't catch fish. I am so confused !!!

guest reply :

Quote
Worst baits ever?, Tubes, Spinnerbaits, Torpedoes? What, did I wake up in Bizzaro world? Is it opposite day, what am I missing here. How can you not catch bass on a tube? How can you not catch bass on a spinnerbait? How can you not catch bass on a Heddon Torpedoe? Tubes and spinnerbaits are my two best producers ever other than jigs for bass and I have also heard in here that jigs don't catch fish. I am so confused !!!

I am not saying i can't catch em on tubes, but with grubs and Ikas you get the same kinda look with a lot less hassel. I hate putting those lead heads into the tubes

justfishin reply :

I know you fish for mostly green bass Muddy my friend so, just rig them like you do a t-rigged worm. A 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook does the trick, skin hooked, with the bullet wt of your choice. Please give them another chance. They certainly catch fish. Dam* college kids, I swear. ;D

P.S.- I am glad you didn't stay away long. You are a institution in here. I know there is a joke in there somewhere, your up to bat Avid and LBH,lol. ;D

guest reply :

AHH!! INSTITUTIONS, some of my favorite places and Memories

FishTank reply :

My list of shame includes

Reel: 2 Pflueger spinning reels from Wal-Mart about 15 years ago. $40 each and they both had so many problems I can't remember them all. They ended up in the trash.

Rod: Ugly Stick (Sorry)

Combo: Daiwa mini cast. This thing was, I think, a four piece rod and reel kit that came in it's own custom case. It cost me $100 at a time when $100 could get the best there was in fishing. It never worked properly.

Lure: Storm Swimbaits

Line: Berkley Vanish and Seagur Carbon Pro. The Seagur I tried twice and both times this line failed to be as good as advertised.

ww2farmer reply :

My hall of shame:

Line: Berkley Vanish, every knot I tried broke, and the slightest mishandle of the line also caused it to fail.

Lure: Strike King "red eye" spinner baits, Oh they catch fish, but after one fish the eyes fall out of the head, and the wire is bent beyond repair, or at least hoping to ever run true again. The only good thing about these is the holographic blades which I remove and put on other baits.

Misc. Tackle: lead Gambler "screw in" bullet weights, they don't last, at least when used on braid, the insert breaks, the wire "screw" falls out, and the braif wears a groove in to the lead way to fast.

Reel: boy am I gonna catch flak on this one, by no means is this a condemnation of these reels, just a bad personal expierance: Old green Shimnao Curado...........I had one back in the late 90's that worked great.........once, second trip out sounded like a coffee grinder, was sent back to shimano no less than 3 times with the same results, worked great for a few trips, then got rough and noisy.............got my vest on.

Rod: St. Croix Premier, crappy guides, and over priced, IMHO Fenwick builds a much better rod in that price range.

guest reply :

St. Croix Premier, crappy guides, and over priced, IMHO Fenwick builds a much better rod in that price range. ABSOLUTLEY

fireandice reply :

Soft Plastics: Strike King 3X? Yellow bag bargain bin at wal mart. It was like trying to put gummy worms on my hooks

Rods: Durango from Wal-mart and yes... the UGLY STIK (wet noodle)

Spinnerbaits: Wal-Mart $1.00 broken wires, crappy swivels that don't turn, and blades not matched to the weight of the lead. The entire bait would rotate and twist my line on retrieve.

Reels: Hmmm. My Quantam 1310MG has lasted me about 15 years now, but maybe that's because I don't use it much since the STUPID button is on the SIDE of the FREAKIN' reel!

volpster31 reply :

i recently bought the chuck woolery lures......from qvc no less i havent thrown them enough to say they are my worst purchase,but when your ordering a fishing lure at 2 a.m off of t.v it cant end well

guest reply :

Quote
i recently bought the chuck woolery lures......from qvc no less i havent thrown them enough to say they are my worst purchase,but when your ordering a fishing lure at 2 a.m off of t.v it cant end well

I Heard they contain actual hair strains from his toupees

Rebbasser reply :

Quote
Iron Silk fishing line

Without a doubt.

Jeff H reply :

worst lure....Dancin' Eel. What a waste of good material and MY money.

Worst reel....Garcia Ultra Mag XL back in the late 80's or early 90's. Had nothing but problems with these things from the day I got 'em. They both are on the bottom of a lake here in MN. They were so inconsistent in performance it drove me nuts.

Fendercaster reply :

Posted by: fireandice

Quote
My Quantam 1310MG has lasted me about 15 years now, but maybe that's because I don't use it much since the STUPID button is on the SIDE of the FREAKIN' reel!

I'll second that! I have one and it still works fine after 15 years, but it's relegated to the catfish locker.

fatmanslim247 reply :

whats so bad about iron silk??? i love it

worst investment i would have to say are all the crankbaits i have sitting somewhere in the garage

Siebert Outdoors reply :

Quote

Quote
Lucky craft. THere I said it. Take that. Now your asking why. Paint doesnt last and have yet to have one that actually suspends. 1 out of 3 was close the others I had to change hooks and split rings so they wouldnt sink tail first.

WHAT!

The only explanation I can think of is that someone lifted the lures that were rejected at the factory and resold them to GMAN.

Or, maybe he's just pulling our collective legs!

Nope not pulling any tricks or jokes. I just havent had good luck with them. Some of my fishing buddies fish them religously but for some reason everytime I buy one its just not what I expect out of a 15 dollar lure.

Fisher of Men reply :

Well Raul, I have to agree with you on the Daiwa reels. Back in the day, that was the number one returned reel when I worked in the sporting goods business. Someone mentioned the flying lure. Although I can't testify to much success, my wife caught a bass on her first cast using it. As far as the grass frog is concerned, I've caught many a bass on it.

I think I would agree with alot of you in that Shakespeare baitcasters are pieces. I don't know of a particular bait that would be junk except for some that I just can't catch fish on (maybe my own fault). I have to admit that most of my "worst ever" comes from the bargain bin. I'm a sucker for clearance merchandise and it usually stays in a WM sack in my shed after going un-used.

-hydrillagorilla- reply :

~ Dancin eel! Yup they got me on that one!

~ Storm swim baits- got me on that one too!

The itty bitty cordell cranks - have some, may catch fish, but have never been willing to tie them on my line, they eat the big ones just fine!

I will have to look in my 'other' box at home cause there is a bunch of lures I am forgetting:

Mud Bugs

The top water lure with the paddle wheel in the middle

Classic thread!

Taliesin reply :

Well... I'll finally chime in on this one:

Rods: Hmm... Anything by Zebco our Southbend made after 1975.

Reels: Zebco 33s made after 1975, any zebco spinning reel... And... Any low profile baitcaster.

Line: Southbend and Shakespeare mono... And any line that's on a rod/reel combo.

Lures: Hmm... tough one here. I've caught fish with just about everything. There are a few baits I don't do well on, but it's just because I don't have confidence in them yet. Not long ago I would have said any crankbait, but now I have some confidence in them and they work for me.

I never fell victim to the "newest lure that will outfish all others", so the flying lures, banjo minnows, etc. haven't been tried.

Another thing I did get bit on though. Float stops. It's a little plastic piece that you put on your line before putting a sliding bobber on. It might work for mono, but it didn't work for braid at all. 10# test chewed them up like crazy.

ssaB_htuoM_egraL reply :

Very dissapointed in the Abu Garcia closed face reel. I bought it for my wife to learn and she has used it twice and now its in the bottom of the lake. > The line got all twisted inside and when I tried to fix it the line broke inside of the reel......and I got mad. It almost went as far as she could cast it.

I will have to say the worst lure for catching fish is the Blade dancer. I love the way it swims but thats all it does.

Davis reply :

Quote
Very dissapointed in the Abu Garcia closed face reel. I bought it for my wife to learn and she has used it twice and now its in the bottom of the lake. > The line got all twisted inside and when I tried to fix it the line broke inside of the reel......and I got mad. It almost went as far as she could cast it.
I will have to say the worst lure for catching fish is the Blade dancer. I love the way it swims but thats all it does.

I have a bladedancer too.

Just screwing around with it off a dike at a small lake and a big ole brownie came to the surface after it. But the dancer was right on the surface and the brownie saw me and went back down. Haven't been able to get him or others to hit it since.

KevO reply :

Worst Reel = Quantum Energy 2, the first generation black one, it literally fell apart in my hands as i was fighting a small rainbow. The handle fell out and the spool fell off at the same time. I picked the spool up, out of the water and and pulled the little guy in, but after that I threw it in the garbage.

Worst Lure = The Flying Lure, and the banjo Minnow.

Worst Line = Cajun Red Line, I put some on my spinning rod for fishing tubes and grubs. The first cast the line was twisted so bad I cut it off and retied. A couple casts later I got a bite and the line broke. I was so mad I just left and called it a day.

bass109 reply :

stren line was my worst line that i used...

10424

The absolut worst ever 2024

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