Sk8man

Just a suggestion: Don't use the drag grease. I used it on one of mine in the past. I had two of the reels with the new drags from Tuna Tom's. I only put the grease on one to see what effect it would have before doing it on the other. The one with the grease never would properly tighten up and slipped even when fully tightened down. The other without it worked very well.

Thanks for the report

Your experience is very unfortunate. I don't however think it is typical. That might be the approach that might be used with a very young child, but is not appropriate for most adults ( perhaps someone with a specific disability (e.g. limited use of their hands etc.). I also think most captains would gauge experience level of the client by either verbal or observational indicators and adjust things accordingly. Sounds like some OCD going one there As Salty Nut indicated there are a variety of valid concerns a captain might have about equipment, but it sounds as though he sort of micromanaged too much. The captains I have fished with or have known over many years are sensitive to the customer and would do everything possible within realistic bounds to ensure that the trip made or exceeded the clients expectations within their span of control which usually includes trying to get a handle on the clients expectations and prior experience doing that type of fishing. If it were me I would communicate to him the exact problem privately from your perspective rather than some public response e.g. on his website etc. to give him the benefit of a response, but barring satisfactory resolution I would certainly not select him or recommend him to others in the future. There is obviously a great range of experience of charter captains as well as personality attributes, and communication skills. The large majority of charter captains male and female on Lake O are highly skilled, anxious to provide a satisfactory and pleasing experience for their customers, and will often go out of their way to make it happen. I wouldn't let this experience prevent you from selecting another experience with one of them. To aid in your next experience I would outline your expectations while setting up the charter and ask pertinent questions (e.g. such as "will I be able to handle the rod completely or to what extent" etc.) to enhance your experience. There is a good selection of captains right here on LOU

I too have had problems with it. It either rejected my Reliant VISA card or took what seemed very long to process it...so mixed results. Not sure what the problem is but the machine may not be a not a State machine and maybe from from Sessler I believe who have the rights to the launch itself.