mine happened right away, brand new.
but they weren't bought all at once...over two seasons...so not like one bad batch.
i generally fish in colder temps than most, but still had problems over the summer...
two biggest problems with the white number counters is the counter simply not starting when you start letting line out and the numbers don't line up....generally the "1"00 number....
would gladly trade my five tekotas with the white counters for older tekotas with the green counters....but still no better reel on the market...
white numbers and green numbers.
white numbers are the new ones.
and I don't want to jinx anything, but all my tekota's with white line counters seem to have problems with the counters ...
sometimes not starting, sometimes numbers not lining up....never ever had a single issue with the green number tekota counters.
i certainly can confirm there doesn't appear to be any difference in the reel itself, just the counter.
my guess is the white number counters were made cheaper for savings....
try and find tekotas that don't have the white numbers on the line counter...
you want to find the ones with green numbers....
and yes, the 300's, 500's, and 600's, the drags are fine...i own 20+ of these reels....
700's and 800's...drags need to be replaced....
well, it is tough fishing.
the tournament last weekend, only 20% of the pro's got their limit.
I don't think there are any secrets that will guarantee you fish...
35lbs is basically where Lake O lakers currently max out at (unless you have a real fluke).
I see a high number of 20lbs+ lakers caught in Lake Ontario every year....and all get released.
These Michigan tournaments they keep a ton of small lakers.... I was just curious how their average size is holding up....
Last episode the one boat was freaking out over a 24lbs laker, claiming it was the boats biggest laker ever.
Yes, Lake Michigan has smaller fish than Lake Ontario....
BUT it wasn't always that way.
And Lake Ontario appears to be moving in that direction, at least based on the results over the last four years.
If we get another slow year (at least compared to 2000-2010), I would say five years in a row would certainly support a trend.
I was out three weekends in February.
The browns and bows we caught were in 5' to 8' of water....
Water temps in tight were 37 and 38 degrees while they were 33 and 34 degrees in 20' of water.
so browns are apex predators, and if your fishing coloured water, (ie, can't see your prop on your motor), you can catch browns just outside the prop wash.
i've caught browns 15' to 20' behind the ball, with the ball only down 3' to 4'....so 20' on the counter and big browns will smash....
if you have clear water (ie, see bottom in 20' or so), run your leads 100+ feet.