J Francho

Nope. Palm the reel, and press the thumb bar with the heel of your thumb. Or, on the TD-X reels I use, the button is on the top, both easily accessed when palming.

That's so wromg....LMAO ;D

Its also extruded with more precision. A reel fill spool lists the "average diameter and line strength." Leader material is often IGFA certified and diameter and break strength more precise.

Not if they suck just as bad. Most places around here cater to the bucket brigade. When I'm in the market for a Zebco combo, and bucket of diseased perch minnows, I'll be sure to shop local, though.

4ish. Next time, lay her on 80 grit sandpaper.

I don't like Hot Sauce or the Abu Silicote oil, but without flushing them, I'd stick to the Abu oil included. Chances are, you won't need to oil them for a while anyway. There's better out there, but you don't realize full benefit without flushing the bearings.

Jeff, those Premiers are great reels. Let me know if you want me to make them even better.... Good to see you and Randy and a quite a few other familiar faces there yesterday. In case anyone's wondering....yeah, I didn't get out of there alive:

Any 7' H/mod-fast spinner will do. Topwater doesn't require any sensitivity.

12' of fluorocarbon leader or P-line CXX. Fish may not care about seeing the line, but fluoro sinks, and zebra/quagga mussels make mince meat of braid.

I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than fish a Carolina rig all day.

Some illustrations: Landing with a FishGrip: Good hold technique: Fishgrip keeps your fingers away from hooks Here's a fail, get the hooks out 1st! Pike LOVE expensive crankbaits: They also love cheap spinnerbaits. Use T-1 if you want them to last more than one fish, LOL.

Cradles area pain, too. The FishGrip is the most accessible, at $12. The negative is that it does not have twisting grippers like a Boga. Net is fine for little guys, but you really want to get control of a big fish with a face full of 5/0 trebles. Speaking of trebles, replace the with Owner frog hooks. Remove all hooks BEFORE bringing the fish in the boat. When you grab them, you hold a smaller fish from the top of its head, just behind the gills. Be sure to support the belly on larger fish. You can use the gill cover as a handle as well, but use the outside of the closest gill, not inside where the sharp gill rakers are. This is where most people get cut. When releasing, just set them upright in the water, and support them under the pectoral fins, and give them a few moments to replace the lactic acid in their blood with oxygen. No rocking, or swishing needed. They'll simply slither away, and maybe give you a splash with their tail.

you don't need a net, a Boga or Fishgrip, and set of 12" pliers.

I've caught hammer handles on 10" Double Cowgirls.... A 10" fluke or Slug-O isn't too big. Some of the largest pike in a population subsist on smaller pike in the 12-20" size.

I can't believe someone payed for that half-azd cleaning in that link.

I tried to figure out a pattern today, but this was all I came up with....

Flaggy-Flaggy-Flaggy-Flag. I can't stop saying it. :-[

To each his own, but I'd trade my Curado for a Patriarch 7.1 without a hesitation. It's a great reel, but I prefer the Pflueger. I see A LOT of used reels....they fall short in the durability dept.

Won't make any difference. But Curado is gooder than Flooger.

Replace the big washer with the big Carbontex. The little carbontex replaces the little OE washer. If you can't figure that out from the schematic....you might need to send it to a pro.

After getting the most snow in a 24 hour period in three years, we're actually above freezing, and have s solid week of incessant, annoying snow flurries before the next wave hits.

I use dual braking....my thumb and Daiwa Magforce-V/Z. 8-)

So he's a baseball fan. Surprised Glenn didn't ask him if he was a Jeter fan. They're both Kalamazoo alumni.

You didn't get the little raincoats for them?

What works better is a mitt deal that fits over the shaft, and you simply reach in and grab the shaft. That way, you can wear lighter fishing gloves. I can't remember the brand name, but search for kayak gear, you'll find them.