J Francho

One handed. LOL!

Buddy would use a "roll" cast.

Zebco: http://www.zebco.com/products/platinumti.html

Blue and yellow can, it will be with the paint thinners and mineral spirits. Costs about $7.00 for the smaller can which should last you for one season. I done 24 reels last year and still have about half a can left. Already got buddy - right next to the Naphtha, LOL. I do about 150 to 200 reels every winter, but still grabbed the little can anyway. I'm running a little experiment right now, I'll report back later. I think I can demonstrate exactly what you guys are talking about graphically. Thanks again!

Same here. I started changing my mechanics after getting some tendinitis in my right arm and shoulder a couple of years ago. I have to say, before really looking at how I cast, I was a really sloppy caster, LOL. What I may have temporarily lost in distance was FAR offset by accuracy. Muddy, take it easy, take a close look at your mechanics, and adjust to maximize velocity while minimizing movement. We gotta get you better so you can come up and catch some of my girlfriends

I guess I'm running to Home Depot tomorrow for some Acetone. Thanks guys

You might ask over in the Shimano support forum about the Citica, but it might be a day or two. Personally, I would just use the Shimano grease on the Shimano reel. The Accurist comes as no surprise to me, though I still wonder about a misplace spacer or something causing the main gear and the pinion to run "tight."

Cavitron, white/chart, silver/blue, black, and I fish them out of the package, with a trailer hook added.

What reel? Some seem to come with way too much grease to mask that feeling. Otherwise, something isn't put together correctly. If all else fails, send it out to a pro.

I hope you mean the expert on Goofy Actually, I do recall a preference of Ronsonol over Zippo fluid in my lighter. Anything to that? __________________ Burley, I'll have to take another look at using Acetone.

Ahh, ok - gotcha. Maybe that's why I'm so goofy: I've been filling my Zippo with Naphtha for years, LOL.

I wonder if a "wanted to buy" post in the Flea Market would be kosher? The responses could be PM only. Other than that, you could check out Talon spinnerbaits or Secret Weapon Lures. I use the SWL products, and they are very well made.

I don't generally use Simple Green on bearings, but as far as a general cleaner goes, it gets most jobs done, and can be poured down the drain - I'm guessing Engine Brite can too. Never tried Engine Brite, but I can tell you I really dislike the scent of citrus cleaners.

This actually coincides with my club's annual "Spring Trip" to this lake. We are discussing coming up the weekend before instead. At first, having the Elites there really didn't faze us, but two bigger events, and it sounds like we'd be doing a whole lotta get out of the way. It would have been fun to hit the weight in and watch the show.

This is a VERY popular reel here for stream steelheading. That alone should be testimony to their durability.

I'd say just let him fish with what he wants. Keep pressuring him to use this or that, and he'll resent the time with you.

I agree, though its really up to the individual kid. My son simply picked up (ok, stole) one of my baitcasting rigs, and was able to use it, and use it well at just 8 years old. I had my mom pitching a jig into a coffee can 40 feet away last summer. You'd think my dad could wrap his head around a baitcaster? No way. He says he hated them when he was a kid, and that they were why spinning reels were invented, LOL. I'd at least let a kid try a BC before investing, though.

I think it was $20/reel, if I read fish's post right. Study your schematic before hand. In the past, I have placed the individual parts on white butcher paper, and labeled them with a part number from the exploded diagram.

OH NO!!!! Not that guy! Keep in mind, his site is SATIRE, and not meant to be informational. Read this: http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm

You want a Nikon, Canon, or Fuji. Period. I use Canon, but I'm tied to the EOS mount with all the Canon lenses I own. If I could afford to start over, I might go Nikon - they have some of the best wide angle glass. Of the cameras you listed, the Nikon would be my choice. You should also look at Canon Rebels as well. For most general walk around shooting, you'll want something in the 18-70mm range. A fast prime (fixed focal length, not zoom) like a 50 f/1.8 is also great for shooting in low light situations, like indoors, with no flash. Just for reference, 5 MP is all you need for up to 11x14 prints. I've even seen good 16x20 from my lab made from a cropped 5MP image. Its not about MP, its about the sensor and the glass. Canon and Fuji make the finest sensors, while Nikon Glass is hard to beat.

Lighter fluid is Naphtha. Most often, nothing needs to be done with the bearings except adding a drop of oil. If they need to be cleaned, I soak them in Naphtha. nasty stuff though, use in well ventilated area, e.g. outside. I have a can of Birchwood Casey® Reel Scrubber™ that I picked up on the recommendation of Reel mech, but have yet to try it out.

This is the reel you want: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0003036110294a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all_NYR&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&nyr=1&Ne=46&Ntt=daiwa+reels&N=48&_D%3Asort=+&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&Go.x=0&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1. The GC100 is probably the size you want. I have a couple of Zebco 33s that are over 15 years old and still run perfectly, but the Daiwa Goldcast is an extremely well built spincaster. Not a "snoopy" reel.

Big O: Thanks. I actually get a lot of satisfaction form this work. love giving a customer their reel back and its better than new. Dan: At the very least, put a drop of oil on the spool bearings. Most reels have a bearing on the spool shaft, and under the side plate. A drop of oil in there every month or so of heavy use will keep it running smoothly. island: Simple Green gets the basic stuff off, but sometimes a stronger solvent is required. Mostly its just elbow grease zbass, I hope they're on their way to someone else, LOL. I've got like 50 in the queue right now Some customers have a preference, and it really depends on the reels and the bearings installed. This particular batch of reels gets ABU grease and oil. I generally use Daiwa or Shimano grease and yellow Rocket Fuel or TD-Z oil on my own reels, but I have one Daiwa that I've been running Hot Sauce in for just over a year. I have a few customers specify Hot Sauce. I just picked some Ardent grease to check out. Looks like yellow hot sauce to me, LOL. fizzle: Many times, that's all it is. though I get quite a few lesser reels with roller bearing issues. Its weird, I have customers with OLD Black Widows, Citicas, etc., and they are fine. Others have year old entry level reels with rusted rollers. $20/reel + parts is pretty standard, and well worth it.

Pretty much everything but very light finesse rigs. My basic criteria is if I want to use 8# line and up, I use a baitcaster. For 8# and less, I go to a spinning reel. A baitcaster is really more suited toward heavier lines. Ever try throwing a Zara Spook on 17# mono with a spinning reel? Not fun! This is where a baitcaster really shines. With practice, you'll be able to cast farther, and more importantly, have MORE CONTROL and BETTER ACCURACY with a baitcaster. That means less time "fishing for squirrels, " if you know what I mean.

Tie a 5/8 oz. or bigger bait on. Pull out 50 feet or so of line, and run a ring of tape around the spool. Reel the line back in. Tighten the spool tension knob (cast control) so that the bait barely drops with a little wiggle of the tip of the rod. Put your brakes at 50%. Have away with it. Any backlash will be limited to that 50 feet or so of line before the tape. Once you feel confident and have your thumb trained to "feather" the touchdown of the bait, remove the tape. Remember this: the spool tension is adjusted for the weight of your lure. The brakes are for the type of cast and conditions you're casting in. Heavy wind = more brakes. Lighter lure = less spool tension.