J Francho

Total complete waste of money 99% of the time. Simply removing the spool bearings, and flushing any existing grease or oil, and using some high quality lubricant will drastically improve the spool speed WITHOUT altering your brake setting. Shimano and Abu Revos respond to this treatment DRAMATICALLY. This is without a doubt one of the biggest shams perpetuated by the internet. One that sadly, even I have been taken for. Unless the bearings are shot, most mid to high end reels contain bearings perfectly suited to the purpose. If it's a cheaper reel, good bearings aren't going to be a band aid for low tolerances, cheap materials, and poor design. I find it quite interesting that most are willing to pay big $$$ to replace perfectly fine spool bearings, yet refuse to even address the condition of the roller bearing on their spinning reel. Now, if you want to talk upgrades right out of the box, a Carbontex drag washer replacement is FAR, FAR more valuable to fishing performance than replacing bearings.

Seems like I recall something in biology....saltwater fish mostly expel salt, while freshwater fish retain salt, which is why most cannot withstand the osmotic differences in the opposite environments.

I got standbys, and many times it's only one color. Rage Craws for instance; I only throw Bama Craw. It usually works. Other things, just look funky to me. I have confidence that there are only a few things that can be done to a plastic bait that would actually repel fish, so I generally fish whatever looks cool to me. There are some baits I have fished so much, that I can perfectly envision how they look, where they go, and how to control, and those become my standbys.

Anything works on a wacky jig, but if you are getting bit on a particular setup, I don't see the merit in changing it. It's like real GYCB Senkoworms vs. copies. Chances are you'll get bit on whatever you go with (Zoom Finesse Worms and Senko copies work great on wacky jigs), but you have to gain confidence with them.

I hear you there! Cashier: "That'll be twelve-hundred-forty-three dollars and sixty-seven cents." Me: "What the... I only came in here for an $800 trolling motor!"

Thanks for posting this! Welcome.

Lucky Craft Flat Mini MR.

Those baits that don't have salt usually have some sort of oil to keep them from sticking.

When it really counts, a good spring scale is best. There's no denying the convenience of a digital, though. I like Chatillon spring scales. Pricey, but very accurate.

I guess I should bring a scale when I go out, LOL. This one has got to be more than 50%:

Use a spreader with a resin head, like Picasso School-e or Yumbrella. Stick to 1/8 oz. or smaller jig heads - Buckeye makes a good one, but the wire hook is pretty big. Some snaps don't fit them, but the Yum rig does. Also, look at lighter baits, like Keitech Swing Impact.

Nice!

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

To me, 60° is the magic temp, though last year I was catching them in a pond on topwaterswith temps in mid 40s. But that's a pond, so...

Up here, it's catch and immediate release, so any tournaments before the 3rd Saturday in June are paper only.From what I've seen, the males normally return to the nest. I sometimes see females on the nest with the males, but usually they are just outside the nest area, or cruising. If two fish are in the "act" I leave them alone. Can't bring myself to break that up, LOL.

Exactly - to each their own. I can't see passing up an opportunity to catch the largest fish in the lake once it reveals itself.

Fish Or Repair Daily?

Those are all spool tension parts, and wouldn't contribute to the issue at all.

That's another good call for something that could go wrong, Mike. Didn't think of that.

Part #58 is reversed, Part #40 is broken/worn/not seated correctly, or you got a ton of oil on the drag washers. My vote is for the former issue.

Yesterday, it was a 4" Jackall Flick Shake worm in Junebug fished on a 3/32 oz. Zappu wacky jig. Tomorrow, it might be a 6" swimbait or a jig. The next day, it might be crankbaits or topwaters.

My truck is GMC, and I don't even like Chevy, so I could care less. If my brother sold Fords, I'd be driving a Ford. If he sold Dodge, I'd be driving a Ford/Chevy/GMC/Toyota/Nissan, LOL. Just kidding, don't all you Mopar folks get your panties in a bunch. My family has four Rams that are used as plow vehicles for the business. Here's another tidbit. When I was truck shopping, a crew cab Canyon was all of $3,000 less than the ext. cab Sierra I bought. Just didn't seem worth it to me. The money I saved in gas mileage alone more than covered the extra $40/month. I guess what I'm saying is if your buying, you really need to analyze your usage, and choose accordingly. Your budget will dictate where you need to compromise.

I do about 12,000 miles per year towing. I would not do it with anything other than a 1/2 ton pickup. Otherwise, I get better mileage than my old Nissan Maxima. I never said you couldn't do it with a toy truck. But, I've seen guys burn them up over working them. If you only have to go a couple miles to the ramp, or don't fish that much, then tow it with whatever. Years ago, I towed with a V6 Jeep Cherokee. It sucked. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. A little advice to anyone getting a 1/2 ton pickup....if you are considering the extended cab, go for the full crew cab if you have kids. Those suicide doors are a real PITA with a four year old.

I have an HONEST interest in how this turns out. The moment it turns into a peeing contest about economy rods vs. high end rods, or whether anyone has to justify their purchases, the thread gets closed.

Machined aluminum for a n00b? You realize you are telling them to get a $600 reel. You're making WAYYYY more out of this than should be. Any defects are gonna show up quickly, and covered under warranty. I mean, how many cracked frames do you hear about? Personally, I clean over three hundred reels a season, and never heard of it.