J._Bricker

To bad there isn't a top water bite going MassBassin, but in a couple of months it sounds the Mrs would want you to go fish! And Blue, you aren't on 12's? Good fishing all, JB

Welcome to the Forums David!

Sounds like the way to do it, as you should be able to notice any improvement in performance. My main goal was to extend the life of my Curados and Zillions. In the case of my curados, fish don't know they're getting beat by a 20 year old reel :). I hope you let us know how it goes. JB

Robert, I believe if you bought a quality reel, then definitely upgrading components is a sound investment. I've upgraded bearings and drag washers and now the reel's preform like/ or better than new. I haven't upgraded any of my reel's spools as I don't think I personally would notice the difference from the other upgrades, but that's me.

Sorry to hear of the loss of so many good friends Catt, and I hope everyone enjoyed fond memories at their services. The fish will always be there...JB

Holy smokes, great buy! Kinda makes you wonder how long the former owner looked for it around the house before he gave up on ever finding it...

Velcro'd to the underside of a rear storage compartment lid was my solution...

Hey ClonesGoneFishin16, welcome to the Forums! I just got a Cabela's Fishing catalog in the mail and noticed the same thing. I had to scratch my head at that one and as I turned a few pages the number of Lew's reels made me murmur "They REALLY like those Lew's reels". There were three pages of 11 various Lew's reel models. IMO, whatever the reason, we fishermen should benefit. Especially if you're a Shimano Curado fan. JB

Wow, sorry to hear this news! A versatile actor as far as the roles he played, he cracked me up in "True Lies". Prayers to his wife and family

'Welcome to the Forums FishingTheNorth! I haven't been to Texas to fish, but I'm sure the Texans here could answer your questions. And the BBQ and Southwestern food with out a doubt would be great! Just a few questions, my first would be what time of year would you be going? Did you only want to fish for Largemouth bass? Were you going alone, with a fishing partner, or the family? Have you considered Florida, with the prospect of Largemouth and Peacock bass? (See "Peacock Bass Tournaments" in the Other Species section by @Tyler Schmidt and I think you'll understand why I brought this up.) Spring Training (Citrus League) and Disney World if you get tired of fishin' I envy your decision, 'cause it should be a fun trip! JB

ChrisD46- I'm in the the 30-40lb braid with a 15-20lb fluoro camp secured with an Alberto knot. I believe it's more cost effective for me to replace the leader over the course of the year.

X5- ski213 sure looks like it gets used! I still use mine all the time for bait casters as well, and consider it very useful. BTW, I still have the line stripper/ hook sharpener, just can't remember the last time I used it. Al, get your daughter this gizmo and let your fishing partner take care of your line maintenance. IMO, it'd be money well spent. Good fishing, JB

Great topic Pilot, and my first thought was "all of 'em" ? I just bought a JDM Daiwa rod and had to chuckle to myself when I saw were it's was made.... yep, you guessed it, China. And I gotta say I'm very happy with it. JB

d-camarena, I think it's a good buy for $45 and I think it work well as a top-water rod throwing a spook, large popper or jerk bait since sensitivity was called into question. I threw poppers on a Clarus CSC-68MB with 8lb test 'cause it was fun and I thought the rod suited my purpose. I'm sure it will work well until you decide to upgrade. JB

X2- Thanks for clearing this up

Don't kid yourself, the almonds have always been the more important than the smelt. Those little fish put up quite a battle against corporate agribusiness, Southern California water interests, and some billionaires. But hey, tunnels, trains, and all those wonderful nuts...

My favorite comment on the this mornings news that I didn't put in my previous post.... the almond orchards are in peril. Go figure.

That's the type of weather we hd during the drought in January and February last few years. Hope they were chewing GLK

I've gotta agree with Darren, and you have to think of the wind as your friend by using it to your advantage whenever possible. Otherwise, you're throwing knuckleballs and as you know fishing in an aluminum boat under these conditions is gonna make it difficult. But the rewards can also be great. The fish in my avatar was caught a very windy day making long, wind aided casts. Good luck tomorrow clark9312, JB

'I agree with fishballer06, or at the very minimum getting wet. The original Frog Toggs work well in that price range, but boat carpet shredded the pants. IMO, good comfortable waterproof shoes or boots are a must. Bibs over pants as I've had water get up under my rain pants/jacket when running at speed in the rain. When it comes to rain gear, it's the "Pay me now or pay me later" philosophy. I'm still wearing a 10+ year old Cabela's Guide wear parka and just bought some new Stormyr bibs. For some reason my Guide wear bibs shrunk . I don't think anyone will disagree that it's better to be dry and comfortable than to be wet and looking forward to getting off the water. Good luck Indave, and welcome to the Forums, JB

Good luck everyone, sounds like a plan! Everyday is Saturday

True, not to mention parts of Lathrop, Manteca, and even South San Jose are also flooded. This mornings news was talking with a Squaw Valley employee about snow skiing in Tahoe on the 4th of July die to the current snow levels. This has only happened three times per their records. And another system is expected this weekend. Hopefully there won't be additional damage and people getting displaced from their homes.

X2. Great video by the way, nice area and beautiful fish!

Wow, that was one heck of a clean up! The size of those nuggets was incredible. The Pomrenke's final clean up last year was impressive, but nothing like that video. Not to mention it takes the top crew in "Gold Rush" to hit that total. Thanks for sharing Robert!

X2, and how much over NADA? And I guess you'd take the $1200 that was spent to get the boat fully operational wouldn't be coming out of the perspective buyers pocket. Good luck boostr