tholmes

Another long time fan of the Swedish round Ambassadeurs! They're the only baitcaasters I use. As others have said, they're strong, reliable and easy to work on and the round reels just seem to fit my hand better than low-profile designs. I have a 5600 C4 Mag and it's a sweet reel. I also have a 5600 WS, a 5600 CL Rocket (another made-for-Wal-mart reel), a Record 50, a pair of 4600 Cs, and a 5500 C3. I bought my first Ambassadeur in 1968 and been using them ever since. Tom

We're supposed to organize our tackle?? Who knew? Tom

X2^ I've killed stripers and hybrids on the 6" Arkansas Shiiner Slug-O, along with LMB and SMB. They're still very much in my rotation. Tom

I use Arky style jigs in 1/4. 3/8. and 1/2 oz.sizes and blue/black, green pumpkin/red flake, PB&J, etc. I roll my own. Tom

X2^ I have 2 of them and they're as good as you'll get for under $50. Tom

I throw 'em on a 7'6" heavy rod, Abu 5500C3 and 20lb. Big Game. It's kinda like draggin' a plow through the water. I've caught some nice fish on it, but crankin' that thing ain't for sissies Tom

I've repainted spinnerbait heads by: - Removing as much of the old paint as practical. I clean the head with brake cleaner and wipe with a paper towel. - Mask the hook and wire and spray the head with primer. - -Finish with a couple of coats of white epoxy appliance enamel, If you want a different color, just overcoat the white. Eyes can be added with a Sharpie, or use the adhesive-backed eyes. Tom

I have a 5600WS and it's a fine reel. Like most Swedish Ambassadeurs, it's solid, strong and reliable. External dimensions are the same as virtually every other 5000 series ABU reel made since 1980. I use mine mostly for t-rigs, c-rigs and jigs. The "Whiffle Spool" makes it more adept at casting lighter baits than a standars spool, and the reduced line capacity has never been an issue for me. Tom

Words of wisdom ^ Fishing is my escape from the frustrations of work and everyday life. When it becomes a source of frustration, then it's time to rethink the whole thing. Tmo

As far as casting, it depends on the lure. Spinnerbaits, big crankbaits, basically anything that has a lot of bulk and/or not much weight I can throw pretty well up to about 15 mph. Once the winds get much stronger, I use smaller profile baits, heavier weights for jigs and t-rigs, spoons, Little Georges etc. My favorite wind-cheaters are the Silver Buddy type blade baits. Tom

Yep! I've caught pike on everything from plastic worms to spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater lures. They've stolen a lot of tackle too. Tom

I used to fish a lot for white bass and UL gear is the way to go IMHO. I use a 6-1/2 foot UL rod with a UL spinning reel and 4 lb. line. You may want to go with a little heavier line if you're fishing in current. Anything white or flashy silver works well. White 1/8 oz. maribou jigs, white twitertail grubs, in-line spinners,tailspinners (Little George, etc.), Roadrunners, blade baits small spoons (I always used a ball bearing swivel on these to cut down on line twist). Even small crankbaits like the 1/8 oz. Rat-L-Traps will catch 'em. There's not much more fun to be had than gettin' into a school of 1-1/2 to 2 lb. whites! Most of the time, white bass travel in schools searching for baitfish. Try around wind-blown, rocky points. You can locate feeding schools by looking for gulls or other birds feeding on the baitfish that the white bass chase to the top. You'll see the "boiling" on the top. Cast just beyond the boil and let the lure sink a bit, bring the lure back through the mess and hold on! Have fun! tom

I won one of these in a drawing on another forum. I caught several fish on it. I never had any problems with hooksets, and I use 15# Big Game mono. I almost caught a rather large turtle, but he got away with my jig. Great product that I'll be buying soon. Tom

Somewhere in my shed, there's the front half of a Cordell Spot. The back half is stuck in a snapper's mouth. Tom

This stake bed would hold a lot of bass. Tom

^ This. It's not like you're gonna marry one of 'em. Tom

After surviving an episode of sudden cardiac arrest earlier this year and having a defibrillator implanted in my chest, my main goal is just to get out there and have fun fishing. So far, I'm doing pretty good! Tom

Tequila Sunrise (just another variation of purple) along with variations of black, blue and green cover all of my plastic worm needs. Tom

There's a gold mine of information on this site. I've been bass fishing for 50 years, and I'm constantly learning from the collection of articles here. Tom

Check out the Flea Market forum on this site. Plenty of bargains to be found there. Tom

X2^. Great line for ultra-lihgt spinning. Tom

The community lake that I fish the most is about 10 min. from my house and just a few blocks from my office. I occasionally make the 1.5 hr drive to any one of four larger reservoirs in the area. Tom

I agree. It's a 5000. Going by the foot number, it's from 1979. There's a site here: http://www.lurelore.com/freds/abu.html#section4 that has a lot of info on older Ambassadeurs. Nice reel! Tom

Blabbermouth. j/k Tom

Lucky Craft Live LVR, 2 of them in less than an hour, both to small northern pike. D#!* snot rockets! Tom