Goose52

Lucky 7 !

I just pulled up the spreadsheet and I have 21 BPS rods (casting & spinning). Some are in 1st-line service, some are back-up, some are little used any longer. With that many rods and a lot of models I'm not sure I can identify a favorite but I can identify the most used: Casting: 7'm Crankin' Stick ($59 on sale) / 1st Gen Carbonlite (gold) reel converted to 5.2:1 gears - used for ~ 3/8oz to 5/8oz cranks. Spinning: 6'8" m/xf Extreme (the previous series - $39 on close-out) / Pflueger President XT reel - used mostly for light spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

A coincidence that I just web-searched on Ambassadeur 5000 foot numbers yesterday, trying to pin down the approximate production period for my 5000. As close as I could come (without buying the Simon Shimomura books) was that it's a pre-1964. There were at least three systems used for foot numbers - yours looks like the final system: 80 - 1980 02 - February 00 - no design/production change HOWEVER, if the reel has early features - it's possible that the foot number could be the 1st system (serial number) but that would place it as around 1964 or earlier production. From what I understand, this is not an exact science.

Don't know about the bearing...but I seem to remember that Mrs. Ghoti's old man said something like this a short while ago............................ I keep eyeballing the T3 Ballistic at TW.......................hoping it will sell out before I finally decide to buy one!

Popular choice - NRX893C. This one has a Curado 50E on it - it's a green NRX and a green reel.....you catch more fish if the colors match............right.......... For the ultimate rig - it would be the 893C, and as mentioned by BradGuenette, a Metanium XG.

It's a Radisson. VERY thin gauge aluminum hull - a still-water boat only. Not the best paddling boat (38" beam and short length) - it's forte is that light weight without going to exotic materials like Kevlar or whatever. The manufacturer actually lists the weight for this model (11'6") as 34 pounds but I weighed mine at 44 pounds the other day and that includes the conduit and extension cables for the TM and a few other bits that stay on the hull during transport. Plus, there may have been some water trapped inside the boat when I weighed it... Radisson Canoes

The outriggers keep the boat from rolling...I just have to keep my balance and not fall out... I've been standing in this boat for 3 seasons now. I couldn't go back to sitting again - especially on a day like today when there was a bass holding on just about every submerged stump........most of which you couldn't see if you were sitting down....

Thanks! You're the first one to comment on the LMB silhouettes on the hull. Yeah - they do look like mission count stencils on WWII bombers. Each silhouette represents 100 LMB caught from the boat. I'm starting the 5th season using this boat and am up to 2457 LMB caught as of yesterday. Another 43 LMB and I'll apply another decal with 5 more silhouettes to represent 2500 LMB caught...

I car top this on a compact car - the hull with some stuff I have installed that stays on during transport weighs 44 pounds when I lift it on the roof. The rest of the gear fits in the trunk and back seat. I stand and fish all day long...

I fish out of a canoe so I can't leave any gear in the boat. Most of the rods and all the tackle live in the garage; some of the rods get to come in the house and stay in the "princess rack". All rods are stored vertically, except 5 combos that are in the car box, ready to go for the next day. I fish every day so all my combos are usually ready to go - I don't remove reels or store stuff away. Garage racks: The "Princess" rack inside the house... : The "car box" for car transport and also at-home storage:

Someday - I'd like to follow in your footsteps. I've just about hit the saturation point in the amount of gear...now I'd like to thin the heard. BUT, as was just said, those pesky sales and eBay deals keep getting me in trouble. Sales and bargains are two of the reasons why I not only have, for instance, a dedicated chatterbait combo...............but I've got a back-up chatterbait combo..................... :lol: Now, how about those Daiwa T3 Ballistics that are still on sale at TW...............hmmmmmm

The thread linked above has lots of discussion on this topic.... For me, round reels are fun. Modern round reels are fairly light (most of mine run from 6.5 to 9.5 ounces), and in the 50 and 100 size Calcuttas, are very palmable. I like using lots of different gear - round reels are just another way to expand the fishing experience. I still mostly fish low-profile BC reels, but I really do enjoy getting out the round reels as well. I've got an Ambassadeur 1500 and a 5000, plus a couple of Calcuttas/Conquests... Fun stuff...

The easiest way is when you are posting - look for the button marked "More Reply Options." Click that, then at the bottom of the next screen look for the button marked "Choose files..." Click that and then browse your harddrive to find and select the photo you want to post. Click the "Open" button. Another option - look for your user name at the top of every forum page. Click your user name, then look for the "My Gallery" link - click that and follow the prompts to create a gallery and to upload photos in your gallery. Once you have photos in your gallery, you select (click on) the image you want to post, then right click on that photo, then click on "Direct link to this image file." Then copy the URL that shows for that page. Go back to the thread that you want to post in, start a post, then click on the "Image" button (looks like a little TV) that appears to the right of the bold, italic, underscore, etc buttons. After clicking on the image button, paste in the URL you copied, and then click "OK" - the image should now appear in your post. Another option - post your photos in one of the image hosting sites, grab the URL for the photo from that site, then hit the "Image" button in your post, paste the URL, then hit "OK." Simple, huh......................

The new Commodore of the Calcutta Squadron reported for duty - 2014 Conquest 100. I only have about an hour on the water with it but my first impression is that it does everything as well or better than the previous Conquest with one exception: the SVS system adds just a slight bit of complexity for removing the spool as compared to the previous model. Regarding the SVS - I'm still not sure that it's just "an elegant solution to a non-existent problem" or whether it adds great value. However, it IS handy to have some extra braking with external adjustment available to adjust for wind conditions, etc. Ergonomically, it palms bigger than the previous model 50-size, but definitely feels smaller than the previous 100-size. The dropped-down gearbox is unnoticeable to me when cranking. The new thumb-rest on top of the reel is nice but the way I palm a reel, my thumb extends over the right edge of the reel so I don't notice it's there. Anyway, I can already give it my highest rating: It works, catches fish......

I have 5 Crankin' Sticks - including the 7'm and the 7'6"m. I got the 7'6" specifically as a long-range lipless crank rod. For 1/2oz baits, I just don't see much advantage to the 7'6" over the 7". I was actually disappointed in the 7'6" rod for quite a while...then I tied on a 3/4oz lipless (a bit over the weight rating for the rod) and then the rod started to earn it's keep... Anyway, of those two lengths, I'd go with the 7'm as the all-around rod.

WOW - great fish, great company, (and I'm assuming), great beverages in the evening! Sounds like Shangri-La !! Thanks for posting the pics!

Regarding carrying capacity...just a data point. Dottie (25lbs) came out of Dixon Lake (70 acres). Sure, lots of trout stocked in Dixon...but lots of fishing pressure too. So, big fish can come out of small lakes. As has already been mentioned, it remains to be seen that even with prawns on the menu, does this new lake have the conditions (depth, water temp, etc.) to produce the record...

Great post...

Shimmy - don't forget to update your Largemouth PB under your avatar to reflect the new 35lb 8oz record. Sheesh, your 26 pounder could now be considered a dink...

Don't remember it at all. It would have been around 1959 or 1960 and it would have probably been a whopping 8" to 10" bass... However, I still have the spinning reel that I would have caught my first bass on. Here's a pic from last year; it's still reeling in little bass around 53 or 54 years after the first one...

I fish whenever the water is soft. Generally, I don't see surface water temps colder than 35 degrees however. The coldest surface water temp where I've actually caught a bass was 38. This is from the bank. Surface water temp was about 37/38 when this shot was taken in January...

Is a 9:1 gear ratio (very high IPT) necessary?. NO. Would it be handy to have at times? Yes, for the reasons already mentioned: (1) bringing a bait back fast once it's out of the strike zone to make another cast, (2) when a fish swims directly at you, and (3) burning a bait over skinny water. However, while it has those advantages, it would be a niche ratio for me...not something I'd want to fish with all the time. Practical application of two of the concepts discussed in this thread - gear ratio and handle length. About an hour ago I was at a lake and toss my trusty lipless crank out to max range - borderline hookup range. I let the bait hit the bottom in about 15 fow, wait a second, and pop it off the bottom and let it fall. The rod mushes up, hookset, BIG fish on. Couple strong tugs, fish runs to the right, then turns directly at me and makes a run...VERY fast. About now, I'm wishing I had a 20:1 ratio reel with about a 50mm handle. I crank as fast as I possibly can and am not keeping up with the fish. The fish then turns, I feel the weight of the fish for just a second.... then it's unbuttoned and gone. Probably never had a really good hook-up, and the fish got some slack line and that didn't help. After that, my shoulders droop down, I shake my head, then think to myself...I guess I'll post on that 9:1 thread after all..................................

I have most types of racks in service: Round rack and two Berkley 5-rod plastic racks: Home-made rack - holds 9 combos: The "Princess" rack inside the house... : The "rod box" for car transport and also at-home storage:

I use the WalMart Everstart Maxx battery...but it's now $100 for the Maxx model (I got it for less two years ago). They do have a cheaper model with a reduced warranty period....

I have not compared the two reels but I do own two of the JM Carbonlites. There was quite a bit of discussion in this forum about the current generation Carbonlite when it was first released. There was a manufacturing issue with the early reels that caused them to feel "grindy" on the retrieve. I also had a problem with the spool bearings on one of my reels. That was two years ago and I would imagine that manufacturing issue has been resolved. However, I have not seen any reports from folks that have purchased the JM CL recently to confirm that the problems have been resolved. The reel is very light, has a good drag, casts well (while the bearings are still good). OTOH, I don't care for the external adjustment for the centrifugal brakes, and I don't care for how the sideplate (both sides) spool bearings are secured - making them hard to remove for cleaning. Here is a link to one of the discussion we had about these reels last year: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119469-newerjohnny-morris-carbonlite-reel-reviews/ Here is my post from one of the earlier threads: The early production reels had a manufacturing issue that lead to the grindy feeling - once per rotation of the reel handle. I haven't a clue as to whether this has been resolved in current production. In my case, I purchased two of these reels - both in 6.4:1. One was grindy feeling out of the box, the other wasn't. I chose to put the grindy one in service first. While actually fishing, with the reel under load, I didn't notice the grinding and just fished the reel. Great caster, good drag, really light. Don't like the external adjustment for the centrifugal brakes - they should have just kept the PQ system. After fishing reel #1 for a while, I put reel #2 into service. Unfortunately, after as little as 20 hours of use, I noticed I was l was losing casting distance on reel #1. I removed and soaked the spool bearings - they wouldn't spin, Did it again - all night - they wouldn't spin - not a turn. Replaced the stock bearings with some Boca ABEC5 stainless that I had on hand - casting distance back. Reel # 2 still has the stock bearings but has had very little use and will end up on a "niche rod" where it will only see occasional future use. Verdict for me? I will fish these reels until they are "used up" - but I won't be buying any more until I see some solid evidence that all problems are resolved. Even then, I don't like the centrifugal brake adjustment scheme so that limits my interest as well. I have a whole bunch of BPS BC reels and they have proven to be good values that give good service commensurate with their price. However, in the case of this particular reel, I can't give any positive endorsement....