.ghoti.

I'm pretty much convinced that spare spools are mostly seconds. They give you one good spool, and throw in one that didn't pass QC to make you think you're getting something.

The best thing would be to get the recommendation from whomever services your reels. Let them tell you what lubes have been used, and how often you need to do anything. As a general rule, it is not good to mix lubes. Some oils will be compatible and some will not. Some service guys will use whatever lube you specify, making it easier to do a mid-season re-lube using what you have.

A perfect example of making lemonade out of lemons. Well done.

About 15 years ago, my wife left for work one morning and directed me to get the Christmas tree up and decorated. Enlisting my stepson to the cause, I went to the garage to find a tree stand, and inspiration struck. If inspiration was the correct term. Two boxes full of spinnerbaits, four boxes of crankbaits, and every light colored plastic bait I had made it onto the tree. Three strings of lights and we had it. Justin said "we're going to be in trouble when Mom gets home". She didn't notice at first what we'd done, but actually thought it was funny. It wasn't so funny when I had to get all those crankbaits unhooked from the tree. It took a long time. Never did it again. Lesson learned.

SirSnook, I've experienced the same problem with a couple of different reels. Solved it by removing the springs/ratchet assembly from the bottom of the spool. All that stuff does is make a clicking sound when the drag is slipping. Who needs a clicking drag anyway? Don't know if it will work on yours, but it may be worth a look.

I twit my pants once. Does that count?

just bought a set. MT050 GoreTex Parka and bibs. msrp $350 for the parka and $320 for the bibs. paid 270 for the set

There is the correct answer to your question. I like Owner hooks a little better than Gammy's, but there's nothing wrong with Gammys. The Rig-N hook is great for short baits like tubes, chigger craws and space monkeys.

Exactly my thoughts. Over the last couple of years I've slowly moved away from the t-rig and onto the jighead. Enough so that my terminal tackle box is now a 3600, and my jigheads won't all fit in a 3700.

Well, I'll certainly agree with the "mad" part.

WWII vintage pics. some of these will make you think. http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/03/18/captured-blog-the-pacific-and-adjacent-theaters/#more-1547

color pics form the 1940's http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.asp

I'm thinking you're asking about the type of drag washers used in the Quantum PT series reels. I had a few of those, and I've seen the same kind of drag washers in some Pfleuger reels I've serviced. If you can get them perfectly clean and dry, they will work like that. I've found, that over a season of fishing, these type of drag washers perform better with a very thin coating of drag grease. Maximum drag will be a bit less, but who cares about that? A smooth drag is much better than a strong drag.

Skip the soapy water, no good can come from that. Copy that, thanks. This was my first try at tuning, 1 down 5 to go!!! You can skip the alcohol too. It does nothing that the acetone hasn't already done better. And, it's one more fire hazard that you don't need.

The same rig, with only one swivel will twist up a lot less. Tie a swivel on one end of a short piece of line and a hook on the other. You need about 10" of line between hook and swivel. Put the main line through the swivel and tie on a hook. The swivel, with attached leader and hook will slide up the line and back down to the hook. This rig will give you a fewer problems. It works all year, if you have the patience required to fish it deep.

I bought 6 sets of ABEC7 stainless steel bearings this year. Replaced stock bearings which were still in almost new condition. Four reels were relatively new Fuegos and two were very well maintained Millionaire CV-X103As. I wish I had just done one reel first, and not all 6. I noticed very little difference between the new 7's and the old, but still good, stock bearings. I'm well aware that I'll be taking some flack on this, but save your money for something with more bang for the buck. If you find bad spool bearings, by all means get some 7s. In may cases they won't cost much more than stock replacements. Makes sense then. You want an upgrade that will make a bigger difference than ABEC 7s? Try polishing the brake race, or brake drum, if you prefer. Remove the centrifugal brake drum completely from the sideplate. Using a Dremel, a felt wheel and super-fine polishing compound, polish the inner surface of the drum. The part the brake "weights" run on. DO NOT USE SANDPAPER. Polish until it shines like a mirror. Take your time, and keep a damp paper towel handy to use as a heat sink. The drum will get hot while polishing. Scrub it clean. I use a stiff old toothbrush for most reel cleaning tasks. Scrub it again. You do not want any of that polishing compound to remain inside your reel. Nothing good will come of that. Put a drop of oil on a q-tip and wipe down the newly polished surface. You want the barest film of oil. When finished, you may very well be able to reduce the number of brake weights you're using. If you're currently using 3, try just two. Non-intuitive, you say? Think of it like this. Do the brakes on your bike work better on a smooth road than they do on a cobblestone road? While you have the Dremel out, here's another worthwhile task. Polish all of the metal washers in the drag stack. Same procedure. Take your time, keep a damp towel handy, and clean them well. This is a better improvement in drag performance than Carbontex washers. I know that for a fact, having done the comparison with identical reels.

Over the last few years I've had reels with every version of braking; magnetic, centrifugal and dual braking. They all work nicely if you take the time to learn the idiosyncrasies of each. I've heard many people say centrifugal braking is much better than magnetic braking. This is true, if you make an amendment to the statement. Centrifugal braking is much better than magnetic braking for my casting stroke. I make the opposite statement. Magnetic braking is better for my casting stroke. Effective casting happens when all three elements are in balance. Spool tension, brake setting and thumb control. It is rather easy to tell when one is out of whack. Is the backlash starting at the beginning of the cast? Increase the spool tension. Is the backlash forming in the middle of the cast? Increase the brake setting. Is the backlash occurring at the end of the cast. Learn to use your thumb properly. I get the best casting performance by setting the spool tension just tight enough to prevent side-to-side spool movement, then going just a tiny bit tighter. I set the braking so that the line starts to "fluff" up in the middle of the cast. I use my thumb to feather it down at the end of the cast. This is what works for me, using my reels, with my casting stroke. Your results will be different. Take the time to figure it out with your gear. Not every magnetic braking system is the same. They are definitely not created equal. The best magnetic system is Daiwa's MagForce-Z. This is a centrifugally activated magnetic system. The worst is probably the original Revo STX's Linear Magnetic Braking. Now, about dual braking reels. The standard rap is; the centrifugal brakes take care of the beginning of the cast, then the magnetics kick in and control the end of the cast. This is pretty much high grade fertilizer. The magnetics do not kick in at the end of the cast. They affect the cast the entire time. Do you really think there is some mechanism in the reels that turn off the magnets at the beginning of the cast, and turn them on later? Come on; where's your common sense? I had two Pfleugers; a Patriarch and a Summit, both with dual braking. Also had two Johnny Morris reels with dual braking. Each was a little bit different in performance. But they all worked just fine. What I did like about them was I could set the spool tension and centrifugal brakes to cover most conditions, and then dial in a little magnetic control to adjust for wind. Nice!

I did a side by side test between a Crucial and an Avid. Fished all day with both. The Avid wins that battle, easily. As far as the GL2 goes, they are one of the best $100 rods on the market.

Bass Resource has a very large library of articles. Look at the top of the page. You'll see the header for the articles section. I'd suggest starting it the Tips & Tactics section, then look in the lure techniques sections. There are enough articles, and enough information to keep you occupied all winter.

After reading the advice from the Canadian agency, there's only one conclusion possible. I've always known that Canadians are different than us, but I had no idea they had three hands.. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

And so is that!

Things to worry about: heat moisture vermin I wouldn't worry about the cold.

Now that's funny, right there.

A worm "needs" to be longer because we've been convinced that we have to throw bigger baits to catch bigger fish. Most of the worm fish I catch are caught on a GYCB 6 1/2" CutTail. I still carry around 10.5", 12" and 14" worms. I don't catch any bigger fish on them, but I feel better having them. :D

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