.ghoti.

After the loss, the French upgraded their security status from HIDE to RUN. The next two steps are SURRENDER and COLLABORATE

I hate to ask where the wacky rig was invented. Or the Mojo rig. Or the sweet beaver. ;D ;D ;D

definitely a buck, two ninety-eight's worth of rods and reels there. Is that an ITO Monoblock, with bassart handle and knobs? And a couple of Millionaire Limited editions? WOW.

No pics. The difference, which I can clearly hear and feel, is almost completely imperceptible to the eye. It would take a lot more sophisticated gear than I have to provide pictures that would show the difference. Sorry.

Well, grease on the centrifugal brakes was not that good an idea. Several guys here told me this was a dumb-arsed idea, but I did it anyway. I had done this with two of my Energy PT reels, and left the others as is. I tried it, it worked OK for a while, then didn't do so well. It turned out to be a bit on the erratic side, in terms of performance. What I was trying to accomplish was get rid of that annoying whine these reels have on a long cast. Time to execute Plan B, which is formulate Plan C. Here's the real fix. I removed the brake race (drum) completely from the reel. Then got out my Dremel, fitted a felt wheel, loaded the wheel with polishing compound, and went to work on the race. I spent about 45 minutes polishing the surface of the race. While I was doing this I soaked the end of the spool to remove all the grease from the weights and springs. After getting everything clean and dry, I sprayed down the spool end, all the weight/spring assembly, with KVD line conditioner, and let it dry. Then I very lightly oiled the race, using a Q-tip to apply the oil, and re-assembled the reel. A very noticeable improvement was made. The whine was reduced by half, at least. The cast was smooth, took less efort to achieve the same distance, and I've been able to reduce the brake setting by two notches. Before this, the brake setting was very touchy. It has nine settings, and only two were usable. Now it works nicely over a wider range. The braking performance is very consistent now. It worked so well I've done all the other PT reels the same. The older 600 series reels are now almost completely quiet on the cast. The newer 700 series reels still have some whine, but it is very much reduced. They have all maintained very consistent braking performance for about two months since I did them all. I think what happened is I removed a good part of the minor surface imperfections from the race. You know how your tires make more noise on a rough or grooved road? Same thing here, I believe. The weights are now riding on a smoother road, maintaining better contact with the race. Less vibration, less noise and more consistent braking. Give it a shot. You will be impressed with yourself. Here's one more tip. If you try this, get a large ziplock bag, and work inside it. My first attempt at polishing the race resulting in polishing compound speckling my face, glasses, shirt, and everything else within 6 feet. My wife was very impressed with me. While you're at it, try polishing the spool ends, tension shims, the spool shaft that runs through the pinion bearing, (if it does) and the inside of the pinion bearing. All this adds up to easier, smoother casting performance. All this takes about two hours for each reel. Makes a nice cold weather project. What else you gonna do when the water's hard? Cheers, GK

I guess I'm the odd man out here. I like the dark grips on that blank.

Do it just as Roostertail suggested. But, use a nylon rag for the KVD. I remember reading that cotton or paper towels would bond with one of the componenets of KVD, preventing a proper application. And, when you've finished filling the spool, spray down the entire spool with more KVD, and let it dry over night. I just started using KVD this year. I don't use a spinning reel often, but my wife will only use spinning gear. We've both had a lot fewer line handling problems this year. And it's due to KVD. That's the only difference between this year and last year. Same rods, same reels, same line, and a lot fewer twists and tangles this year. Good luck, GK

Glad to be of service, mook. What are friends for?

Hey Sharkbite. A couple of tips. For buzzbaits, I'd suggest sticking with the smaller sizes at first. It's all about getting it up on top. When the bait sinks it will pull hard until it gets up on plane. Try to stop the line coming off the spool with your finger, flip the bail shut and start reeling. Do these three actions as fast as you can. It takes a little practice to get it all done quickly, particularly with a spinning reel, but you'll get it if you keep doing it. Once you get used to the high speed transition between casting and cranking you can move up to larger buzzbaits. It will be easier to learn with the smaller baits. The smallest sized Jitterbugs are very speed sensitive. You'll just have to experiment with retrieve speed until you discover the correct speed for that bait. It may help to keep the rod tip low, almost in the water. Cheers, GK

Welcome aboard. From the middle of Illinois.

#13. the harder I $%^&ing push, the righter I &*$*ing go.

Christmas Cookie Recipe 1 cup of water 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup of sugar 1 tsp salt 1 cup of brown sugar Lemon juice 4 large eggs 1 cup nuts 2 cups of dried fruit 1 bottle Crown Royal Sample the Crown Royal to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Crown Royal again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level shot and drink. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Crown Royal is still OK, try another shot.. Just in case. Turn off the mixer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a Dewscriver. Sample the Crown Royal to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt, or something.. Who giveshz a sheet. Check the Crown Royal. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of AR, or somefink.. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the bottle of Crown Royal. Make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher. Cherry Mistmas

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury. Groucho Marx

Happy birthday LBH.

A father believed his son was spending way too much time playing video games on his computer. So, in an effort to motivate his son into focusing more attention to his schoolwork, the father tried to lay down the law. "When Abe Lincoln was your age," the father said, "he was studying books by the light of the fireplace." Without looking up from his game, the boy replied, "When Lincoln was your age, he was The President of The United States."

I've bent a couple of those while removing the hook from a the jawbone, and broken one on a the hookset. my mistake, for tying it on 14lb test line, and doing a "Geronimo" hookset. I use the spike and ballbuster. I really like the shape of the hook. It holds the baits in place nicely. But, they are best used on light line.

Hey, young man. You're in position to settle an ongoing argument. Do the fish hang onto your glasses longer now that you've applied whatever attractant you applied?

Imagine that. ;D Why does he have to call you, anyway? He lives at your house, doesn't he?

Sounds like you'd better keep her.

Whatever you do, please do not show us pictures of water on Uranus

I been catching more fish this year on the Houdini Shad than on the Super Fluke. I've used them about an equal amount of time, just to give them a fair comparison. The Houdini Shad has a tail designed to be modified. you can fish it three ways. Don't modify it. Leave it just as it is. Rig this tex-posed on a 4/0 EWG hook, and see what happens. If you leave the tail intact, it has a very senko-esque wiggle on a spiralling fall. The Fluke doesn't do this. You may have to experiment with hook sizes to get this action. A Gammy 4/0 EWG hook is just about perfect with 10lb test mono. Heavier line will probably require a larger hook. Too large, or too small a hook will reduce, or eliminate the wiggle. I haven't given up on the Fluke. It is still one of the great baits. The Houdini shad has proven to be a worthy alternative. Sometimes the Fluke works better, and sometimes the Houdini Shad works better. Sometimes both work. Over the course of this year, the Houdini Shad has been better for me. Check "em out. Cheers, GK

BPS double sided finesse binder bags. I have six of them stuffed full. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_37109____SearchResults They go on sale every spring.

Salty Super Flukes cast well on baitcast gear. I use EWG hooks, 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0. I change hook size to control the depth. I don't add any additional weight. The hook size change works for me. I haven't had any problems with the hookset using EWG Gammy's. I use a BPS Pro Finesse rod, 6'9" ML, Johhny Morris reel and 10lb Trilene XL. I can cast the SuperFluke farther with this setup than I can with my spinning rod.

I'm going to make a wild guess here, and say that you don't have enough line on the reel, if you can only cast 15 feet or so. Fill the spool to within 1/16" of the lip, and try it again. Try some 8lb test Trilene XL. Cheers, GK

I had to chuckle when I saw the title for this thread. A lot of my fishing is short, two hour trips after work. When I get home, my wife asks me how I did. A lot of times I have to say nothing. She says, "casting practice, eh"? Funny woman.