.ghoti.

I found this place while looking for parts for a couple of reels. I found Reel Mechanic's website, which has a link to here. I spent a few months just reading the articles before even looking at the forum. I'm like RW; the whole chat-room thing did not appeal to me at all. Things do indeeed change. I eventually took a look at the forums, liked what I found, lurked around for a while, finally registered, and have been here ever since. It's been a little over two years since I signed up, and about 5 months since Glenn made me part of the crew. I've had some fun learning new stuff while working in the background in behalf of this site. The pay ain't much, but the challenges and learning opportunities are rewarding, in and of themselves. I like being a part of this, and being able to contribute, in a small way, to the place that has become a sort of home away from home. This is quite a unique community we have here. It is rather like a large extended family, in many ways. There are some very knowledgable folks here; RoLo, Chris, Fish Chris, Raul, Reel Mech, Matt Fly and George Welcome come to mind, and I'm sure I missed a few that will occur to me later. We also have some not-so-knowledgable people too; and what family doesn't have a few of those? There are some very opinionated members, a few hotheads, a group of funny guys, some just plain weirdo's, and several cantankerous old farts. ( Yeah, I know. I resemble that remark. ) What's really cool is, I have a bunch of new friends I've never met, several of whom I talk to on a regular basis. What's also so cool is you can ask anything here and get an answer from somebody who knows what they're talking about. Getting answers from some who obviously don't know what they're talking about is just part of the fun. So, thanks Glenn for starting this up, and keeping it running so smoothly. Thanks to all the mod's for everyting you do to keep this place on an even keel. And thanks to all the members for joining the family. Cheers, GK

I'm not quite so scientific. I just fill up a new reel all the way with el cheapo mono of the same diameter as the "good" line I want to use. Then pull of abot 80 yards. One arm span, measured from one hand to the other is about two yards, so I strip off the cheap stuff accordingly. Then tie a back-to-back uni knot, and fill the reel with the good stuff. The only time you have to do this is the first time. Every time thereafter, just strip it off down to the knot. I tried the counting the turns thing, then realized that the IPC for a given reel is different at the bottom of the spool than at the top. Stands to reason, if you think about it. This does save some cash over time. I use about a dozen reels on a regular basis, and respool often, so I save enough to buy a few extra bags of GYCB baits every year. Cheers, GK

Grease on the gears, oil for everything else. I now use Reel Butter oil and grease. I like it best after trying several others. If you want to try reel butter, you'll need to get all of the hot sauce lubes removed, and that's a pain in the membrane. Here's two tips. Have the schematic with you before you start, or you'll likely end up with a problem if you haven't done this reel before. And, leave the IAR bearing alone. IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. If you decide to clean and relube this part, you may as well go to Reel Mechanic's website, print out the form, fill it out and ship the reel off to him. Good luck, GK

I've used one of these for years. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_70545?cm_mmc=froogle-_-400-13-6-_--1-_-38-882-432-00&hvarAID=froogle&mr:trackingCode=3E2BFD49-3FC1-DC11-BE2A-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA But, I don't sharpen any hooks for plastics. The Owner's and Gammy's that I use are sharper out of the package than you can get them with a hand sharpener, and are cheap enough to replace when the points get damaged. I do sharpen the hooks on jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, etc. I'll also sharpen dulled trebles on cranks when out on the water, but I'll replace them later. Cheers, GK

AMEN. You guys knocked that one right out of the park.

Just got home today. Dang, it's cold here. Gotta give a special thanks to Lee for inviting a complete stranger along to fish with him. Thanks, man. I truly appreciate it. Lee is a fine fisherman, and a good man to share a boat with. And, I did try to knock that fish off. I missed it with the net. TWICE. Talk about being a total dufus, that was me with the net. But, we had a great day on the water, even if the bite was not there. I talked to several guys on the ramp, and with one fish in the boat, we did better than all of them. I did get a call from Muddy while Lee and I were out on the water. He did NOT want to hear my description of the weather. ;D ;D ;D Apparently, it was a just a bit cooler in Pa that day. Hey, Dom, I'm home now. Give me a call sometime. Lee, two things; send me your address. I have a package for you. And, I have no pictures. My brand new camera is faulty. The pictures I took on your boat, and the ones I took at Stick Marsh were basically not there. All of them looked like they were totally over-exposed. I mean it's just white, with a few really light grey blotches where an image should be. I experimented some more with it back at the resort, and it would not take a decent picture, except in near darkness, on any setting. I think the shutter is hosed. It's going back tomorrow. We had a great trip to Florida. I fished one day with Lee, two with George Welcome, ( I'll put up another post about that )and fished most other mornings at the resort on Lake Eve. Caught some smallmouth there every day except the last morning when I got blanked. I didn't know there were any smallmouth in Florida. The first one surprised me to no end. Thought I had a big LM. Got it up to the pier, and found a two pound smallie. Found out later that they stock this little lake every year. Anyway, great trip, good to be home, even if it is colder. We'll be going back to that area. We all liked it and had some fun. Cheers, GK

They did this last year at their big spring wing-ding in Springfield. I picked one up and called a buddy of mine back home and asked if he wanted another one. I picked up one for him too. Then a guy, whom I'd never seen before, stopped me and suggested that I open up the box before I buy it. It was absolutely NOT the JM Sig series reel that I know and love. Don't know what it was, but it was not what I expected. It pizzed me off enough that I left a cart full of stuff sitting in the aisle, and departed without buying anything. I don't know who that guy was, but thank you buddy, whomever you are. Cheers, GK

I've heard before that these were Daiwa reels. But not from anybody I trusred to know. Are they really? Not trying to be a smart-azz, I do want to know. I love those discontinued CV series reels from Daiwa, and would like to find some more. Wouldn't bother me a bit if they said St Croix on the side.

Timely topic. I just started tweakin my Millionaire's. These are the CV-X103's that were discontinued last year. I got "em on clearance for less than half price, so with the parts costs, I'm still at a bit less than regular price for the reels. Got the Carbontex drag washers and TDZ handles on order. I'm hoping they'll be here before we leave for Florida this Friday. I've already polished the shims and spool ends for free spooling. Also polished all the contact spots for the engage/disengage mechanisms. Got the idea for that from an article on tackle tour. They did Sol, the Millionaire is similar. The re-engage is now very smooth and almost effortless. The original Millionaire is 3+1 bearings. I replaced the drive shaft bushings with bearings, and the outer pinion gear bushings with bearings. I robbed the bearings for this from some older Quantum and Daiwa reels. Got new bearings on order now that I know what will fit and work. With the handle upgrade, the reels will now be 9+1 bearings. Should be super smooth. They feel really good now with the used bearings and stock handles. If the parts don't get here soon I won't know for sure until the BassResource.com roadtrip. These are the reels I use for cranking and spinnerbaits, so the smoother the better. The only other upgrades I might consider is better bearings for the spool. The reels already are so smooth on the cast that better bearings might be a step in the backlash direction. I'm gonna use them for a while before I make that decision. I've gone about as far as I'm willing to go on this project in terms of cash out of pocket. It's been interesting so far. Can't wait to see how they actually perform on the water.

Well, let me be the first to offer my congratulations to the newly crowned MOOK. All Hail the Mook. Long Live the Mook.

I'm jealous! But, I'll be there in about a week and a half, so don't get greedy, amigo. Save a few for me. Cheers, GK

Looks pretty darned good to me. Particularly since I haven't had a bass on the end of my thumb since early November. Keep "em warmed up for me Lee. I'm rarin' to go. Got my tackle packed for the trip, and counting down the days. I'm cocked, locked and ready to rock. Cheers, GK

Since you no longer need the "le" for your name, how about if I take it off your hands? Le Ghoti has a certain je nes c'est quoi, don't you think?

I'm in. Rod: Setyr 6'6" MH SPB178MH Reel: PT 770 Line: #12 XL Bait 1: 5" Senko, Red Shad Bait 2: Fat Ika, watermelon/chart Bait 3: Big Kahuna Cut-tail worm, blue Bait 4: 5" GYCB Hula Grub, any dark color / 1/4oz Ike's Spike jighead Bait 5: X-Rap, any color, they all work If I can't catch any fish on these baits, it's time to light a cigar, crack open a beer, and enjoy the scenery.

Good one, George. I'm looking forward to meeting you in January. I haven't fished for several weeks, and I am ready. Cheers, GK

Welcome back amigo. Have a safe and joyous holiday with your family. Glad you made it back in one piece, Cheers, GK

Totally agree with the two posts above. I have 6 of the BPS double finesse binders. I have them all stuffed, and can't tear them up or wear them out. They're on sale every spring, at least they are in St Charles, so wait a bit and get yourself a few. Cheers, GK

I hate when that happens. : I think this is how I met my wife, not sure, everything was fuzzy. ;D I know this is how I met mine. ;D ;D

So, are ya gonna get all cranky if I call you Le Fourbizz?

I used to have it bad. My cure is not one I'd ever recommend. After the heart attack, I started taking prescribed beta blockers. They make me sleep like a baby. Except for the thumb-sucking, and crapping in the pants part.

I don't think you need backing for flouro, But, if you're like me, you like to save money. I use some elcheapo backing line on all of my reels. I use the same diameter, or as close as I can get. Fill your reel all the way with the cheap stuff. Now tie on a weight the same weight as you plan on using with that rig, or maybe just a little bit more. Make a long cast, as long as you can. Now tie a knot in the line to mark the spot, and crank it back in. Remove the elcheapo line down to the knot and strip off just a bit more before you cut it. Now tie on your good line, and fill it up. You'll only have to do this the first time, From there on out, you just strip it down to the knot, cut and tie, and refill it. A bck-to-back uni knot makes a good connection, but a blood knot will work. Cheers, GK

Hey Jack, good luck on laying an opinion to rest. ;D ;D ;D

I like Tru Tungsten's Ike's jigs a lot. Not for the tungsten, but for the shape of the hook, which keeps the bait firmly secured to the jighead. If I could buy a lead head with a similar hook, I'd never buy another Tru-T. I did get a few tungsten weights to try, but only after Wally-world put some in the clearance bin. I like the Ultrasteel just as much, and they are a lot cheaper. Sensitivity, probably the single most over-hyped term in fishing, is in your hands and in your wrists, but most importantly, in between your ears. Cheers, GK

That would be funny if it weren't so freakin true.

Chase your sweetie around the house two or three times every day. Who knows, you might even catch her. Cheers, GK