dulouz

I *** you guys that live in warmer climates. I live in Iowa. I went to my favorite fishin' hole yesterday to find it was completely frozen over.

I *** you guys that live in warmer climates. I live in Iowa. I went to my favorite fishin' hole yesterday to find it was completely frozen over.

I *** you guys that live in warmer climates. I live in Iowa. I went to my favorite fishin' hole yesterday to find it was completely frozen over.

I have left and right handed reels, and I cast with either hand regardless of which reel I use. One thing I have noticed is that if I hold the rod in the same hand without changing my hand position my hand starts to cramp up. It is nice to switch hands to prevent fatigue.

I have a daiwa underspin US-40XD and I was thinking about putting braid on it. It holds 85 yds of 4lb mono and thought I could get more line on it, and line strength by going a thin braid. I didn't know how braid would work on a closed reel. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks

I just started using Power Pro line and was just wondering if it will stand up to the teeth of a Northern Pike? Do I still need to use a leader? Thanks.

Thank you guys for the suggestions. I have done a lot of reading and picked up a few popular walleye cranks. I think time of day has been part of it; I went fishing early this am and caught my first walleye that measured at 20". Nice fish, put up a good fight. I think I just need to be more patient and refine my technique. The changing river conditions are something i am not used to, as well as the crazy weather we have had lately here in Iowa.

I have caught more catfish by accident than I have on purpose. I have caught them on crankbaits, in-line spinners, and even a buzz bait. Go figure....

I have spent most of my time fishing for bass, but I am interested in fishing for walleyes. Usually I fish for bass in a farm pond, but the walleyes are in a local river. I hear good reports from other locals that fishing is great, not just for walleye but northern and smallmouth as well. I have been trying for a few weeks to catch some walleyes but so far I have caught one smallmouth (which i don't mind). I have used jigs/twister tails, and almost every crankbait I own. I would appreciate and walleye tips, as well as general river fishing from the bank.

For anyone still interested... I had a friend look at my reels and he found a simple thing I had overlooked. The worm gear is housed in a tube (more or less), and the line guide assembly goes all the way around the tube. The problem was that I had not been lubricating the OUTSIDE of the worm gear housing. zOnce that got some oil on it my reels performed much better.

I started with a LH because that is what I was used to on spinning reels. Then I picked up a couple of RH reels that were a good price. I have found that if I do all my casting and reeling with the same hand my hand gets cramped and numb. Now I cast with my right or left hand, depending on where I want the lure to go, regardless of what reel I am using. The only exception is pitching/flipping, which I do only with my right arm using a LH reel.

I have two of the cheaper pfluegers I am not very happy with right now, and I was just at Cabela's last week and saw four trions in the bargin cave. I have to wonder, why were they returned?

I have tried cleaning it several times. I used a little oil, a lot of oil, a little grease, a lot of grease, and spraying reel butter all over it. It is so inconsistent. Sometimes it works perfect, others it barely turns. I have done all I can do and have found a reputable reel service a short drive away. It will go visit the dr. when the season is over.

This problem is just bugging the **** out of me. I spent the last half hour outside with a practice plug trying to recreate the problem by spraying the worm gear with water. It worked just fine. What if it isn't the water itself, but particles suspended in the water? I usually fish in a murky farm pond or back waters of a very muddy/sandy river. On a side note... I have Cabela's reel I have cleaned once in the year I have owned it. It has fished the nastiest pond scum, and been covered in it. Never once, have I had this problem with that reel.

[quote author=54425B43585159585558534E370 link=1283741372/20#20 date=1284953862 The first time mine started doing it I could fish with it for awhile and then it would start binding. I could set it down for 30 minutes and then pick it up and it would work for 10 to 15 minutes before it started binding again. This leads me to believe, or guess, that it is an issue with moisture getting in the worm gear and spraying our magic potions (water repellents) on the worm gear is a viable solution.

I was fishing with a friend that was going to take a look at my reel. Before we started he sprayed Ardent's line butter on my spool. I used the reel all day and it didn't act up. Maybe that repelled the water. I don't understand why water would make it act up, but that is what I have narrowed it down to.

Thank you everyone for all of your help, but I am still having problems. When the reel is dry it works fine, and the more moisture that gets on the worm gear the more it binds. Someone suggested using grease instead of oil on the worm gear. That helped, but the problem is still there. Does that still sound like the pawl/worm gear are bad?

Mike, I appreciate the offer to look at the reel, but it I live in Iowa. I will have some of my more experienced baitcasting friends to look at it before I do anything.

Thank you everyone for your help. It seems that my levelwind and/or pawl are worn out. I have only been using baitcasters for a year and didn't realize they required more maintanence than my cheap spinning reels. I guess buying a used reel didn't turn out to be such a great deal after all.

Well, I fished with my problematic reel all day today and I discovered this: When it starts to bind I wiggle the pawl side to side and it works fine for a while. Some of you have mentioned the screw adjustment on the pawl. What does this do??? It seems like the pawl is halfway jumping out of the worm gear. Is this a sign of wear or just a simple adjustment???

I have not completely disassembled the reel. I did take the side cover off and the spool out to clean what I could. I am a bit nervous about taking the entire reel apart. How often is it necessary to get in and clean the insides of the reel?

Thank you for your insights... here are some more questions. I purchased this reel used and I don't know how old it is, I got it at the beginning of this season. The worm gear doesn't appear to be worn. What would I look for to tell if it is badly worn? The line guide, pawl??, has some side to side movement, as does the worm drive itself. The screw on the pawl is not accessable unless you take the handled off and disassemble the reel. It appears there is still a washer. What is the purpose of this screw and how would it be an advantage to adjust? Would using grease on the worm gear instead of oil make a difference on how the reel performs?

I am having a strange problem with my Pflueger purist baitcast reel. Lately it has started binding when I reel in, it casts just fine. It gets worse the longer I fish. It seems to bind when the levelwind is moving to the right, but not the right. I have cleaned and re-greased the levelwind twice, which temporarily fixes the problem. I have noticed that water from the line and my hands seems to be the cause. The more moisture is on the reel the more it binds. When I let the reel sit and dry it works just fine. Does anyone have any insight on this problem? Thanks, David

I live near Cedar Rapids, IA. The Cedar River would be one of my destinations. There are several small lakes in the area, one of which has a no wake regulation. I don't know if others have such regulations regarding wake or gas engines. I will look into it. Thanks for the suggestions. More are welcome...

I am interested in purchasing a jon boat, but I have no clue where to start. I want something I can fish with, but also take my wife and two kids out crusing on small lakes and rivers. Any suggestions are welcome. I could use some expertise on hp, trailers, boat size, etc... Thank you.