OkobojiEagle

My metal framed reels (casting & spinning) have my full confidence... no matter what species might decide to bite and run with my bait. oe

drag grease works very well on gears as well as drag discs oe

hmmm... I guess dark for baits fished on or near bottom and light for baits fished top to mid-depths. Whatever shade of dark or light is available when I'm buying a particular bait. oe

Zorro short arm Aggravator... but you should beef the rod up to a medium power bait caster. oe

I have caught spotted bass at 65', but will never fish that deep again. ~30' is as deep as I fish now. oe

NanoFil's coating will wear off after a year's use and the distance casting will suffer... I went back to 4, 6, 8 & 10lb original fused Fireline. Been using the Fireline since the mid 90's without problems, but I still try new lines... only to return to the Fireline. oe

In states that ban lead jigheads, does the ban extend to lead insert weights as well? oe

Got any buddies who might be paying you back with a prank?

Baits and line companies would make a sensible acquisition for Northland Tackle or Rapala... oe

I just spent 2 days loosening a seized side plate screw in a newly traded for reel. The reel might not have been opened for a few years and needed a thorough clean and lube. A very small amount of reel grease applied to the screw threads when re-inserting them goes a long way to prevent this... just a reminder to those servicing their own reels. oe

Number of carriers plus the type and thickness of any line coating will factor into the abrasion equation significantly. oe

Was announced by Newell last Friday...

You may be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole... The Shad Rap is not a very good choice if you're wanting to crash it into cover looking for a reaction bite. Think of the Shad Rap more as a deeper diving floating jerk bait. Buy a package of 3 1/2" - 4" swimbaits and a few 1/8 - 1/4oz ball jig heads and swim them a foot or so off bottom in the areas you've been successfull with your previous baits. If you absolutely have to, a lightly weighted small swimbait hook will make it more weedless. oe

I'm fortunate to live on lakes with abundant populations of walleye, perch and crappie. I choose not to eat bass, but would do so before consuming boiled crustaceans... oe

www.amazon.com/Entsport-Rattlesnake-2-Pieces-Spinning-Graphite/dp/B01F29CPVU

I mentioned above the X-Rap Shad is a better casting, similar sized/shaped bait. It suspends and rattles making it somewhat different than the balsa Shad Rap. Scrape off the feathered rear treble and retrieve it with a slow steady cadence. oe

Are you the same guys that have a locker full of 8 or 9 ratio reels?... oe

Had my Pixy open last night to swap out the pinion and main gear, as well as, clean & lube the spool bearings. I've been servicing my reels for longer than I can accurately recall and have not lost a bearing retainer spring... until last night! I heard it ricochet off several walls and the ceiling into a dark corner to my right. Somewhere in that dusty space behind the door where I pile a few empty boxes, lean a couple dozen unused rods and hang my waders. A muffled primal scream echoed through the house as I grabbed a nearby flashlight and began to fight my way through the layers of accumulated dust under and around everything. After several minutes of combing through the carpet pile with my fingers I sat back in my chair and tried to choke back the growing swell of tears, partly from disappointment mostly from anger at myself. Oh Lord no... in walks my wife of 40+ years to see what I'd done now and most certainly remind me I should have been more careful -- AGAIN! Yep, I've got to explain the entire excruciating ordeal. With THAT look of superiority radiating from her face (again), she asks if I would like her to look. Of course I said there's no chance in hell of finding that tiny piece of wire, but she closed the door revealing the mess behind it, look intently into the shadows for 3 or 4 seconds, bent over to retrieve something she'd spotted and nonchalantly handed me the missing spring asking "Is this what you're looking for?". I'm here to publicly express... I LOVE MY WIFE! oe

X-rap shad...

I use an ultra-sonic cleaner for most parts... thanks for reminding my old brain of some good choices. oe

I'm frustrated with myself... can't get an effective search of the boards! This info is there but I can't get at it. What cleaning solutions do you use to clean the frames of your reels. (I use acetone to clean the bearings and gears). I can't get Perfect Solution in my community. oe

Try using some drag grease on them... oe

9.7 lbs or 9lb 7oz? oe

amen...

Alright smarty pants, explain why Santa Clause and his elves can sneak in and out without anyone seeing them!