cart7t

I've never used any of the high end spincasters before but I believe RW is right on. The manufacturers have never really spent any time developing this type of reel so it's really gone nowhere. The only issues I have with using this type of reel for bass fishing is the problems these types of reels have with handling anything above 10lb test line. Line twist and line tangling problems under the spool cover usually caused by line twist. I remember there was a slight surge in interest in these reels after an article in Bassmaster about using them for dock skipping.

Every big bass I've caught is on the photo site in my brain including my PB. I can enjoy them whenever I want.

Maybe between JustFishin and JustWorkin he's JustTooBusy.

You can pickup a Reese Hitch from Walmart for that truck for around $120. I've towed bassboats behind 4 different Ford trucks over the years. The hitches allow you to buy the correct ball mount so you're towing you're boat as level as possible. That's not possible when you just stick the ball onto the bumper.

mmmmm..... beer......

"Stop drinking out of my waterbowl. I know where your mouth has been and what it's been licking. While you're at it, that corner of the yard is mine, I'm getting tired of seeing your messes over there. Stop leaving the doggie door up, have some courtesy for once and leave it down. Keep your bones out of my bed and for gods sakes have the decency to leave the house if you're going to fart, it's like a dutch oven in there........." If dogs were able to get married.

This is Kimi (dog) and Buster (cat). Buster came from the Humane Society, it's my sons. Kimi was a rescue dog. She's a pure bred Shih Tzu that was a breeder dog that had outlived her usefulness. Her teeth were in such bad shape they had to pull all of them except about 4 in the back of her mouth, breaking her jaw in the process. She's a very docile dog but you can tell she's not had quality human interaction over the years. We're guessing she's easily over 10 years old.

The only BPS rods I ever had break were Graphite Gold rods waaay back in the day. Back in that day it was not uncommon for Graphite rods to snap on hooksets. BPS exchanged them no problem. If you have your receipt I'm sure they'll give you another one.

HD or Lowes has nothing in SS hardware, ACE hardware on the other hand...... 8-)

I've decided to downsize and simplify my fishing.

Your questions are way to vague. You need to be more specific. Are these 4 people in the boat all adults or are there children involved? Are these 4 people going to all be fishing at the same time? Does this have to be a bassboat or would a Fish n Ski suffice? Do you have a preferance for fiberglass over aluminum? Is it necessary for you to have a new boat? At $15-25K you're not going to be able to get into a new fiberglass boat that 4 people can fish out of comfortably. You'll have to look for a used boat.

Exactly which end of the reel are you having trouble with? If you're speaking of the palm plate side and sliding the spool back in I've found removing the spool tension knob helps.

Good thing you didn't buy a used boat. ;D I really have no idea how much time I spend on maintenance. I don't have any idea how much time I spend on my vehicle maintenance either. I guess I don't think about it. It's one of the unseen costs of boat ownership and one of those things that cause people to use that old adage about owning a boat ... "The happiest days of a boat owners life is the day he buys it and the day he sells it" Since I consider working on a boat(s) as something of a hobby, I consider it quality time.

Are you talking 4 full size people? Are you talking about a new boat or would be used be OK?

There's a West Marine across the parking lot from the BPS in St. Charles, Mo. I walked in there one time and one time only. I can only figure there's a segment of boaters out there that will do absolutely no research what-so-ever when they need a marine part and just walk in there and think nothing of paying 2, 3, or 4 times more than they'd pay elsewhere. Blind ignorance I guess.

If that thing hasn't been used in that long, before you take it out inform him to dump whatever gas is in the tank(s) and put in fresh. At the very least the carb(s) will probably be gummed up depending on how he took care of the boat before he put it up for it's long nap. You could also be looking at dry rotted seals and gaskets. Really hard to tell. Some of it depends on how well he prepared the boat for long term non-usage. Where was it stored all this time? If it was in a garage you're probably in pretty good shape. If it was outside, was it under a cover like a carport? If it was left outside and even with a cover on it you then have to worry about water that got into the boat and what potential damage it did. Did he have the boat tilted up sufficiently for water to drain out of it? Aluminum boats do have wood in them and it will rot just like any other boat.

Electronic technician for the past 33 years working on Big screen TV's, Plasma's, LCD's and some of those old CRT based sets. 15 years till retirement. Not sure I'll make it.

Lake of the Ozarks though I don't fish it anywhere near like I used to.

A $150 spinning reel that basically fell apart in just 2 years? Not good.

When I'm fishing them Wacky style I wouldn't think of NOT using the O-rings. If you don't have one of the O-ring tools you should get one. Makes sliding those things on a real snap.

;D

Sorry to hear Val. I know I along with others were wondering what happened since the tourney. There's already been plenty of good advice listed in this thread already. My wife and I lost a 3 month old baby born with a very rare birth defect 20 years ago. We spent his entire life at Cardinal Glennon hospital with him till we finally had to disconnect him from life support and bring him home to die. As already stated. Just be there for your wife. Don't push her. If she wants to talk she will and be an active listener. Resist the male urges when she's talking to try and fix her by not saying things like, well I think, or here's what I would do. As for your job situation. I got canned a year ago. A friend at that former employer, Best Buy, just called me yesterday and told me the entire shop is shutting down in 2 months. Unfortunately, this is the way the business world works anymore. There's little loyalty shown for the employee these days. You'll get back on your feet the same way I and others have done and remember this, a woman doesn't have that male urge to be the provider like you do. You're putting a lot of pressure on yourself because of that and you're assuming she's feeling like you're a failure for not providing. Woman don't think like that. Take a deep breathe. Put it in Gods hands.

I've bolded an excellant point muddy. I used round reels for years. I love them, unfortunately my body, specifically my hands and wrists don't due to tendon and nerve damage in those areas from years of my job and this sport. I've had to changeover from round reels to LP reels the past year and a half. Since I"m on a budget, like most everyone else, I decided to explore BPS reels as a means to make the transition as cheaply as possible ( I like to carry a lot of rods and reels ) As someone who was turned off to the BPS brand of reels since a bad experience with their stuff 20 odd years ago I can say my attitude towards their reels has changed alot! As someone who sells a lot of used reels on the internet, I also wouldn't be so quick to knock the durability of their equipment for the average bass fisherman either. I've sold a ton of used Shimano, Daiwa, Garcia and Pflueger equipment and also my share of BPS stuff. I've yet to notice a real discernable difference in the overall fitness of a 2-4 year old BPS reel vs. one of the name brands of equal bearing count. If the reels, regardless of brand, have been cared for I can't say that a 4 year old Shimano Curado green reel works any better than a BPS qualifier reel the same age. BTW, for anyone wanting to get into higher end reels without the cost, consider buying used. Like I said, if the reel has been cared for (ie: little rash, cleaned and lubed at least once a season and stored properly) a 3 or 4 year old high end reel will work nearly as good as new for half the price or less. Considering these higher end reels are supposed to last a lifetime, at 3 or 4 years you're talking about a reel that's still in it's infancy.

Man, you are bored.

I've heard plenty of bad reports on both of these brands of chargers and few good. JMO. In 30 + years of bass fishing I've owned a total of 3 portable, 10amp portable battery chargers. In all those years I only had one fail. One got smashed and the other has been serving me for the last 10 years. They all got rained on at one time or the other, charging gauge cover cracked, rusted internally but only one failed. I seriously doubt I'd have had anywhere near that good of luck with an ob battery charger. Considering the price, I have never seen a reason to ever go with OB chargers due to the convenience aspect of them. They fail too often considering the price but if I was going to buy one I understand the Guest chargers hold up the best. A little pricier than most but they fail less often.