Traveler2586

Nothing that goes BOOM i hope.... Stay safe.

In doing some research I find AG no longer supports the Cardinal 753 or 754 Fast Cast reels. It may be time to retire some old friends. I really like the Fast Cast feature.

Question: do any of the reels today release the level wind line guide when casting? I don't understand why they would drop that feature.

And after your insurance pays whatever, someone can sue you in court where they can take anything of value you may have and garnish your wages for years leaving you just enough to live off of. dog gone it..... After all this I feel like I need a one-on-one with a professional insurance consultant..... I may not have correct coverage for my rig, cargo, and liability. BTW - Last year I ran over a truck tire tread that did a job on my left trailer finder and side of the boat. When all was said and done it cost $4,000.00 to get everything repaired. My insurance paid all but my $500.00 deductible.

Also, because there is so much that can go wrong both on the water, or on the road, you need to protect yourself from liability. You could have an old boat that you don't feel is worth insuring, but if you have an accident someone could sue you for big $$$; also your auto insurance may not cover you properly while towing a boat. Here is an article by a local professional Bass guide to give you something to think about. http://www.penrodsguides.com/LOUmagazineWINTERinsuranceKP.html I live in an area that see a lot of Bass tournaments, and therefore a lot of bass boats on the road. a few years ago I came upon an accident where a tournament angler was stopped at a light and was rear-ended by a dump-truck with such force it knocked the boat and trailer sideways into a car in the next lane, and drove the anglers rig forward into the SUV in front of him; two people in the car and the Bass angler were taken to the hospital. From the overall condition of the dump-truck I would bet the owner-operator didn't have the best insurance to cover this accident. You need to protect yourself.

I would have to agree with you on this point, the composite materials use today just don't strike me as something that will last. It's a shame really, everyone is making things cheaper for the sake of profit margins and the consumer is stuck with a disposable product. A plastic shell is one thing, but the frame and foot should be metal. I just came back from WM where I was looking at a Pro Max and a Silver Max. I was disappointed, they look like they're all plastic. I couldn't really see or handle the reels that well because the were locked onto the display hooks; I'll need to go somewhere where I can really hold the reel and put it on a rod. The search continues.

There is also a quick string test for axle alignment that I saw in a magazine. Get a string that has very little stretch to it (I'm thinking some braid will do). Attach one end to the trailer tong near the coupler so it's in the center of the beam. With the trailer on jack stands and the wheels off, pull the string snug to a point on the outside of the right hub (like where the cap meets the hub), mark the string at this point, move the string to the left side and measure to the same point on the left hub. It should be the same. This is a crude but quick way to check an axle alignment. Depending on the axle mounting configuration, sometimes hitting a pothole or curb can knock one side back. I had this happen to me on my Jon boat trailer where the axle was mounted to the lief-springs by two "U" clamps. In this case the trailer didn't track directly behind the tow vehicle. Something else to think about is tire air pressure. If your tire wears in the center it indicates over-inflation, if the tire wears on the outsides that indicates under-inflation. Tire pressure should be checked before leaving the driveway for each trip. Under inflation is a major problem for trailers tires due to the heat generated within the tire walls; it's causes blowouts on the road. If you have a hard time maintaining tire pressure check your valve stems with some soapy water and a brush; gently move the stem up, down, left, right while dabbing on the soapy water and look for bubbles, if you find any have the wheel inspected for a bad valve seat on the rim or a poor fitting valve, but correct the problem whatever it is.

That's good to know, I'll let you know when I get there. LOL........

That's the secret with reels; if you faithfully do the maintenance (I do it bi-annually) and as long as you can get parts, they can last a very long time. This morning I just cleaned and lubed two AG Ultra Mag reels; it only took less than an hour and my inspection found all components were in good shape. These reel are somewhere around 28 years old and still going strong just because AG supports them with parts and I do the maintenance. I have to believe that any reel that is well supported by the manufacture can last as long if you faithfully clean and lube them, and replace a worn part when needed.

:respect-059: Do what the Doc says during your recovery. Get well soon.

Don't give it a second thought, we've all been there, some of us more than once; so expect the unexpected every time your line is under tension. I got this tip from a professional fishing guide (but I think it depends on how your pulling on your lure with the rod) - "In the split second when your lure pops free, and is flying back at you at high speed, collapse, drop to you knees, hit the deck/ground as fast as you can; this should get you under the trajectory of the lure; don't bend at the waist, turn you back, or put your hands up; these will increase your chances of impalement"; (I know this first hand). Kim Stricker, host of the Hook & Look TV show put his hand up to protect himself and his jig impaled his finger;it had to be cut out at the ER.

That's almost embarrassing; but at my age I don't care any longer.

Sorry to hear about your day; and glad to hear your injury wasn't any worse. You are providing a valuable reminder to the rest of us on how to work our line. Don't wrap it around your body parts. Last year I was launching late in the morning because I was only interested in the last two hours of an out-going tide. While at the ramp a bass boat came running through the no wake zone and docked quicker than I have ever seen. The driver took off at a run for the parking lot to get their tow vehicle. I looked at his partner who was holding a wad of gauze on his hand and asked what happened. He was pulling on braid and sliced into and along the bone of his finger. So they were on their way to the ER. Well, everyone at the ramp pitched in to get the boat on the trailer as soon as it was in the water; and helped to get their gear secured while I gave directions to the ER. I know these two guy's were overwhelmed by the events of that morning, I hope none of us find ourselves in that position. Play safe out there everyone.

BTW, I got some good news today All of my major internal organs are "unremarkable" ?? LOL ?? I'm hoping & praying you get good reports soon.

I was looking at both the Silver and the Black Max, but saw the Pro was their top of the Max line reel, so I focused on it. Does the Silver have the Flipping Switch? I can't tell from the TW adds. At one time I considered buying used Mag Plus reels from ebay just to maintain a supply of them; but I gave up on that idea as long as I can get parts, and thats been going on for about 28 years now !! And as Eddieg says above I may have an issue with going to a low profile reel after the Mag Plus, but I do have two other reels (not AG) that may mitigate that problem. I guess I could double the price window and look at the lower end Revo's, but I'm not sure the return on the investment is there for someone at my skill level. Question; is the C-3 and the Ambassadur Record Bass reels or saltwater, again I can't tell from the TW description.

X2, let us know how your doing. Get well soon

I'll start off by asking for comments pro & con on AG Pro Max casting reels. I am currently using several AG Ambassadeur Ultra Mag XL Plus reels I purchased back in the mid 80's. I have been maintaining these reels myself and get my parts from AG service centers. Well, it's time for another overhaul of the drag systems and I started thinking "is it time to retire my old friends, or not"; after all these years I can still get parts, but when do you call it quits? So, I started looking at other AG reels and found the Pro Max at TW for $79.99. I can't see paying a lot for a reel cause I'm not making a living at fishing, it's just a past time for me (I'm not that good at it too) and I'm retired, which means I'm on a fixed income and don't have a lot of money to through around. But I would be interested to see what other Pro Max owners think of them; or should I keep looking?

I see there are a lot of scattered threads on Bass Resource about Abu Garcia reels, and other reels as well. I too have some questions about AG reels, but don’t want to hijack someone else’s thread with my questions. So, not seeing a manufacture specific thread that covers the spectrum of the manufactures products, I thought I’d start this Abu Garcia thread where we can ask questions of other Garcia owners. Hopefully, we can keep this positive (I got my rose colored glasses on now) and not resort to reel or brand bashing. But, if you have a reel (real) question about your AG reel, post it, and hopefully you’ll find other’s that have the same AG reel.

Ya, that looks big enough, he should have submitted it to the International Game Fish Association to have the fish registered as a world-record catch. Unfortunately, not many anglers know how. I'm told there is a predefined procedure the angler has to go through, including submitting the properly prepared fish, lure, sample of the line, the scale it was locally weighed on, and more....

A couple of young boys were fishing at their special pond off the beaten track. All of a sudden, the Game Warden jumped out of the bushes. Immediately, one of the boys threw his rod down and started running through the woods like a bat out of hell. The Game Warden was hot on his heels. After about a half mile, the young man stopped and stooped over with his hands on his thighs to catch his breath, so the Game Warden finally caught up to him. "Let's see yer fishin' license, Boy!" the Warden gasped. With that, the boy pulled out his wallet and gave the Game Warden a valid fishing license. "Well, son," said the Game Warden. "You must be about as dumb as a box of rocks! You don't have to run from me if you have a valid license!" "Yes, sir," replied the young guy. "But my friend back there, well, he don't have one."

Cut off you lure, tie a large loop in the end of the line, place the loop over the rod handle and tighten the line with the reel, then wrap the line around the rod eyes one time. P.S. There are no dumb questions here, just some dumb answers at times.

I find a snap/swivel just collects weeds, so I tie direct using two different knots, the Palomar, and Rapala. However, as Tyfisher posted above, I also got a tip on the "No-Knot Fas-Snap" that I would like to try. I'm told they're smaller and quicker, but I think they would also collect weeds. I would only use the Fas-Snap when changing crankbaits frequently until I found the one the Bass want that day, then I would tie direct to the selected crank using the Rapala loop knot.

Look for my PM.

The Cost Of Fishing Two avid fishermen go on a fishing trip. They rent all the equipment: the reels, the rods, the wading suits, the rowboat, the car, and even a cabin in the woods. They spend a fortune. The first day they go fishing, but they don't catch anything. The same thing happens on the second day, and on the third day. It goes on like this until finally, on the last day of their vacation, one of the men catches a fish. As they're driving home they're really depressed. One guy turns to the other and says, "Do you realize that this one lousy fish we caught cost us fifteen hundred dollars?" The other guy says, "Wow! It's a good thing we didn't catch any more!" How many times have you thought about the cost of your one catch of the day?

That's very possible. The question is, how was it taken; this one was caught on a hook & line; the other may have been taken with bow & arrow. I don't know. I think we'll continue to see some NSH records set in MD, DE, & PA. What's the FL record?