NBR

I can't recall where I read it but there were big holes in the research that supported the article. The fact that it was in Field and Stream made it highly suspect in my mind. While F & S was at one time a great magazine I have not bought one in years and it is likely to be years before I buy another unless they make major changes.

I don't understand why you would want to change all your reels to one type of line. I still use mostly mono but I do use flouro for soft plastics on a B/C or two. The water I fish is very clear and I don't want to mess with adding a leader so I don't use any braid but I'm thinking of trying it on my CRig outfit if summer ever comes to NH.

Ghoti is right on with the spooling method and I accent the Berkley spooling station is worse than poor for spooling spinning reels. I have used big spool Berkley line for years and I have never found any problem with XL or XT. I didn't care for the Iron Silk nor the original flourocarbon but I now use Transition on two bait casters and like it real well. Last year I tried BPS XPS and have had no trouble. You migh be slipping the drag while you spool the line and this will cause terrible line twisting. I forgot to tighten the drag one spring when respooling and it took me a few seconds maybe minutes to figure out what causing all the line twist.

I have B/C reels from Shimano, Pflueger, Daiwa, Quantum and BPS and I can't see much difference in casting distance with any of them. Now with different rods and/or line there could be a considerable difference. With todays combinations I believe casting distance is more the rod, the quality of the bearings on the reel spool shaft and the line than the make of the reel. You could likely extend the cast by super tuning the reel but as I get older and more experienced I seem to shorten my casts and keep the lure in the strike zone a greater percentage of the time.

I can't wait for Reel Mechanic to weigh in on this one. I can't put a reason on the why's but lubing the centrifugal brake just doesn't sound like the right thing to do. I believe the parts are plastic and likely nylon which is more or less self lubricating. I can understand how it quiets the reel. I think the term is viscous damping. I would think in the short term you would lose some distance and in the long term you might gunk up the innards and/or cause some heavier wear to the system as the grease picked up grit.

Check with the Nebraska DNR. They will likely give you information on what to stock and how much to harvest. There is no point putting fish into a pond or lake that won't survive. Many private small ponds end up with stunted fish because of under harvest and/or lack of forage..

Arbor knot but I don't understand the line catching on the knot. You should cut the tag end close. I assume you fill the spool to within an 1/8" of the lip and the knot should be buried under the line.

I run mine pretty high 75% or higher and often over 90%. I don't worry over surface clutter if it's in the top 5 or so feet I don't care. The lakes I fish are very clear and I can't remember not being able to see bottom in 15' or more. When I run my flasher I turn the gain up enough so I get a double echo. With my liquid crystal graph the double signal is canceled by the unit. Before liquid crystals I ran a paper graph that was far superior to the LCD'd but the paper was expensive and if it was raining or the humidity was high the paper would jam.

The tongue at the hitch should be slightly down hill for best tracking.

What RW said. read the book and read Reel Mechanics how to set up your reel.

Check your book for the GVW rating. My guess it will tow okay but stopping might be a different matter. My trailer has surge brakes which are almost as good as the electric versions. My wife has an older Cherokee and we pull with it on occassion. The jeep has no "tow/haul" feature we just don't tow in overdrive.

Junenbug, My motor is a 1989 XR4 150 and I have had similar problems that 100% of the time were traced to a low charge on the cranking motor battery or the cranking battery going bad. About 2 years ago I started right up at the ramp but when I was ready to start again it would not fire. It cranked but did not fire. I went straight to a dealer replaced the battery and it has been fine since.

I have used it for 2 or 3 years and I like it just fine. My experience is that since it if flouro it sinks and I don't get the yellow line on the surface which at times I wish I did.

A guy I fish with fairly often has 2 or 3 of the KVD combo's and likes them real well.

Personally, I think F&S boats are a compromise and not really good for either but if boating, skiing or tubing trips with the family keep the family happy go for it. If you are looking for a fishing boat don't opt for the F&S. I have a single console bass boat and have taken the family on tubing trips but not often, My boat is 99.99% of the time a fishing platform. My boat is a 1990 and is in great shape primarily since it has always been garaged and the last 10 years in a heated garage. All other things equal I would favor the Champion although mine is identical to a Procraft and has been just fine. My boat is between 19 and 10 feet and I would not want to fish 3 people very often. If I was going to fish 3 people often I look for something over 20' with a dual axle trailer and trailer (surge) brakes for any fiberglass boat.

Mike. If your boat is like most you run every thing on board except the TM with your cranking battery. I have experienced similar problems. Put some muffs on your motors and jumpers either to your TM battery or get your car close and run jumpers to the boat. I had to replace a starter solenoid several years ago and I think it was more than $20. Keep us informed.

Thank you! If winter ever gets over and you come to NH we can find some brownies.

Have the battery load checked. Wally World can do it if you have no other choice.

As I look at my rod rack I count 9 bait casters and 8 spinning out fits. Probably 8 0r 10 years ago I bought a tube of Hot Sauce grease and a tube of their oil. I decided to oil wasn't special and shortly after I bought a tube of Rocket fuel. On the level wind screw and crank handle knobs I just use a drop of the stuff that comes in one of those plastic tubes. I figure I have a 10 year supply. In reel lubrication less is better.

XL has been my bait caster line for years and my spinning out fits for even longer and I've never had a problem. I am trying Tectan in light line applications ( 4 to 6#) and also like it.

You are going to get a lot of different answers but I have some that is more than 5 years old and it is fine. There is a little bloom on the O.D. but I've not had a problem with knot strength or anything else.

Use marine plywood. It may need to be ordered but I would think you could find some in the Boston area. A coat of marine varnish on the top, bottom and edges should make it last longer than you have the boat.

The lakes I fish are deep and very clear, very few weeds and ever less wood. Cover is mostly rocks and boulders.I can't recall when I first started using Senko's or their KO's but it was about 5 or 6 years ago. I started with 12# mono and 2 years ago went to 14# fluoro. Although I can't really tell the difference I would like to think the flouro is a bit better but I wouldn't respool for the difference.

Sit down with paper, pencil and calculator and put together the investment needed just to start a guide service. Remember you have no clients only cost. If it looks like you can handle the financial load hire a guide for a day. Be sure to level with him that you are thinking of being a guide. It is likely he will not be encouraging since it is a real tough way to make a living. Reassess the financial requirements and the fact you don't have an education in how to run and manage a business. The fishing part of a guide service has to be the fun part and I would guess that for every hour spent fishing two or more hours are spent with paper work, insurance, taxes, goverment requirements and many other things that are necessary such as where are my clients coming from? What are the costs. What are the requirements to be a guide from the state of NC? Some states require a Coast Guard rating, others require a basic first aid certification, most states require a guides liscense. I thought guiding would be great when I was getting out of highschool but considering the requirements decided on an education so I could fish for the pure enjoyment.

I use my flipping stick. At 7'6" it moves a lot of line on the hook set and it can handle 1 oz. sinkers when I'm fishing real deep.