ThatZX14Fella

Usually nothing. Sometimes beer. If I get hungry, we go grab some fast food or something.

It's all personal preference. I dont use spinning reels unless I absolutely have to. They don't feel right to me. If you don't have a baitcaster, give it a try. You may end up wishing you had tried them long ago.

I'm seeing people suggest spinning gear. That's great, if that's what you prefer to use. I don't like spinning equipment. Baitcasters are more fun to use for me. I'm not catching fish every cast, so I may as well enjoy what I'm using in between catches. That's why I like high end reels. They're more enjoyable to use and make the skunk days more fun. That's just me, though.

Could just be a lemon of a reel. I've had one or two that, no matter what settings I used, they wouldn't cast without backlashing. Unless I set the spool tension so tight that I just couldn't get any distance. Take it back and exchange it for another if you don't feel comfortable with trying to address the issue yourself.

It is the newer model. It only has one spool tension knob. I ended up having to help someone with some money, so I'm on the fence about spending the extra money for a bearing swap now. I'm trying to save as much as possible to be able to pay my bills.

I got the OEM. I didnt think about Carbontex. It'll be used for catfishing and bass fishing, so I'm mainly trying to get it back to worth fishing with for now. I may upgrade to Carbontex later on.

Stuff to get my Ambassadeur back to new.

I ended up buying a bunch of stuff to fix it up to its former glory. I got a power handle, because I'll be using it for catfishing, as well as bass. I got the main gear, pinion gear, spool axle, wormgear, line guide pawl, and a drag washer (I noticed i was missing one when looking at the schematics). Hopefully she'll be like new again.

It still casts great with the bushing. I just was curious to see if I could get a bearing as replacement. I figured it'd be a nice upgrade. I'll be buying an ultrasonic cleaner in the next week or so to clean the parts easier. I'll have to give the drill a shot. Do you put a piece of paper towel over the shaft or something to keep from damaging the threads?

The bushing seems to be stuck on the spool axle, so I dont think I'm going to be able to check it. I dont want to damage it or the axle trying to get it off.

That's probably what I'll end up doing. Get the brakes, and do a thorough cleaning. It should work good enough for catfish, at that point.

It only has the one spool tension knob. I got it from a friend years ago and just now got to using it again, until I lost the second brake. I was just seeing if I could maybe upgrade to bearings to help it with casting. After I get the brakes sorted, or course. I'll probably buy a newer reel and retire this one in the near future. I just dont want to retire a good reel. I've been trying to use it for catfish, and I'm probably going to pick up an older model, used Steez soon for bass. My arsenal is lacking right now. I sold off all of my gear and haven't had the cash flow to rebuild.

I suppose the bushing is stuck. It doesnt seem to be budging.

I'll see if I can get calipers to measure the OD and ID. My dad should have a set laying around somewhere.

I have an Ambassadeur that's probably from the 1990's or early 2000's. It has bushings on the spool instead of bearings. Can I replace the bushings with bearings or am I stuck with what i have? I already have to order brakes for it, because both are missing. I'm just seeing if I can do a ceramic bearing upgrade, as well.

The Abu Max series is great for the price, and so are Daiwa Aird X rods. I'd sincerely try talking him into buying used, though. You can get lightly used reels with aluminum frames for under a $100 that will outperform any of the new reels under $100. If it's a big issue, you can clean them up before using and they'll be like new again.

Thanks to you guys, I think I'm going to pick up an older, used Steez and Megabass Orochi Peak. I wanna play with the cool kids.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Last week is probably the roughest one I've had since his funeral. I was having a really hard time. I can pretty much envision the whole day in my head, and it just kept replaying over and over. I'm going to be getting the things that need fixed on his truck fixed soon, and I'll also be starting schooling for my welding certification soon. He was a welder, so that's what I'd like to be as well.

Unfortunately, we lost Pop on Monday, December 4th. It's been hard as hell to deal with. Been trying to keep my mind off of it and I'll just see something that reminds me of him or a memory will pop into my head and I'll just lose it. I have lost my best friend, and the biggest influence/roll model in my life. I am, however, forever thankful for the time I got to spend with him.

I get tired of fishing on occasion. Sometimes a few weeks break is all I need other times I need a few months. Got out of it for about a year once and sold all my gear. I'll never sell my stuff again.

Basically whatever I can catch off of piers and inshore in Myrtle Beach and maybe Florida or South Alabama. It'll also be used for some catfishing. I think a 300 will be fine, but I don't want to go too small with it. I want to go as small as possible. I've never done any kind of saltwater fishing, so I have no idea what to expect, which is kinda why I'm so confused on all the options.

Then that'll probably be what I go with. Just gotta figure out what size i want to go with.

I'll be the one to say I'm unlucky. Being drawn the social anxiety (and anxiety in general) card, as well as the depression card, in a world that requires you to work and deal with the public tends to seem unlucky. Plus all the things that have been going on here lately. Life is sucking right now, but my fishing breaks are keeping me going right now. Spent about $300 on fishing gear over the past week.

Oh, I know. I just don't want to take a $500+ reel into the salt if it isn't designed to withstand it and end up with a corroded mess.

Alright, so I know I said I have a $500 budget, but is the Calcutta Conquest saltwater friendly? If so, I'll save up for one of those, because I've been wanting one since joining this site and seeing them in the, "Show Off Your Stuff," thread.