Josh Smith

It's in pretty good shape and feels good casting, if a little heavy. I'm not too terribly good at fly fishing, hate four-piece rods, and gave my last one that wasn't my grandpa's away (Walmart cheapo to see if I liked it.) This one is a two-piece, is in great condition, still has plastic on the cork, and is very forgiving. The reel I seem to remember seeing in the 1990s, but this rod isn't familiar at all. Seems maybe 1970s? Can anyone tell me about it? Thanks!

It arrived yesterday and the seat is definitely plastic. It doesn't feel any cheaper than a Black Max, though, and the Black Max is one reel I considered. Overall, I'm happy. Mmmm... I'm not sure if I'd be good with carbon fiber. In mountain biking it's known for its light weight, yes, but also for its "compliance," meaning it's more comfortable due to flex. I'll stick with metal frames and seats for my serious setups. Something I carry on my bike is a different story and won't be used as hard as my more expensive setups. I can maybe see carbon fiber plates because of how they're oriented. Frames, not so much.

Thanks for this. I just ordered one. I wasn't looking at reels this cheap, but, if it works and has an aluminum frame, I'll give it a go! In this instance, cheaper is better to a point because I'm known to wreck at times. Thanks, everyone.

That's how the Black Max reel was tagged. Now, it's possible someone put the wrong tag on it, but there were other reels next to it which were similarly priced.

When I was around here a lot, KastKing was just emerging as a brand and had the associated unknowns as a new brand. I still love my Ambassadeurs, but I carry a telescoping rod on my mountain bike and they're a little big for that purpose, so I'm using a U.S. Reels baitcaster I got for cheap some years back. It's OK but I don't really like the wave guide. I was browsing reels on Amazon, came across a KastKing Royale Legend II, and wonder if they ended up being any good. Does this model have a metal seat? Do they hold up well? This could be what I'm looking for. I almost just threw a Black Max onto the rod, but Walmart wants $80(!!) for a Black Max now. Ain't no way 😆 Anyway, how's KastKing these days?

The Bike of Theseus, and one of the places it takes me (with my daughter):

I lost two bass today. One pulled hard. We've not been fishing a lot the past couple years. There's just a lot of other interests we have, and the kids are getting older and are busier with school. My 9-year-old daughter and I finally got the chance to go bank fishing this evening at a place where a creek flows into the reservoir. I chose a chartreuse willow leaf spinner to start. A few casts in and boom, this little bass, 9" or so, hits the spinnerbait. I almost yanked it to shore on the hook set. It came out of the water and flopped off. Dammit. Oh well. So I cast up the creek, and on about the fifth cast up that way, what felt like a huge bass inhaled the bait. I set the hook hard. After fighting for several seconds, this one jumped and spat the bait. I reeled the lure the rest of the way in to sharpen it, and discovered the hook had no barb. Apparently it was one of the spinners I modified for use by my then-young little girl several years ago. Dammit. We had to pack up and leave shortly after. ?

I've never caught a bass out deep. Haven't really put in the time, either. I love casting to cover I can see, and picking it apart. Seeing structure on a sonar screen and dropping a jig or pulling down a deep diving crankbait just doesn't excite me.

Her: "Can you tell I've lost weight?" Me: "You're not as fat as you were at our wedding." Luckily, I'm mildly autistic. It has gotten me out of a lot these past 15+ years we've been together. She's only dumped me once.

My wife works in home health and used to vape. Once, she walked into a client's house -- a sweet, dementia-addled old lady -- and her vape's lithium batteries choose that time to come shooting out of her purse like rockets, landing on the floor and setting the carpet alight. The little old lady got up from her knitting, grabbed a vase with water in it, and doused the fire. She said, "Well, that takes care of that." Then she walked back, sat down, resumed her knitting, and promptly forgot the entire episode. ?

This is what I was after. The reason I didn't want to go with a more powerful trolling motor is because running them at low speeds produces that waste heat. I have no problem running a PWM controller. I just wasn't aware they made them for trolling motors (though I guess it only makes sense that they do,) nor was I aware that PWM messes with sonar, though I suppose that also makes sense. I'll look into the PWM motors. Not after anything real expensive, so we'll see. Thank you!

I've acquired a canoe. I plan to primarily use paddles, but would like to find a low-powered, light, efficient trolling motor for longer trips. The one I had in mind was the Minn Kota 10 with 8lbs of thrust, figuring that, with today's electronics, it would sip electricity. Unfortunately, it appears it's not been made in some years. What's today's equivalent? I just want a lightweight stick-controlled transom mount trolling motor with around 10lbs of thrust. Thanks!

I've been looking for a collection of Tom Mann's stuff. Haven't found much on YouTube or anything for order. I suspect this is all copyrighted, but there's not enough perceived interest to release it.

Smallmouth, because they're my favorite. Followed by Rock bass, because they're feisty and get no love.

When I was a kid, there was a small lake I loved to fish at. Caught all sorts of bass, and especially large sunfish. Today, the bass are still there but smaller, and the sunfish are all really small. Part of the problem has been vegetation that prevented the bass from hunting the sunfish effectively. Another part, I'm sure, has been overfishing. Lakes do go through stages. I have a couple books that describe these stages. Artificial lakes, if I remember, are faster to change. Haven't read the info in a while, so could be wrong on the details.