Josh Smith

Hi Folks, This past fall I did my reels with Ardent Reel Butter. I went fishing today in 33°F weather, and I'm pretty sure I lost a lot of it off the gears. I'm going to therefore redo the two reels I used today. I want to see, at any rate, if the Reel Butter fell off due to cold. Since buying the Ardent Reel Butter, I've acquired some Abu Garcia with PTFE, some Berkley Silicote, and some Penn blue stuff. I really like the Penn stuff, but I've tried it -- it's in a Shimano reel I'm rebuilding. I'm pretty sure the Abu Garcia grease is different than that I grew up using. Pretty sure the stuff I used to use did not have PTFE in it. I'm curious. I'll leave the Berkley stuff alone for now as I bought it just to get the oil that was with it, as I really like the Berkley oil and couldn't find it separately. So, what would you try next? The Penn stuff, or the Abu Garcia stuff? Regards, Josh

I personally think that the best defensive round would be a 10mm necked down to 0.355", loaded with a 124 grain Gold Dot, and shot to optimum velocity for fragmentation at about 9-12". A 1911 chambered in that cartridge with an undercut trigger guard would probably provide the most control. Still, not a lot of folks would be willing to put up with the recoil and muzzle blast, which would be significant. If you're after "stopping power," use a rifle capable of producing hydrostatic shock. This means a round capable of sending the bullet to Mach 2, at least. Regards, Josh

Hello, If you're talking ball military ammo, then no, they are not the same, but they do both suck in ball. 9mm just sucks slightly more. I personally feel that the .45acp may have a slight edge in "stopping power" with similar hollowpoint loads, but the data really doesn't back that up. I carried 9mm for the first 10 (or so) years, and a .45 Government-size I modified to my needs for the past eight or so years. Being rural, I used them both for critter control, and no critter hit with either cared about the caliber. I also carried a couple revolvers and a .380 pistol in there as primary and backup arms. Time was I conducted ballistic tests, and a group of us would swap info and check each others' work, and then we'd all check our work with conclusions drawn from real-world data, including, but not limited to, Marshal and Sanow. The 9mm Parabellum, as loaded in this country, is weak. This was due to WWI and WWII bring-back weapons of questionable integrity. (The 8mm Mauser - the 7.92x57mm - was likewise loaded down for much the same reason.) Only recently has the 9mm P gone back to its original loading of 124 grains at 1250fps. In the States, we call this loading a "+P". Regards, Josh

When I supertune my reels, I like to test them. The weight I choose is based on what loads best on the particular rod. Using a 3/4 oz weight on a 6' MH/F, I get about 50 yards. Using a 1/2oz weight on a M/F, I get about 50 yards with a lighter, easier-to-start reel. There are only a couple times I use that distance when fishing, and it takes certain lures to make it that distance. Generally, 30 yards is max for me, and that's only with braid. This is when I'm trying to cast across the river or when I'm targeting the outlet to a small dam that can't be gotten to many other ways. 50 yards is doable on the water with a few lures like the Spittin' Image or original Torpedo, but the weight of the line tends to mess up the walk-the-dog action for me that far out. Regards, Josh

Hello, Start with a 9mm Beretta 92 with rail. Add 6" barrel holographic optics or Tritium sights 20-round Mec-Gar magazine Mainspring from a 92D Use 115 grain +P Cor®Bon or 115 grain +P+ Federal or 90 grain +P Cor®Bon Casino Load (1500fps, semi-frangible due to speed and Sierra bullet) This is a house pistol only. It is not a holster pistol. The rounds I listed will still penetrate walls. If you go to frangible ammo, test to make sure it cycles. This should be done anyway, but more so with frangibles and other light-for-caliber loads. Regards, Josh P.S. .45 vs 9mm vs .40 vs 10mm doesn't matter. 9mm and .38spl +P+ on up are about the same. .38spl on down are likewise about the same. It's what you're comfortable with when you're talking about duty calibers. JS

Keep it away from any line. I don't trust it on plastics, either, but I'm likely paranoid on that part. Regards, Josh

I use a modified Ambassadeur 4600c3. I'm in the minority that prefer round reels. Regards, Josh

You know, I cast every which way conceivable, but I don't know what these are past back hand. Like a roll cast -- is that when I swing the lure in a circle before I let it go? What's the difference between pitching and flipping? Never did understand that. Regards, Josh

Yes, Sir, I'm a member of that FB page. Regards, Josh

Dude writes books? Heck, I thought he was just a feller I occasionally bought stuff from on eBay. Regards, Josh

Nope, made me hungry for bacon though. Josh

I grew up on pistol grips. Only fairly recently have I been introduced (sorta' forced due to availability) to longer handles. I still start with a one-handed hold. My support hand comes up to the butt and pulls at the moment the rod tip is at its rearmost position. It's still almost a single-handed cast, but with my strong hand being a pivot point and doing less work. It's just more accurate this way. Imagine casting a pistol-grip rod with the addition of a tail, and you'll get a rough idea of what I do. This, still, is generally for long range, ~30 - 50 yards. Shorter range flipping sees one hand regardless of rod length or type. Regards, Josh

Hello, Back "in the day" I would have used the stiffest 5'6" MH rod I could find. Now, I use a 6'6" M/F IM6 rod. This is due in equal parts to new technology and a change in personal technique and philosophy regarding treble hooks. Regards, Josh

Hello, I'm looking for a book that covers the topic of this thread's title. I can't find much on the web. I'd like a comprehensive guide to baitcaster development from, say, the introduction of the Ambassadeur in the '60s to the modern designs. Something to read and study until the river goes down and the ice melts off the lake. Has anyone written such a book? Regards, Josh

Hi Guys, I'm wondering the point of the four-washer drag stack on bass baitcasting reels. The two obvious things appear to be smooth operation and heat dissipation. With the advent of carbon drag washers, I can get the same level of smoothness from an old two-washer drag stack as on any of my four-stack models. Heat dissipation just doesn't seem to be an issue with bass. I can't see that being a valid reason unless you hook into a long-running fish. Still, it would have to peel an awful lot of drag to build up much heat. Thoughts? Regards, Josh

Yup, only one washer, two drags. I have carbon fiber replacements on the way, and I've never had problems with the two drag washers on Ambassadeurs when using carbon drags. Regards, Josh

Thanks DVT. I read on some other forums that folks had stripped the gears because these were "light duty" reels. After seeing the guts, I doubt that's true. This particular one doesn't seem to have been heavily used. Except for old grease mucking up the internals, it appears fairly new inside. I replaced the crankshaft bushing with a bearing, cleaned everything and greased with that Penn blue stuff (my new favorite!) and it's as smooth as any modern reel. I can't find any actual wear from usage. Regards, Josh

Hello, I'm thinking this Shimano Bantam 10 would do nicely for a dedicated rod/reel combo I've been thinking about putting together. That combo would be specifically for lipless crankbaits and shallow squarebills, mostly used in rivers. The lack of the instant anti-reverse would not be an issue; I use older tuned out Ambassadeurs for medium to deep divers. Would the gears hold up in this old thing? I'm not sure how heavily they were built compared to the pre-UC Ambassadeurs. Thank you, Josh

Yes, they did. Lew Childre designed 'em, and then stopped using Shimano when Shimano decided to get into the reel building game using their own name. The designs are extremely similar. Regards, Josh

I should revise that description: It looks like a modern, low-profile reel that was built largely from pre-UC Ambassadeur parts. It's really sorta' cool like that. Support may have stopped through Shimano, but there are plenty of parts out there. I've begun bushing replacement. It looks a lot like some Lew's concept reels I've seen. I mean, Childre did design these things!

Hello, I'm inside the Shimano Bantam 10 I bought. It's in nice condition; just dirty. The weird thing is that the reel looks a lot like a pre-UC Ambassadeur inside. In fact, it appears that 80% to 90% of the parts will interchange with one. Thought some of you might find this interesting. Regards, Josh

Hello, I'm Abu Garcia Made in Sweden only. I do have an old Shimano Bantam 10 on the way, but it may just go to my wife. I generally fix and upgrade old Quantum reels for family to use. The 1310 is hard to beat in old Quantums. The only reason I'm asking about the KastKing is curiosity. From the little I can find online, the red reels, for example, look a LOT like the pre-UC Ambassadeurs. I'm certain they're copying old (and maybe new) designs, and I'd like to know how well they're doing it. Curiosity is all it is. Regards, Josh

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone has performed a dissection on a KastKing of any sort? If so, what's it look like in there? If not, I'm half temped to buy one just to see what they did. Regards, Josh

@Fishing Rhino, we cross-posted. Yours is excellent advice. Thank you. Regards, Josh

Hello, OK, here's what I see. 1. She sees the house as a part of her toilet. This is because of the lingering scents from past pottying tells her to. You need to clean these spots thoroughly. Use a mixture of dish soap, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda. The exact mix can be found online. There are also commercial cleaners which get the scent completely out. 2. Rubbing her nose in it does nothing. You need to correct the action while she's in the act. Get a pop can, fill it with pennies, and tape the top. Shake it. She won't like this sound and when she squats in the house, start shaking it immediately. Grab her by the scruff of the neck and lead her outside. 3. Praise her when she potties outside. Act like it's the greatest thing you've ever seen. Give food and pettin'. 4. Crate her when she's alone. She will come to love her crate. It's her space and her space only. Do not allow others inside the crate, including playing kids. If she potties in the crate, then there's something wrong with her and you'll need to talk to the vet about it. 5. Dogs who tear things up are anxious. Your dog chewing like she did and pooping in front of your door is simply her telling you that she is insecure and it's your fault. Are you the clear leader? Do you control the food, or can she just eat whenever? That said: 6. Control the food. He who controls the food is boss. Do not let her eat before you eat. Do not let her eat without permission. Keep the food bowl covered with your hand and progress to teaching her to eat on command. Some dogs need this and from what you describe, she's one of them. 7. Pet appropriately. Scratch her ears. Play with the top of her muzzle. Rub her belly. Play with her rump and tail. Hug her. At no time kiss her on the muzzle or anywhere else. Allow her to lick your chin, though. 8. Do not rant, rave, or yell. Be firm and commanding. When you give a command, act like you're giving an order to a subordinate in the military. Do not yell if she doesn't snap to, though. Use a firm, "No," and that rattle can you made. 9. Keep commands to two syllables or less. Accompany with hand commands. Dogs do not understand speech well. They do understand gestures and body language much better. 10. Pick up a book on dog language. Even if you think you know dog language, pick one up anyway. You'll learn something. I've done this all my life and still learn a new meaning now-and-again. Dog language is a pretty intricate thing. Good luck. Keep us posted. Regards, Josh