Josh Smith

No reason one can't supertune. That's a lot of what you're paying for. Regards.

Price does not necessarily indicate quality. Often, it indicates complexity, which leads to failure. Witness the Abu Garcia Eon, and the Ambassadeur AB models, for example. I argue today that excellent reels could be made less expensive, but of same quality. For example, if Abu Garcia were to take their Revo, delete the thumb bar in favor of an older style button, and delete the bearings (except for the IAR bearing) in favor of bronze bushings like in the old Ambassadeurs, they could build an excellent reel that could complete in price with, say, the Made in China Lew's, etc, and at better quality. In act, I'd love to have an all-bushing Ambassadeur for fishing heavy cover. I've never liked thumb paddles for casting. As-is, I don't catch more fish on my lighter graphite rods than I did/do on my fiberglass rods. There have always been techniques to get around sensitivity, or lack thereof. The biggest benefit I've noticed with graphite rods (combined with proper line) are increased ability to feel the bottom, and more fishing time with less fatigue. Regards, Josh

I use them to make me slow down

Trying a new-to-me camera:

Hello, I'm wondering what line y'all use for spinnerbaits. Until recently, I've used braided line with a leader. However, I'm finding myself gravitating back toward monofilament for all moving baits, not just those with treble hooks. Braid remains for jig, worm, and frog fishing. Thoughts? Regards, Josh

Dude, "weightless" means no added weight. You still have weight to the lures; the stick worm I prefer, for example, weighs 1/4oz. If you're casting into the wind, use more brakes or thumb. Regards.

Ambassadeurs.

In the above study, the Pure Fishing folks refused to market a pincer-less crawdad, even if it worked better. They felt it wouldn't sell. Most lures are designed to catch the fisherman. Regards.

My reels are usually worth $100 to $150, with the rods being valued about the same (but usually bought on clearance, or something.) The reels are Ambassadeurs and get super tuned. I demand mechanical precision. Regards, Josh

Hi Folks, Any luck in northern Indiana yet? I've got nothing to report. Regards, Josh

I regularly "longfish" out to 35 yards or so. That's my current accurate distance. This technique helps with really spooky fish. Regards, Josh

You know, I used to hang up all the time. I learned to stop reeling when I hit a rock and let the bait float up. This does a couple things: First, it clears the obstacle. Second, it triggers bass to strike. I was never much good with cranks til I figured this out. Regards

Dude, you need more rods. Regards

Hello, I have a nice crankbait rod, a VanDam if I recall. After using it for a couple years, I got to playing. I'm a fan of the Cherrywood rods, but have recently replaced them with lighter graphite rods. I found that one of those Cherrywood HD rods -- the 7' MH -- makes a perfect (for me) shallow to medium crankbait rod. I use mostly squarebills and haven't tried it with deep divers. Regards

We're going to get 3/4" of rain tonight, then more tomorrow morning. This is the rain that has historically woken the bass up. I am happy ? Regards

I prefer centrifugal brakes. The reels I use regularly that have magnetic brakes at all, also have centrifugal. The magnets help with the wind. Regards.

This holster is slower than the others I own, but affords more protection and therefore sees the most use. Regards

Hello, https://trophytechnology.com/bulldawgrods/ Are these any good? I've not heard of them before. Thank you, Josh

Went fishing Sunday. Everything is high and muddy and cold. I scared a sunfish with my jig. Regards, Josh

I generally try to fish the edge of shade, and to do so, locate the wind or current that will best carry the lure in. Lots of places I fish are extremely high pressure and I therefore try to be as subtle as possible unless circumstances are such that noise is preferable, and then the noise is controlled and deliberate.

You're a bit odd, but that's ok. Centrifugal brakes work at the start of the cast while magnetic brakes help taper the cast of toward the end. Most of us "old timers" use our thumbs for that. However, I do have a reel or two with both and I like to use those on windy days. Regards, Josh

I have a hard time with Shimano. From what I've been able to gather, they stole Lew Childress's design and marketed it as their own. I generally won't use and any reels made in China. I own one, my ultralight Pfluger. I got back into fishing, realized I needed to replace my UL reel, and ordered a fairly high-priced spinning reel from a brand with an excellent reputation. I felt betrayed when I saw "China" on it. Josh

I use metal frames. I do own and use one graphite-framed reel, an Abu Garcia EON 3600. I actually enjoy that little thing. It's smooth and, after I rebuilt it, works perfectly. I do keep it relegated to lighter use on a M/F rod. Believe it's setting in my bedroom rod stand set up for weightless whacky rigs. I generally use it for things other people use spinning reels for. That said, I have no illusions about its graphite frame. It is by far the lightest baitcasting setup I have, but it'll warp if I hook into anything huge, and I'd never use it for heavy cranking. Josh

The Texas Rig works best with Mann's Jelly Worms. I need to order more. I'll nearly out. Josh

I use round reels. No low profile. Josh