Josh Smith

I still push the envelope and get overruns. When I started, I used heavy brakes and recommended tension. Now I use light brakes and looser tension. Try riding the spool with your thumb for a while. I think that's how I started out 20+ year ago, as a teenager. Lots of yard practice throwing to my German Shepherd. Man, that was fun! Josh

You know, I don't know that I've ever caught a pike. If I did it wasn't too big. Would love to catch some one day. It sounds like fun! Josh

Why? Looks like a civil discussion to me. Am I missing something

Thank you! I'll add that to the short list I'm starting. Regards, Josh

Hi Folks, I tend to like stock reel handles with ball bearings. On my reels that have anti-reverse bearings, I generally run bearing handles from Johnny Morris reels, the ones that have the wide rubber paddles. I like 'em if they're not going to go backwards, In my older reels that have the anti-reverse dog and cog setups, I generally run hard plastic handles without bearings because the short rearward movement of the dog and cog allows me to feel a strike through the reel handle itself, especially with braid. I'd sort of like to have a list on hand of the reel handles that come stock with bearings or that are convertible to bearings. I'd like a straight bearing handle for at least one application, but am not interested in paying the prices for aftermarket handles. Does anyone have such a list? I'm especially interested in Abu Garcia handles with bearings, but I'm not too particular about that. I do have several handles off Quantums and the like that look outwardly to have bearings, but upon opening it's revealed they just have a post and nothing else. Any help? Thank you, Josh

I throw anything from light weightless worms (about 1/10oz) to jigs and such for panfish. Been playing around with tube jigs here lately as well. Regards, Josh

I believe Indiana is advising all carp caught to be killed, common and Asian alike. I could be wrong about the common carp and will have to look it up again. Josh

Looking further, can you get to the inlet (or outlet..?) on the north end? Betcha' lots of fish critters go up that way, especially when the wind is coming from the south. There are three or four docks. Skip jigs and spinnerbaits under those. That lake looks like prime habitat. So does Lake of the Woods. LotW has a lot of docks, so if you have a boat, going there and skipping spinnerbaits under 'em would probably produce very nicely. Josh

Hello, I brought it up on Google Earth. Hit the vegetation hard. Use jigs, frogs, and worms with tungsten. Don't fish; dissect the cover. It looks like you have lily pads I'd kill for here around Wabash. Punch 'em! Frog 'em! Jig 'em! Josh

I generally pick that stuff apart with a blue/black/sometimes bit of red jig with a craw trailer, usually with a bunch of rattles. It works well. Josh

Reeling against the drag?

The Reel Ess, I don't know that I'm putting myself at a disadvantage. My goal is to be able to give certain presentations to finicky bass. Josh

This is exciting news. Thank you! Josh

Why aren't the laws written such that a bass can be kept if it's a minimum of X inches or too wounded to survive/killed in the fight? I don't know that I've ever fought a fish to death. They wear out before they die, generally. Josh

Hank, find it in Indiana?

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5500c3 or 5600c4. These are not the cheap S or SX models referenced above. They last forever. My baitcasters are exclusively modified 5000, 5500, and 5500c3 models. Large hands here, too! Josh

I would use an ultralight or fly rig for trout. The other two could likely be caught just fine with a Lightening Rod and Shimano or Abu Garcia reel of your choice. (I prefer round baitcasters myself). Josh

It bites when I do that to a 13.5" bass, when to legally keep it, it must be 14". It's the waste I don't like. I don't generally kill useful animals without using them. Josh

Found me a Live Target crawdad for $5. I snagged a dead fish with my Live Target bluegill, so I left it, with the box, at the base of a tree (still hooked to the dead fish!) as a gift for the next fisherman to come along. It was gone when I came back. I wonder if I'll receive a similar 'gift' in the future? Josh

I killed one early last year. It tried to swallow a Yum Dinger. Though I cut the line at the hook, it didn't survive. I still feel a bit bad, but as was said, it's the circle of life. I have seen fish that I thought were dead "come back to life" and swim off after resting. Josh

Adam, My little girl was delivered Jan 23, 2014 via c-section due to a car wreck. She just had her first fishing trip on Monday I figured there was something else going on. Enjoy your new kiddo! They're our immortality. When I come home from the shop and sit down, Belle comes running to me with her rod in hand. She looks at me, says "Up!" and points at the TV. This is my cue to turn on one of a couple fishing shows she loves, They grow up fast. Enjoy! Josh

OK, dude, stop for a second. I'm going to criticize you but it's meant to be constructive. I think you could be an asset to the board and would like you to stick around. You're giving the impression of trying too hard to be an expert. There are folks here who know far more about reels than you ever will. I'm damned good, and their knowledge would put me to shame. They do it for a living so they have to be good. My advice is simply this: Chill. Don't write books. I'm guilty of this myself, and I consciously watch it -- you're not the only one to do this, is what I'm trying to say. Choose your battles. There are sometimes things said here that make me want to bang my head. This is when I just don't respond. Then there are those who do things completely opposite of how I do 'em. Know what? It works for them. When I tune out my reels, I require they cast 50 yards given the rod is capable. This is with the tension set to allow the line to fluff for any given weight of lure when dropped from 4' high, and with three brakes on (one a six brake system.) Know what? It's not how you (or most others!) do things, and that's OK. If you don't want to use brakes, that's OK too. It's not a big deal. Step back, dude. Just don't reply. Hang out for a bit and gradually become helpful. Regards, Josh

Did you pull the brakes out of that old Lew's?

What's this thing about bananas being bad luck..?

Zalloridian, My brother-in-law is getting back into fishing after years away. When we were teenagers (I married his sister) he eschewed baitcasters because he thought they were an old-style reel only. Chances are my affinity for round Abu Garcia reels contributed to that view. He mentioned that he'd like a baitcasting setup. I supertuned an Abu Garcia Silver Max and put it on a 6'6" MH/F Lightning Rod and spooled it with 50lb braid. He's yet to to try it out as he had neck surgery and is recovering, but we have some water time planned. Why I chose these: 1. The Silver Max is a decent reel. It's not the best by any means, but it does do what needs done. It has magnetic brakes. When I was learning, I learned on an Ambassadeur 5000. It has centrifugal brakes and I had to learn a lot of thumb technique in a hurry. This isn't a bad thing unless that one reel is all you have. I had a Zebco 33 to fall back on while I practiced in the yard. Centrifugal brakes work more at the beginning of the cast while magnetic help keep end-of-cast overruns from happening, and moderate the spool while it's at speed. I have a few magnetic-brake baitcasters I've tuned to the point that I can cast them 30 yards and they won't overrun without thumb. Most are Quantum 1310s of various trim grades. The Abu Garcia Silver Max required very little thumb when I got done with it. 2. The Lightning Rod is a couple years old but not used a lot. I tried it out and while I liked it, I had different tastes (and still do). Mostly I like "carbine length" rods, though I do keep a 7' Daiwa in my arsenal. The Lighting Rod is light enough to be sensitive, heavy duty enough to handle most lures, and is just an all-around decent rod. It won't compete with custom rods, but I'd prefer it to a several high-dollar rods I've handled. (I prefer the Berkely Cherry Wood rod for a bunch of things, too, so that may not be saying a whole lot. It's a good jig and worm rod, I think!) Altogether, I believe a combo like this would run you around $100; maybe a bit less depending on what deals you can find. I see Black Max 2 reels (very similar to the Silver Max) on eBay all the time for $25 to $50. These are new, not used, and I see them in stores for $40 to $60. I really think that rod/reel combo would do you nicely. Regards, Josh