Josh Smith

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

Something just didn't feel right about it. Folks have told me here that Spiderwire Stealth frays. That's not been my experience -- except for this thin stuff. I put 4lb mono on it, but may try a different small-diameter braid. Josh

Coffee, mac and cheese, beans and rice, and near anything else I can cook with a canteen stove and cup. Trioxane fuel tabs work nicely, as does a Sterno stove if I will be out longer. Josh

There's still Summer Peak, then fall feeding. Turnover shuts things down for a week or so, but there are always bass that will bite. Indiana has been hit hard this year, but the season is not done yet. Wait until water levels stabilize before you expect too much. Til then, fish near outlets. That's where they're hanging out due to current carrying food that-a-way. Josh

Hello, I am going to re-spool by ultralight with something other than braid. While I love braid for baitcasting, for ultralight spinning applications it's not what I prefer. Right now I have braid with a long fluoro leader. My question is this: For line diameters this small, is there any reason to go with one or the other? Is there an advantage to fluoro here? I always used 4lb XL mono before I used braid. Regards, Josh

You can use the lead wheel weights to cast jigs and bullets. If you're afraid to use 'em, send 'em my way! Two ways to tell zinc: 1. Cut it with a side cuts. Lead will squish. Zinc will sort of shatter and is much harder. 2. Throw it on cement. Lead will thud. Zinc will ring. It's pretty easy to tell one from the other. Regards, Josh

Yeah, it is. I've used ultralights most of my life. In my mind a good ultralight should be fairly stiff but of small diameter. Not whippy, but easily bent if that makes sense. The one I have feels like fiberglass. It's not; it's IM6. Problem is that IM ratings vary with manufacturers, and based on this Quantum, it looks like I'd want an IM8 or even an IM10 if there's such a critter. I expect such a thing would be fragile. I'd be willing to make that tradeoff. Thanks! Josh

Thanks guys. I prefer shorter rods in UL. Actually, I prefer 6' rods for general bass fishing. The UL is for light presentations and maybe panfishing now and again, but mostly for bass and weightless worms, etc. Josh

Adley, I should have asked prior to telling you to eat the bass: Do any bass appear stunted, or are they just young? I also agree with the above suggestion to drop a few larger bass into the pond since you can! Regards, Josh

Hello, This is lots like pouring bullets, which I do. First, make sure there is no zinc weights in with your lead. Good way to ruin a pot. Bring the molds up to temp and pour. If you get frosting, you're too hot. Turn the thermostat down some. A bit of tin in the mix helps flow. Wheel weights already have tin. Antimony is what gives it hardness. No need to add either. I'm not sure why your Lee pot says not to use hard lead. Mine is a Lee and there is no such warning on it. Regards, Josh

Hello, I'm looking to replace my ultralight rod. Actually, I've replaced it with a 5' IM6 Quantum. I like it well enough, but it was only a $20 rod bought mostly to see how I liked the length. (The previous one was a 4'6" Berkely I bought maybe 20, 25 years ago. I wanted the old reel to go on it.) This Quantum feels heavier than it should, and slightly too whippy. I'm looking for a lightweight rod of 5' to 6', not so whippy. The reel I have is the smallest President that Pflueger makes. It's light, and a rod that balances with it would be nice. I could use some thoughts on UL rods. I'm about 20 years out of date with regard to these. Thanks folks, Josh

Mr. Martin and Mr. Mercer are two celebs I can stand. They act like normal folks. My little girl (18mos or so) crawls into my lap when I'm watching bass fishing shows. She just eats it up -- I've never seen anything like it! Until recently, Facts of Fishing is what she'd demand. She likes Mr. Mercer. When I turned on a recorded Scott Martin Challenge featuring his little girls, she was enthralled. She ran and got her mom to watch, too! Since then, I recorded another that also features his daughters, now a bit older, fishing for Peacock bass. She demands one or both of those shows... over and over and over again. She has to hold her fishing rod while watching them, too. She's getting old enough to take out fishing, briefly. If you happen to read this, Mr. Martin, I hope you take that as the compliment it's intended to be. Josh