Josh Smith

I have my sub license and enjoy teaching quite a bit. I can't handle the politics of full-time teaching. Subs can get away with a bit of "ignorance". I *** you for being able to work past that. Fifth grade is one of my favorite grade to teach! They're old enough to understand most things but young enough to have a sense of wonder. You enjoy yourself! You'll love it! Josh

When we were 16 or 17, a friend and I took my (Dad's) boat out on the Salamonie Reservoir for fishing after pitching the tent at a campsite. Well, we got to fishing and noticed dark clouds rolling in. The boat is a deep V and perfect for riding waves. It is, however, only rated for a 35hp motor and Dad saw fit to only equip it with a 15hp, so we started back to the ramp. When we were about halfway back, the white caps started. This was no big deal; the boat handled it fine and we were wearing life vests. However, we noticed all the other boats zooming back ahead of us. Bass boats, speed boats, even a couple pontoons -- all but one were faster than us. The one that wasn't faster was a john boat with a couple folks in it. We'd passed the time of day earlier, traded strategies, and they were nice folks. They were behind us, but we lost sight of them someplace. We had both been hugging the bank as close in as was safe to try to keep the lightning to the trees. My friend and I debated going and finding them, but we weren't equipped and besides, that funnel cloud that just appeared didn't look too cool. The wind started blowing harder, and we figured those folks had turned the boat into the cove we should have used, too. We hoped so. We couldn't talk about it much as the wind was drowning the outboard's sound. I've never been out in anything like that before. It was awesome! We passed a point that had a huge tree. That tree came crashing down behind us close enough to give us a bit of a boost. That was a cool experience. By the time we got to the dock, it was raining so hard I literally could not see. I left my friend to hold the boat, backed the trailer into the water, and we loaded that boat on in record time. When we got back to the campsite, we found our tent torn to hell. It was a good campsite, too, but all the shelter it provided hadn't been enough and the tent showed it. We gave up recovery long enough to toss the tent into the boat and take off to his grandmother's, which was closer than either of our homes. We found out later that there had been a number of tornadoes in the area. It had been supposed to only rain, and it ended up being one of the worst storms of the season. We were too dumb to be much scared. It was exciting and educational. Dad did tell me later that I should have gone with my first instinct and headed for the cove where the other boater with the john boat probably headed. (We heard of no fatalities, and so we assumed these other folks end up fine.) Just one of those things. That boat is the one I'm rebuilding now, and though I want to run it mostly electric, it will have a 35hp motor. Josh

I only use a swivel if I am using an inline spinner or spoon. I use snaps, yes, no swivels. Josh

This is the info I was looking for. Thank you! Josh

Here are the So-Slo jigs: http://www.soslo.com/ I just got them in from eBay (cheap) and they look like they'll do what I want them to do. Regards, Josh

It'll be a while! I'm the breadwinner in the family; we decided my wife would stay home with the kids. It's funny. I'm 37. I'm sure Dad had this thing when was born; I don't remember him NOT having it and I was going fishing with him before I was three. I'm also in a similar situation he and Mom were in: I work; wife stays home. Dad began studying engineering shortly after so he worked, paid tuition, and raised three kids while Mom stayed home with us. He had good, but limited, fishing tackle until he became an engineer and we moved up here. I've accumulated my stuff over a lifetime, starting right around 34 years ago. I've restored a lot of his old lures that he stopped using when he bought new, and I've found I prefer the older stuff. It works just as well (Roland Martin - marked spinnerbaits, especially!) as, and in many cases better than, today's tackle found at the same places Dad bought these. The box stores do not carry lures of this quality any longer. The old reels and rods work well, too. It's this fiberglass job that I wasn't sure about; been going back and forth with. I do believe I'll run the moving lures off it as was suggested. I know that my old Ambassadeurs are used right up next to my 2014 model year 5500c3 and a 2008(?) 5600c4 Mag. The gear ratios on all these reels give me versatility, and the 23ipt retrieve of the old Ambassadeurs I run are far from a handicap when they are what I need! Ah, well, late night ramblings. Time for some sleep. Shop time tomorrow! Regards, Josh

Me too. Only left forearm. Know what? I'm used to it now, the tendons and ligaments adapted long ago, and though I have straight-grip rods I like, my favorites are my pistol-grip rods. I'm actually saving up to have a couple custom rods built by DVC on old Abu Garcia pistol grips I picked up some time back. Josh

Thank you, gents. You're confirming my thoughts. Josh

Um, no? It's in a man cave right now and will be coming out of retirement. Josh

Hello, I love pistol grips. My question is more along the sensitivity. I've been spoiled by affordable graphite rods since I was a teenager, and I haven't used a fully fiberglass rod since my Zebco 33 or sometime in there. Is there a place in which sensitivity doesn't matter so much? I use braid pretty exclusively, so this will be more sensitive than it was when Dad used it, the 5000, and monofilament! Thanks, Josh

Hello, I'm late to this. A trick I started using when my friends and I would go catfishing as teenagers was to buy cheap womens' pantyhose and use small pieces of it to hold whatever bait we were using. Just wrap the bait into it, and spear the hook through. It let the scent out just fine and held the bait to the hook very, very well. Josh

Hi Folks, I have a reel handle that I really like. Looks like it's off a Johnny Morris: The reel handle is on my 5500c3 (modified). I took the reel handle apart and it has plastic bushings instead of bearings. I'd like to replace these bushings with bearings, but reel handles are one place I'm simply not educated. Growing up the good reel handles were Gator Grips and Power Speed handles. Any help, guys? Thank you, Josh

Hi Folks, I have a Lew's Speed Stick, 5'6", MH fiberglass rod. It's actually Dad's, but mine if I want it. I guess maybe it's joint ownership at this point. It was Dad's first casting rod, and his Ambassadeur 5000 modified with 5500 gears sat atop it. It looks like this: Not mine, but same. Very nice reels in that pic! I'd like to put it back into service. I have an older 5500 setting around doing nothing and have some ideas for it. Thing is, I'm not sure what the fiberglass Lew's rod is good for these days. It seems much more whippy than any hybrid or pure graphite rod I've seen, so I'm thinking moving baits. I'd employ it for still fishing for catfish or whatever, but I don't catfish much and I'd rather have a longer setup for throwing bait, anyway, and maybe a longer handle for fighting cats in. Anyone still use these? Where do you find them to excel? Regards, Josh

I like 'em. Mine's not quite so short on the Daiwa Jupiter rod, but it's still much shorter than I'm used to. Palming the reel is a must. Josh

I think you will be happy with a Japanese-made Shimano or Swedish-made Abu Garcia. I suggest these because it's hard to find junk from either place. How fast do you prefer your retrieve? Do you prefer round or low-profile? Josh

I guess I'll toss in. I know for a fact that "Big Pharm" is indeed out to get you, monetarily. The best example I have of this is that I sometimes need an inhaler due to allergies. This certain inhaler, albuterol, was generic years back. Cost like $5. Albuterol is an older medicine and the patent is expired. When the government banned CFCs, they were going to make an exception for medications. Know what? The pharmaceutical companies lobbied against this exemption. Why? Well, they could patent the delivery systems that no longer use CFCs. The albuterol is the very same inexpensive stuff it always was. The delivery system is the $55 item! Likewise, the one OTC rescue inhaler on which many folks relied is gone due to the inability (or simple lack of desire) to develop a CFC-free inhaler. For folks like me, well, the $60 is friggin' annoying because I know how it came about. For the less-fortunate, this is a real hit on the chin. As far as vaccines go, it really depends. Of course, polio, small pox, measles, mumps, rubella, and any number of other things that probably will kill or seriously injure for life the victim should be vaccinated against. On the other hand, I have serious doubts about the chicken pox and flu vaccines for the average healthy person. It's possible to become dependent upon vaccines instead of building immune systems. I believe that vaccines are not particularly damaging (or, not so far as is known) because the government and pharmaceutical companies have vested interests in keeping their meal tickets alive and healthy enough to work. Yes, I'm jaded like that. Regards, Josh

You know, before I go getting too awful excited, this is a pic of my thumb on a modified 5000: Fat fingers, you know? Reckon a 1500, 2500, 3500/3600, or even a 4500/4600 would fit me? Regards, Josh

The BM2 isn't bad, I agree. It's just not a reel that works with my style of fishing. I grew up on centrifugal brakes and just can't seem to like magnetic brakes only. Goose, been considering the 1500 and 2500 sizes, too. I had heard good things about the round Black Max, and thought I might add it to my list of "wants". Regards, Josh

No, that'd be the Corsair, which is junk (by all accounts). I've been looking at different Shimano reels to pick up, but I'm still doing my research. I have this thing for Abu Garcia and have a small collection which I fish. I'd like to add something smaller than a 5000 size to my collection and am exploring possibilities. I've never found a reel yet I like so much as a round Abu Garcia. Regards, Josh

Cherrywood HD, Daiwa Jupiter ($90 rod iirc, got mine for $30 discontinued), or Lightning Shock. Josh

Hi Folks, I'm researching the Black Max reels. I had a Black Max 2. I hated it and traded it to someone on here for a 5000c (which I love!) Looking around, it looks like there were two other reels of the Black Max name. One is a round reel, looks like a 3500 or so size..? The next one, the Black Max "1", appears to be a standard low-profile of the late '90s or so. Some pics I'm seeing say "made in the USA." Can anyone tell me about these first two reels? Thanks, Josh

I ordered something called "So-Slo" jigs off eBay, but I guess they maybe aren't made any longer, and mine aren't here yet at any rate. Josh

Yep; wondering if there's a skirt and trailer designed like a parachute. Thanks, Josh

Hi Folks, I'm wondering what the slowest-falling jig out there is? Total weight 3/8oz or more. Thank you, Josh

Kinda' wondering if this is the problem. Cutting down into the line, you know?