Josh Smith

Hello, I build or heavily modify most of my guns. My carry 1911 is no exception. There are more pics but some are watermarked, and I'm not trying to advertise. A Google search on my name and 1911 will bring up a lot. The only things stock about this pistol are the frame, slide and barrel. It almost got a new barrel but dang, this one shoots well! Aftermarket ambi safeties are bountiful. Choose one you like. Fit it, and enjoy it! "Proper" safeties need fitted. Kimber's safeties are MIM and have a relief molded in to clear the sear on Kimber pistols. This may or may not work on other brands. (I tried one on the above carry pistol and it fit very tightly, but wore down with contact. I was not, however, impressed by the strength of the safety. It broke at the joint.) Look at Wilson Bulletproof and Ed Brown internal locking safeties. They are expensive but worth it. Stay away from Mueschke and the like; they are junk. I do like my Caspian ambi safety (with reservations; it's strong!) but they don't make it any longer. My carry holster is a K.L. Null Super Speed Scabbard. I'm 6'2" and I don't hardly notice this OWB holster and pistol. The weight its offset by a couple mags on the other side. Josh

Hello, I see these sometimes on eBay. A Google search didn't turn anything up about worth, etc. It did show that it has what's called "Power Mesh", whatever that means. I thought it was just decoration. It thought I bought it in my early teens and I'm 37 now. It was my first or second graphite rod. (I got a Zebco trigger reel combo that had a graphite rod with it for Christmas one year, but I just don't recall if I got it before or after the Bill Dance.) I'll research it a bit more, I guess, but there's little information out there pre-1996 or so. Unlike with guns where I can find loads of information about, say, one of my rifles built in 1892 Amberg, Germany, it seems that the majority of fisherman and the fishing industry are always looking forward to the next, 'better' thing and the the internet presence of products reflects this. Regards, Josh

Well dang, guys! I never knew this was an issue. The boat repair/restore is taking longer than I expected due to business, but I figure I'll have it out this summer. Maybe the following summer, I'll fish a local tournament or two. My idea of boat use has always been along these lines: "Dude, wanna go fishing? I'm taking the boat." "Cool. What time?" I doubt there will be any difference for any tournaments I might enter. Sure, I might win some money. Then again, maybe not. It doesn't matter. For me, if the focus ever switches to money instead of the enjoyment of fishing, I'll hang up my rods. Lunch? Hell, it's bologna and cheese on white bread, with mustard, and coffee to drink. Oh, and I prefer the back and I enjoy backing the boat into the water. That might just be me. Josh

Hello, It depends on what you're looking for. For me, it's not all about sensitivity. I really like the Cherrywood HD Rods, for example, for a lot of things. They're $20 rods, hybrid design, graphite and glass, I believe. Probably my most sensitive rod right now is short at 5'6", stiff, and graphite. I feel everything with it. It will break easily compared to the Cherrywood HD. One rod I've had forever is a Daiwa "Bill Dance" Spinnerbait graphite rod. How much graphite is in it is probably debatable, but I've used it for over 20 years. I'm used to it and can probably use it the easiest. It's a blank-through design with a nice pistol grip. One day I'll be having DVT build me a rod or two. (It's not that he's expensive but rather it's that I'm the only breadwinner in the household. We decided my wife would be a stay-at-home mom and we don't regret this decision at all!) The rods I have him build will be on pistol-grip handles made by Abu Garcia from way back. These are offset, not blank-through, and so will not be the most sensitive rods ever. However, they will be worth it to me for their other aspects; ie, handling round reels better and the feel of the excellent pistol grips. I'll probably end up with a Loomis or similar later on at some point. I've tried them and while yes, they are very sensitive, I question my need for that sensitivity. Maybe it was growing up on glass rods that did it, but I can feel everything with less-expensive rods; the feel is just a bit muted compared to higher end graphite. Sort of like listening to music wearing earplugs. I wear earplugs every day at the shop and listen to music or OTR the whole time, and have learned to understand everything as well as if I weren't wearing earplugs. It's just muted. Just my thoughts on the subject. For me, it's about overall feel, not just sensitivity. Josh

I used to, at times, with my baitcasting reels. I didn't have time to fish for years, and came back with a passion. While studying the improvements made in drags and such, I found the carbon drags. Fiber drags of any sort, I found, were initially sticky whether dry or greased. Not so with the carbon drags. I think this is why the 5000D worked so well. You had the back-reeling capability -- and advantage at that time -- but the back-reeling was tempered by a drag. Josh

Nice! I had a Jeep CJ5 from 1978. Couldn't find the Dana 44 rear I needed, though, and kept blowing the Corporate 20 with the power I had running through it. My friend had a Datsun pickup that would do anything we wanted, even in 2wd. We couldn't blow it up. We tried! Been wanting a 4wd Datsun from the '70s as well as a CJ3a or similar. Something simple. Josh P.S. They all have/had braking systems.

That's just cool. What kind?

Hello, I was born in '77! I can do new cars too, but man, the old ones just have those classic lines as do the old Ambassadeur series. Dad had an Ambassadeur 5000 he upgraded to 4.7:1 that he fished with when he took me starting at age two or three. It's the first baitcasting reel I owned when he got a new Quantum. Though I prefer '70s tech for the most part, there are things from my own era I prefer. Even a cheap graphite rod, for example, is much more sensitive than my dad's "Lew's Tournament Grade" fiberglass '70s job. I'm not sure how I ever got by with monofilament line as braid has allowed me to set the hook way further than I ever could with mono. I did 35 yards this past summer. I really like the first GM TBI setups. Those were dead simple to work on. Like a carburetor setup but with a nozzle shooting gas into the throttle body. Love those things! It satisfied emissions to the point that not a lot of extra crap had to be on the engine, too! Josh

Maybe I'm just a gearhead at heart, but I view it like a car's distributor: You have centrifugal advance and ported vacuum advance on those. Sort of the same thing on the reels' brakes. Josh

Hi Folks! Sounds like one of my discussions -- hehe! Lenz' law sounds pretty intimidating. It's not. Here's the thing: You're passing copper or aluminum through a magnetic field. You know how a generator works? That's all it is. Same as your alternator on your car and if you put wires on the ends of the spool you'd charge a battery. The faster it spins, the more resistance. Centrifugal brakes provide the most braking at the beginning of the cast were it's really needed. Mags do, too, to a point. The curve is much more gradual on the mag brakes. When the lure hits the water, I prefer to use my thumb to stop the spool. I could go with a dual-braking setup and not mess with using my thumb, but that's just not my style. If I use a dual-brake system and set both brakes, I can get a max of about 25 to 30 yards of casting distance. If I turn the mags off on that same reel, I get out to at least 40 yards using a 3/4oz weight. This is why I only have one dual-braking reel. The rest are centrifugals. On the 5500c3, I use three brakes (out of six) turned on. I can (and have) go down to two, but I prefer to use three and less spool tension. On the 5500, 5000, 5000c, etc; the old Ambassadeurs that I use, I go with the lightest brake shoes they have. For quality casts, you have to use your thumb. The thumb can overcome the wind and dang near anything else you're liable to run into. You start feeling the spool begin to fluff at all, you give some thumb braking. Josh

Hi Folks, I'm wondering if someone might give me the part number for the newer wire-style bushing and bearing retainer for the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur and other baitcasters? I am wanting to replace all my split rings this winter and can't seem to find the number on the schematics. Thank you, Josh

On the other hand, you'll never know the joy of sitting in a glorified tent over a hole bored in ice waiting for a flag to pop up, passing a quart of good bourbon and tending a kerosene (or, if you're up-to-date, a propane!) heater. I never did that either. Just doesn't seem safe somehow. I have issues with ice but love Indiana. Josh

Hello, A .30-06 will bust through a good size tree. Same for 7.62x54r, .308, and 8mm. A flat point .30-30 will stop in this tree due to heavier bullet, lower speed, and (usually) bullet design. Use flat points in tubular magazines. Regards, Josh

Hi Folks, As per one of my last posts, the lakes are frozen. When I get a bit of time I'll be going out to see if I can't catch some river walleye. While I'm out, I was thinking about the possibility of catching winter smallmouth from cold rivers. I've never done this. I need tips on this. I'll be using baitcaster reels, spoons and spinnerbaits for the walleye. What should I use for winter bass? I'm thinking toting along the ultralight with some small finesse baits to target still water pockets in the river would be a good start. Am I correct here, or way off? Thank you. Josh

Very pretty. I've never owned smaller than a 5000. What advantages do the smaller reels have? I do have a 3000, I guess, but it's not in good shape and I'm not sure I like the design. No frame to speak of. Josh

Hello, Rob. It looks like Hoosiers are taking over the board! Regards, Josh

Thanks for posting this! I've been busy and unable to participate as much as I'd have liked this past week or two, and am just now catching up. Those are beautiful reels (yours, J.F.'s, and aavery's), and I've joined the FB group you recommended to J.F. Josh

Belle loves baitcaster reels. I will have to post pics.

New c3 reels are about $120. Look for a 5500 or 5500c from the '70s. They are excellent and can be upgraded any number of ways. Josh

Shark, Two thoughts. 1. You sell them and you will regret it. 2. Super tuning improves everything. Feel, smoothness, you name it. Fewer backlashes with less braking. If you use all bearings (not bushings) and a light spool, they will cast lighter lures just fine if you have a rod that loads 'em right. You might look at my recent posts about my Ambassadeur model Abu Garcias. Very similar to what you're looking at. Josh

A red dot, as Clayton mentioned, covers a large area. This is the 'scope I had on the Romanian M-69: I think it's made by the people who make Centerpoint now, but I can't prove that. It was a fixed 4x and had an illuminated reticle. This setup made for an excellent raccoon gun. Don't ask me why I no longer have it! It could do this: The MkII: capable of this: This is from one of those two: ... most likely the Savage but I am not 100% sure. I seem to remember working a lefty bolt. That group is more than 20 rounds. I just kept changing magazines until I got tired. I also flat don't remember if the fliers were me or the ammo. I'm going to blame myself, though. But that top rifle had an IR 'scope. Look for a fixed Centerpoint. Regards, Josh

Hello, I started my 6-year-old off with a Buzz Lightyear when he was 4. It didn't hold up well, so when he was five I bought him a Zebco Dock Demon Spincast. The rod is fiberglass and tough. After he cast that well, I got him a spinning setup Dock Demon. Same rod and the reel is decent. He can use it well. The first Dock Demon now wears a Quantum Lite reel that nobody here claimed (see http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/144562-wtg-pay-it-forward-quantum-lite-ql50a-or-i-need-to-clean-the-grout/ ) He's practicing in the yard with it, and I'm slowly turning the brakes tension off. He's actually managed to not tangle it. I'm impressed! He uses the spinning reel for fishing. He prefers artificial lures, and since these rods are fiberglass with no real backbone, I let him throw a wide range of lures. I relate this because I felt limited as a 10- 11- and 12-year-old as it was common wisdom at the time that kids should use spincasts. My first ultralight was a spincast, but by choice, a little Zebco combo. First the rod was replaced after I broke the tip (my first graphite rod) and then, later, I replaced the reel with a small Plueger spinning reel. So I guess it's a whole new setup descended from the original combo. Man, I caught everything on that rod, and later, on the 5000 baitcast Dad gave me after getting a low-profile (for the time) Quantum 1310. That Zebco underspin and the 5000 influenced my choices in rods and reels to this day and I still make extensive use of old Ambassadeur models as well as the newer ones. Point is, use the most advanced setup your child can handle, and if she wants to throw artificials now and again, let her! It helps with boredom when fish aren't biting. Those are my suggestions. More than you asked for, but there it is. Regards, Josh

So the question is... did you release it? And is that a sunken boat in the background? Josh

Pretty! That's what I get with 1/4oz; I'm sort of comparing notes but without derailing the thread. I appreciate it! I had this idea that there are some folks out there getting 50 yards with 1/4oz. I simply was not sure if that was possible with a non-custom rod and baitcaster. Regards, Josh

Hootie, How far do they go? Josh