Josh Smith

I am currently enjoying a Cherrywood rod next to my more expensive stuff. It feels wrong but there it is. Josh

Well dang, sure glad you're not learning from me. I require folks to shoot with iron sights first! 1" at 100 yards is very easy to do with peeps. Try this: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/115644/bsa-deerhunter-shotgun-scope-25x-20mm-duplex-reticle-matte I was going to recommend an airgun 'scope as they deal with recoil better (technical; forward and reverse recoil both on an air rifle), but I saw this one. For hunting, you will not need or want more than 4x magnification, and lots of times less than that. I have a heavy barrel .22 rifle that can shoot very, very finely. It has a 4.5x - 14x Mueller 'scope on it. (Were you in the market for something more, I'd recommend the Mueller as a good mid-range 'scope. It's a couple hundred bucks, though.) I shoot squirrels out to 100 yards with this setup. I did 150 yards or so once, but felt afterward that it was just too far and intentionally limit myself. I'm recommending the 2.5x on the basis of the probability you're using supersonic loads and are therefore likely limited to 40 yards. At about 40 yards, supersonic go subsonic, and as they pass through the transonic barrier, they destabilize. Also, squirrel further than 25 yards or so is generally pretty rare unless you set up specifically for longer range. For example, I use that heavy barreled .22 to shoot 50 to 100 yards from a static position. If I go closer, I use my bow with small game heads. With that 2.5x 'scope I recommended, you're not going to have parallax adjustment to mess with. Being a shotgun 'scope, it should be set at 50 yards parallax. Neither will you have variable power to try to adjust. This is basically a point-and-shoot that you can start with. I hope this helps some. Josh

I done caught me a 10-pounder out'n thar jus' a week afore the sister's a'weddin! Dang ol' thang took me aroun' tha pond a coupla' times afore I fin'lly landed 'er in tha jonboat! A'course, that don' compare to tha one I caught as a lad back in '89..! Josh

Hello, Why do you want a scope? Have you used one before? What are your expectations? Does the Cricket have receiver grooves or removable mounts? Your answers will help with my answers! Josh

Braid allows me to do what I only wished I could with mono. I have to admit that I see most fishing innovations as "gimmicky.". The areas that have really improved since the early '90s, though, are line types, sonar, and rod blank material and construction. Josh

Hi Folks, I was sent some ABEC-5 Boca spool bearings for this reel by someone here. Simply amazing. I'm in the middle of a move at this point, but I found time to install them and test cast the reel. With the Boca ABEC-5 bearings, the cast was much, much further than the 5000c bearings I used. Went past the 40 yard line on the pistol/bow range and into the woods. Now I'm looking at Boca Ceramic Bearings for my 5500c3 and likely the rest of the reels! Thank you to this gent for feeding my addiction. Josh

I would say that smacking a grouchy bass upside the head with an irritating lure is right up there near the top. Josh

I grew up on mono and now prefer braid by a vast margin. For spooky fish I tie an FC leader. Josh

Hello, Jake. I hail from Wabash. It's good to see another Hoosier here!

You all ever have a piece of equipment that it felt wrong to like? That's what this thing is to me. Josh

Well dang, I used to work in North Manchester. You all get around Wabash County I'll show you some fishing spots I play in. Josh

Thank you!

Hi All, I have a Pinnacle bent reel handle here that feels nice to me. There was no nut keeper with it, and none I have fit. They are all too short. Any idea of the size and where I might find one? Thank you. Josh

Hello from Wabash County, Indiana!

Nice! Yep, mind need cleaned badly. On that ceramic pawl -- do you find it makes a lot of difference in anything? I've been going back and forth with myself on trying one. They weren't out (so far as I know) when I was a teenager messing with these things. Neither were these Carbontex drags, and I love 'em! In my experience in other fields, I find that ceramics either work really great or fail miserably. My biggest concern is that they're relatively low-priced for reels, and in my limited experience, low-price ceramics that take the place of steel snap easily. What do you think of that ceramic pawl? Would you recommend it, and if so, why? Thanks, Josh

You'd think so, heh? Fixed. Thanks for the catch. Josh

Whoa! I missed posting that pic. They usually have no bearings. I put one in: There's not room enough for two in these reels. I have to thin the idler out to make it fit as is, and one is plenty to support it. Nothing but the bearing touches the post. I do need to get dual-bearing conversions for the 5500c3 and 5600 Mag, though. Or, I can modify the single bearing idlers I put in there if I can find just the bearings. We'll see come teardown time. Josh

It's from around 1965, I believe. I swapped the frame so I'm not 100% on that. The stock frame's foot number is 332804 and is a four-screw. It was an eBay special, and it looks like someone used a pliers or something on the thumb screws at one point. See those scratches? They're not honest wear. Honest wear is good; scratches from the wrong tools is not. Mostly these thing just need cleaned and lubed before modding. Even the worst ones can usually be salvaged, I've found. The worst one I have here was used extensively in salt water, and it doesn't look too bad. Josh

Here are some detailed pics of my slow reel, the 23IPT '60s Ambassadeur 5000. (Modding a modern 5500c3 etc is similar, but just a little less involved.) I thought some here might enjoy them. Left side of the reel Under the cap The bearing that replaced the bushing; the right side is similar. Lightened worm gear drive cog Left side of the stainless frame Polished worm gear The removed levelwind assembly showing the polish and the bearings which replace the plastic bushings Right side plate Right side, handle and screw removed Polished drag spring washers; two for increased drag range adjustment Crank bearing which replaces the stock crank bushing. It cleans up slop and makes things smoother overall. Fast gears, drag washer and crank bearing stack on the driveshaft Fast gears, drag washer, crank bearing, driveshaft, disassembled. Carbontex drag clutches. Fun stuff! Regards, Josh Edited: Thank you, Catch and Grease. Apparently I need to go back to Kindergarten for a bit.

For me, distance is secondary to accuracy and precision, but still pretty important. I've caught spooky bass at 30 yards out that I'd not have caught otherwise. Braid with fluoro leader helps with this. Some say make five casts to the same area; I find 10 casts are better as bass tend to patrol long certain underwater "paths". Knowing where these are is like knowing where a deer path is. The trick is to be there when the bass or the deer is, and use whatever is effective. That's one thing I like about fishing. Hunting, you locate the critter and shoot it. Fishing, you locate the critter, and then have to trick it into "shooting" itself. Josh

Dude, it's illustrative. The stuff I mention can be found at most hardware stores. Maybe I just have more faith in folks to do their own tests. Reels are great machines, but it's not rocket science. I relate information and it's up to the end user on how to use that information. I think you'll agree that the rod and reel should work together to provide feedback in addition well together in all other aspects of fishing. I'm relating my thoughts on the subject and they're by no means rules written in stone. Call them informed opinions, maybe. You said I have fast reels. I regularly use reels ranging from ~23IPT to ~30IPT. Each has its place. I'm not declaring one better than the other. I use a 26IPT most, but switch down or up as the need arises. Francho, I'm not sure where the communications fail is. I personally think we two, you and I, are a couple of opinionated individuals, and stubborn to boot. There's nothing backward about the math I used in that other post, for example. I don't understand why it was brought up here..? Let it go, man! When I'm on the water, I like to fish. When I'm at my shop, I like to work on things and test ideas. Some I keep to myself and others I toss out there. I dunno, man. Peace. Josh

I was relating an idea to convey a similar idea. No reason to do this except experiment.

I've had this happen during an insect hatch. I only had the UL and baitcasters. There are very few times I have wished for my fly rod as I prefer weighted lures, but this was one of the times I found myself wanting it. Josh

Yes, Mr. Francho, that's why it happened in a dream, dude.