Josh Smith

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.

Same material + same diameter = just fine. Josh

I'm not liking smalljaw. My birthday is November 5 and so I'm not buying myself anything right now. I got an email a couple days ago from BPS informing me of the free shipping that fishballer mentioned. I ordered a bunch up and was one click away from confirming the order when my conscience stopped me. Dammit. Josh

I have two that I bought on clearance at Walmart just to try out. They're pretty good rods -- not my style as I find the handles too long, but compared to others of their ilk, they're on the better side. Mine are medium and medium heavy. The medium heavy is looking to become a spoon rod for walleye. I just finished a 5500 from '75 or so and put it on there. It casts really well. The medium is the only medium rod I own. It works well and is a bit more "whippy" than today's MH rods. They both balance nicely and give the impression of being shorter they they are. Josh

MOA is acceptable, but try to do better.

Fixed.

No, you are right. I have a headache and was thinking of a 5500D. I'll correct this in a minute. Josh

My best fish have come in on the old stuff. I have no idea if Mr. Childress designed the one you reference. Mr. Mann's designs have all been very good to me. Josh

It's an excellent marketing tactic. I have often thought these would make interesting spoonplug reels if you are not able to troll the spoonplug. Josh

I'm the same way, Avery. Some are more visual, though. One thing I found when I went to a faster reel the first time, I had less tactile feedback because of the way the gearing was. The slower reels of 26ipt and less give better feedback to the fingers through the reel handle. The most sensitive reels I've fished are the 4.7:1 (about 23IPT) Ambassadeurs with braid. After I remove the slop with bearings (including crank bearing) and other methods, sensitivity through the drive train increases even more. On a fast reel, pull the anti-reverse and strip line, you'll see that it takes a lot of spool rotations to move the reel handle just a little. (Pulling the anti-reverse can be done by removing the dog on ratchet-and-dog setups. You can also pull the sleeve out of an IAR bearing and replace it with a same-diameter-and-length tube but with a round opening inside instead of one that grips the shaft.) On the other hand, a slower reel will move the reel handle a lot further, giving more tactile feedback. This is further enhanced on the '60s to '70s Ambassadeur reels (and most others of that era) due to a dog-and-ratchet anti-reverse setup. There is a little handle movement backwards prior to this engaging, and in many instances can be a huge advantage in feeling through the reel what the lure is doing. Josh

Tell you what: Next time I build an old 5000, I'll keep its original gears. I'll upgrade to bearings, of course, and put a better reel handle on it. I'll send it to you. You can fish it and figure out what it's good for. It largely depends on the individual. I don't know when I'll get around to doing this, but I do know I have a box full of parts. I probably just need bearings, truth be told. I'll take a look-see. Josh

Mine was a Zebco 66. I outgrew it, graduated to a Zebco 33. I don't recall the rod. It had to be a light or ML glass job. I outgrew it a bit later on and the reel, at least was replaced with a Zebco 33. My first lures were Mepps inline spinners and Beetle Spins. Josh