Lucky Craft Man

I use a Cabelas XML 7' Heavy rod with a Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier Round Reel and 30 lb. Braid Line. Since I don't have any swimbaits over two ounces, this outfit works really nice and is comfortable to cast all day with. I have several musky rods that I would probably use is I ever ventured into the larger swimbaits, but for now, the system I have works great.

ReelMech, There are several things I wanted to order from you on your web-site. I heard that members of this forum receive a discount. I was just wondering if this is true? Thanks.

I have close to 65 rods and reels, but less then half are for bass. I have rods for Musky, Trout, Walleye, Strippers, Panfish, Carp, Steelhead, along with many fly rods, saltwater rods, and ice fishing rods. I love to fish for any species. I keep a spreadsheet that lists all my outfits with many key dates such as when I respooled the reel, any service to the reel, etc. I don't even want to get into the number of tackle boxes I have. So let your wife know that you are pretty tame when it comes to being infected by the baitmonkey.

The people at Smoothies are outstanding. I called and gave them the dimensions of the drag washers for a reel that they hadn't listed on their web site. They called me back the next day and told me they found two carbontex drag washers (from two different reel sets) that would fit my reel. They are on the way to my house (along with a pound of Cal's grease). Excellent people to deal with and I will be sure to give them future business. Sorry if this sounds like a commercial, but excellent service deserves to be advertised.

I actually keep my rods in the garage (which is detached from the house and gets very cold) and I take off all my reels and store them in their original boxes in the corner of the closet. It's hard to transfer 40 rods into the house who rest in custom made rod holders built into the garage. I never had any problems with the cold weather on the rods (but I never wanted to risk it with the reels in the cold.)

I personally like the Hot Sauce. I use their grease and oil. Obviously, you know not to use too much, which makes for a red mess. What I like about the hot sause is when I open my reel and see red, I know it has some lubrication. If there is no red, then I need to clean and add some. JMHO.

Has anyone ever used the Carbontex Drag Washers? If so, what do you think of them? Thanks.

I'm confused. I have always used grease on the internal gears only and oiled everything else, but the guy on Tackletour greased the hell out of that reel (link below). Have I been lubricating my reels wrong all this time? http://www.tackletour.com/articlereelmaintenancedaiwatdsol.html

Obviously, G Loomis, St. Croix, and Kistler are top of the line rods and will perform great, but, I bought a Cabelas XML rod and fell in love with it. Now I own 7 of them and since they are relatively cheap, I don't worry as much if I accidentally drop one on the pavement (plus they have a 25 year warranty, which for me might as well be a lifetime warranty).

Here is my opinion on the matter. I have several Real Vibes and they are tough to fish. They are heavy (1 ounce) and really can't be fished with a direct retrieve (like a Rattle Trap can). Where the Real Vibe shines is in the spring, because they are weighted to sit with their mouth on the bottom to simulate the position of a bluegill eating the eggs of a spawning bass. You also need heavier equipment to handle this lure, which fisherman new to bass fishing may not have. I would highly recommend the Lucky Craft Pointer 100SP. These are easy to fish and work very well. I would also recommend the Yo-Zuri Rattlin'Vibe. This is by far the best lipless crankbait out there. The Lucky Craft Sammy is a very good lure, but it takes some practice to get it to work right. Someone new to bass fishing may get frustrated with it and not use it. Again, this is just my opinion based on my experience.

Thanks guys for the help. When I took apart the reel the rubber drag washer was dry as can be. I oiled it and it works good now. Thanks again.

I just found a Pinnacle Tara that I must have had for 7 years now and forgot I had even owned it. I put it on a rod and it casts and reels in perfectly. The only problem is that the drag is real jerky and sticks sometimes. I am about to take it apart and see what the problem is, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to what I should look for first. I assume the drag washers are either dirty or no good, but I am not sure. I would appreciate any advice anyone could offer me. Thanks.

I actually keep my plastics in Zip-Lock Snack bags (they are smaller then regular Zip-Lock bags) and then place the bags in any type of tackle box. After I use a plastic that can be used next time, I just place it in a different bag then the originals, but put it in thesame bin. They work quite well and they don't allow the plastics like Berkley GULP from drying out.