KCFinesse

I've been a bit disappointed in the spindles themselves... I've had small areas of light rust that I scotchbrite-ed off. Again, it's not an old trailer ?‍♂️. This isn't my first time changing bearings, and this isn't my first trailer... As far as overtightening goes- I've always seated them tight and backed off the castle nut til the ease of hub rotation is reasonable.. I'd like to think I know what I'm doing (but according to my wife I can be wrong)...

Don't be afraid to wrap over the starting tag- a lot of times I'll carry up the tag 1/4" or so. As for thread tension, stacking books on thread works- I use a regular ceramic tip bobbin with weights clipped on- there are a ton of ways to do it!

Pictures really aren't showing up well... But the pits are about 1/8" x 1/16 and too deep to sand out... I'm a little paranoid after seeing a couple bad bearing failures firsthand!

I have a 2 year old tandem trailer and am in the process of replacing bearings/hub assemblies. On my last hub I found four areas of pitting- two on the seal 'level', one on the corner between inner bearing and seal levels and one midway across the inner bearing level. All will catch a fingernail... I travel quite a bit but change bearing assemblies annually. Am I better off getting a new spindle or is this reasonable? On the picture, only the center pitting is visible, otherwise all four are pretty similar. Thanks, -Jared Zoomed out for clarity on where issues are...

I have an ororo vest that I'll wear right above my base layer. It's really nice when running around the lake to just turn the heat on when the engine turns over and not have to shuffle layers constantly. -Jared

I would guess an older Mann's stretch 15. Late 90s Mann's was never shy on glitter. -Jared

Colored wraps are one of the easiest ways to make a rod look custom. I like it! By the way if you hit a wall trying to get a new decal- I've started ordering my own rainshadow decals off of decalconnection for $5/ea. The ones from the OEM are a lot more fickle than the DC ones IMO. -Jared

You might have better luck in rod building. I've built a bunch of regular CRC, American Heritage, and CFX rods and really like them for the money. In general, I think they run on the moderate or slower action side. My opinion only- I think the CFX are more sensitive than the American Heritage series. Real or imagined, the American Heritage don't feel as crisp to me. I feel like the regular CRC are more like the CFX but have a lot more variety in sizing and application. I have not built on their requiem series. -Jared

Start with a couple loose wraps around the base of the bucktail before applying tension to securely fasten it down. Those loose wraps help keep the clump of hair in place. Also, don't be afraid to comb out some of the shorter hair and fur from the clump of hair before you tie it in. -Jared

Personal opinion- I think with a spinning rod rod jerkbaiting, you can get by with a heavier rod than the equivalent casting set up (imagine casting jerkbaits with short MHM casting vs a MHM spinning). This allows you to fish a more moderate spinning rod that still has enough 'quick backbone' to twitch and snap the bait. That being said I still use an XF casting rod more than any spinning set up. Also, braid with an XF might not be super forgiving. -Jared

I'm no pro, but if you're fishing finesse stuff in the wind, straight flouro still has it's place!

Look at Wapsi big fly fiber or a product called EP fiber. Both are slightly different than craft fur and come in longer lengths. -Jared

I feel like I get better control with a torch than a burner or lighter. Propane and especially butane will burn cleaner than alcohol. There are a ton of ways to do it.

Done of the best advice I've ever gotten about rod building- don't be lazy, redo it (applies to basically everything) Have fun with it! It really is addicting. -Jared

Interesting! I've been looking at the Amtack Aero and Essex Ergonomic seats for the same reason. This could be another great option.

The James River has a big following... I haven't fished it above Table Rock though. The upper sections of Stockton are pretty popular and I at least know of kayak guides up there. Taneycomo is a goofy duck to say the least but can be fun- I know the moyak series has fished out of there multiple times. Good luck! Let us know how you do -Jared

Open water- plopper. Buzzbaits go on straight braid in the nastiest stuff I can get one through. I think I catch bigger fish on a buzz for that reason... I will say that I don't fish a buzzbait with a trailer hook nearly as much when a plopper is available.

I've fished this lake a couple times both in September and really have struggled to find fish! My gut tells me to run and gun throwing bladed jigs, buzzbaits, and moving baits in the shallow weeds in the more sheltered areas- am I selling the main lake points, rocks, etc short? Does fishing the the boat docks become a factor out there? -Jared

These are the gold standard in popper for me. Some of the bronzed hooks are prone to corrode- If you do replace hooks, keeping a dressed rear treble seems to work better I think... Hook rash, bite marks, only makes these better!

Get Bit Outdoors additionally offers camo blanks if you're looking for another option.

I used to fish a bass club that awarded points based upon the length of fish and I'm looking for anyone that may have a form or particular points scale for this type of tournament. This format had the benefit that two twelve inch fish don't outscore one 20" fish, and the point totals more or less reflect a standard length to weight conversion... It was something to the effect of a 12" bass is worth 100 with 10 points awarded per half inch increment bigger until you got to 15" in which case a "bonus" factor is added and escalates from there to a "double bonus" for fish over 20" etc. I'm considering some of these options for my bass club. Anyone have a format for this? Thanks! -Jared

Another vote for the dobyns endurance. I have friends who swear that the fury is just as good, but I haven't fished then myself.

I Ned rig a bunch on both spinning and bfs set ups. 1. I love the bfs fishing bluffs or other applications where I can quickly give my bait line to fall. Thumb control on stair step ledges is awesome. 2. I'm a straight flouro guy on my Ned stuff and line twist is the bane of my existence. 3. I've had elbow issues, I like being able to switch up ergonomically. 4. When cast control is important, I go bfs... Things like landing softly around docks, etc. I fish an aldebaran most of the time. I bought a zephyr and liked it's cast control, but 6lb flouro keeps making it's way past the spool... Bfs needs to be super dialed in, and that type of stuff drives me nuts.... If anyone has a fix for the zephyr let me know, otherwise the curado bfs looks really nice... -Jared

I haven't been a huge fan of sunflower... Nemo bridge trailer cabins are nice- I stay at willow winds a lot (extended family use to own it) but the covered dock is kinda far away, which always makes me a bit uneasy. -Jared

I'm digging the head shape and the low center of mass!