TheRodFather

Is the one under the main gear and above the steel washer with the pawls considered part of the drag stack? Because they were all greased from the factory.......

Ok, thank you for the reply, the washers that seem to be made of paper (it's seems like a gasket type of material) were dry on all the reels, the fiber reinforced washer under the main gear was greased. I wasn't sure if greasing both would smooth out the drag any. Thanks again for the reply!

Hello all, I searched but couldn't really find the answer I was looking for. I have several entry level reels that I bought in combos when I first started out this season, I have since replaced a few of the combo rods throughout the season, but want to stick with the reels for now. Eventually the reels will be replaced for better quality gear and the entry level reels will go to the kids, or as secondary rods.I am in the process of disassembling them and cleaning/greasing during the cold months. I am working on 3 Abu Garcias, a Black Max, Silver Max and an Orra Winch, and 2 Lews baitcasters, a Carbon Blue and a Laser MG. I tore each one down and greased the gears and oiled the bearings and everything went well and the reels are nice and smooth and quiet. All of the reels are very similar as far as the internal parts are concerned, after the gear side cover is pulled and the spacers and one way bearing inner race is off, there is a large diameter steel washer, then a paper (?) washer, then the main gear, then a fiber reinforced washer, then the steel washer with the pawls on it to engage the spool after casting. I have some Shimano drag grease on the way, and I am pretty sure the fiber reinforced washer gets the grease, but what about the paper washer? Are they both considered the "drag washers", and therefore both get the drag grease? Thanks for any help!

I went through the same thing this spring. I was (still am) using a ratty old backpack to carry my tackle and wanted something nicer. I looked at all the popular options, The shimano bag, very nice features but a lot of money. The BPS bag seemed to have good features for a great price, and the Tackle Warehouse bag has good features for a decent price, but is butt ugly IMO. Before I got a chance to decide on one, I started to realize that I didn't need to carry all that stuff with my anyway. I was doing a lot of wading and got this shoulder strap bag: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=85863166&camp=CSE:GooglePLA:85863166:23488693-DSG:TACKLE_TACKLE-BOXES_SOFT-BAGS&gclid=CPPukaaBttACFRBWDQodcCMNhA#BVRRWidgetID It was so nice to swing it around to access everything while my bait was soaking, and not bend down to access like I would with a backpack. I have a 3700 box each for crankbaits, rattletraps, jerkbaits, terminal tackle, topwaters, etc etc. So I keep them in the backpack that stays in the car, and I just take one or two of each of those types of lures that I know are producers and put them in the shoulder bag. Even when bank fishing, when I don't "need" to pack small, I do anyway, and use the shoulder bag because it's so much more convenient.

Ned rigs and paddle tail swimbaits for smallmouth and paddletails for largemouth are about the only thing that is working for me the last few weeks. Presentations are sloooow, still having good days, but the fish are definitely more picky.

I have been doing really well on the Ned rig in small rivers near me, DO spend the money on the Z-man TRDs because they are so buoyant that the plastic stands up, and that's what the fish like IMO. DO NOT spend the money on the special shroom heads, a 1/8 ball head jig with a 2/0 hook can be bought for 25 bucks for 100 (unless you don't mind spending the bucks on the shroom heads). Rig some up, superglue the plastic to the ball head, and that thing will last as long as you have it tied on, or you snag it and break off. In early spring I started with the rebel craw, as the summer went on, Hellgrammites on very light jig heads were the ticket. Now the Ned rig is my go to. Paddle tail swim baits have been working pretty well, usually catches the bigger fish. Regardless, I have had the most luck drifting into the bass. Casting upstream gets me snagged the most, so use the lightest jig you can, keep the rod tip high and keep the bait light on the rocks. Casting perpendicular to the current and giving little hops that swing it down current works well too. Rarely will I catch fish consistently retrieving against the current. It's just not natural to the fish I think. Oh, and I have had much better results on the Mepps inline spinners VS Rooster tails, I remember when I was a kid, using the rooster tails, they often stopped spinning. The Mepps rarely do that.

Most days I feel the same way, but then I think to myself that it's such a specialized boat, is it really worth it. I guess it could be used for water that isn't skinny as well. I'm am curious how much speed/comfort/ease of use a boat like that would be in waters where it doesn't have to be rockproof.

The only thing that's been working for me in ponds is a paddle tail Z-man Diezel minnow, retrieved sloooooow.

Joe Raymond from Susquehanna Smallmouth Guides. He has some sick Youtube videos, check this out: Not gonna lie, I get goosebumps every time I watch that.

Sounds like you already bought one...? I would recommend against a barrel chambered in .223 unless you are going for accuracy only. Go for 5.56, it's a long story, but basically, the safer route is to have a 5.56 chamber and shoot .223 or 5.56, VS a .223 chamber and shoot 5.56 out of it. It is difficult to build an AR for the same price that you can buy one (assuming same parts in both), because you will need (should have) certain tools. What really ends up happening is that you will end up with an AR that has a lot of upgrades ( this ends up being cheaper than if you bought a base model and modified it). I own many, and have built many, just my thoughts. M and P sport, like others said is pretty limited in what you can do with it. If the AR platform is the legos of guns, the sport is the duplo..... In the 1000 dollar and under range, there are many good brands, Smith and Wesson, Rock river, Spikes, some so so ones, Bushmaster, DPMS. Over 1000 gets you into the Colts (overrated IMO), LWRCs, and many more premium rifles. As with anything, define your purpose and buy a product that will fit. The good-better manufacturers parts will all play nice together, the cheaper brands will be looser in their manufacturing tolerances and less tolerant of modification. TRF

I got a pair of Hodgeman H3 breathable stockingfoot waders during summer that were $100. They have fleece lined hand pockets, a mesh chest pocket, and an inside pocket for things you don't want to get splashed. Gaitors to keep the gravel out. They feel like a quality product, and are repairable. So far I like them a lot, the temps you describe are what I am wading in the last few weeks and I have worn shorts under the waders and been fine. The chest pocket looks different than this picture, (it's mesh now), not sure why their site isn't updated....... http://www.hodgman.com/hodgman-waders-chest-waders/hodgman-h3-stocking-foot/1347867.html#start=3

When fishing rocky rivers, if you get hung up during the retrieve while casting downstream, open up the bail and let the water take a big old loop of line downstream of the hung bait, then set the bail and reel in fast. The current will hold your line downstream long enough to tug on the bait 180 degrees opposite the way it was hung, before the reel pulls in all the slack.

Good Lord...........

Ok, thanks for the tip!

Any particular areas to throw in a line? Redman is not too far from my place, I fished there once, started at the main rec area,all down the road with the rip rap and around the corner to the other rec area close to RT83, didn't have any luck though. I have been to Pinchot camping a couple times, but never looked at it from a fishing point of view though. Where should I be looking to fish from the bank? Sorry to ask for specifics, I simply don't have much time to explore places that are not between work and home. Good news is I won't be able to ever go enough to beat up anybodies secret spot .

Anyone know of any decent places to bank fish around the York/Lancaster PA areas (that they are willing to share ). LMB or SMB, rivers, lakes, ponds? I'm running out of places to explore.......

I got back into fishing this spring, was a little late in the season for the good trout action (which was all I really knew as a kid). A guy at work told me about this farm pond on my way to work that has Largemouth in it. So I spent a couple days reading the internet to find out what type of lures I should be throwing. I ended up with some Senkos, some jigs, a rebel popper, and a buzzbait. Went to the pond and was lazily casting the buzzbait, thinking there was no way a fish was going to bite this strange looking thing. All of a sudden, I saw a disturbance in the water about three feet to the right from the bait, and BAM, a 4lb largie exploded on the buzzbait. I was hooked on Bass fishing. Haven't caught another fish on a buzzbait yet......

That fish was caught on my friends boat that runs a guide service on the Susquehanna. A guy from fish and game happened to be on the boat when it was caught. It caused a pretty big uproar at the time and since then, along with many other people raising concerns over the years about the river, parts of the Susqy have been classified "recreationaly impaired". The buddy now loath's the day that fish was caught because in all his years on the river, and all the other guides agree, the Susquehanna river fishing is on a huge positive rebound the last few years. That's the only fish that has been documented like that and he thinks it just put unnecessary fear in people.

I have been having good success by pointing the rod tip right at the bait just before it hits the water, then when it hits, raising the rod to get it up on the surface and start reeling if I need to get back to 10 o'clock to be ready for the blowup. I fish it on 12lb mono. TRF

Thanks guys!

Yeah, it was a great time. Between the 3 of us we probably caught 90-100 fish in 6 hours. The largest being my 19incher until my buddy landed a 21incher, argggg .

Heh heh, I couldn't think of anything better. I feel like I have a long way to go to earn that nickname.....

Took a guided trip with a buddy a few weeks ago and had a blast! Unfortunately, very few boats can get to the places we fished. Some more. We tripled up a couple times, on this one, mine is the biggest, the lighting must be bad or something..........:)

Hello everyone, been lurking for a while and thought it was time to join up. I fished as a child and lost interest because it was "boooooring", and now as an adult with a home, mortgage, working wife and two boys age 14 and 3, I look for every opportunity I can to get out and be "bored" :). I am a shore angler for now, but hope to be in a boat by next spring. I live very close to some of the best small mouth waters, the Susquehanna, so I'm still working through how that is going to effect the type of boat I get. I suppose that's enough for now, tight lines everyone! Evan