The Bassman

When I was a kid our teacher would let us play with Mercury on a tabletop in science class. Now that's dangerous. Times have changed.

I'm gradually building confidence with suspending jerk baits. One that has done well for me is a Tenn. Shad #8 Husky Jerk. I've had it for almost twenty five years and almost never fished it. After catching countless fish on floating Rapalas it dawned on me that this technique isn't too far removed. The bait is just more out of sight.

Makes for a handy mirror, too.

I've been reading about some guys having issues with aluminum gear reels being "buzzy". Quite a bit of discussion about using lower viscosity grease. Just out of curiosity I ordered some TG Liquid Grease and relubed my Ald. First impressions are promising. Time will tell. The stuff has the consistency of honey and is very sticky. It doesn't bog down the reel's rotation, though. I'm sorry if this veered away from the topic but thought it beneficial.

Hittin' em regular now on a small lipless (#5 Rippin' Rap). Always do best working the sun and wind together.

As much as I enjoy my baitcasters I don't enjoy messing with them on the water. A revolving spool reel is dynamic in that many things affect its performance. The more I fish the more I appreciate my spinning tackle. Baitcasting excels in several apps but nothing that a medium heavy or heavy spinning outfit can't suffice at. My CI4+ reels on stout rods are also very light.

Ald 50 has the same brakes as Curado I, just a lighter footprint (white vs. red). It's a shame Shimano didn't engineer the present SVS from the start.

Ald 50 has first gen SVS. Whole different animal than newer version on 70 , MGL, and K. I'm patiently(?) waiting for new Ald 30 MGL.

Try 2 brakes and a lower dial (1-2), zero tension. Bump the dial up if you're dealing with wind or a difficult lure profile. My Ald is a casting machine. I'm using 30 lb. Tuf-Line Domin 8 braid. Also, flush and re-oil your bearings. The spool shaft bearing can be cleaned by suspending the shaft in a small container of solvent. Don't use anything harsh like acetone because of the plastic washer. I use mineral spirits.

Got burned out on the show years ago. Actually thought about going yesterday and looking for any last day deals but went fishing instead. Did rather well. Why spend money to daydream when you can go out and do it? BST show is a shadow of what it used to be.

Had some great action this afternoon. Caught twenty or so including this one just shy of 4 lb. Fish were fairly shallow on the sunny and windward side of some HOA lakes I fish.

I'm a bit confused with the square description. The brakes mentioned above are cylindrical. What reel is this for?

Are you talking about the flat pinned VBS on the Citica E and G? If so the only ones I know about are orange BNT 3843. Call Shimano. 877-577-0600. They'll help you.

This ^^^

Looking at the specs I don't see any difference. For freshwater I would definitely use the MGL for its supposed advantage with lighter lures.

Bought 10 lb. in Mega 8 and Fortis last year. Really liked it at first but had issues with break offs. Stuff was very thin so was likely true to test. I've been spoiled by USDM braid breaking well above stated. Fortis was discontinued. I haven't tried the newer 4 strand.

Obviously these folks aren't up to speed on the differences in the two reels. They're both great but the K is definitely a leap forward.

I use the 6 lb. for my light spinning. It handles great and has a break strength three times its stated.

Thought Gliss was the greatest thing since sliced bread when I started using it a couple of years ago. Didn't take me long to realize how fragile it was. It would fuzz if I barely touched it with my "bass thumb". It took very few outings to start fluffing up and that hurt casting distance. Suprisingly, I had no issues with knot failure. Fishin' Fool knot which is a two eye loop uni worked fine. I'm using several other lines, 4 and 8 strand now.

Caught them in a HOA lake I fish regularly.

Just got in from some great action. More than a dozen on ned, Rippin' Rap, and Husky Jerk. Three were just under 3 lb. Really wasn't expecting those results today. Maybe the ground hog was wrong.

Truly enjoyed the time when everything the show host touched wasn't an ad.

I have a 100B with Chronarch 50 spool and handle upgrade. It casts as well as anything I own. Sits just a tad high on the rod. This and the JDM Scorpion 1000 were Shimano's compact models before the E platform. Chronarch 50 MG, Scorp. 1000 MG, and 100D series were also based on this B platform.

It's definitely fun to look back but I'll take my Stradic CI4+ over my Mitchell 300 any day. The point will get argued but today's stuff is head and shoulders better even if it's not as durable.

Would prefer something in barbeque sauce or sweet potato fry. Watermelon works OK, though.