CrankFate

At $300, the choice is yours.

I love this topic. Thank god today the quality of gear has gotten so much better. I know there’s a lot of nostalgia for the past, but we are much better off today. I have a personal reason for being anti heavy older nostalgia gear. I fished since I was 2. And was told the proper way to hold a spinner is between the two middle fingers. It might be (I do not agree). I am 45 now and can tell you, the heavy old gear messed up the tendons in the palm of my right hand. I cannot write more than a sentence with a pen, after a lifetime of fishing. I’m just thankful my right hand doesn’t hurt unless I’m doing something like writing or holding a spinning rod. There has never been a better time for fishing in terms of the quality of lightweight, inexpensive gear that we have today. As much as I don’t like heavy older gear, I didn’t mean to offend anyone who has a special place for it in nostalgia in my previous posts.

Dinked out last night with my PB smallest largemouth bass for this lake after 30 years of fishing there. Stayed later than I should have, until my wife called...

Well I was at a spot last weekend. And the only guy to catch anything was about 70 years old and holding his spinning reel upside down. Dogfish.

Spool shaft pin remover. Magnetic precision screwdriver set. Small flat paintbrush for grease. Brake cleaner.

I’m confused, because if it can work either way, I might be holding my rod wrong

Yes Ali Express is legit. The sellers are even good guys that stand by their products. They do returns and exchanges. Everything. The only downside is the slow post office in China. Disclaimer: I am a BABA shareholder.

@JS8588After having 2 kids, I would suggest that if you fished on and off for your life, having a baby is a time to be “off” when it comes to fishing. I missed a lot of fishing after having kids. It’s only now that they are over 10, that I can get out that much again. I love fishing like a second wife and a third child but it’s not about escaping from the real ones. Most serious guys would tell you they were doing it before and they are doing it after and, yes, life gets in the way.

It only works the other way around

I generally fish combos that cost between $400 and $900. I cannot say that a properly matched $400 combo is worse than a properly matched $900 combo. It’s not. Except for extremely specialized technique specific fishing, the $400-500 combo will equal anything twice the price. And will almost always be more durable. I have spent whole seasons fishing $20-$40 combos, with no issues, except durability. Things like plastic guides falling off, wooden spools expanding and cracking, etc. Bottom line, you don’t need expensive gear.

If you ask me, I’d say, for the most part, rods in the $150-250 range are the best.

I use these reels for fun. I had one knockoff daiwa SS air in white plastic that was like $19. I happened to hook a 6-7lb blue fish with it and a second after the hookset, the AR bearing failed and the handle was spinning backwards at high speeds. I landed the fish, but the AR was permanently destroyed after that.

You can use any grease on carbon drag washers, as long as it’s good enough to not become gummy. But you will most likely lose several pounds of drag pressure. I would not use oil, because it will eventually gum up. Cals grease is ideal. I have used a single ounce for about 10 years and I put it in all my reels once a year or two. It’s the ONLY grease I use. I know they say its not good in cold weather, but I’ve used it in reels in such low temps that saltwater was frozen on the line and in the guides without any issues at all.

A balsa crank, or any floating lure, fished like a topwater. Skipped over the surface with hard pulls while floating that makes a lot of noise can pull a fish or two from clear water on clear blue sky very hot days. I wouldn’t say your catching a limit like this (I never do) but one or two really ticked off fish when nothing else works—sometimes.

I fish for every fish the same as LMB. Right now, I am using the Kistler KLX heavy mod (NFC blank) for inshore fishing. It would be perfect with a Foregrip on it and conventional guides. The new version now has conventional guides, so it’s going to be better than mine. You will be surprised how you do in saltwater fishing the same way you fish for LMB. And @WRB is right on, if after giving nonsaltwater gear a good rinse with your hose sprayer, spray the guides with WD40. I am out of WD40 because I spray my guides with it all the time.

You have to be doing something wrong. Are you starting with a real fire? And using actual wooden sticks or skewers? Hershey’s chocolate? If that’s not working. You might want to try the Lindt bars, the Cabernet flavor or Blood Orange work well. If that doesn’t work, find Cinnamon Graham Crackers, but not the low fat ones. Also, if you are using charcoal, get one with hickory or mesquite wood in it. But be warned, this only solves problems involving people who are present at the time you are making and eating them...

I hit the nemesis lake recently. Skunked.

Johnny Carson was, by far, the best late night talk show host of all time.

I add a drop of oil to the spool bearings before every outing. They can be bone dry after one single outing with lots of hard casting. If you’re only oiling twice a season, just get ceramics. They will get enough lube just from the water being thrown off the spool.

All I’m going to say is the fish come to the commotion because they no they won’t be seen. Or if they are forced off of a spot, they are often hanging back waiting to return as soon as it’s clear.

Abu makes good low profile reels. I have a few different ones that I have beat the hell out of. Aside from scratches, they still work perfectly.

Here’s one for a flat top grill. Or regular grill. Korean BBQ pork. This is my version of the hot Korean pork belly, that they serve at Korean BBQ restaurants, but using ribs instead (more protein, less fat). I just like ribs better. 2.5 to 3 lbs boneless pork ribs (like the ones in Costco) rinsed well. Slice relatively thin against the grain on an angle and remove the biggest chunks of fat. I aim for 3-4” slices, but they will come out between 1” and 4” I am for thick sliced bacon. My aim is not that good. In a large bowl mix: 1 and 1/2 tsp hot chili paste the red stuff that looks like tomato paste and tastes like bean curd (if it’s very hot, otherwise use 1Tbs if it’s mildly hot, by very hot I mean if I eat a half tsp straight, I might choke, but you can make it as hot as you want using what you have) 1 tsp cayenne pepper (this is hot, too, you might use less or more to taste, or the potency of your cayenne, the cayenne will get weaker cooked on direct heat) 1/2 tsp white pepper (this is a must, you can omit or use black, but the real white pepper changes everything when grilled. WP is a must for anything seared, IMO) 2Tbs of finely chopped garlic (I used the sacrilegious Costco jar garlic) 2Tbs corn syrup (the clear type) 2Tbs sugar or 3 (I use golden sugar) 2Tbs soy sauce 1/4 cup high quality rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar. (I use Japanese black vinegar it has a lighter acidity like salad vinegar, I suspect that it also tenderizes the meat) Mix the wet ingredients well. Add the meat and mix very well, so the garlic pieces are evenly distributed. Completely coat all of the meat. Cover bowl with Saran Wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, take the sliced meat and thread it onto wooden skewers, alternating folds something like a ribbon. They don’t have to be packed tight or they’ll take longer to cook. They don’t have to be perfectly neat, either. Sear it on both sides until fully cooked and with some black sear. I do about 4 mins a side on the bbq at 50% power, then 2-3 additional mins a side. Cook to the done ness you like. Add a little bit of black sesame seed salad dressing along the length of the skewer before eating. Just a thin line like mustard on a hot dog. Quick and easy to make. Cook time maybe 10-12 minutes. You can adjust these ingredients to your liking. I just made this yesterday because they had the dressing below at Costco last weekend.

I never peg the weight.

Life will find a way.

One thing. Not fish slow.