PhishLI

The I.D. of the bushing is .320". The O.D. of the turned diameter of the pinion that passes through it is .310". While that may seem to matter, it doesn't. That side of the pinion is fully supported by the spool's bearing while cranking under load. The pinion has a counter bored section beyond the pin slots that receives a male section of the spool's shaft. So, the pinion piggybacks the spool bearing on that side. Instead of two discreet pinion bearings Lew's chose this hybrid approach which works perfectly fine. On the opposite side, the pinion's smaller turned diameter fits into the side plate bearing with a tolerance of .0005". The spools' shaft is smaller than the pinion's through-hole by .014", so there's zero contact here during free spool. In the end the pinion is in fact supported by a bearing on each end under load. So what's this bushing's purpose then? As far as I can tell it's there to keep the pinion from flopping around while the spool's removed and if the handle is turned at any point. It's a safeguard. The bushing allows for a max deflection of the pinion from the main gear of .005". I imagine that this amount of play is fine to protect both gears in a circumstance where zero load is present and someone's daffy enough to spin the handle while the spool is removed. Anyway, don't worry about tracking down a bearing. You/we're good.

True, but it's a completely different story at night. Nearly every night during the gill spawn the the bass will come in for a short window and smash them right up against the bank. Wherever I hear the tail slaps as they grab them is where I'll get to fast. The commotion is usually a trigger for a wave of fish to come in, and this is my best opportunity to catch 6-8 solid fish very quickly. The trick is being there for this cluster of activity. The window is rarely at the same time night to night.

These are perfect https://www.amazon.com/Owner-5130W-046-Weighted-TWISTLOCK-Weight/dp/B07PM87977

Drag a Beast Coast Miyagi Swimmer in Dope Gill through the zone, then hold on tight.

Could be. My father won a Mako shark contest off Montauk back in '80. They were cranking Aerosmith, so he always likes to mention that. Neither. Gotta have a screen name to register. Not brave enough to go with my 1st choice, Hugh Jayness, I went full milquetoast instead. I fish on Long Island=PhishLI.

You made me blush, and that aint easy.

We've been closed for the spawn here since April 31st. Only 4 lakes are open for C&R, and they're all a real trek to get to. So yes, with only 2 trips since the closer I'm a little battier than usual. With 11 more days left to dither before the opener I'll be rolling out more of these. Hide your eyes, Dear Thomas. Hide your eyes.?

I never got into the Grateful Dead, but I can't say for certain that it was specifically because of the music. For a few years in a row during junior high several girls I'd known since 1st grade emerged from summer recess as Dead Heads. Dressed like moppets in ankle high granny dresses they'd twirl around the playground to eminently un-danceable extended live Dead instrumentals. Hi, or hello, was now replaced by a sloe-eyed Heyyyy Maaaaaaan. I was so struck by this transformation that I'm pretty sure I was just turned off by the entire Dead thing, and it stuck. So, no Grateful Dead for me, but I digress. I hit one of our 4 open-for-bass-fishing lakes with a buddy for our first yak trip of the year. It felt great watching the sun come up. This 100+ acre joint is basically 4' deep in most areas. In full bloom it's unbelievably choked with weeds. Right now it's pretty barren with occasional single chutes still working their way to the surface. There are plenty of laydowns, and a good amount of buck brush to work with, so that's where we started. The graph said 68*, and the shoreline was packed with Bluegill beds. We pitched baits to all the juicy spots, but not a nibble. My buddy finally bailed on the cover, jetted down the shoreline, then made his way up another arm, but I stuck with it for a while longer. Once I quit the cover I began paddling against the wind and made my way toward his direction. As I got closer I began hearing what sounded like reggae music. Once I made the turn I spotted my friend anchored in the middle of the lake, and now clearly heard the Grateful Dead cranking loudly. This seemed like a bad tactic as I'm sure his 10' kayak was acting like a huge resonator pumping tunes into the shallow 4' water. It was his birthday, so I wasn't going to complain. He spotted me, waved, then said he'd just popped 3 bass on a Fat IKA. I parked nearby in the middle of the lake, devoid of grass, and started throwing a chrome wiggle wart. Nothing over a pound hit, but it was fish after fish. Big Yellow Perch are Dead fans too it seems. I tied on a Blue Fox inline and kept the rally going, but then the music stopped! All of a sudden, so did the bite. I asked him if he was crazy, then told him to turn that muckin' song back on. He laughed, as did a kid who was wading nearby, then turned it back on. Right on cue the bite returned. Just like lucky underwear, or magic socks, the Grateful Dead...

It's a solid reel at the current street price. No reason to pay retail at this moment. Once you've stepped up to a Daiwa with a free floating spool platform the Tatula variants, excluding the 300, feel more like the cost conscious reels that they are. As far as performance goes think of the '16 model as a better Tatula SV. It's not a giant leap in that regard, but it's better overall, and more likely to stay smooth over time.

OK. I'll dig out my Kennedy. I'll try to report on Sunday. My TP could use a lube job anyway.

Honest question: You actually measured a nearly .020" difference between the O.D. of the pinion and the I.D. of the bushing, or is this just a guesstimate? Please let me know. I really don't wanna rip mine down right now.

Nope, and 30lb braid doesn't have the impact strength to deal with swinging hard on the 6/0 Owner Beast hook, assuming that the rod has what's required to send it home. Think a true 5+ power Fast at least, IMO. If the hook's point ends up anywhere near a boney part you'll need to sock it in with bad intentions to have a chance. Search all forums for this bait. I throw it a lot. I've enthusiastically recommended here it on BR, and have blown it a number of times because of the gear choices I've made from rods to line, and just recently by laziness brought on by exhaustion.

Fame is a heavy load. Maybe a disguise will help?

Listen, Laughing Boy, I really don't give two deuces about saying hello to strangers when I'm bouncing from spot to spot, but us hayseeds out here in God's country, Nassau USA, still feel compelled to acknowledge each other when passing, even if it's only a simple nod. In the end I'm fine with not interacting at all with those mirthless BassWholes! On top of everything else they are, they're also reliably rude. Way beyond the typical midtown pavement pounder. I was one for 3 years. I know the drill.

Nowadays you're free to identify as a Kumquat if it pleases you, so why not a lawyer? Bravo!

Congrats on those studs! Don't sweat the bank fishing thing if those are your results! The other night my brother and I were musing about this very subject. It's been 3 years since we got our boat and Kayaks. We've done well in them, but all, and I mean all of our lunkers during this time have come from fishing on the bank, or wading, which is just glorified bank fishing around here.

Many of the spots I fish are pretty close to New York City, so we're in reach for the Red army bucket brigades. The vast majority of them are flat out unfriendly. Blank faces that refuse to acknowledge the simple human courtesy of hello in passing, or eye contact. It's the behavior of someone who's up to no good, and they typically are. I've had several run ins with these guys at night in the dark, which in hindsight was pretty stupid, but when my blood's up I'm ready to go. It's a defect that I'm working on. One night just before dark I was fishing at one of our typical tree lined lakes. I'd parked my rods and bag right at the shore and waded out through a narrow cut in the trees. Maybe a few feet wide. At this point there were very few people there and the lake was wide open. I decided to switch rigs, so I went back to where my gear was and squatted down to rig a bait. Out of nowhere this dude squeezes right past me, through the narrow cut, and into the spot I'd just been standing. There's literally thousands of feet of shoreline he could've chosen, but he did this? The dude turned back to throw a look at me. He looked like a gorilla with a hairline that went halfway down his forehead. i picked up my stick and walked right out, stood right next to him, then started whipping angry overhead bomb casts. This guy actually stuck it out for a few minutes, and my anger brought me past the point of caring about whatever came next. Finally, he turned and walked back to shore. I then turned and watched him closely as he walked through the cut and past my gear. I fully expected something bad to happen to it as I followed him in. He just turned, looked at me, spit on the ground angrily, then walked away. I'm positive this guy was thinking the same thing I was, and that was me planting an elbow or ten in his grill. It's probably a good thing for both of us that he was just a touch less insane than I was at that moment and backed off. This was the last time I allowed myself to get caught up in anything that could've resulted in someone getting seriously damaged, or worse, including myself. Now I just say my special word, Goosfraba, and walk away.

I don't care about the wacky endorsements, or cheesiness. I'm a kid again watching these two play. Simpler times with summer's morning sun breaking through a window, a single prop Cessna passing overhead, and these guys making it look so easy on my little black and white TV. I'm glad they're still here.

It's interesting how my progression casting a BC lefty is completely opposite from what it was when I was learning righty. It's as if my wiring is reversed in this case. Right handed over head bomb casting took me the longest to really get down consistently. Side arm roll casting and pitching came quickly. Left handed over head casting has been the easiest for me to develop a stroke for. I can bomb a frog nearly as far as righty casting. Roll casting lefty is OK, as is pitching, but roll cast skipping while holding the rod lefty has been the hardest. Skipping only works lefty when it's a back handed pitch/skip, but even that's wonky. Still, i can do what I need to when I have to, but there's still work to do. It's worth a shot if you like a challenge. Probably won't be the last time, knowing me.

........and sarcasm is the wit of the witless. Got anything clever to add to the subject at hand??

My wife loves crossword puzzles. She's never really grasped what it is that drives me to bass fish regardless of how I've tried to explain it, up until recently that is. This day I told her that I was going to jet up for an hour, then she gave me a dumfounded look. I call it her "whatever" face. Not quite an eye-roll, but almost. Normally I'd just fly at that point and not think of it again, but this time I took the time to take another shot at getting through. I pointed to the crossword puzzle she was working on, then I said "This is my crossword puzzle, my Rubic's Cube. This is less about catching a fish, and more about solving a puzzle that's constantly shifting shapes". This particular explanation seemed to make an impression, finally, but I know better, so I'm already working on a newer version for the next time around. Something with props and diagrams???

Start vid at the 4:25 mark for braking info.

Yup. Happy accidents.

Not looking to re-ignite a left vs right retrieve debate here yet again. Just a little story. I'm a righty, and have previously always used left handed reels. Just feels correct to me. Out of necessity and desire I bought some righty reels a few years ago then learned how to cast lefty and reel righty. The left handed casting was weird in the beginning, but the righty reeling felt fine right off the bat. Eventually it all blended together and I can switch up when it makes sense, like during boating position changes. Ultimately, and after trying most techniques with either hand, I still prefer casting righty and reeling lefty, except for one thing in particular. Recently I was throwing jerkbaits and snagged my trolling motor on the back cast which exploded the spool on my lefty reel. I had a righty Chronarch spooled up and waiting in reserve, so I mounted it up. I casted out a 6th sense Provoke and began jerking it in. Instantly I knew I preferred palming the reel in my left hand while fishing a jerkbait. I don't feel clumsy palming righty, but lefty just feels better in this case. Can't explain it, and don't wish to, so I'm just going with the flow. I'll be jerkin' lefty from now on. Who would've thunk?

In keeping with the spirit of this thread, I only target Walleye as a fill in during the closed LM bass season. That special night I mentioned, 14 of the 54 were between 4-5 lbs. Caught shallow they fight super hard and hit big swimbaits. Good fun. Otherwise, that place is super tough for bass. Grew up a mile away from it. Used to be a bonanza 40 years go. The white perch explosion there really depressed the LM population, hence the Walleye stocking to control them. I'm afraid it hasn't helped much as I think the Walleye are just as voracious.