redmeansdistortion

I'm actually in the process of a 2500C IAR scratch build. I scored some new old stock side plates the other day, going to go with the Avail offset frame, aluminum palm plate and brake plate, 2540R spool, the works. If the exchange rate weren't so good right now, I wouldn't be doing it, but compared to prices a year ago I'll end up spending about $300 less when all is said and done.

I like BFS a little too much.

Wiha also makes a 1.5mm hex that fits perfectly. It runs about $8-ish.

I'll have to order some of those too, I'll just have Jun add them to my order so I don't get double-tapped for shipping. I never thought of using assist hooks for spoons, seems that would be very nice in the rivers. I have a some Daiwa Presso and Smith Ltd spoons ranging from 2g to 6g I like to use.

This thing is a godsend for swapping hooks on small baits. I keep one on the bench and one in my tackle pack. They are cheaper if you look around, I think I paid $3 each for mine when I got them. https://baitfinesseempire.com/product/smith-split-ring-pincette/

Thanks for the heads-up, just ordered a bunch from Japan Tackle in #4, #6, and #8. I'm running Owner Cultiva hooks as well but the wire is too light for the soon approaching steelhead season. The ME-41Bs are much more beefy and should hold up well.

Replace the hooks with VMC 7237 1X single inline hooks. They come in size 6 and bigger and are made from thicker wire than many other single inline hooks. https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/vmc-7237bn-inline-replacement-hooks?quantity=1&hook-size=1459

Non-perforated spools work good with mono and fluoro since they are more structurally sound. Think OG Alphas Air, Steez CT SV, etc. I run braid all the time either way. Currently my 1600C is spooled with 50m of Gosen Roots x8 #0.6 14lb in multicolor. It changes color every 10m, so it's easy to know how much is going on without a line counter. Braid keeps weight off the spool, which means less rotating mass and easier casting light stuff. Thinner line also casts better in general.

Thanks for the kind words. Speaking of the Clinton, the smallie action is on fire right now from Budd Park to the spillway. The water is low enough and warm enough to wet wade if that's your thing. That's where I usually fish them this time of year. They'll be in there good for the next month or so.

Threw the wallet at this one. Avail 2520R Hedgehog Air bearings Avail 2BB level wind Avail pinion bearing Avail line guide Avail 2BB idler Avail 4 post duralumin driveshaft Avail duralumin click wheel Avail 6.1:1 duralumin gear set Homemade carbon drag washers Haneda Craft 80mm handle It shed a fair bit of weight too.

I don't have a boat either, I fish in waders most of the time. Steelhead should be running the Clinton come October, lots of great fishing all the way from Edison Field at Clinton River Rd and Schoenherr to Yates Dam. Pull some nice ones out of there often, once I learned the river. I'd be more than happy to go fishing, just a little hard for me to get out as I had a daughter born a few weeks ago. I'd like to get out a few times before the freeze.

I use the bright green X9, so far so good and the stuff on my spools is a year old about now. I haven't noticed any color wearing off.

You're on the right track. Paddle tails, grubs, and tubes rule the roost in the area I mentioned above. Avoid treble hooked lures, you'll get snagged so much you just might think about taking up golf instead. The flats are very shallow, I'm mostly fishing in 4' to 6' of water, and it's great fishing as long as the ice is off the water.

Go fish the flats at the mouth of the St. Clair River by Harsens Island. You can launch from either Decker's or the North Channel launch. That's the best spot for them during late summer and early fall. Just make sure you get out before the tuna boats get out there. The tuna boats start getting thick in the early afternoon. Good chance you'll hook into a musky or three while you're at it. They all hang in the reeds and feed on the perch. Oh yeah, howdy neighbor! Warren here as well, 13/Schoenherr area.

I carry a 6" length of 3/4" dowel for pulling snags. That way you aren't unintentionally digging in your braid or damaging the spool. As for the pull of a big fish, as long as your drag is set correctly it's a non issue.

It's easier to earn forgiveness than it is to beg for permission ?

I got mine on a 3/8 white tube jig on the St. Clair River delta back 20 years ago. My setup for the flats then was a 9' Guide Series ML 1/8-5/8 steelhead rod with a Daiwa SS Tournament 1300 and 8lb mono. I really loved using the steelhead rod for that specific area because it was shallow and wide open and I could cover great distances. Back then the water was shallow enough that you could wade nearly the entirety of Muscamoot Bay. Me and my friend Anthony used to fish that area hard at that time, take the ferry to Harsens Island, drive to the end of the point, wade out in the reeds and drag tubes. There are seriously huge fish back in there all season long. I perch fish it often and I've caught a lot of 4lb+ fish while throwing small paddle tails for perch and gills. If you want to catch big smallies consistently, that is definitely the place to go. The only thing that makes them shy is when the tuna boats come out in fleets around midday. The fish I caught was 7lb 2oz. I was fishing the reeds and doing a slow hop across the bottom, then all of a sudden my rod tip lurched down and it was game on. The way the fish hit, I thought it was a pike or small musky at first as those are very common in that area as well. Twice I got the fish out of the reeds and it made a run for it right back in. The fish didn't take to the sky but it was a really good fight, a very scrappy one. One thing about those lunkers is they are smart and will try to find whatever to break you off. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the fish because it was a couple of weeks before possession season.

Same here, spinning only gets used at night. I fish a lot of topwater for big brown trout after the sun goes down. Red lamp on my hat, plodding up the river at a snails pace. Throw a Rapala UL Pop in the slack water, wait a few seconds, then start working it slowly. Those browns attack it unlike anything else. I find mice and shrews in the bellies of trout quite often, usually browns and brookies, but not so much with the rainbows. Outside of that, it isn't often I use spinning gear. I feel BFS is a suitable replacement for all but the lightest of baits. As it is, most decent BFS reels will cast a true 1/16 bait, which is well below what many bass fishermen are throwing anyway. At that point, it comes down to preference.

The Millionaire CT and Alphas CT use 30mm spools.

Bass are not fragile like trout or musky, they're exceptionally hardy unless you're catching them in excessively warm water.

Similar with me. I grew up fishing Lake St Clair plus many rivers in Michigan. I have yet to need anything bigger than a ML unless I'm actively pursuing king salmon, musky, or sturgeon. A hot coho on a light power is a complete riot. They can really peel line like you wouldn't believe.

This is what I get a kick out of about bass fishermen in general. People fishing species such as walleye, panfish, salmon, steelhead, and musky typically use tackle that's matched to the fish. Bass fishermen are different, using meat sticks, lamp cord, and locking down the drag with a pair of vise grips. I'm only half joking! I'll never understand. Using evenly matched tackle lets you relish the fight of the fish. Going too big isn't a challenge, more like shooting fish in a barrel to some extent.

I've noticed Digitaka has raised the prices of some things, probably to offset the current exchange rate. I was going to order another Major Craft Finetail a few weeks back, decided it wasn't an immediate need and that I would do it later. Earlier this week I went to buy it, and noticed the price had risen by 3000 yen, and it was even priced more than the MSRP on Major Craft's own website. I'm thinking either Digitaka is trying to not lose as much or MC hasn't updated their pricing on their own site.

If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, use acetone with the metal parts and Yamalube comes off quick and easy.

Depending on the reel, I use either Super Lube or Yamalube. Conventional reels get the Yamalube, everything else gets Super Lube. A 14.1 oz tub of Super Lube 41160 is $15 and will last you many years. It's great stuff and much cheaper than probably all of the whiz-bang magic greases out there.