redmeansdistortion

Cleaning the brake pads and pins they slide on is a must, as well as using a light lube on the pins. Alcohol works great for cleaning the pins. To lube them, I use 6 parts 99% isopropyl alcohol and 1 part TSI 321 and swab with a Q-tip. Since TSI bonds to the metal, very little is needed and the alcohol functions as a carrier so as not to over lubricate. The alcohol evaporates leaving a very thin film of TSI behind. This same solution also works great for spool bearings.

Keep all of the centrifugal brake parts dry, you don't want lubricant to get all over the brake drum. Additionally, if you have a Dremel and some metal polish, go at low speed and polish the brake drum and it will make the braking more consistent. Afterwards, clean up any residue with a Q-tip soaked in IPA.

I have a couple of them and they're my general purpose reels for steelhead, bass, pike, and walleye. A couple of years ago they could be found for well under $100. I paid $60 for one and $70 for the other, both brand new. That's a lot of reel for the money.

In the $100 to $200 range you will find what are known as workhorse reels. Very reliable but without some of the features of their higher end counterparts. Reels like the Shimano SLX and Daiwa Fuego CT are some of the more well known and recommended models. I've had a pair of Fuego CTs for a bit now and they perform well any time I'm on the water. With routine maintenance these reels will last many years.

My first was a '77 5500C that I inherited from my grandfather in about '93 or so when I was 13. He was a big fisherman but didn't fish much the last decade of his life due to his health. I used that reel consistently for 25 years, mostly for steelhead fishing but haven't used it much the last few years. It's in pretty good shape and I will pass it along to my son someday.

Ichiban Tackle is worth a look too, check their used gear.

Your best bet for fishing gear is garage sales and estate sales. When I was younger with a lot less disposable income, I made some pretty nice scores. This was before the days of widespread internet usage, but back then I used to get tackle for pennies on the dollar. Typically pawn shops will stock things that sell fast, like tools and consumer electronics since they don't take up inventory space for long. Fishing tackle can sit unsold for a long time in that respect. Furthermore, you have to look at the area the pawn shop operates and the likelihood it will have tackle. More urban areas probably won't have it, but if you're in a small town somewhere, it might be worth it to at least stop and look.

Venture into the St Clair River in Algonac, they're in there thick. The jig bite is pretty hot right now.

Maybe their inventory system was slow, had that happen a few times. I got my money back, no harm, no foul.

Have them reserve it for you. I just ordered a Major Craft Finetail Stream Glass from them, but it won't be available to ship until early June. The rod isn't on the market yet, but I sent an email inquiring and was told I could reserve one, so I placed my order a couple of weeks ago. I received an update yesterday that the early June time frame was still good and it will ship out as soon as they receive it.

I've noticed their rods can be pretty expensive compared to other places I shop. One of my Major Craft trout rods was priced ~$225 on Asian Portal, probably to accommodate for shipping. It isn't an overly long rod, just a 4'10" 2-piece. Digitaka and PLAT both had the same rod for well under $200 shipped. $140 and $160.

I meat fish a few times per year, usually perch, walleye, and Atlantic salmon. My first big trout trip of the season is usually a meat trip since other wild edible foods are also in season. This past Saturday night I was enjoying brook trout, morels, ramps, and wild asparagus cooked in a cast iron skillet over the campfire. Pure Michigan.

I bought all of my JDM reels from them, they have the best prices and shipping is pretty quick as well. They only ship twice per week to my knowledge so they may be a wee bit slower than other Japanese shops, but the savings on the products makes it well worth it.

Drag washers are a wear item. Most decent reels come with carbon fiber now so an upgrade really isn't necessary. If you're fishing with an older model that has Teflon or felt washers, the upgrade is very well worth it. Carbon fiber washers don't wear nearly as easily as the others I mentioned.

They'll see that. Have you considered using frog hair?

If I wasn't in the business, I would just buy them like anybody else, but as a business owner, the high cost of consumables such as springs, washers, and shims can eat up a lot of the budget so we make our own.

A Mayhew hollow punch set and a 3 ton arbor press. Punches them out just like a hole puncher does paper. The cost of the tooling can be expensive, but it pays for itself in short order if you run a reel shop.

Penn uses their blue grease on their HT100 drag systems. Not something I'd do, but I'd assume the engineers know more than me. I like to use the Cal's purple on my own reels. I buy sheets of Carbontex from Smooth Drag and punch my own washers, much cheaper than buying pre-made even with the wholesale discount, but I'm also servicing a substantial amount of reels per week even though it isn't hard water season. It takes me under a minute to punch 4 washers in the sizes required for the job at hand.

Stocked trout in a warm pond or river don't fight very hard. At water temps above 60 they become lethargic, as trout are cold water fish. If you were fishing them in a cold water stream, watch out, because they can get your drag screaming. I get a rush of excitement when I have a big trout trying to run for cover into the logjams, a rush that I have yet to get fishing bass. It's quite a challenge attempting to steer the fish towards open water, as there's a high likelihood of breaking off if he makes it to the logs.

It's always a good choice to clean off the old grease. Some greases do not mix well, and we don't know what's being used in the factories.

While it may be relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, the pandemic has created a big increase in people taking up fishing as a hobby. More people fishing means more products being sold, thus decreasing stock. Supply and demand. Furthermore, some of the spots I typically fish had very little traffic in the past, but now they tend to draw far more people. It has made me seek out new and more remote areas, which isn't necessarily a bad thing I might add. Part of the fun of fishing for me is the adventure aspect, finding new water is exciting. I've found myself traversing a fair amount of two-tracks and logging roads the last year. My best advice, if there's something you want that isn't in stock, sign up for email alerts through whichever retailer it may be and jump on it once you are notified. A lot of the time, I find the retailers obtaining little stock of whatever it is I may want, so I have to act fast.

It was probably under lubed out of the factory, pretty common thing it seems. I've had it happen with a few of my reels. No harm, no foul. A servicing quieted them right down.

I feel BFS may be more a novelty for bass fishermen since the baits used are often 1/4 oz or better total weight. I fish trout mostly and find it better than a L or UL spinning outfit. The accuracy, control, and capability to cast with a low trajectory really make me enjoy it much more.

My 5500 is already chock full of bearings plus the ported idler gear, lightweight Avail line guide, and a lighter spool from Rocket Reel Company. She's a screamer. The only reason I haven't tried a CT is I'm unsure of how to feed the line back to the spool.

I own no CT reels, but I typically use my Ambassadeurs for pier fishing the Great Lakes and they too are my furthest casting reels.