redmeansdistortion

I set it to the point the spool stops when the bait hits the ground. After you get the hang of setting the spool tension, you won't need to let it hit hit anything. You'll get a feel for how fast the bait should drop.

You live by trophy smallmouth water, Lake St Clair. I've caught countless 5lb+ smallies out of that lake. I have yet to pull a 5lb largemouth out of there and I've been fishing it for more than 30 years.

Well said. The only thing to be wary about when using the cast control knob is over tightening (as in reefing it down hard) as that can damage spool bearings on some reels. Other than that, set it to your liking and fish. I use it often, especially under heavier winds since the added tension will help control backlashes better than centrifugal brakes under those types of conditions. With properly set spool tension, you may not even need to use your thumb as much as you would solely relying on brakes.

The 4000 size is my favorite, such a good all-rounder for most species in my area. I'm gonna use it to fish kings and Atlantics off the piers here in a couple more months.

I have an old Black Max 4500 that I redid, not the whole 9 yards either, just two new OEM spool bearings, single bearing level wind, some lighter brake blocks (Abu part no. 20909), polished brake drum, Carbontex drag, and some choice lubricants. I tied on a 5/8oz practice plug, loosened the spool tension until there was a wee bit of side play and let her rip. My furthest cast was 53yd and it was able to cast consistently between 40 and 45 yards. This was measured in the football field at the middle school behind my house. The rod was a 7' M Cabela's Tourney Trail.

Most fishermen I know don't maintain their reels. They stop working and they're put to the curb, doesn't matter what they paid for it either. I know quite a few are intimidated at the thought of opening up a reel, but a professional service costs far less than a brand new reel and greatly extends the life of it.

Which Shimanos do you have currently? If they're of the more popular models you can always get them serviced and get the drags upgraded to Carbontex. Our sponsor DVT does great work!

Trout Magnets work great for panfish, never had much luck with them for trout though lol.

I rescued this guy from a garage sale this past weekend. I don't think it was even offered for sale but I thought I'd ask anyway since I saw it sitting in a bucket. Scored it for $5. It was pretty filthy and even had a small bit of rust on the frame, but I got it back in working order and the rust came right off. This is an Abu 4500CS (reel foot# 0400) from about '94 or '95. I broke it down, ran the parts through an ultrasonic cleaner, added Carbontex drag washers, lighter brake blocks, Boca Lightning spool bearings, double bearing level wind, double bearing cog wheel, ceramic line guide pawl, and replaced the speed bushing in favor of a speed bearing from Reel Kustom Reels. I'll be putting it on the water in the coming weeks.

Same here, I have a box for every species. When I fish I pack lightly because I'm usually crawling through the undergrowth lol. I wear a chest pack and carry a double sided Plano with a small selection of baits and terminal tackle, a spool of leader line, hemostats, line cutter, and a little something-something to put a smile on my face. We should hit the river when the weather cools down in October/November. That's my favorite time to be out there. I always go off the beaten path too. I see too many people that seldom wander more than 100yd from the parking lot. I go bushwhacking.

Here in MI ours are $26 for all species. Some years back they were $13 for a restricted license which applied to all species but trout and salmon. If you wanted to fish for those you had to purchase a trout stamp for an additional $13. Maybe 10 years ago they did away with the trout stamp and went to an all species license. We never had to have ours visible, but it did have to be on you to present to a CO upon request.

I've always said, the most by the book law enforcement agency is the MI DNR, second is the state police. The state police seldom cut any breaks if they pull you over, the DNR is in a whole different league if you don't abide by their rules. I've known people that have been caught fishing with no license. At the very least, their gear was confiscated, and at the worst, they received a stiff fine and were barred from obtaining a license for a period of time.

Yes sir, multi-species fisherman. I don't do hard water though, the ice doesn't seem to get as good as it did years back. In the 80s and 90s, I'd be out on the ice by Christmas, now the ice usually isn't good until well into January and sometimes even early February. No worries though, I fish steelhead on the Clinton River while everybody is huddled in their shanties. Much of the time, I seldom see another fisherman out on the river. Lots of great steelhead holes from Dodge Park all the way to Yates. Even get the occasional coho or king out there too ;)

I have three of those in my rotation, all upgraded with Carbontex drags and Abu Rocket clutch washer/fiber brake blocks. I use them for stream trout and throwing weightless worms, small topwaters, and small crankbaits for bass.

ABU 2600C IAR

I loosen spool tension until there's a wee bit of side play and go fishing. My reels don't have any of the advanced braking systems of the reels on the market now, all about that Thumb Fu baby!

I love my Perigree II ML/M twin tip casting rod so much I ordered another in MH.

I'll have to shoot them an email sometime today. I've been amassing a collection of 1600 and 3600 Pro and Black Maxes since they're so cheap right now. I have three Black Max 1600s, one Pro Max 1600, two Pro Max 3600s, and a Black Max 3600.

I've been wondering if Avail will ever make spools for the 1600 and 3600 sized Black Max and Pro Max reels from the early 90s. They've become my favorite light lure reels. They share most of their architecture with the Ultra Cast style 4000 to 6000 sized Ambassadeurs. Same drag stack and a fixed spool shaft. They also have disengaging level winds and have a low reel seat, so they're very easy to palm.

Abu 4601 C4. Holds plenty of 50lb or 65lb braid and retrieves 30 inches per turn. Only drawbacks are its weight and it doesn't palm easy if you have smaller hands. If you have Sasquatch hands like me, it's no problem. You can find them on eBay new for under $100 on sale, otherwise they go for $140 to $150. I see you're close to me, I have a 4600 (righty) I can let you test out to see how you like it.

Wasn't that record bass from 1959 caught in Fletcher's Pond?

There are probably very few double digit bass in our state. The largest largemouth I ever caught was at Spencer Park in Rochester Hills about 25 years ago and it was 5lb 9oz. Outside of that one, the rest were under 4lb. Smallmouth now, I've caught far more big smallies than I have largemouth. I consistently catch 5lb smallmouth all season long and even one or two per year over 6lb.

If I'm fishing frequently, I'll change out mono every couple of weeks or so. Braid gets changed when it starts to fray or discolor, sometimes that takes many years. The 50lb PP that's on my Abu 5600 is probably close to 10 years old and that reel gets fished hard for fall and winter steelies plus pre-spawn pike.

Just finished this guy last night. Boca Lightning bearings, Carbontex drag, 6.3:1 gears, Gator Grip handle, and a new clutch washer to accommodate a pair of CS Rocket brake blocks. Built for throwing light stuff on a budget.

Same here. Plus I like to tinker and the disassembly, cleaning, lube, and reassembly process familiarizes me with the reel.