Jimzee

You need both. Grease the gears, oil the bearings. I stopped greasing my worm gear due to attracting too much foreign matter. Oil works much better in the worm gear, just a few drops is all you need. I was a big Hot Sauce user until this year. I have a few reels and service my own, so I get to see how well the grease and oil perform when I open up the reel at the end of the year. This year after opening up a few reels, I was not very pleased at what I was looking at. Lots of black sludge, the grease had turned into hard deposits in some places. I was shocked!! I'm not one for eating crow but I am one for giving credit where it is due. Reel Mech warned against using Hot Sauce and I blew it off. It seemed like a great lubricant and I still think the oil is not half bad, but I have decided against putting it back in my reels. I'm not taking a chance for that happening again. I also used ZPI" oil and grease but it is very expensive and harder to find unless you order direct from Japan or eBay.

You are correct.

Hang in there, we're down to counting days now. I feel your pain, I'm ready to go fishing in the bathtub.

I wouldn't expect nothing less from Burley. I've already have to open a few suspicious looking packages from him. None of them have ticking noises yet.

Not only is that a great fish but the colors are super defined. Congrats!!

http://www.animalpaintball.com/samples_Angler.html

I noticed that this morning when I got up. First thing I do when I get up is check the tackle sales and what's new in the stores. Besides, Hudds don't work.

Go for it, Quantum looks like they are trying to get a game plan together and put on a new face so to speak. The reel looks sharp. I wonder how well it performs?

You think? BTW Skeet won it four hours ago.

Lubina, Speaking of TD-Z handles, are you speaking of the stock Daiwa handle for $40? If so, where do I get my hands on a couple of those. 2 of my TD-Z's have 80mm handles and I prefer the 90mm handles. FD You can call Daiwa direct and order the part or handle you want. 1-800-736-4653 Ext. 8 They have a long list of schematics on PDF files on their website, right hand corner under service. www.daiwa.com

Welcome to the dark side, we have cookies.

Those ponds look better now than the did in the summer. You know there has to be a few toads in each of those ponds. Wise getting any higher yet?

Nice fatties and combo Daniel. That's about the clearest water I have ever seen.

They look great Marty. Really like the shape and color of that top crank.

No, I guess I could have added one in place of the worm bushing. It seems like it makes the line lay better on the spool.

You just became my role model.

Don't sweat it man, every marriage goes through a transitional period after a few years. Hang tight together, talk to her about what she said and how it makes you feel. It will be on your mind for a little while but it will slowly start to go away. The main important thing is letting her know you are committed in the marriage and willing to work through hard times. She will come around, you'll see.

Send it to me. I already have a Carbontex drag upgrade for that reel. I can have the handle and bearings here in about three days. I wanted to do some anodizing on that reel but it was just not cost effective. Besides, the guy I wanted to do the anodizing is not able to do it right now. The main things the reel has other than a beefed up drag system is Sic bearing supported spool and the obvious ZPI" handle upgrade. Whomever had that reel before must have taken great care of it other than the minor boat rash. The inside was clean and very well maintained. BTW, those bearings may take you a little while to get used to until they "run in" properly. They will be louder than normal at first and I'm not responsible for major backlashes incurred. ;D

You don't get to bring those to Kentucky.

Very nice way to start.

Don't know how I missed this earlier, nice fish Daniel. The combo is not too shabby either.

I knew Daniel would chime in on the 110 for helping. He is a wealth of knowledge for overseas baits.

I second that, even if it's only just some of the more hard to find rare ones for a few pics.

Matt, I felt the same way after getting to Guntersville last year. The type of lakes I fish are similar to the same types you fish. Keep in mind the biggest lake I had ever been on up to that point was 2,700 acres, needless to say, Guntersville was pretty darn intimidating for me. I concentrated on areas that looked familiar in comparison to my home lake. I hit blowdowns and stumps close to the bank in the mornings, and then moved to deeper water in the afternoons. We were catching fish in 32 feet of water off of a deep ledge with cranks. This was a new and exciting way of fishing for me. I will probably try and fish Kentucky Lake the same way.

Stringjam, I always look forward to your posts because I know I'm gonna get a good dose of custom crank eye candy. Thanks for all the pics man.