bulldog1935

he fishes with his press agent here's mine - this same buck was caught 3 months later and photographed again by a bud. I actually never take more than 3 to 6 seconds for a fish picture - it's just an automatic sweep for me - frame and crop later.

Thanks, friend. They seriously cast out of sight, and with thin braid, you don't even need the level wind in a day's fishing. They get a good hand-level wind when first loaded, and sometime after a day (or long weekend) of fishing, I'll use a line winder to restore the hand level wind in my working line, so they're ready for next time. You don't tension the end caps on this reel; instead, you adjust them to 1 mm spool end play. The centrifugal brake, mag, and your thumb do the rest. I wouldn't necessarily not recommend rebuilding yours, especially if you want to take it on - I'm sure you could improve it a lot. There are some great parts out there - check Japan Tackle at least for ideas - Tuning Parts/ Spools and /Gears-Brakes-Level-Winder, also /Bearings. In BC, Mike's Reel Repair is a good source for custom and original parts, and a few good US vendors, but fewer available custom parts than you'll find in Japan. There's like a cult for these reels in Japan (for the CT's, it's UK), and many of the best reels were made in Japan (and still are). I believe the Avail Microcast AMB5500CMamiya spool may be the fit for your reel, shallow spool to hold 110-yd of 30-lb braid. If this is your spool, the one I linked may be the correct one: Definitely before you buy, ask questions about parts - contact Jun at Japan Tackle - he has excellent English. Back to your original question, the size bearings you need for your spindle caps are 3x10x4 mm.

The Ambassadeur Five became the Five Star. Here are the schematics available online. The 87 versions of the Five has spool spindle fixed in the spool, and bearings in the end plate caps. The 89 versions and all the Five Star versions have Ultracast spool, with separate spindle, and bearings in the spool. Something else about the round Abu's, the spool drives the LW mechanism during the cast, and truly slicking them requires ball bearing swaps to the idler gear and worm shaft (the custom BB parts are also lightened). IMO, the ultracast reels can be worth spending money on custom parts to make them slick. But it would have to be something you really want to do, because a new low profile baitcaster has complete free-spool with LW disengaged during cast, and will work a lot better than you are currently getting on the Abu - a new low profile baitcaster would be less money than customizing an Abu, The one place round Abu has serious cast advantage are the Non-LW surf reels, such as my custom C3-CTs I rebuilt these with everything slick, everything light, mag (+centrifugal) brakes, and shallow spools for braid, and this was a big dollar project - kept me busy much of last year.

Understood, don't have your specific reel, and gave the generic answer up front. Like @NOC 1 and his results, I've been very happy with Air bearings in my spools for inshore casting, light lures (1/8 to 3/8), and big fish. I have to clean and lube my bearings annually, anyway, and except for drive bearings, heavy shielded bearings are more trouble than they're worth.

It's a brand, and a cost-effective copy of the Hedgehog tool - Hedgehog states in their product listing that it won't fit certain Daiwa spools. The Daiwa tool has a rotating anvil that reaches those deep pins, and flips for shallower pins.

I have the Billings tool that works on most of my spools, but with the SP spool I show in my photo, with the main spool bearing recessed in the shallow spool - the Billings tool won't reach that pin, and the Daiwa pin tool will.

Aside from the obvious uses of anchor trolley, two things that should be required on every kayak: A bow line the length of your boat that you can deploy from your cockpit so that you can be towed if necessary. The anchor trolley lets you take somebody else's bow line, tie it off and run it to your stern in deep water, so that you can tow him. This is my buddy Blake towing in two seasick kayakers from an offshore armada that he ramrodded. But there are other reasons that can incapacitate you, boats can get outclassed in big wind, paddles can get lost, etc.

I'm very happy with spring-scale set to 1/4 of weakest link - rod max line rating, line or leader test. The rod capacity too often gets overlooked with big braid test. If I need more short-term drag for a little authority to stop a fish or set hook, can thumb either bait or spinning spool.

Bottom bouncing a Teeny T-130 sinking fly line has been my thing for 40 years, so I'm going to have to agree with the OP that I feel more response and definition from vibration transmitted by the larger diameter line. This line is thin as fly lines go, has the advantage of a weighted spliced shooting head, but comparable to heavy coated braid.

You might check both SDScustom and HPRbearings on ebay - search Daiwa Pixy spool bearings - both offer a range in bearings from shielded to Air BFS. If HPR has what you want, he can get them to you sooner from Florida than SDS can post from Ukraine. Both good vendors. If you're not casting heavy weights, go for the lightest bearings they have. Lowering the spool inertia with lighter total mass, lighter and more efficient bearings, improves both cast distance and backlash control. Lower inertia = easier to start, less start-up overshoot, and easier to stop. I looked up the Pixy spool, and @Delaware Valley Tackle is correct about using the right pin tool - I'm guessing it needs the Daiwa tool - also a good idea to use a magnifier, because if the pin is tapered, it only goes in and out one way.

Zebco service is first rate. They usually won't charge you, and more often than not, send you a new reel. They also send out just about any part gratis. Most Zebco reels were built to be disposable - they know it, but their service is over the top to promote customer loyalty. My buddy fishes a Zebco Bullet inshore on a Lami MTC casting rod and loves it - bought it for his wife, but she prefers their XUL rockfish spinning rod now.

More tinkering to show, this on my monster surf spinning reel, and has been a long-term project to collect the pieces. First, UK vendors have finally opened shop after shutting down for a year, and I was able to replace the sloppy 85-mm-pitch factory handle with this well-engineered, solid, folding 70-mm-pitch handle from Weston in UK. Both Tica and Daiwa (made by Tica) use a giant 6-mm handle hex shaft with 3.5 mm handle screw. We don't see many of these reels in the US, but the UK is big on them, with nice aftermarket improvements. But the real project was adding this "reel stand" The purpose of the reel stand on an 11' rod is to have a place to keep a big circle hook. The small rotating loop also keeps lure trebles perfectly out of the way. What made this so tough was the hex shaft and 3.5 mm handle screw. However, this is also the thread Shimano used on their old square-handle-shaft reels. Found this dirt-cheap Ali Express reel stand with swapping handle screw threads, 3 mm or 3.5 mm. The M5-0.5 30-mm-long socket screw (also from Ali) matches the thread of the anodized reel stand into the handle screw base. All I really wanted was the handle screw base. Cut one of the M5-0.5 screws into an all-thread stud - it ended up with red-loctite into the handle screw base. Drilled and tapped matching thread into the Tsubaki reel stand. Fit the stand-off I needed with an IDeR Design reel stand base, and shimmed the whole assembly with M5 spacer and (#10) rubber washer from Bolt Depot. ps - here's how the Weston handle folds, and lets the big reel fit in a padded case.

Absolutely astounding - self entitlement is something recent to our society

Seaguar Blue remains my favorite, also easiest to knot, though I have used Gold in heavier test. Never mind - Francho is correct - for awhile it was missing from their website, but it's back under salt leader. There was also close-out pricing everywhere on Blue when Gold was introduced.

Sounds like you have a new technique to master. You also didn't mention the brand/type of braid. Not all braids are the same. The good silicone-rubber coated braids, no matter how thin, get pretty good traction on your fingertip.

The way to accommodate them in the future would be to add a proper outdoor power box close to the trailer parking. You could keep the power box isolated and locked, allowing your staff to supervise its use (add OSHA cord covers, etc). It could be generally useful, since people often need power or charge with their parked vehicles. Also guarantees their choice of parking. Everyone's comments above about the "grownups" sense of entitlement, while paired off as role models with HS students are spot on. Something else in the future, may want to hire a temporary security guard for such events, which follows from the statement just above. A security guard enforcing safety rules and your property integrity wouldn't take abuse, and would release you and staff from the same. May even find local off-duty LEO wanting the weekend extra income - all he'd need to do is sweep the property on a schedule to keep his presence known - he also comes with jurisdiction authority.

I don't think he's fished for the spirit of the thread. maybe it would help the rest of us if we got Ski one of these

maybe fish for the spirit of the thread? (random photo to fill space, but nice color in the tail)

This Goretex III top-shell - at least 15-y-o - gets stuffed in my dry bag for every trip. Over the winter, both the shell and the Goretex dry pants got the exact Nikiwax wash and treatment, and came out great.

My dad's Johnson 115 smoker behaves with much the same symptom - it loses the ability to idle. It wants to die when you drop the throttle and are trying to shift. He chased the fuel question for a couple of years and replaced everything. In his case, we traced it to the throttle cable housing sliding in its boss on the motor frame - when it slides, it has the effect of lengthening the throttle cable so that you need more throttle to hold idle. Have to loosen the bolt, push the housing shorter and re-tighten. It will run fine for awhile and slide to the same bad spot from motor vibration.

The opening day snapper above, we fished through our bait. I got up on the bow with fly rod and caught blues for bait. The samsonite snapper was on cut blue. here's manly sport with my friend Glenn - he makes this look too easy. when Glenn drives the beach, there's an armada of kayakers waiting to follow him, which he doesn't mind - the more the merrier. What he does mind is when power boats chart his course and beat him to his platform or reef.

not obstinate, much, not this guy ok, I was wrong. early morning chasing a pair of Hobies to the cut

caught that yesterday, did you - I didn't think so, especially since the federal season is June 1 - Aug 2. Even though mine is off topic, too, I'll see your snapper and raise you just picking - guess it could be your latest snapper

I've never paid retail for a pair of waders, but always search closeouts. Sierratradingpost used to be a great place before they sold and franchised, still worth looking, and MRFC (Madison River Fishing Company) has always been a great place for top quality gear. If you can raise the ante $100, right now MRFC has Simms for $150-off. You can get 10 years of hard wear from quality waders. Quick check at Sierra, they have have decent-looking breathables for $80-120 (up to half-off retail).

The Hobie PA14 has got to be it, as mentioned, it comes with the cost of moving it around. My buddy Tombo at Rockport has a gang of boats to choose, and one is this Blue Sky 360 pedal cat - sit high, stand - though he doesn't take it out over 10-kt wind. He was really working over the sloughs and shoreline this day, with many fish to hand. As far as good-paddling kayaks, the most stable stand up boat is probably Diablo Adios, and half the cost of the others. It's more boat than an SUP - optional skeg is also recommended for wind control. ABS hull, and a reasonable weight to single-hand.