bulldog1935

Increase casting distance. There are a couple of places and times where I fish 3 g to 150'. But what is gained from the spool, mag brake, and LW mods is extreme cast reliability and extreme distance across the full casting weight range. Below, I'm fishing 1/4-oz plug to 200' (probably more impressive, the rod hooking fish at 180').

Another great source for upgrade parts is Mike's Reel Repair in BC https://www.mikesreelrepair.com/reel-upgrades-tuning/ They sell kits - Mike's makes a zirconia LW-pawl that doesn't work quite as well in Avail LW rider, but flies in Mike's alloy LW-rider. You can buy the whole thing as a kit. Infinitely light, infinitely slick.

My best bushing reel still has BB-LW upgrades, but improved skeleton spool bushings. I use a CP55 bushing oil to wet the bushings, then dilute the spool spindle with very-low-viscosity bearing oil. It's a pre-'74 pocket-rocket.

Hi Jay, The upgrades available for Ambassadeur include light spools, improved bearings, full-ball-bearing and lighter alloy level wind, internal mag brake with or without the centrifugal. The full upgrades will make any of these reels capable of casting 3 g, and improve performance across the full weight range. Setting up mag brake on light end makes Ambassadeur backlash-proof over wide weight range. My best bench result, using ceramic micro-bearings for spool, worm-shaft and idler gear, will cast 3 g past 150' (on 6-1/2' 2-hand rod). Jun Sonada has written the best essay on tuning and upgrading Ambassadeur, linked below: https://japantackle.com/Tackle_topics/abu_tuneup.htm You can make a later C3 close, but not quite the light end of the older 4500C above. These reels will only accept full-size 1040 spool bearings, but I have surf CTs that will cast 2 oz to 400' Here's my 6500CS Rocket in surf-lure niche. Someone else you might want to talk to is @redmeansdistortion who has a business modifying these reels: https://www.ashlin-fishing.com/ Also for sourcing upgrade parts.

Built a new bike with unusual configuration, 3x1 - flip-flop rear hub with a gear for road groups and a lower gear for greenways. Greenway rides with friends and solo have included some nice photo ops. A yellow-crested night heron was fishing at my photo op on lower Salado trail. Mission Espada, built in 1731 Solo ride over the greenway summit switchbacks - kind of a proof ride that I can do it on this bike My turnaround landing at the pond, parked on a deer trail around the pond. I was eating my orange, and two does came up looking for handouts.

yeah, but can you imagine inside the travel trailer with everybody's phones and reels charging?

Some spools with holes have smooth, electropolished edges. The kind that might cut your braid are stamped without further polishing. However, I've still had luck with these and, in both cases, tie the line with a double-base-wrap uni knot.

Last week, Gemini invaded my truck - and I had to argue with the f'n thing trying to set a map destination, then hear it's editorial about TX liquor blue laws (Total Wine stop was on my return-home trip). It was deep in my Android Auto phone app set-up, but about 8 layers down, I found the place to toggle between Gemini and Google Assistant. Then I disabled Gemini app on my phone. It felt good. The dangerous part, you're locked out of Google Maps and Android Auto while Gemini has control of it to "speak its mind" in rant and fake small-talk. Imagine driving in traffic and trying to simply set a map destination and having to argue with a fake opinionated ego-centric personality coming from your vehicle.

Arbor knot + mylar-film/ acrylic-glue tape - nothing is stronger or thinner than this tape, and it leaves zero residue.

@softwateronly will vouch for me here, best choice is JDM Abu Prototype Kurodai Baitfinesse. He found a shorter ML boat rod in the series - maybe we'll hear from him. Don't know what your market is, but might consider Waterloo HP Lite. Go-to rod for host of our annual fall Redfish Rodeo Waterloo RodsWaterloo HP LiteDesigned for the avid artificial fisherman whose arsenal includes light-weight soft plastics, top waters, and spoons. Built on a high modulus medium light, fast action graphite blank with a light tipThird choice is 13Fishing ML Omen, but I don't know current models and lengths. This is discontinued Omen Green 7'1"ML, and there was a 6'6" ML in this series The reel - Zillion - '22 Silver Wolf is ready to go, comes with 1000S PE Special braid spool. '22 Zillion HD or '21 Zillion SVTW, you can swap-in Ray's Studio honeycomb SV spool.

It's no difference. Look at it as all of Japan is 30% off. Japan intentionally manipulates their currency value against the dollar, because they know a stronger dollar promotes a larger export market for Japan.

Plat used a different Shimano part number for p/n 48, but it looks like removing screw p/n 45 from the non-drive side frame plate gives you access to the pawl cap, p/n 46.

JPY vs. US$ hasn't changed more than 1 % in the past 2 weeks, and today is the strongest $ in that period. When you're buing $200 reels, $3 is not a significant fee, especially when the option is paying USM retail.

Drag stack is tightening a nut. Drag never shows up until the nut is binding the stack, and full drag is always near fully tight. You're not supposed to get linear drag increase with each click of the drag star clicker. All the drag is at the bottom of the travel, and all drags work this way. Drag designs that give you wider response range over the travel have a coil spring in the stack.

I'm looking, but I don't see NS Craft handle. I love NS Craft handles.

The weight of fluorocarbon adds to spool inertia, requiring more spool brake. That said, 5-lb Ultragreen mono is a great choice until your cast is confident enough to switch to threadline braid. I've done this before.

This kinda surprises me if you look down Lew's baitcaster page - 26 models and 5 different casting brakes. LewsBaitcast Casting ReelsAvailable in right and left-hand retrieve, for freshwater and saltwater fishing applications, get the best baitcaster reels from Lew’s. Daiwa offers 2 brakes, simple centrifugal on just a few models (mostly big salt), and MagForce across the board. All that's left is pick the MagForce inductor for your weight range (increasing weight follows) - SV, SV Boost, MagZ, MagZ Boost. There are aftermarket spools with fixed inductor for BFS. MagForce is the brake that even Lew's is trying to copy now - it functions as a dual brake - does the job of both centrifugal + linear mag. Brilliant and simple brake design, and simple to set. No one on the forum has ever explained why and how to set Shimano casting brake. Worth noting, Japan readers of Lure Magazine voted Zillion "best baitcaster in Japan" - 4th year in a row.

Ambassadeur before 1974 - 3.6 gears.

I would measure the thickness of the stock drag washers and the carbontex. You may be running out of travel when tightening the drag star, if the carbontex is thinner. You can shim a taller drag stack with M8 brass washer at the top of the drag stack (0.5-mm thick). Only example I have is old Ambassadeur. Carbontex isn't known for big drag numbers, but for smooth drag without ratcheting feel. My surf Ambassadeurs use blue corundum drag washers, and carbontex doesn't come close.

My stock SV Boost 1000S PE Special spool from Silver Wolf makes the rounds. It's my PE#1.2 back-up for my gang of 34-mm Daiwas, Steez, Zillion(s) and Ryoga(s). Here's Silver Wolf stock spool on SLPW-Z, which is based on '22 HD I like it enough, snagged a second for full-time #1.5 on my '26 Ryoga 100.

Exsence is C3000MHG - this is the no-brainer mid-frame Shimano choice, fishing finesse to beast.

Silver Wolf spool diameter = 34 mm. same as Steez A, and spools interchange. Nor are beastfinesse rods whippy. BFS does not equal UL.

@2earlye I fish 1000S SV Boost spool on my Ryoga, casting 1/2-oz Spook Jr. I fish 3-6 g on my Silver Wolf on Roro-X27 fixed-inductor spool, which is completely intolerant of jerk. If I cast this with wrist snap, it would backlash every cast. Get the flick out of your cast, you'll end backlash and increase distance, because SV won't have to subtract spool speed to prevent start-up backlash.

4 oz 4g it all works the same if you cast correctly

@2earlye - wrist snap is bonus distance casting spinning tackle. The jerk it produces gets subtracted by MagForce brake and doesn't add to cast distance. Whatever jerk energy remains that SV or MagZ can't subtract is start-up backlash. Smooth acceleration is rewarded with distance, and leaves little for MagForce to do - more energy goes into cast distance. Let the rod rebound and lure weight carry the cast, not the jolt you add to the rod.