bulldog1935

@Big Hands Thanks. I've been working on my 4600C frogger reel today. I built this reel first around a 3-mm-deep AMO Ultracast spool, because it was inexpensive, and I wanted to try it. Capacity was PE#1, 22-lb test. I just doubled that capacity with an Avail 5-mm-deep UC braid spool, for PE#2, 45-lb YGK. The 4600C frogger combo is on top - it has 4-pin centrifugal plus Avail mag brake, and will fish 1/8 to 1 oz completely backlash-proof. A spool swap takes a full ounce out of these reels. My favorite Ambassadeur tuning result is '77 4500C, using Avail AMB4530R-EF spool, full-silicon-nitride bearings, and PE#1. Both of these will cast 3 g as far as the original spools would cast 3/8 oz. Close-skipping combo in the middle has 2-pin centrifugal plus Avail mag. Finesse reel on the bottom combo has no centrifugal with Avail mag brake. Note the 5-mm spools are easier to tune the mag brake. On the 3-mm-deep spools, the individual magnets need to be turned inward to register mag on the tiny spool flange. I also like to shed weight, swapping in later alloy frames and aftermarket alloy handles and trim. With the aftermarket parts made for the small-frame Ambassadeur, you can get the weight down from 9 oz to 6 oz, and fish 1/16 oz. I also have a range of surf reels, NLW CT customs in 4500, 5500, and 6500, and barstock-frame 6500CS Rocket for surf lures @Fjalen 41-y-o - you're still a puppy - that's when my younger daughter was born. I'm currently 66, and rounding out my retirement fishing toys in 4 years.

If you don't mind paying $25 (2-3-day) FedEx, Hedgehog Studio in Japan carries them all. If you can buy them all at once, it's probably worth it. https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product-list/325

Yet the market bears out the exact opposite is true. Compare Daiwa Procyon to Daiwa Tatula. ... neither do I, but you can compare them on the internet. Whatever you're drinking for breakfast this morning, I want some.

@JediAmoeba - that's why I use the Bucket Mouth for storage (lure boxes, full, partially full, new), and pack into lure boxes plus the VS-7080. I can pack for a day trip, I can pack for a four-day trip. Currently, I'm working on my dock-fish lure boxes for four days in the Texas tropics, coming up in 2 weeks. Here, the fish come to you every night. It will be packed out pretty much the same as this, where the 28-mm-deep 1200 boxes contain lures, and the 60-mm-deep 1200 boxes contain terminal and packaged plastics. Change-up is important (so is stealth) - fishing tandems, dredging lures, shallow lures - and keep about 5-6 rigged rods on a rod stand, imitating balls of winter glass minnows drawn to the sodium lamps lining the navigation channel. The rod holder on the end of the box will help rigging those rods at the screened back-porch rigging bench with Ott lamp and magnifier. It's the ultimate finesse fishing, imitating tiny winter bait. And catching big fish doing it. Susie both catches them and cooks them.

My best lures on 7'3" baitfinesse rod include 1/8-oz jighead and finesse topwaters. ' Favorite rod for neds and bottom contact is 6'7" Valleyhill - they offered this great one-pc blank in two finish grades, Blackscale XP and Raison Odessa - unfortunately, the Blackscale sold out more than a year ago, and they haven't offered it since, aiming most new longer rods at Japan shore fishing. How long can you go? -to extremes for shore fishing, and my salt baitfinesse rods include 8'2" (finesse cranks) and 8'9" (metal microjigs) - casting both into next week. A JDM brand to watch is Abu Garcia - Purefishing Japan - they made both my 7'3" and 8'9" baitfinesse, with great actions and light-in-hand regarless of price point.

so don't do that Last 3-page thread on the subject was 2 months ago Especially in Daiwa, you'll find more entry-level reels with optional A/R (the switch) than without. Full-time A/R crosses at about $200 price point, and no reel above $200 has optional A/R. Check out Revros, Regal, and Legalis.

My buddy Lou has the Bullet, which weighs a pound - he catches redfish, and here, a 24" speckled trout on it. Another buddy started his girls on the micro trigger-spins, and they fished them well.

I'm not going to leap out of the water to eat that one... I used to swap in my Tackle Direct points for their good lure boxes, which best serve for keeping big salt topwaters and Halcos handy (medium box is a perfect fit here), though their small box fits nicely in a Meiho top tray, which I use for stashing wet soft plastics.

@Glenn I'm pretty sure those are Meiho boxes with Gamakatsu's label added (blue color), and offered in their size specs. My first Meiho box was marked Daiwa - what I liked most about it was the latch (threw it in with a Plat.jp purchase). Smith, Ltd also sells them with their mark. Even my 5-pc Legit Design travel rod came in a Meiho box. this Gami box 7000 is my same Meiho Bucket Mouth (same blue, same dimensions) - so there's another USM source... Kinda cool about the BM, you can un-latch either side, and the opposite side becomes a hinge (or unlatch both and replace the top with a padded seat cushion). ps - I checked digitaka - they sell all the accessories, lure boxes (listed as tackle boxes), and the rod stand ($15), but they don't offer the big tackle boxes.

@Gera hi friend, I became a Meiho junkie over the lure boxes - the rabbit thing sent me to the tackle boxes. The 10' kayak I show above is the first-best use for the V7080 tackle box w/ rod holders. Second-best is packing for our Arroyo dock fishing trip in 3 weeks, where everything I need at rigging bench will be in the Versus 7080. The US-distributor website isn't set up the best for finding things. Here are the rod holders, under Bucket Mouth Accessories. https://meihotacklebox.com/pages/bucket-mouth-accessories As I mentioned, my two big boxes came from US distributor because of quoted $80+ courier charge from Japan. Everything else, lure boxes, accessories, I've bought in Japan. My favorite vendor for that, along with lures, is FishingShop.kiwi, who deeply discounts everything. https://fishingshop.kiwi/category/Boxes-Bags/Boxes/Boxes-Meiho/ https://fishingshop.kiwi/search/?query=meiho+rod+stand https://fishingshop.kiwi/category/Boxes-Bags/Other/Other-Meiho/ Logged in there, your running cart stays indefinitely - when I get enough for $200 free shipping, I check out. Note the free shipping doesn't include oversized tackle boxes. Between the kiwi listings and US distributor listings, you can find measurements for everything. I've also bought Meiho lure boxes from Plat and 7Palms. I haven't checked digitaka - if they will ship a Meiho big box gratis, that would be a boon. Regards

In my case, my dad grew up grappling catfish in Muddy Canal. (When I kept a fishing journal, first line was, "I've been trying to teach my dad to fish since I was 12.") I learned my knots from fold-up fliers in Trilene line boxes, and later from Scientific Anglers and Dave Whitlock give-away magazine-size marketing fliers in fly shops. (Before that, learned fly casting from feel following the fold-up Berkley flier that came in the box with my first junk fly reel.) I've been tying leaders and rolling Allbright knots for 45 years, and used to shoot backing knots through my snake guides when my fly line was out there first (140').

I've gone nuts for Meiho boxes. I have one Bucket Mouth that I store all the lure boxes, and one Versus 7080 tackle box that stacks lure boxes and fits exactly in a small kayak sternwell. The big boxes are cheaper to buy from the US importer than to pay big-box courier charge from Japan. That's a spinnerbait basket hiding under the sliding top tray (above). Multiple rod holders and gadgets hang on the big boxes. Same box packed efficiently for a 4-day trip below. I started buying the lure boxes, because they're so versatile. Since I'm already shopping in Japan, the lure boxes are $4 to $7 there. Went for the big stacking boxes when I needed a place to put all the lure boxes I was accumulating. 800 size lure boxes, which stack across the tackle box short direction, and fit nicely in a wade-fishing bag. 1200 lure boxes, which stack long-way in the big tackle box, stack in the short direction in the bigger Bucket Mouth (it's so big, it stays at home - lure box filing cabinet). The lure boxes stack so efficiently, because they are offered in varied thickness, 20 mm, 28 mm, 40 mm, and 60 mm. Different model lure boxes have the adjustable dividers going different directions, and include standard sizes that will store and separate your pre-packaged soft lures.

careful, JDM reels are like rabbits.

OP confuses two different effects. Thicker line drags slower through the water. Density compares specific weight of everything to water. PE braid is 4% lighter than water. Monofilament is 15% heavier than water. Fluorocarbon is 78% heavier than water. For the same diameter, the heavier line will sink faster. For the same line MOC, thinner diameter has less drag and the lure will pull it down faster. Because of drag difference, thinner lighter braid will sink faster than thicker heavier mono or fluoro - especially fishing lighter lures. As far as the strength, starting with 4-lb mono, PE braid of the same diameter varies from 10-lb to 25-lb. (yes, there's that much difference in braid). The whole thing falls apart when you remove lure weight and consider surface tension - what does it take to initially break through the water surface and start sinking - thin wins here again, slicing through the surface tension. Even though they were denser than water, old silk fly lines fished dry flies, not because they floated in the water (they didn't), but because they sat on the surface tension.

Improved Allbright knot. Never needed another @Shadow1 I'll add here my leader is 2' to 5', depending on my rod guides and what they pass quickly. The business end of my leader always gets perfection loop, and I loop-on paper clips, micro-swivel snaps, or micro-swivel titanium-wire bite trace. The linear contact in loop-to-loop is always stronger than any single-bend knot.

Yes. The reel cover above copies Daiwa cover for LP reels (not my favorite). My all-time favorite reel cover is Tailwalk, which is easy to install with one hand while holding the rod. It's especially nice on round reels.

I also measure my results 22" 28" 26"

The purpose of drag set is to set it and use it. Set it at your bench, and take it fishing. That's how you catch big fish on light tackle. Fumbling with unknown drag is how you learn to make excuses for the fish you didn't land.

@Crow Horse My spring balance is an old Salter 8-lb, but these are really accurate, and there's nothing that would creep or change the spring rate over decades.

The logic behind drag set is shock loading. Shock loading multiplies the load by 4 to 10 times. Proper drag set is 1/4 of your weakest link, leader test, line test, or rod max line rating. It's your defense from breaking off or breaking a rod. These were kayak catches last year, and all hauled the boat around. Most people don't have a clue how big 2-3 lbs drag set actually is, because they've never measured it.

I bought a new GL2 in 1988. These are Graphite II - IM6. Excellent moderate rods. Anyone I loan this rod wants to take it home. Loomis is really not the same company now - the current company is part of Shimano. Larry Kenney was in charge of rod production back then. http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/2022/06/l-kenney-rods-updated-fly-rod-models.html speaking of 1988...

@newapti5 I reported my Silver Wolf here My Zillion with Ray's SV spool here I had a good year, my 3 Daiwas are jewels, my 4 Isuzus are jewels. Regards

Lenz effect will make a beer can magnetic - electromagnetic induction - makes you want to drink another beer and think about it... as if you guys need an excuse

the alignment issue was you holding the line with a wet rag. @MontclairDave ^^ this ^^