bulldog1935

@PUTitinYOURmouthFISH the only bearings I've bought from China are full zirconia. I've bought AMO spools from China, didn't like the bearings that came in them, and replaced them. Hybrid ceramics, I buy Roro, especially KTF, Hedgehog, MTCW, some from Boca and SurfCastProShop. I've been shopping Japan 20 years now, since you could only buy there using a broker, and I still use noppin.com for assembling multiple orders from small shops in Japan that aren't set up to market and ship direct to US.

mever mentioned, How Much 10-lb braid. Maybe you need to back with mono or much heavier braid and use your working braid on top.

that would be Seaguar Blue label leader. You're going to get my standard Improved Allbright knot answer now. This knot is impossible to slip, and tied properly, is almost as skinny as FG, and definitely glides through microguides. It works fine with hard fluoro leader. The trick to tightening this knot, remember which direction you rolled the braid loops. Lightly snug all four (standing and tag) ends. First tighten the braid tag end while rolling the braid loops in the same direction you wrapped them. Before it's completely tight, take up the leader tag to bury the bend in the loops. Finish tighten the braid tag (still rolling braid loops), then final tighten by pulling both standing ends. I finish by wetting the knot with pink-label Zap CA+

this is Exactly where MR74CE full zirconia bearings from China plug in at $4/ and $4 to mail. They don't need lube and they're Permanent. You'd also have to be a cat to hear these tiny things.

I have a back-up TFO traveler in my kayak, though the blank was finished out and sold as Cabelas. Like you, I bought it for such-a-deal, on closeout, and very happy for what I paid. Mine is faster than its rating, and has fished some nice days for me.

The only place full-zirconia bearings are an advantage is in the salt. I've tried them in spool bearings - they are faster and slicker, but in spool bearings, they also make so much noise, your friends 150' away will talk about them. Where I prefer them are in small sizes on handles, LW and, especially, ball-bearing spur gear and idler gear on custom Ambassadeur. I'll venture to say I've tried more bearing combinations than anyone else here. There's a noted quality difference between USM high-grade bearings such as Boca, and high-grade JDM bearings such as NMB, versus cheap bearings. However, quality among bearings is also going to vary - it's a hit and miss gamble. I've found Hong-Kong-based Roro bearings to be as good as any made elsewhere. Silicon-nitride-ball hybrid ceramic bearings (sic SiC) are a noted upgrade in spool bearings vs. all-steel. Part of this results from decreased rotating mass. The second is tolerance to little or no lubrication. You actually slow them down by oiling them, but you do make them quieter. As far as this statement you should always read improved cast distance as reduced effort and, thereby, improved accuracy - people who don't read it that way just want to argue. Cast distance remains the empirical measurement to compare bearing efficiency.

Baitcasting and spinning require very different casting strokes. I cast both a fly rod and baitcaster with left hand - these two casts are a lot more similar than spinning - jerk in your cast gives tailing loop with fly rod, and backlash with baitcaster. With a spinning rod, jerk is rewarded with cast distance. IMO, it's better to keep the muscle memory separate in each arm. This was also the norm when I was growing up fishing.

Not a latest purchase, but a review of sorts. I have an update on use of my Meiho VS7080 modular tackle box - from last Saturday's kayak trip, where I found it just as useful as the skeg on the little Redfish 10. I picked this box because it exactly fits in the little sternwell of this boat. Two rod holders in back (and my Scotty rod holder in front). There are all sorts of inner and outer add-ons, rod and drink holders, outer pockets, tippet and line-spool dispensers, inner trays and baskets. Places on the outside of the box to securely hang the add-ons, inner trays, etc. This size box exactly fits Meiho 1200 lure boxes in the long direction, and 800 boxes in the short direction. The lure boxes come in 3 thicknesses, NS (25 mm), ND (40 mm), and NDD (60 mm). The different boxes can be arranged to efficiently hold everything from packaged plastic baits and popping corks to micro-jigs. For this trip, I needed three 800 lure boxes, and the inner basket for spinnerbaits and for quickly hanging swapped-out lures. There's room for two more 800 boxes laying flat (or lunch if I had better provisions to pack).

If you go JDM, you can buy whatever you want - maybe even upgrade to Vanquish. Compare this list to the five (5) SHG and XG models imported to USM.

Photo borrowed from my buddy Josh. I caught finesse bass on our kayak trip Saturday. and Josh's day was made catching a native Rio Grande cichlid on UL

@Cbump where TKF really shines is inshore and offshore kayak fishing reports (offshore picks up in summer doldrums), and a killer rigging archive that goes back almost 20 years. Freshwater fishing reports there are pretty lean.

Thanks again guys - I'm back - Josh posted these 3 photos of me fighting the day's bass lipping the day's bass showing off the day's bass If you note the back of my boat, that's my Meiho 7080 tackle box I bought because it exactly fits this little sternwell and has two add-on rod holders. I fished 2 of the 3 kayak rods I took out, but the only one that mattered was my glass ML Smith Super Strike/ Plugger combo, fishing the pink/brown 4-g inline keel spinner.

that may be true for reservoir bass, but river bass will make 2 trips into the backing.

The 10' Redfish was my daughter's boat - now she's grown and off to med school, so it's my river boat. A lot easier to haul and spin in rivers compared to my 16' coast tarpon. It also tracks well, is fast even with my weight, low and wind-slippery. I solved windcock in coast wind for her by adding a skeg. The skeg was a champ yesterday, letting me drift the wind without the boat nosing into the wind. This was years ago on our local no-motors reservoir, Boerne City Lake.

@ol'crickety I've been on my soapbox for 20 years about desalination for public water supply - needed 20 years ago. In the last census, 20% of the US population growth was in the TX hill country. All our rivers are sourced right here, and sprawl of Austin and San Antonio is right into those watersheds. We get golf courses, a sea of rooftops, and fertilizer run-off at the expense of our rivers.

Thanks friend. I know Josh was aiming his camera at me. He owns TKF forum and hosts the redfish rodeo every fall. But he has 5-m-o twins at home - after he posts his photos, maybe I'll add a couple.

The plight of TX hill country rivers is population growth, compounded by our 3rd year of drought (only place that can flash flood and still be in drought). Yesterday, Josh, Will and I had to drive 140 mi to find water, and we had a great trip, great exploring - even fish. We explored the N. fork of the Llano, which I've never fished, and Josh said he's only made 3 trips this far over the last decade. Since I came from the east, we drove separately, and met at the first crossing. After the last two days flooding, we found chocolate water. We fished the deep water here for 2 hours, all the gear worked great, but the fish weren't cooperating, compounded by N wind. Decided to take our exploration farther upriver, hoping to find less-turbid water - less chert in the run-off. We loaded boats, drove 5 miles up a dirt road. crossed the river 5 times -- two of those on the wet flagstone - and found a wide spot in the flagstone where we could see the structure. The sun was also breaking, and the fish turned on for us. This time it paid off. My first cast, right after Josh said, "first fish gets a dollar" Everyone caught fish here, we paddled as far as we could, and got out to explore farther. A native cichlid here made Josh's day. With the long drive home, we were out of time and had to blast back at 1:30. Josh didn't invite me until 7pm the night before, so I only had time to load - no time for provisions. Good thing Josh brought IPAs and jalapeno-cheese sausage to share. Great group and great time. A maiden voyage for my new truck. Got to use the 4WD, and the 10-sp transmission was a jewel climbing the divides on the interstate in cruise control.

When a fish is peeling off drag, I usually have two hands on the rod. There's plenty of time to take in line. Direct answer to your question, there's nothing in the gears to hurt, and you're not moving them - but you are wearing the drag washers faster. What you're really giving up is control of the fish, like keeping him from going under the boat.

@Tatulatard This is a 6500C mid-frame Ambassadeur going on a custom 8' two-hand surf-lure rod, casting 1/4 to 1 oz into next week. Akios made their mark on barstock frames for NLW CT Ambassadeurs for surf and tournament casting, then building their own CT reels in England based on Ambassadeur. Finding the Akios LW frame is a coup. AMO offers their copy of Avail's frame for the mini-Ambassadeurs, 1500C and 2500C. I have the Avail frame on my 1500CI, and it's excellent for using the reel on a stream rod with a straight reel seat, bringing the spool 7.5 mm closer to the rod. It also instantly removes an ounce from the reel (you get another ounce and more with a spool upgrade, alloy brake and palm plates - all the brass, chrome and stainless you can replace with anodized alloy peels away weight - in the spool and LW, it peels away inertia). We'd all be happy campers if Avail or AMO offered 4500 and 5500 frames. The 2500C with Avail or AMO frame would pair nicely with a bass BFS rod. Neither AMO nor Avail frames are machined from barstock, but assembled from pressed alloy plates, pillars and screws. I wouldn't expect them to have the rigidity (or open air) of an Akios frame, but the Avail frames are perfect for their application. I've never tried the AMO frame (I like their spools), maybe @redmeansdistortion has tried one - he has a cache of 2500C.

This just off the bench. Custom Ambassadeur 6500CS Rocket built on Akios barstock LW frame. Finding this new-stock UK frame on Japan Yahoo was kismet. The limited run sold out in a month in Apr '21, and nobody is letting them go. They were only made in 6500 width. It has Avail mag brake and my favorite 2-6-pt centrifugal. RocketReelCo stainless ball bearing drive. Fourteen ball bearings total, including 5 on the spool, and 4 on the LW. The handle is Whiplash Factory, and matches the silver-blue side plates exactly. Avail trim. Valleyhill B-trap drag washers. The frame lowers the spool 8 mm closer to the rod, but the real beauty is the thumb access. Avail 5-mm-deep spool, I plan to load it with 200 yds PE#2 braid, 36 lb. Here's my family of custom Ambassadeurs 4500CT, 5500CT, 6500CT, 6500CS Rocket 4600 Express, 4500C, 1500CI.

Ultegra is a nice reel, but Exsence is worm-drive, and will have the best line management over its longer life if threadline braid is in your sights. I looked up the schematic, btw - you're correct that the new Ultegra is worm drive. However US website says FC is not available here. I'll never understand why people want light weight over strength, rigidity and long service life.

I reserve double uni for similar size lines of the Same MOC. With braid-to-braid, I can make as few as 3 to 4 wraps. Mono/fluoro stiffness requires 5. On dissimilar lines, the smaller braid tends to cut through the bend in the thicker mono - even smaller mono will cut through thicker mono. https://www.fishing.org/knots/double-uni-knot Those who have mentioned triple surgeon's knot (maybe another thread?), it's a very good knot both for varied diameter and mixed MOC in a quick pinch - even works with single-strand titanium wire. There's a fine line between fastidious and A-R that certainly gets crossed on this thread... If you want something to argue about, pick "USDM", which has a definition, but it has no meaning, because that would assume reels sold in the USM are something other than imports. Domestic = made at home.

Improved Allbright knot, PE#1 to 9-lb leader. I've been rolling Allbright knots 40 years, slick enough to shoot through fly rod snake guides. The trick to tightening this knot, remember which direction you rolled the braid loops. Lightly snug all four (standing and tag) ends. First tighten the braid tag end while rolling the braid loops in the same direction you wrapped them. Before it's tight, take up the leader tag end to bury the bend in the loops. Finish tighten the braid tag (still rolling braid loops), then final tighten by pulling both standing ends. I finish by wetting the knot with pink-label Zap CA+

I've been shopping Japan for 20 years, since before they marketed direct to US, and you had to use a broker for 3 reasons - language barrier, payment method due to Japan banking laws, and shipping to US. I still use my broker for assembling small orders from different shops into one shipment, as well as shopping the rest of Japan that doesn't market or ship to US. But you have a lot of options to check out, including ebay, vendors like Asian Portal and Hedgehog Studio who sell on ebay. Other shops you might want to check out include AP and Hedgehog websites, Digitaka, Plat, JapanTackle, FishingShop.kiwi. Hedgehog Studio offers more quality aftermarket parts than any other single vendor. My Steez came from Asian Portal, my Roro-X spool from JapanTackle, and my Studio Composite handle from fishingshop.kiwi Our friend SDS Custom in Ukraine has opened his shop again, and is selling on ebay. https://www.ebay.com/str/sdscustomreels There was also another recent thread on handle options

Shallow spools. Even on surf reels with PE#1.5 X-braid 300 and 200 yds on these, 6500CT and 5500CT, 30-lb and 20-lb leader. Also surf spinning with PE#1.5 4500CT for PE#1 - shore micro-jigging, 12-lb leader. Inshore and bass, PE #1.2 Inshore spinning with PE#1.2 Salt finesse, PE#0.8 Stream, PE#1 Where I don't have a shallow spool option, I use 20-25-yds 20-25-lb mono backing and PE#2 working braid. Backing for spinning, however, I'll use over-size braid for backing, and step down diameter to my working braid. Here's the capacity calculator for stacking two lines. @Ohioguy25 For seizing braid arbor knot to spool, I use PE/acrylic Mylar film tape. This stuff is so tough (and so thin) I use it for seizing knots on kayak trolley line, where it lasts as long as the double braid sail cord (we work trolley lines hard in salt, drift fishing w/ sock, and run them up and down the hull 20 times/day). When you want to peel it, the tape acrylic glue leaves Zero residue.