Made a 4th plunge into the Darker Side.  

As much as I liked my Smith Plugger matched w/ Quatre 1-power finesse rod, I missed it on Smith FO-56 S-glass rod, and picked up this black BC420 to match with the 1-power.  Followed it through two 5-day Yahoo auctions with price drop.  When it didn't come back for a third time, had my noppin broker Masamichi contact the seller, and he found it for me on Mercari.  

This is mostly a tale of casting the black Isuzu small-frame synchro reel.  I first loaded the deep stock spool (2 small centrifugal blocks) with YZH 10-lb for backing, and topped with a working layer of 5-lb Ultragreen mono. Casting loaded 1/8-oz jighead required full-time thumb, like the good old days.  But even with full thumb and the little 5'4" rod, the little reel rocketed 1/8 oz past 100' - total fun, and a feeling of power.  

Swapping in the TryAngle braid spool w/ mag brake crossed over into Nutso.  

 

Final mag adjustment w/ PE#1 casting 2 g - consistent high-arcing 80' casts into the wind with zero backlash (no thumb).  My target for this reel is 3+ g, which is where the little rod takes off, fishing half the distance the reel will cast its light end.  The nutso part, synchro reels aren't supposed to do this - this result gives my Steez w/ Roro-X spool a run for its money.   

 

On 2/10/2024 at 8:50 AM, bulldog1935 said:

Made a 4th plunge into the Darker Side.  

As much as I liked my Smith Plugger matched w/ Quatre 1-power finesse rod, I missed it on Smith FO-56 S-glass rod, and picked up this black BC420 to match with the 1-power.  Followed it through two 5-day Yahoo auctions with price drop.  When it didn't come back for a third time, had my noppin broker Masamichi contact the seller, and he found it for me on Mercari.  

This is mostly a tale of casting the black Isuzu small-frame synchro reel.  I first loaded the deep stock spool (2 small centrifugal blocks) with YZH 10-lb for backing, and topped with a working layer of 5-lb Ultragreen mono. Casting loaded 1/8-oz jighead required full-time thumb, like the good old days.  But even with full thumb and the little 5'4" rod, the little reel rocketed 1/8 oz past 100' - total fun, and a feeling of power.  

Swapping in the TryAngle braid spool w/ mag brake crossed over into Nutso.  

 

Final mag adjustment w/ PE#1 casting 2 g - consistent high-arcing 80' casts into the wind with zero backlash (no thumb).  My target for this reel is 3+ g, which is where the little rod takes off, fishing half the distance the reel will cast its light end.  The nutso part, synchro reels aren't supposed to do this - this result gives my Steez w/ Roro-X spool a run for its money.   

 

 

BTW how's the Silver Wolf treating you? Still running strong? I have been eyeballing one on JDM sites.

@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

Ordered a custom ALX rod and it just showed up. I requested to have one of their spinning rod models made into a casting rod. 7 ft L+ Trickster. Rated 1/16 - 1/2. I'm hoping this would be a versatile rod to pair with my Metanium Shallow spool. I saw on their custom section of the site they had carbon grips so of course I had to order carbon grips. 

 

 

15 hours ago, msgf91 said:

Ordered a custom ALX rod and it just showed up. I requested to have one of their spinning rod models made into a casting rod. 7 ft L+ Trickster. Rated 1/16 - 1/2. I'm hoping this would be a versatile rod to pair with my Metanium Shallow spool. I saw on their custom section of the site they had carbon grips so of course I had to order carbon grips. 

 

 

 

Do you feel the carbon handle is a bit too slippery? Edge rods have similar designs and I always find them too slippery to have a firm grip during hookset.

I haven't had a chance to try it out. The rod arrived the day before my shift started so I've been working. I'll finally have a chance tomorrow. I'm not sure if it'll affect my grip during hook set because I use the palm/spider grip. 

7 hours ago, newapti5 said:

 

Do you feel the carbon handle is a bit too slippery? Edge rods have similar designs and I always find them too slippery to have a firm grip during hookset.

For the response above so he gets the notification lol

New combo for migratory rainbow and brown trout.  '23 Calcutta Conquest BFS XG and a Smith Troutin'Spin 7'4" 5-16g.  It's spooled with 50m of YGK #0.8 16lb.  It's a very light combo, tipping the scale at 10.3 oz.

 

 

 

40 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

New combo for migratory rainbow and brown trout.  '23 Calcutta Conquest BFS XG and a Smith Troutin'Spin 7'4" 5-16g.  It's spooled with 50m of YGK #0.8 16lb.  It's a very light combo, tipping the scale at 10.3 oz.

 

 

 

Very nice

55 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

New combo for migratory rainbow and brown trout.  '23 Calcutta Conquest BFS XG and a Smith Troutin'Spin 7'4" 5-16g.  It's spooled with 50m of YGK #0.8 16lb.  It's a very light combo, tipping the scale at 10.3 oz.

 

 

 

 

I’m a sucker for wooden handle knobs, so I made a little change to two of my favorite BFS reels. 

@walleyecrazy 

45 minutes ago, walleyecrazy said:

I’m a sucker for wooden handle knobs, so I made a little change to two of my favorite BFS reels. 

Was just looking at this bfs rod.  The wood is drawing me in! (That's what she said, lol)

 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802814315187.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.68083cddq83qKt&algo_pvid=fd946f15-578c-44b3-8c10-20b6aaee9823&algo_exp_id=fd946f15-578c-44b3-8c10-20b6aaee9823-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!230.45!115.22!!!230.45!115.22!%402103010b17097483865997667ef139!12000023310584055!sea!US!4058319755!AC&curPageLogUid=BZIkMh8eTUGe&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

On 3/5/2024 at 10:55 AM, redmeansdistortion said:

New combo for migratory rainbow and brown trout.  '23 Calcutta Conquest BFS XG and a Smith Troutin'Spin 7'4" 5-16g.  It's spooled with 50m of YGK #0.8 16lb.  It's a very light combo, tipping the scale at 10.3 oz.

 

 

 

Looks awesome!

On 3/6/2024 at 12:27 PM, walleyecrazy said:

I’m a sucker for wooden handle knobs, so I made a little change to two of my favorite BFS reels. 

I have several sets of beautiful wooden a roro knobs that just sit in a box because they weren’t practical pull fish out of heavy cover. It annoys me but a flat knobbed daiwa paddle handle just gets it done 

On 3/16/2024 at 5:57 AM, Bandersnatch said:

I have several sets of beautiful wooden a roro knobs that just sit in a box because they weren’t practical pull fish out of heavy cover. It annoys me but a flat knobbed daiwa paddle handle just gets it done 

 

All of my conventional reels stay generally stay with the stock handle knobs. I tend to change out the knobs on my BFS reels to wood though. There is just something I prefer about the wood knobs on these smaller finesse setups.

Sold 2 older 2017 Tatula SV reels and added 2 of the new 2024 Daiwa Tatula 100. Also 6 new Powell Rods, 2 of the Max series & 4 of the Naked series when they had the BOGO(the 4th rod is in the closet with no reel 😏)

 

 

 

7 hours ago, swhit140 said:

Sold 2 older 2017 Tatula SV reels and added 2 of the new 2024 Daiwa Tatula 100. Also 6 new Powell Rods, 2 of the Max series & 4 of the Naked series when they had the BOGO(the 4th rod is in the closet with no reel 😏)

 

 

 

Very nice.   I’m really liking my new tatula 100.

I got your Black.  

OK, sorry, 

How about Back in Black?  

New SLP Works Zillion bought as 7.1-geared body only, finished out with my favorite (I know, not yours) Studio Composite handle, Ray's Studio SV spool, to fish PE#1 braid.  

A few details - I do my own gunsmithing, have gagets and concoctions around.  

I black oxide powder-coated the handle knob caps, also the stainless steel G-Nius hook keeper, and stainless handle-nut retainer screw. 

The handle nut retainer itself is black rhodium plated Isuzu part that I swapped out of my Headhunters reel.  

I love the trademarks on this reel, but they're tough to see, and even tougher to photograph.  

yep, it's black

10 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

I got your Black.  

OK, sorry, 

How about Back in Black?  

New SLP Works Zillion bought as 7.1-geared body only, finished out with my favorite (I know, not yours) Studio Composite handle, Ray's Studio SV spool, to fish PE#1 braid.  

A few details - I do my own gunsmithing, have gagets and concoctions around.  

I black oxide powder-coated the handle knob caps, also the stainless steel G-Nius hook keeper, and stainless handle-nut retainer screw. 

The handle nut retainer itself is black rhodium plated Isuzu part that I swapped out of my Headhunters reel.  

I love the trademarks on this reel, but they're tough to see, and even tougher to photograph.  

yep, it's black

 

TBH too dark for me to show off the new toy to others.

 

@newapti5 if you notice, takes 5 photos, each showing different subtlties.  

And except for a few friends, these are the guys I want to show off to.  

I love it. Flat blacks and grays are my favorite. I've always preferred subtle over flashy.

I just had too....Met DC/Poison Ultima 

Good morning...

 

How about seriously "old school"?  Vintage?  Anyone still have a rod/reel combo from back in the day?  Check out my 1968 Berkley Tri-Sport T32 with a Spinmaster Diamond III spinning reel.  This was my dad's pride & joy for decades.  So many childhood memories of going fishing with him!  I just respooled this yesterday with Sufix braided line on a spare spool in the tacklebox.