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As most of you know, I like tinkering with my reels and sometimes my rods. These reels just came back. Daiwa A.O.i. Only 300 made back in '06. Who knows how many still around, but this one received a full tune. Upgraded bearings, drag, dragstar, carbon 90mm handle, RCS blue grips, etc. Paired with a Gan Craft Huddler, I'd say it turned out quite well. Megabass Speciale. 100 made I believe. Upgraded drag and bearings, along with a Megabass 90mm carbon handle. It's a very nice rose gold tone. The best for last. Shimano Stogie. First released back in 1998. I bought this new. Came in a cigar box. Although the finish is nice, the reel had sub par parts on it that never really allowed it to stand out. My reel tuner, Ian, made this his pet project. This is what the reel looked like when I sent it to Ian. And this is what the reel looks like now. Carbon handle, new drag star, upgraded bearings and drag, machined one off (to fit) line guide, machined one off (to fit) spool, painted thumb bar. It took the better part of a year. I could not be happier with the results.

Had a short run to Olathe after my unwanted OT that ran into my weekend a until noon. Water was clearer than I expected and ranged from 53 at the dam to 56 in the pond. Caught fish everywhere in between but never in big numbers. The average size was pretty good though with my largest flirting with touching the 18" mark on a finesse jig. Didn't bother saving much of the video but put together a couple clips for anyone thinking of going out there. I fished Melvern with kickerfish1 and his friend from Omaha Friday. Windy, rain, driving snow, sleet, and the fish just kept on biting. We caught them on most everything as long as we were fishing a white jerkbait. I did catch a couple on a Luck E Strike G5 and the Ned and I believe there was a fish caught on a Keitech as well as a few on a Fluke. All 3 species of bass made the boat with 2 Bass Slams caught. The number of nice spots was the biggest shocker. My biggest was 17" and we had 6 or 7 over 15" and super fat. The marina was good and so was Eisenhower. The further down the lake we went the colder and muddier it got. We had 50 in the marina, 49 at the ramp, 47 down by Turkey with a couple feet of visibility. Worked through a lot of adversity, and those guys stuck it out longer than I thought they would in that junk, and we were rewarded with over 50 fish on the day. Very good chance I'll be back there Friday. That smallmouth jerkbait bite is a drug and I'm addicted. Several big whites and one tank of a sauger off the ramp right before we left too. You can really see how hard it snowed in the picture of kickerfish1 with his smallmouth.

A couple. Lake Chatuge Sunrise by Easton Hamer, on Flickr Untitled by Easton Hamer, on Flickr

Replenished some of my stock. Amazing how I can walk into bass pro just to kill an hour before work and walk out with a much lighter wallet...every d**n time.

After a long break from fishing the bait monkey sucked me back in. Have made a few orders in the last 2 weeks. Here are my first couple. Diawa steez xt paired with a diawa ballistic, a nrx 852, 853,854,895 all paired with chronarch CI4's then 2 mega bass levante rods paired with chronarch CI4's. Bait monkey talked me into Ordering a few sencos and cut tail worms this last week and just got them in.

isn't the original super cheap effective swimbait called a grub

I use braid on all my baitcasters and have no issues that i am aware of besides operator error. I thought the opposite that braid was easier to use. Tells you what I know.

In my opinion only, all roads lead to Daiwa and Shimano, just depends on how long you hold out and how much money you want to spend before you get there.

They were chewing today. Had to have caught 75 or more in just over 3.5 hours. Cold front doesn't seem to be bothering them at all. May even try and tempt fate and go again tomorrow -T9

Looks like several folks will be at TB during the Roadtrip. Y'all oughta shoot your number over to BassinChris so we can all be in contact. Would love to meet y'all for lunch or dinner and see how ur catching!

I suppose there's worse things I can spend my money on, like whiskey and tequila. Oh wait.....

MEND-IT is a money saver get some use it. I use 1/8-3/8 jigheads

Take up golf. I doubt he would post pics on social media of himself holding your balls.

Last year at Brantley lake in Carlsbad NM.

Occoquan Reservoir fall 2014

Today was like the first good fishing i have had this year. I went to a pond I haven't fished in a while. What happened amazed me. In two hours, I had caught 18 fish on a wacky rig, 4 fish on a flat sided crank, and 3 on a t-rig. They were all small, but I really didn't care. I had fun and that is what matters. ~KJ

Well my fishing has came to an end for this week and possibly until next january. I will deploying for 7 months to the middle east. But did manage only 1 today. She came in at 5.88lbs and had a bellllly on her! Crushed my 6xd with my new hooks i landed her with ease. Buddy had made about 20 casts to this point while i fished the other. We turned the boat i made 1 cast on the point ye was fishing and caught this girl. Here is a pic of my watercraft also. Dont need glass to catch bass! (But i still wish i didnt sell my bass boat when i moved overseas). Anyways as always love bassresource and cant wait to get back to slay the fish again. If i head out before then of course i will post a report.

Mark Davis, David Fritts, & Paul Elias all use 5.1:1! Works for me!

I fish the three Cs Curado chronarch and core ... And now metanium

3/15 - Pre fishing for V&M tounament. Launched at Big Bass,fished some small coves between Big Bass and Negreet. Caught a couple short fish and (2) 3.6 lbers on watermelon red wacky worm and spinnerbait. Wind was kicking butt so picked up boat and launched at Pirates Cove at noon. Fished main lake points and secondary points. Caught 21 bass with 5 biggest going 18 lbs. All on wacky worm in watermelon red and watermelon purple. 3/19 - Tournament day - Launched in Pirates cove. Big north wind blowing kicking butt. Ended up with 5 for 11.54 back off the bank in 6 -8 ft. Caught one punching hay grass and 4 on wacky worms. Wind really limited us on where we could go. Trying to convince the wife I NEED one one of those big fiberglass boats loaded with powerpoles, but she ain't biting.

One is a power heavier than the other ... One throws lighter baits better than the other One has a little more backbone than the other One is 6 inches longer than the other one

Got it guys! Thanks for all the help! The AR clutch, or bearing, slid back into the reel. Just had to push it back up into place and all three reels are good as new.

Been there, walked it for years......until I needed parts and a non smart alec on the phone. Happy I'm off that road Thats too bad for us as consumers. I expect a pistol I use for defense, a shotgun I use for hunting and the knives I have in my pocket to last my life and then into my kids. They are going to cherish them just as I cherish those things that were my fathers. Too bad we can't see that and demand it in our fishing equipment.

I guess it's mandatory to add a custom handle to post in this thread: And before the custom handle: And of course, my rule is that you have to catch a fish. It's not a very big bass...but it's a genuine largemouth bass... (The reel still had a stock handle in this photo - imagine that - you don't NEED the custom handle to catch fish... Of course, now that I have the custom handle, I'll probably catch bigger bass... )

30lb can be a little thin for a baitcaster and dig into the spool or backlash if you're not experienced. I prefer 40lb and up on baitcasters, otherwise I use mono of fluoro is smaller lb tests.

Excellent point. Now, I guess I need to buy a few more reels....lol. Hootie

If you don't try different reels, you'll never know if YOU would prefer another brand. Everyone has their personal preference... the more reels you try, the better the chances you'll find one you really love! Tight lines, Bob

Chex "Party Mix"....lol. Hootie

I'm liking mine. I have the Curado 70XG I put on my finesse jig rod and caught several with it so far and it's done very well. Haven't had any issues setting mine but maybe I just tied on the right jig weight for what it's set at already.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't have to be modified. If it does it would be a very tiny amount. Pretty sure I have a couple of the keepers that I could check if they fit in my mold.

I have Shimano, Lew's, Abu, Pfluegar, Pinnacle, H2O, Daiwa, and Okuma, so I guess you could say I'm pretty brand loyal

That's why I don't go out of my way to say anything bad about them. I am 100% sure my exp. was the exception and not the rule. I know guys who have had a terrible time with Pure Fishing's (Abu, Fenwick, Berkley, etc...) customer service but all my exp with them have been more than fantastic.

I saw them tonight. I wish that company would name there baits something I don't have to hide from my son or be embarrassed to use if i took the preacher fishing

100% Shimano and Daiwa. Sold all others reels off and couldn't be more happy. Everything else is pretty much manufactured the same and the quality isn't as good IMO.

Best 14 I've ever caught in a Gale Force North Wind! Could barely keep my cap on my head!

I have four Lew's and I've never had any problem with those either. You'll be in good shape either way. I like the handle grips better on the Lew's but a pair of Reel Grips on any Abu makes them a lot more pleasant, for me anyways.

Holy moly, did anybody think Clunn would have a day like today?? UNREAL!!!

Don't listen to these guys! If you use it for anything other than spinnerbaits, it will explode! Hootie

By now, I really should know better than to open your posts, RR

Who, the ones that know you don't have to listen to internet experts. The ones that can catch fish without this seasons uber bearing sub 2 oz. wunder reel from that one company whose reels are the only reels that catch fish. The ones who don't have a glittery boat or boxes and boxes of $50 plugs carved by an artist in his garage in So. Cali? The ones who know that before fancy bullet proof lines called Gliss or Platypus, b.b.'s with orange seals and lures with teeny tiny japanese flags painted on them...... our grand pappys were catching hawgs using their brains and flexing huge biceps born of holding a reel that...gasp..... weighed more than 5 oz.?

Not a lake pic, but one of my favorite in the co-pilot seat with my dad on the Albemarle Sound in NC. Greenville Marine 2 day classic..... Left Plymouth,NC on the Roanoke River headed due East on the one of the largest freshwater sounds in the US.... Ran 40 miles and that d**n Motor Guide on the bow quit!!!!! Attempted to fish our wind blown points...NOPE!!! Went to the hotel and met my mother with the MINN KOTA we had from the old boat.... Fished the next day, same area and got a decent limit......

From 1/2/16-3/16/16 Toledo Bend Lunker Program has recorded 51 bass of 10 lbs or more including this 14.62.

My buddy caught this one last year from shore out of a smaller pond in south georgia. 14lb-8oz.

I recently tried swapping out my 40 year old Ambassadeurs for several new Shimano Chronarch CI4's. I found them to have too much braking, be over complicated in design and adjustment and the huge gaping hole surrounding the brake control dial let so much water in it was a disaster. I'm now happily back to my old, everybody laughs at me reels.

Cant see the lake but It was too hard not to post this. I'm a sucker for Red White and Blue. From my friends boat. This was Day 1 of the College FLW Open. The biggest tournament I've ever fished. 194 boats. Also from my friends boat. This is from a tournament on Tablerock. From my boat on another tournament on Kentucky Lake

This thread is amazing, so many beautiful pictures. A good reminder to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature, and of how badly I want to fish..

Man you guys have some really fantastic shots, thanks for sharing all of them, I found a couple more of lake Anna Va. Summer time before the wake boats and jet skiers wake up.

I've said "Wow" a good number times looking all these Killer Lake Pics - It's amazing you guys get any fishing done at all. ~ I think I'd be too inclined to sight see and snap off pic after pic . . . . A-Jay

This is me in the canoe on one of my little neighborhood lakes last October. I didn't know that someone had taken this photo until I saw it on the front page of our local weekly newspaper as part of a "why we live here" feature. The photographer must have been using a LONG lens since the dam of this lake was quite a ways behind me. I emailed the newspaper and requested a copy of the digital file.