tholmes

Yesterday, the high temperature was 78 degrees. Right now, it's 32 and snow expected tonight and tomorrow. Tom

I make my own bass jigs so the cost is somewhat less. It's been my experience that crawdads love rocks and bass love crawdads so I fish (and lose) jigs in the rocks. It's worth the trade-off. Tom

Jigs, by a long shot. If you fish jigs in rip-rap, you're gonna lose some. Second would be crankbaits. Tom

You can start a fishing tackle business and end up with a small fortune. If you start with a large fortune. Tom

Fish at the depth that the fish are. A bass doesn't have to see your lure to strike it. Tom

I am praying for your son and family. May God bless all of you and see you through these difficult times Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths" Tom

Same here. I've tries flouro and hated it. Braid is OK, but too expensive. Trilene Big Game or BPS Excel. Tom

1/4 oz. - 6 - 8 lb. mono 1/2 oz. - 10 lb. mono 3/4 - 1 oz. - 12- 14 lb. mono Tom

Same here! I use an improved clinch knot for darn near everything with mono. Tom

Very nice! I love seeing (and fishing with) those old fishing rods. I get a kick out of catching fish on the same equipment that I had 50 years ago, and still like the feel of a fiberglass rod. Old reels are easy to find, but rods, being more fragile, are scarce. Tom

Same here. It's worked for me for more than 60 years. Tom

What model Ambassadeur are you working on now? There's a chance that you could just replace the bearings in your current spool with bushings (part# 19483 - replaces bearing # 13472) Tom

IMHO, there's no way to completely eliminate line twist with spinning gear. (oops, Scott F beat me to the punch) There are ways to minimize line twist like making sure the line is spooled properly, closing the bail manually, etc. You can remove most of the twist by either walking the line out and reeling it in with nothing attached, or trailing the line out behind a boat (once again, with no lure or weight) and reeling it back in. Also, braid doesn't seem to be affected by twist as much as mono or co-polymer. It's just one of the things you have to deal with when using spinning tackle. Tom

Another vote for the Shimano in both cases. A 4000 size reel might be overkill for bass fishing. I'm with JustJames, a 2500 Sahara would be enough. I'd also recommend looking at a Pflueger President spinning reel. Tom

I use Excel also. Clear blue flourescent 4 lb. on ultralights, 6 or 8 lb. on 2500 size reels. I don't really use any spinning gear larger than that. Tom

Another thumbs-up for Big Game. Also check out BPS Excel mono. 1 lb. spools for $26.99 (5000 yards of 10 lb.). I've been using it recently and I'm pleased with the results. Tom

I just picked up a Pflueger President ultra-light reel with a BPS gift card that I got for my birthday. What a sweet little reel! Tom

I've used Rem oil and it works just fine. Any good quality light synthetic oil will work for bearings and levelwind worm gears. Mobil 1 5W-30 is a cheaper alternative that also works just fine. Regular maintenance is much more important than what specific brand of oil that you use. I oil the bearings at least twice each season, and the worm gear gets a little oil more often. For gears, I use Yamaha blue marine grease thinned to the desired consistency with light oil or Tri-Flow. Drag washers get a very light coat of Cal's at the beginning of every season. Tom

I've been using an Abu Vendetta 7' M for several years and I like it a lot. Tom

Yes, it has the shallow wiffle spool. It casts like a dream. I've never tried to cast anything under 1/4 oz., but it casts small squarebills and 1/4 oz. lipless cranks with ease. Good luck finding a Record 40. They show up on ebay occasionally, but they've been out of production for several years now. Why ABU discontinued them I'll never know.?‍♂️ Tom

I have 4 of the Vengeance rods, 2 7' MH, a 6'6" MH and a 6'6"M. IMO, they're the best $50 rod out there, and at 70% discount, you can't go wrong. Tom

It sounds to me like your AR bearing is slipping. Try cleaning it thoroughly, and then lube it, using a cotton swab with one drop of oil, wiping lightly once around the inside. NO MORE OIL. Too much oil in this bearing can cause the problem that you have described. Hope this helps! Tom

It's tough to pick one favorite, they all have their place. If I had to, I'd pick my Abu Record 40 (modified with 2BB levelwind and 2BB cog wheel). Tom

Get the brass, they're generally cheaper and the paint will adhere just fine (better than with plating, in my experience) if you rough them up a little. Tom

It's been ~ 60 years ago, so I really don't remember. Probably a worm under a bobber with a cane pole. I do remember the first one I caught on an artificial lure. About 2 lbs., on a black Jitterbug. Tom