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Put it next to the new plastic Chronarch and I couldn't tell them apart.

Those do look sharp. Remember Adidas and Nike run narrower than other brands

Interesting there can be 2 pages of negative stuff on Berkley made floro, 3 pages complaining about a Abu spinning reel and in the general forum a thread is locked for commenting about BPS' poor shipping practices. Oh yeah we cant complain about sponsors listed at the right....duh

Bass Junkie...... yes I have. Ive owned 3. That's why I said anything Abu made outside of Sweden is Junk. Im not anti-Abu. That's all I own.

The nanoshield coating is a proprietary metal, the actual stem is Xcraftic, yet another proprietary who knows what material. Sad to see really. Just confirms in my mind that no Abu made outside of Sweden is worth having.

HeavyDluxe, braid aint the Holy Grail for sure! I agree with your Dad. For bass I don't use anything higher than 12lb. mono., usually 10lb. In the yak I don't use anything bigger than 14lb. Big Game for Tarpon, Snook and Reds and rarely that heavy. The yak serves you in fighting a fish adding drag as you enjoy the sleigh ride. You more than any other boater have access to the heavy cover in your waters and I cant imagine why for bass you'd use a braid like 30 or 40lb. that in reality is nearly 60lb. Its just a bass

The Zeko's look promising but seem to only come in Skeet Reese style colors. I used to use the Keen's but after the 1000th red ant bite and a close call with a moccasin I now only wear ratty old work boots when fishing on the shore. The Keen's have a long lasting sole that makes them a good boat shoe. My foot Doc told me Crocs and flip flops make him a lot of money, so I stay away from them.

To me fishing shows are no longer for education. Forums and youtube have taken the place of shows, dvd's and especially magazines which seem to be made poorer every month. I look for shows who have a host I enjoy or go to a location I'm interested in seeing. I now watch only the English fishing shows on WFN and Lunkerville, stuff that makes me feel good.

Tilley hat for sure. Expensive but it is worth the price. Made with SPF material and the mesh rim at the crown helps prevent overheating if you live down here in the deep south. I've always hated wearing hats but for 3 years my Dr. kept telling me get a Tilley as she was cutting and freezing chunks off my head, neck and throat. Its the only hat I've ever worn that I forget I'm wearing.

The older I get the less I carry, even on the boat. I use a flyfishing chestpack but just sling it over my shoulder. A pack of flukes, a half dozen spook jr.'s, a few jigs, leader and tools. All the banks I fish are fairly clear and its typical to venture almost a mile and often down trails to hidden waters. Flyfishing stuff is stupid expensive but very well made with long term warranties.

LOL, my best buddy has that gene. He has even broken Ugly Stick Lights!

There are a lot of "Frankenreels" out there since almost all Ambassadeur parts are interchangeable. The factory also often used different style drag stars, handles and such. The sideplates don't have the model number engraved in it which can indicate they were either replaced or it is in fact a "Frankenreel". I suspect that with the red frame it is a 5000. Have you gotten into its guts yet? If it has bushings its a 5000, if the end cap cast control knobs have ball bearings under them its a 5000C. Check out realsreels to learn more or if you really need to know there is a guy named Ken on mikesreelrepair's forum who can tell you. Also call Purefishing in Iowa and give them the foot number, they will be able to tell you.

I got a crankbait hung up while fishing out of a buddies jon boat. As we got directly over it I could see the outline of a windshield and a roof. We were about 15 yards from the shoreline at a popular spot for the bucket brigade. I called the office and they sent the dive team and a wrecker. They pulled out a 1988 Oldsmobile. Turned out it was owned by a Asian male who didn't know what to do with it when he decided to return overseas. So he sunk it. Almost 3 years to the date at the same spot I got hung up again. Getting over the snag I could see a white roof! Made another call to the office and we pulled up a new golf cart. It had been stolen 3 nights before from a course about 2 miles away and sunk by kids. About a month ago we were fishing a man made canal that stretches for miles. We had cruised to the ramp to find a Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer waiting there to do a safety check. We didn't flash our badges and obliged him as he checked the boat and cooler. He then told me my license was expired and I had to point out it was only a month old. He then told us we had violated the "no speed zone". We asked him did he mean "no wake zone" since that's the term the state statute has always used. He said no and he didn't know what we meant. Nowhere on the canal system is there any Idle speed or no wake signs as required. I was starting to feel a little squirrely as he said he'd let us go, so I said to him, Say hello to your supervisor Lt. so and so (who I'd known for 30 years). He said I wasn't pronouncing his name right and threw my license at me. A week later I saw my old FWC friend and asked him about this officer. He told me he not only didn't know who the guy was but didn't even have a man of that ethnic race working in the district! Hmmmm Imposter? Only if he had stolen a brand new F150 pickup totally rigged and marked with stripes, lights and FWC state license plate. And what about the uniform and gun?

Aren't we lucky to have so much to choose from? I find nothing superior at all about any modern low-pro. Especially when targeting something more robust than the anemic bass. Guess I'm lucky the old ones hold up so well.

The new Max series and the Orra's are low end. You most likely will never see the lifespan from them that you have seen from the UltraMag's. If all you need is a drag renewal I suggest you simply replace the UltraMags disks with Smooth Drag brand Carbontex and continue servicing them as you always have. I've bought the Revo Premier, SX, STX, and S in the past and they do not hold a candle to old Swedish made Abu. I've gone back to my old Abu's. Between ebay, Dad's, Mike's and Abu you are not likely to run out of UltraMag parts any time soon.

All purpose to me means it needs to fit in a lot of places. Creeks, under trees, jon boats, canoes. Those tip heavy 7 footers are great on the deck of a fancy bass boat with plenty of highboard. But its hard to work your favorite lures with them when you sitting inches from the surface.

There's nothing versatile about a 7ft.er in any fishing situation I choose to fish. A down right burden and obstacle as a matter of fact. Luckily we all have a choice, albeit manufacturers have decided to manipulate the market to think they need to have long rods. Soon when sales dictate it, they will push the need for short rods.

You say after using it in salty water you "flushed it with warm water"? What do you mean? Really anything more than whipping with a wet soapy cloth can and does force the salt, dirt and the water into places you don't want it to go. Check into SaltAway to spritz on to you reel after salt use.

Theres a you tube channel from a interesting English angler. Its called The Totally Awesome Fishing Show. Search the tube for it or TAFishing. He has lots of economic common sense tips. In his Beginners Guide to Beach Fishing he shows his rods that he spray paints white from the tip down about 3 guides. He does it for night fishing when he has a lantern backlighting him. Im sure you could find this with a roll of painters blue tape would solve your problem at least for the immediate short term. Good luck, Im suffering some vision troubles myself due to age and affects from my chosen career. I'm praying for you and hope you find success.

Yup the Berkeley Shock is quite a rod for the money. A comfortable handle, good action. Don't worry about using a 6'6" rod. Most folks think they have to have a 7ft'er but most of the extra length goes into a cumbersomely long handle. Stick to it and get the casting down. It really is worth it. Lighter. More comfortable. Best of all it sets you apart from the novice!

95% of my fishing is while sitting in a jon or a kayak. I cant walk the dog for long with a spinner. While sitting my belly gets in the way of the reel. Besides the weight of a spinner gets to me after a short while. Palming a casting reel is more comfortable. Slack line techniques are more carefree with a baitcaster too. I am walking the dog more than any other type of fishing. I find the spook jr. and the Bomber Ba Donk a Donk walk easier than the more expensive lures. They are not a well built though. Quick snaps, point the rod tip back toward the bait, its easy to nearly walk it in one place or to half cadence it and steer it under overhanging trees/docks. I prefer a slow gear ratio to help force me to slow down the walk.

Caution with wd-40! Not good for neoprene washers in a spinning reels rotor, per Shimano. If left on a surface it can build up and harden in a way. It was never meant as a lube nor a long term protectant but as a water displacer ala WD. If you spray it on, you are forcing it into places where it will remove wanted oil and grease.

Weightless texas rigged thru emergent grass and tossed onto floating matts and sunk through holes or off the edge. Throw it on bare grass banks and creep it into the water like a snake too.

I also always switch back to mono. Elite is my favorite. Very smooth when cinching the knot. I don't think it lasts as long as Big Game though.

I finally bought a Tilley hat. I've accepted my age I guess. Much cooler than the buff was. No more fogged glasses. First time in 3 visits that the Doc hasn't needed to freeze the edges off the tops of my ears. No more burned cheeks and nose either. I look like I should be driving a Subaru instead of a old pick up.