desmobob

Fake Aldebaran. Less than sixty bucks. I have a real PXL Type R and an Alphas SV105, but I have fun messing around with the cheap Chinese knock-offs from Aliexpress. Some of them, like Tsurinoya's XF50 and SpiritFox and the Fishband GH100, perform as well or better than some of the JDM originals. How long they'll keep performing is still a question... I have a KastKing Zephyr on the way. All five of these Chinese BFS reels cost less than one decent US domestic market reel, so it's a cheap way to play.

The stacks of washers got away from me during disassembly and there are just too many possible combinations to get them all back in the correct spots and correct order! Thanks for any help, Bob Ooops... I found the box and paperwork, including the parts diagram. I always save that kind of stuff but forgot where it was. Problem solved! If anyone needs a parts diagram for the GH100, I have it! Thanks, Bob

I bought a Royal Legend a few years back and the centrifugal brakes were a little wonky. It's sitting in a box full of extra/loaner stuff now. I also bought one of their CNC fly reels and it's OK. I just ordered one of their Zephyr BFS reels to try. (I like messing around with BFS stuff and trying the very inexpensive imported rods and reels. I can only afford one Daiwa PXL Type R reel and MajorCraft rod. I don't use the stuff enough to justify spending that kind of money on BFS again.) I think if you buy it from a trusted vendor with good customer service/return policy, you shouldn't have too much to worry about.

Catfish that hit a 3" T-rigged Pit Boss... I also got my PB bowfin on a Megabug but didn't get a photo. I'd guess it was 10+ lbs.

Bucktails, jig heads w/white curly tail grubs and large Bass Assassins work... Don't forget the Tsunami Talkin' Popper for topwater.

I've read that enough times that I don't doubt it, but here in Northeastern NY, they hit almost any lure, fight like crazy for about five seconds, then come dragging in on the surface with their mouth open, scooping water. If they didn't have their mouth open creating that extra drag, you'd think they got off...

I bought one of their Panfish Series UL spinning rods years ago. I liked it a lot and thought it was an excellent value. I immediately bought a second one. Please post your impressions of the Premier.

I'm glad to have a good number of the older Lew's Tournament Pros that have both centrifugal and magnetic brakes. I haven't fished one of the newer ones... I've always thought my Lew's BB1 might be my longest-casting reel.

1) Jig-and-craw rod 2) Crankbait rod 3) T-rig rod 4) Ned rig rod 5) Frog rod

That's the first thing I tried. I have Deoxit Gold and Silver in liquid form, and an aerosol spray version. It cleaned up the corrosion but the module is non-functional. I have a new, better one on the way... Thanks!

I just looked at the etrailer.com web site and saw a comparison review of the three available trailer light modules for my Forester. The one I had that failed is the Curt. I just ordered the T-One (Tekonsha) brand module. It is a bit simpler, using the vehicle's wiring harness ground rather than requiring an additional ground be added. More importantly, the electronics are potted where the Curt's were not. I will be sure the connectors are coated with dielectric grease when I put it together this time.

After seven glorious years of trouble-free trailer lighting, I plugged in the trailer this year and had nothing at all. I got out the multi-tester and got weird results on the vehicle side of the connector. I plugged in one of those little LED trailer connector testers and got inconsistent results... sometimes all the LED were lit, sometimes just one, sometimes one stayed on even with the vehicle ignition off and keys out. A continuity test on the trailer found good continuity to ground for all three pins. I unplugged the trailer light module I had added to my tow vehicle (2009 Subru Forester) and the connections had a lot of white corrosion on them. So I guess I need to replace the plug-in module I installed when I got the boat. I can't remember the brand of the unit I originally installed. Is there a preferred brand to shop for when I order a replacement? Thanks for any tips!

I suggest you get to a doctor immediately...

Worth a try, right? My old buddy, Elmo, used to go on hike-in float tube trips with me. Seeing me in the float tube used to freak him out a bit; I think he thought I was in some kind of peril when I was in that tube. He always wanted to swim out to me. Once he did, he wouldn't know quite what to do when he got out there. Anyway, if it was a warm water fishery, I'd throw him the first pumpkinseed or rock bass I caught, up on the bank. He'd crunch it up and eat the whole thing. That seemed to settle him down.

I threw a Zell Pop XZ3 for quite a while yesterday with no luck, trying various retrieves. I switched to a Megabug on a light belly-weighted hook and managed to get a few decent fish. I intend to keep messing around with the poppers (Zell Pop, Pop-R, Pop X, Pop Max) this summer until I develop some confidence in them. (The last time I decided to do that, a northern pike ate a brand new Pop X on my first cast.)

Combat Elite and Combat Commander. ?

"Look at me... I'm a self-propelled clay pigeon!"

What would happen if the flying soldier hit a June Bug and instinctively tried to wipe it off his face? I bet that would make for some very exciting aerobatics... ...like when you let go of an inflated but untied balloon and the escaping air propels it all over the place. "THHHFFFPPPTTT...."

I think for my fishing situations, the best possible polarized glasses are very important for spotting saltwater fish when sight fishing, are important for trout fishing, and are somewhat important for bass fishing (I bass fish in southern Lake Champlain, where you usually can't see a foot into the silty water). My favorites are Smith Action Optics w/Chroma-pop lenses and Maui Jim w/HCL Copper lenses.

WOW!

Now that pork trailers have pretty much disappeared, what are favorite trailers for the silver spoon?

I tried it once, spooled correctly, and didn't like it. I don't remember the brand, but it would have been 10lb. test or lighter. And the brand/type of FC may have a lot to do with it... lots of guys do it. You probably need the very good stuff to make it work well.

We call them weedeaters in my part of the woods, too. But the verb form is usually weed- whack, as in, "I weedwhacked the yard with the weedeater." The hammer throw is mighty satisfying. The last thing I launched was a Humminbird portable fish finder. It is now resting comfortably on the bottom of Lake Poutrincourt, near the mouth of the Normandin River, in Quebec.

Daiwa PX Type R and Daiwa Alphas SV 105 are my two favorites but I think there are probably a lot of new/better choices out there these days...

Check out fishfindermounts.com That's where I got the mounting stuff to put my Garmin on any of my tubes, including my Outcast FatCat and Dave Scadden Raptor Light Speed X "pon-tube."