A few brief snippets of things going on this week...
- The Outdoorsman Sport Shop Show in Greenwood, IN will run from 8-6 on January 28th. Speakers include Billy McDonald, Todd Hollowell, Keith Monson, and Billy Blakely. Raffles, give a ways, specials (most items will be, at the least, 10% off), and free hot dogs will all be part of the experience.
- The Indiana Fishing Expo runs this Saturday and Sunday down at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Guest speakers for this multi-species show include Gilbert Huxley (Carp); Nick Teeters (Smallmouth); Charlie Hildreth (Crappie); Todd Hollowell (Bass); William Bennett (Muskie); Rick Millette (Walleye); Clint Kowalik (IDNR) - I'm hoping to hit both shows on Saturday as it stands now, so keep an eye out for me if you're there and say 'hi'.
- One line I've really been wanting to try, as well as compare to NanoFil, is Sufix 832. I now have 2 spools headed my way, so I'll be able to throw out some opinions on it after I get a chance to use it this spring. I've seen it in use and have been impressed with it "from afar". It's a braid comprised of "8 fibers (7 HMPE Dyneema® plus 1 Patent Pending GORE® Performance Fiber) and 32 weaves (pics) per inch. GORE® Performance Fibers improve abrasion resistance, increase casting distance & accuracy and reduce line vibration. HMPE Dyneema® fibers provide high strength & sensitivity, hydrophobic water-repellent protection and small diameter." I'm actually most excited about the color options, as the 2 spools I have coming are 'neon lime'.
- I usually take the time to clean and lube all my own baitcasters. It makes a difference, as some of the reels I'm fishing with are 15 years old or more. This year I decided to send all the Shimano's out for a thorough cleaning, inspection and repair. Several of them were squealing pretty bad, and I figured I needed some bearing replacements, since oiling didin't solve the problem. Turns out it was a case of the centrifugal spool pins working their way loose after all these years, a supposed known issue with Shimanos. Never had that problem or worry with my Daiwas. Anyway, 3 of my baitcasters were suffering from this malady. Simple fix is to take a pair of pliers and remove the affected pins. Those reels are now super free spoolin', but it beats replacing spools at $30 a pop. Might keep this in mind if you're experiencing the same thing.
- Also in the category of being frugal (read cheap), I've been scouring the halls of EBay looking for spare spools to purchase for my assorted spinning reels. Being multi-species, I always seem to run into this problem of never having enough outfits set up for exactly what I want to do. Instead of buying more spinning outfits (I already own 7 or 8), I decided this year to purchase spare spools for those reels so that I can have multiple line setups ready to roll for any given trip with a simple change out. I've bought about half a dozen already for the various reels I use, and the cost, even with shipping charges, is running about $7-$8 per spool. So for any given reel, I can have a braid setup, a fluorocarbon setup, and a mono setup, or two different line weights of the same material. I just need to come up with a good labeling system now :)
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