slinkymalinky
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Posts posted by slinkymalinky
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Best wishes for your birthday, Raiders. Have a good one.
Cheers, Slinky
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Mono is my preference... more stretch so less likely to get back just the end of a tentacle. But there are a lot of people who do really well with braid.
If you decide on braid (and even if you don't) you're better to have a longish relatively forgiving rod again as a shock absorber. Daiwa, Lox and I think a few other brands now have Japanese-style squid (Egi) rods on the market which are in the 8' - 8 1/2' range.
For that sort of water depth jigs around size 2.5 to 3.0 are probably a good bet. Deeper water is good for squid in winter so just choose a jig that allows you to swim it slowly just above the weed in whatever depth you're fishing. Don't be afraid to go bigger... I've got some stupid large jigs in my box I've fished with successfully in water up to 20m.
Cheers, Slinky
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Yer, the 7000 Swedish ABU's are the clappers of overheads- I got 2 (7000C3 and 7000std)
Never serviced either of them for years and years, then one day I was fishing a good Reddie on a charter when the level wind gave out and now it no longer swings, lol
Havent gotten it fixed as yet but am planning on bringing it back to the forefront of my beach fishing adventures very soon, its seen many fish including 1m Jew, 70-80cm Sambo's and a plethora of reefies and flatties from the rivers over the last 10 years... the first fish I ever caught on it was a 10kg Jew from Lane Cove River and its been the centrepiece of my tackle for many many years... sadly missed ATM but I know ultimately she will come back better than ever.
Top reels they are.
Tight lines
Anthony
It might be something really simple... Jewhunter's 10000 had a stuffed level-wind and it was just a loose fitting. Could be a stripped gear though...
Cheers, Slinky
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Hi Fishraiders,
We've done some work to improve the Tackle Maintenance forum. It's been very poplular but with the number of tutorials and how-to posts being pinned in the forum it was starting to get a bit messy.
Tutorials for specific reels have been moved to their own sub-section (you can look them up by brand). As more are done, they'll be added to here.
There is also a new sub-section for other tutorials, tips and useful reference material. All in all, it hopefully starts to build and easy to use library of the sort of stuff members might want to go back to from time to time.
Only Admin and Moderators can post in the tutorial sub-sections but please share anything you think might be of interest in the main section of the Tackle Maintenance forum. Anything suitable will be moved after members have a chance to add their comments, to the relevant tutorial section. Any new tutorials will also spend some time in the general section before being moves so everyone who wants to can add comments first.
Hope it's an improvement.
Cheers, Slinky
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Hi all,
The Fishraider records will be mostly invisible for around 24 hours while it is reformatted. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Slinky
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IMHO, in the lighter breaking strains the stiffness of Fireline can be a plus or at least not a negative but above 15lb it's like fencing wire.
Cheers, Slinky
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When I was in Sydney for the recent Soft-Plastics Social, Swordfisherman gave me a couple of reels he wanted serviced. One was an ABU 5600EXT that I had to bring back from the brink with some brute force to remove rusted-on bearings, a lot of cleaning and some replacement parts.
The other was this unusual and very desirable ABU 7000C Syncro. The Syncro has an unusual drag feature that means that by turning the handle backwards a quarter turn when the spool is under load (like when you're fighting a fish), the drag is reduced by up to 75%. Full drag can then be reengaged by turning the handle forward again. A pretty useful idea if an angry fish plays up near the boat or shore and you want to back off a bit all of a sudden.
This particular reel was in pretty good condition, despite almost no maintenance through its life... testament again to how tough the Swedish made ABUs are. It got a few bits and bobs and a bit of a clean up.
Here's the link to the schematics...
http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/schematics/displayimage.php?album=27&pos=602
and here's the reel
Back out the 3 right side plate assembly retaining screws (ref #5326) and remove the side plate assembly... put it aside for later
Be careful not to lose the brake blocks (ref #1881)... they're just loose on the brake block shafts and just fall off if you don't watch it.
Stewy's reel only had 2 of the 4 brake blocks. I'm guessing at some point the other 2 must have been removed to reduce the cast control and add distance to his casts. Upon closer inspection, one of the brake blocks was badly damaged... I've never seen this before. No matter, we can fix that later.
Slip out the spool and you can see into the left side plate, which is where we want to go next.
Back out the left side plate screws (ref #199) and remove the left side plate assembly.
Servicing the level-wind starts with rotating out the retaining clip (ref #5178)
Unscrew and remove the pawl cover (ref #5177) and put aside the line guide pawl (ref #5176).
The worm shaft (ref #6912) will then slip straight out. The worm shaft cover and bushing (ref #2497) can also be slipped out of the frame and put aside for cleaning with the line guide (ref #6912)
They cleaned up nicely...
Remove the rod clamp and bolts (ref #975147) if it's fitted to your 7000 then give the reel's frame (ref #6900) a good clean up. A bit of grease under the rod clamp fittings before reassembly will help prevent corrosion.
It's worthwhile using a paintbrush or old toothbrush to apply a film of grease to the faces of the reel frame usually hidden inside the side plates. Another good corrosion preventer.
Now the level-wind can be reassembled, starting by giving all the parts a coat of oil (I always oil level-winds that move with the spool in freespool... grease will cut down casting distance). I used ReelX applied with oily fingers as well as oil soaked cotton buds and pipe cleaners. This thin coat is good for some protection as well as lubrication.
Reassemble the level-wind. A few drops of oil on the pawl before returning the cover... and a couple in the grooves of the worm shaft will keep things running smoothly. Give the gear a turn to make sure it all runs properly and to evenly distribute a fine coat of oil.
Lets move on to the left side plate...
Start by removing the idler gear (ref #19754). It attaches to the shaft via 2 clips molded as part of the gear... pull them back gently and the gear will slip off.
Pull the bearing by removing the cap and retaining spring. You can see the rust on the bearing... when I pulled the shields there was a little rust inside too so into the bin.
The bearings are 3x10x4mm. A new set of ABEC5 bearings from Smooth Drag should do nicely. I pulled the shields, cleaned them with carby cleaner and compressed air, then lubed them with ReelX before reinstalling the shields (this reel sees the beach or I would have left off the shields)... niiiiiiice.
The bearing recess and inside the cap (including the copper shims ref# 5115) was cleaned out and given a film of ReelX with a soaked cotton bud, before the new bearing was installed.
There was some visible corrosion and rust inside the left side plate. This is where a film of grease on hidden metal surfaces comes in handy.
A bead of grease can be applied (I used Lightning Lube - Reel Power) to the teeth of the idler gear (ref #19754) before reinstalling... you don't need heaps, just press it into the teeth and then the turning gears will evenly distribute it.
After a protective film of grease is painted on the inside of the side plate, the idler gear can be reinstalled and a drop of oil applied to the shaft.
Reinstall the left side plate on the reel frame.
And move on to the right side plate. This is where the 7000C Syncro starts to look a little different... the handle is inside the drag star. Begin by removing the handle nut cap (ref #19739)... it can be easily prized off with just your fingers
There's a brass screw (ref #19687) with an o-ring that acts as a shield for the Syncro drag system that must be removed
followed by an e-clip (ref #4490) and washer (ref #19686)
The drag star (ref #20066) can now be removed.
Underneath the drag star are 3 belleville washers that can be removed.
Before removing the handle (ref #20061)
Back out the 2 screws (ref #246) securing the right side plate cover and lift it off revealing the base plate.
It all looks pretty good in here other than a bit of grunge and some minor rust on the top drag plate, which in this reel as part of the Syncro system, isn't stainless steel.
So lift off the main gear assembly being very careful with the anti-reverse dog (ref #13372). It should just lift off with the gear which is ok.
Remove the drag washers... they're carbon washers but in Stewy's reel you can see that some hard fishing had 'polished' them. A new set of Carbontex washers is needed.
Clean up the main drive gear (ref #6947), drive shaft (ref #20071) and metal drag washers.
Making sure not to forget the washer underneath the main drive gear, give the new carbontex a coat of drag grease and reassemble the drag (any excess grease will squeeze out under pressure). Give that top drag plate a film of grease for protection too.
Something new I'm doing is polishing the inside of pinion gears, along with the corresponding spool shaft. With the tight tolerances it can increase freespool time and therefore casting distance.
Now here's something else that's unusual in this ABU. Notice the profile of the pinion gear (ref #6940) where it engages the spool. It's free to move in one direction still when engaged! If you wind this reel hard and suddenly stop winding, the spool will continue to spin for a few revolutions while making a clicking sound as the pinion moves up and down against the yoke spring (ref #9741).
It can't happen unless there's no pressure on the spool so I can only imagine its a feature designed to help you pick up a bit of extra slack line... if anyone knows, fill me in.
With the polished pinion gear cleaned and reinstalled, apply a film of grease to the underside of the gear on the drive shaft (ref #20071) and add some grease to the main gear before reinstalling.
Pull the bearing (3x10x4mm) from the right side plate cover and if it's damaged like this one, replace it.
A film of grease inside the side plate cover and it can go back on (there was a bit of rust on this side too... just goes to show why preventative maintenance is so important).
Grease on the handle, bellevilles, washers and screw as you reassemble will help protect all these parts too...
Now, remember that damaged brake block... one block by itself is useless (opposing pairs are needed to balance the spool). I didn't have any the same on hand so I replaced them with a set of 4 smaller spare blocks from another ABU. Being lighter, they don't offer as much cast control individually but the 4 smaller blocks should be about the same as the 2 larger blocks they replaced.
Reinstall the right side plate assembly...
And Swordy's reel spins like a dream...
A couple of final comments about this reel. I want one
It's a unique design but more importantly after ages with little or no maintenance, a combination of good engineering, good materials, seals and toughness have allowed this reel to keep soldiering on. You all know how I've fallen back in love with ABUs... this just fans the flames.
An extra note... interestingly, Stewy's 5600 EXT with the stuffed bearings was made in Korea. Given that it's not an old reel, I'm reserving the right to be a bit suspect about the quality of bearings and components that go into the reels made outside Sweden... even if that's where they're designed
Cheers, Slinky
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Fantastic fish on light gear, Vince. Great result for a lot of patience and having good quality gear
Congrats on the PB... Slinky
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Yep... a toga. It was an awesome trip with huge numbers of awesome fish being caught and amazing locations to do it in. You've made me twitchy to get out the fly gear for a session again!!
Cheers, Slinky
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G'day Nanook,
I'm not sure I qualify as a true flyfisherperson any more... it used to be 90% of my fishing and I probably make your 10 times a year criteria... but only just, these days. Funnily enough I'm very rarely out in the boat without my 9wt travel rod under the floor, but I rarely get around to getting it out.
I still absolutely love it as a way to fish though and my fishing roots are buried deep in the Tasmanian highlands where the long wand rules. Here's a couple of fish that while not big, are very memorable for me...
One of the fish I caught during a full week in Fiji where, without exaggeration, of all the casts I made at least one in every three got a hit, hookup or fish... just mind blowing
And probably the most beautiful place I've fished. I have no idea what the area is called but the river and falls were about a 45minute boat ride followed by a 20 minute hike up a Cape York river. Home tied Dahlberg I'd carried from Sydney got me one of my 'must catch' species on fly.
Cheers, Slinky
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G'day Dom... do you want the good news or the bad news??
I'm a local up here and have fished the area for years. I have yet to hear about or find a quality offshore charter. All the experiences, observation and reports are that the offshore boys cater for one-time holiday visitors... That means they don't care whether or not you have a good enough time to want to come back.
I might be wrong... there might be someone good... I just haven't found out about them.
That's the bad news. The good news is that there's at least one fantastic light estuary sportfishing charter operator who is excellent. If you're interested in this type of operation (lure, fly, live bait in the Broadwater and surrounds) then let me know and I'll pm you some details.
Depending on your timing and my freedom of movement, I might be able to take you out for some inshore stuff myself
Cheers, Slinky
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G'day Pinkus,
I don't really know the Cairns area but I know Townsville pretty well and at this time of year there are fish everywhere. With a light flick rod you should be able to find Pikey Bream, Jacks, Trevally and Barramundi in the creeks... just watch the crocs. The same can be found off jettys and rock walls.
I'm not sure if fishing is allowed off the Cairns Marlin Wharf but that's probably the area I'd start looking. There's a lot of MASSIVE mud flats straight out the front of town that I've never fished but look like pretty hard work. All I can suggest is visit the local tackle shop up there for some pointers on locations.
Cheers, Slinky
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G'day Postie,
There's a dvd you can get pretty easily at tackle shops featuring Scotty Lyons in Botany Bay if you're interested. From memory it's called 'A Day on the Bay' or something like that. It would give you a bit of an appetite enhancer
Scotty really is THE guy for charters in Botany Bay.
All his contact details are here
Cheers, Slinky
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Got e-mailed these...
Apparently these are of a crab boat somewhere off Newfoundland. Gives me a whole extra level of respect for what went into getting my softshell crab at the local Chinese restaurant!!
Cheers, Slinky
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I was sent this listing by Dawn at Smooth Drag... these are all the Carbontex washers available (by size) so if you have a reel not listed specifically on their site you can check for a match here
Cheers, Slinky
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Not an Octopus... Occies don't have 'teeth' on their suckers. If you look at the close up pics you can see the 'tooth' marks on each ring. Squid and Cuttlefish have 'denticulated' tentacles (toothed) so one of them is your culprit most probably.
Cheers, Slinky
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Thanks guys... should have the next 1000 sorted by about lunchtime
Cheers, Slinky
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G'day Mushtaka,
Definitely fish in deeper water in winter mate. Use a bigger jig too.
Cheers, Slinky
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Looking like that up here too, Ray. Great photos... definitely a day to be sorting out tackle or servicing reels in front of the heater
Cheers, Slinky
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The new mark to beat for Gold Spot Trevally on bait is 100cm, taken by cranky(kingie master) in Vanuatu on barracuda fillet. Report here!
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G'day Kosta.
You can get bearings from:
or
Smooth Drag's prices are slightly lower but only by a dollar or two but Boca has a better range. I order from Smooth Drag when I have the option as I get a lot of drag washers from there too but the customer service from both is great.
You can expect the bearings to be somewhere around $8-10US each plus shipping (usually around $10) from the USA. Delivery usually takes about 6-7 working days for Smooth Drag and about 10 for Boca. Service and communication for both is great and I've never yet had a problem with either company.
You'll need to know the dimensions of the bearings (inside diameter x outside diamater x thickness). If you don't have calipers to measure them properly, then maybe try giving Y or Mark a call at Global Tackle. I don't know if they keep bearings in stock but they do a lot of reel servicing and if you took the reel in, they might be able to measure them for you.
http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=48945
Once you have the size, there are lots of options but what you probably should get is ABEC3 or ABEC5 (a measurement of precision), 440 Stainless bearings with removeable shields. Before installing them, clean them out and pack them with marine or reel grease and they'll last a good while. To see how to do it, have a look here!
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G'day T&K,
I can relate to the run of dropped good fish
Try our trick... next time out, take a banana
Worked for us!!Great bag of Breambos is a pretty good consolation though.
Cheers, Slinky
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Truly spectacular photos searabbit. What an awesome looking place. I need to put the hard word on Hodgey at some stage to show me round there.
Cheers, Slinky
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G'day Cranky,
That's a fantastic Gold Spot Trevally, not a GT... and that means it's a raider record (I think) if you want to submit it
Slinky
Things Are Improving In Tuross Lake
in Saltwater Fishing Reports
Posted
Can't wait
Might wait until after school holidays though 
Looks like a great day on the water, Hodgey. Very fat and healthy looking flat things.
With the deep water and big jig heads I'll be bringing my 2-5 as well as my 1-3 (oh... maybe I'll just bring everything... just look for the echidna in the hire car)
Great, comprehensive report... should be doing one for the local tourism authority
Cheers, Slinky