Indiana Smallmouth

Winter Fishing Shows!!

We are heading into show season…see below for information on the Kokomo show with more to follow on other events!!!

The Indy Bass Club attended the Tri-State Extravaganza last year In Cincinnati and made a nice litte recording of Mike’s seminar on finesse techniques. A little insight for all you worm shakers out there with his usual charisma…

ICAST 2011 – A Local Report From Las Vegas

By Aaron McAlexander

My first sight just before touching down was an overhead view of the truly blue waters of Lake Mead. Needless to say, this just fueled the fire of excitement for the 2011 ICast Show in Las Vegas, NV. For a newbie to the area, just the trip to hotel has your eyes glazed over trying to soak it all in and fearing you may miss something if you blinked. But since this article is about the ICast Show, you will just have to experience the rest of Vegas on your own time… and yes, I would recommend it.

On Wednesday July 13th, ICast 2011 was open for business. However, the general public cannot attend this event. Only buyers (ex: big box store reps), sellers (South Bend, Shimano, Humminbird, etc.), and select media were allowed at the event (to my understanding). I was there to represent a wicked fishing product line called NGage Outfitters by South Bend and to conduct some “trick” casts as entertainment for the buyers and media. At just after 9:00am the flood of buyers and media started through the thousands of booths as eager sellers showed the world what they had to offer with the latest and greatest in everything from soft plastics to sunglasses. If it could be used with any affiliation to fishing, it was there. Like a kid in a candy store, or very similar to anyone’s first experience in a Bass Pro Shops, I couldn’t help but show up a little early and run the floor. Like a bass going for a spinnerbait, I was drawn in to the new “toys”! And let me tell ya, there are some great products coming out this year!

My personal favorite at the show wasn’t a drastically new lure, but more of a modified design to hook more fish. The Culprit Creature Craw screamed success to me! Instead of the craw flappers at the end of the body, they are position mid way to prevent short strikes. What does this mean? Perhaps that it is now safe for us to put spike-it on the pinchers without getting stripped on the first cast?!

The Matzuo Nano Croaker frog looked sick in the lure tank too! Other cool toys included the Abu Garcia Revo MGX, Lew’s new baitcast reels, The North Fork rods (Gary Loomis), and the Okuma Helios rods. Keep in mind that I had just a sliver of time to walk the floor and see the show, and I’m sure there are plenty of neat gizmos and gadgets that I haven’t heard of yet. There was also a plethora of saltwater fishing gear, but being an Indiana angler this all seemed Greek to me.

The show continued on until Friday afternoon. Throughout the days I had the opportunity to run into a few people such as KVD, Aaron Martens, Jeff Kreit, Mike Iaconelli, Paul Elias, Chris Lane, Fred Roumbanis, Kelly Jordan, and Mr. Gary Loomis! Needless to say, ICast 2011 was a huge success with more items in the new product showcase (than in recent years) and many, many, many happy buyers, sellers, and anglers like me! If I were you, I’d be stoked about the products coming out!

Live2Fish~Fish2Live

Bio: Aaron McAlexander is from Charlestown, Indiana and was the 2008 President of the Purdue University Bass Fishing Club. He graduated from Purdue with a Fisheries Biology degree and has worked with both the Indiana and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife. Aaron is quickly becoming involved in many aspects of the fishing industry so watch for more from him in the future!!

IS is Now on Facebook

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U.S. Reel’s New Innovative Baitcaster

The U.S. Reel Supercaster is the first true innovation in baitcasting reels that I have seen in a long time. I stopped by my local Bass Pro Shops to check them out but unfortunately they do not carry them. Too bad I do not have a Cabelas nearby. Anyway, this reel looks pretty daggone cool and has some nifty features.
No Levelwind
U.S. came up with a levelwind bar rather than the traditional levelwind mechanism found in traditional baitcasters. They claim this innovation cuts down on friction and permits longer casts. This patented bar is known as Able, Angled Bar Levelwind. This bar is even adjustable to aid in backlash control; a welcome addition to the typical spool friction control in normal baitcasters.
Reverse Direction Spool
That is right, the spool on this reel revolves in the opposite direction of the norm. The line comes off the bottom of the spool rather than the top. This design is to maximize the Able system and to make thumb spool control easier and make any minimal backlashes easier to pick out.
Pinion/Drive Gear Design
If you have ever cleaned and lubed your baitcasters you know that the pinion gear typically makes contact with the drive gear via teeth on the outside of the drive gear. To permit the reverse rotation of the spool, this reel sports drive gear teeth on the inside of the drive gear. The pinion actually rotates inside the drive gear. According to U.S. Reel this provides better contact between the pinion and drive gears for more precision and a stronger drive train.
These reels look super cool, thus the name SuperCaster. I cannot wait to get my hands on one to try it out.
Check out U.S. Reels webpage dedicated to the Supercaster Here

INDIANA FISHING EXPO 2011

It is fast approaching and we are working feverishly to make the 6th. annual one of the best ever. We have some of the old vendors returning along with the new vendors in place, revamped the guest speaker lineup and added some awesome prizes for this year’s show. For more information click on the link on this page for the Expo.

D&S Lures under new ownership!

D&S lures out of Mooresville Indiana has been purchased by Russ. Their new name is now Red-Dirt Bait Co. Russ is dedicated to the sport of bass fishing and I am 100% positive this is a win-win for the bass fishing community in Indiana. Congrats Russ.

Website Here!

Reel Maintenance 101

There are some that send their reels off to be maintained yearly and there certainly is nothing wrong with doing so. That being said, if you have slight mechanical abilities and can read a reel schematic, yearly reel maintenance can be done easily. All it takes is a handful of small hand tools (small straight blade, phillips screwdrivers, eyeglass repair kit calibur screwdriver and some needlenose plyers), tooth picks, paper clips, Qtips, some reel grease, reel oil, a shot glass, a container of lighter fluid and a reel schematic. A good source of schematics is
Southwestern Parts
When visiting their website, click the manufacturer in the left pane which will link to a page where you can select a model and view the schematic. You can also purchase parts if needed from Southwestern.
Start
This post will not be a 100 percent step by step on the procedure but will give some general instructions. This post will focus on a baitcasting reel. Step one is to prepare your work area. You will want to do this on a clean table top in a contained area. If you should happen to have a spring, clip or other small part fly away on you, take every precaution to make locating it easier. I like to cover my table area with white paper to make locating parts on the tabletop easier. Though not shown in these pictures, I have now moved to a table top tray designed for eating food at the easy chair. It has a raised lip all the way around to contain the parts and lessen the possibility that parts could end up rolling off the work surface.
Start by completely disassembling the reel. I like to lay the parts out in the order they came apart paying particular attention to every detail. Some screws are longer than others and need to go back where they came from, particularly on palm plates. Be careful when removing Eclips and retaining washers, they can shoot off on you and be gone forever. I use eyeglass repair kit screwdrivers to carefully pry them away with one finger covering the part to prevent it from flying to oblivion.

Once apart, you will want to use a mild cleanser and an old toothbrush to remove dirt and old lubrication. I like to use Simple green as a cleaner/degreaser. Remove bearings carefully. Stubborn bearings can be removed with a paperclip bent with an small L bend in one end. Be careful not to damage the bearing by scoring its surfaces. Take the bearings and soak them in a shotglass of lighter fluid. This will loosen old lube and dirt. Periodically swish the bearings in the solution, changing to clean fluid when it becomes soiled. Once clean, remove them and allow them to dry thoroughly. When dry, spin them on a pencil tip to ensure free spinning. If they are noisy or do not spin freely, replace them. Now it is time for reassembly and relube. Simply reassemble in the opposite order, taking great care to assemble all parts correctly. Refer to schematic if you become confused. Lubrication is key and using the right lube in specific areas is important.

Drive Gears=grease
Spool bearings=oil
Crank Shaft Bearings=grease
Worm Shaft and Pawl=grease
Worm Shaft ends=grease
Cast control bearings and Isolators=oil
Pinion Gear and Release/Engage Mechanism=grease
Clutch Bar=Grease
Centrifugal Weight Spokes and Race=light oil
Use lubrication sparingly. Any excessive lube will end up where it shouldnt be which can contaminate other lubes and affect performance. There are several brands of lubes on the market. I have been using Quantum Hot Sauce on my reels for years and have had great luck with it. I have been maintaining my own reels form many years and have several reels that are over 15 years old and they perform as well today as they did when they were new. Once your reels are properly cleaned and lubed, there are certain areas that are easily accessible without dissassembly that you should check from time to time. Bearings such as cast control bearings, spool bearings and centrifugal races should be lightly oiled as needed throughout the season. Never submerse your reel in water and never lay it on the ground if there is any sand/grit that could find its way in the reel. If you perform a complete teardown yearly and periodic lubrication, your reels should give you many years of faithful service. Though design varies slightly by manufacturer, most modern baitcasting reels are designed the same and have very similar components. After you have done your arsenal once or twice you will be a pro.

Backlash Removal Trick

Even experienced anglers experience “professional overruns” from time to time. This is a great tip that really works for getting out backlashes quickly and easily without putting damaging crimps and kinks in your line. I personally have used this trick one time that I got a backlash a few years ago and it worked like a champ. And if you believe that I have only had one in so many years, dream on.

Topwater Smallies

I am a huge Lindner fan and watch Angling Edge pretty regularly. This is a great clip from a recent show on topwater smallie action. This is a great video with some great smallie attacks on top. Enjoy!!