Author Archives: veloxseeker

I wrote the 4th Episode of Binge Thinking this morning and deleted it shortly after posting it. In fact, I’ve deleted the other Binge Thinking Episodes as well. They don’t really fit into the scope of my blog and nobody gives a crap about what I think anyway. My apologies for any confusion regarding a notification and then not being able to find it.

It’s because of the expense…pure and simple. I think the prices for boats are ridiculous. And I’d have to purchase a vehicle to tow it.

I’ve owned boats in the past and always enjoyed tinkering with them. Doing modifications and making them more efficient for my needs.

I look at my friends new boat and the new vehicle he bought to tow it and I just can’t justify that kind of expense at this point of my life. I don’t even want to go fishing with him in it. Multiple fish finders front and back and I can see him staring at the locator all day like people are glued to their cellphones. No thanks. I jokingly asked him how much that first bass was going to cost and received a death glare in response.

And since we tend to fish on the weekends, the lakes are way too crowded and it seems like there is a tournament of some sorts every weekend as well. I have no desire to do 60mph across a choppy lake or deal with the “cluster****” that we call boat ramps.

And with the unpredictable weather we have here…if I owned a boat, I’m sure it would sit unused more than I’d like.

I’ll stick to wading streams and rivers wherever I can find them. It’s less crowded, more quiet and slower paced.

Wish I had some trout pictures for you but I don’t. The pond was supposed to be restocked yesterday but I have my suspicions. I talked to two other guys who were fishing and they hadn’t caught a thing and hadn’t seen a thing either. When the resident experts aren’t catching anything, you know something is off.

The day started off at 27F with parts of the lake and shoreline covered in ice but it quickly warmed to 39F when the sun peeked over the hills. I went to test out the Daiwa Presso ST 62ML rod and the new 2021 Daiwa Presso LT 1000 reel. The rod casts very well and this reel is AMAZING. I didn’t think it was possible but it is smoother than the Daiwa Presso LTD 1025.

Also, since I received my 2 replacement sections for the Abu Garcia Troutin Marquis Nano rod, I decided to throw that rod and reel combo for an hour. The Abu Garcia REVO MGX Theta 1000S reel is really smooth. This combo is a good matchup and I like the direction Abu Garcia is heading.

And not to be left out…The Apia (Anglers Utopia) Grandage Lite 61. I received this rod yesterday and was really chomping at the bit to try it out. I wish I had tried the rod with the Daiwa Presso LT 1000 reel but stuck with the Vanford 1000 for the hour I fished with it.

I have ordered a few ceramic bearings for the Vanford 1000 hoping to make it the reel it could be. It seems odd that the Stradic FL 1000 is so much better yet the internals are practically identical. But there is a noticeable difference (slight grinding). Possibly switching from braid to nylon will make an impact…just not sure. Not quite ready to give up on this little reel. When the bearings arrive I may do a complete teardown and cleaning and reapply high grade lubricant.

So 3 hours fishing at a trout pond with zero fish caught. BUT…I gleaned a lot of important information from the rods I went to test out. Each was different in their own way, yet all were functional for my wants and type of fishing I like to do. Not surprising since all 3 were designed for completely different applications. The nod definitely goes to the Apia Grandage Lite 61…what a rod!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…I’m being overly dramatic by quoting Dickens, but I understand the frustration occurring in his novel.

The two rods, The Daiwa Presso ST 62ML and the two replacement sections for my Abu Garcia pack rod, shipped together from Japan on the same day. Both arrived in Anchorage Alaska and both arrived at Memphis Tennessee on Friday evening. For some reason, one continued on to Tulsa where it was subsequently delivered yesterday. The Abu Garcia rod parts just disappeared in “tracking limbo.” Found out last night despite the “Scheduled Delivery January 24th by 1630” message that the rod parts were sent back to Anchorage Alaska. Nice job FedEx!!!!

This isn’t the first time FedEx has messed up a shipment going through Memphis and I may opt for shipping via DHL from this point forward. I bring this up not to complain (too much) but to highlight a very real pitfall to ordering JDM rods from Japan. Interestingly, I’ve never had an issue with reels ordered from Japan…just rods. As a sidenote…JDMTackleHeaven packages their rod shipments in PVC pipe with the ends well secured and clearly labelled as to destination. Outstanding packaging.

I am curious as to whether this will be chalked up to the usual COVID supply chain problems as opposed to the real cause…imcompetence. Time will tell. But in all honesty, I’m grateful they don’t ship through California, what with all of the mass theft and looting going on there. In fact, I do my research before ordering to absolutely avoid having anything shipped through California.

This is just a cautionary note and your mileage may vary…good luck.