Smashing Records with Taro Murata from Fish City Tours

With the busy schedules of everyday life and a newborn, 2010 has definitely been a year with limited opportunities to head out and I’m sure there are many out there in the same boat!  Sporadic one day outings to lakes new or old become R&D sessions, with fish behavior and locations changing throughout the year and over time, you are unable to cash out with these one day outings.  Add the expenses of a boat, equipment, a few of these one day outings here and there, you are left with empty pockets and are lucky if you have a few pictures to show. Something needed to change, but what?

Getting over my thoughts of thinking guides were only for non-fisherman and with no more outings planned for the year, I decided to contact Taro Murata from Fish City Tours in hopes of catching a Smallie over 5lbs.  After a quick email over to him on the weekend, he responded later that night:

“We got a 6lb 13oz smallie today, unreal! We also got 4 in the high 5lb range and many others in the 3-4lb range it is on right now and I am very busy but how does wed the 17th sound”

Wow, with other guides wrapping up for the season and deferring requests to bookings for the next year, I was confused, how could this be?  It’s late in the season, and my past outings this late would produce nothing. Just wanting to head out after being trapped in the house, my buddy Dave and I figured we’d give it a try. We’ve always heard about the monster fall time bass, but could never get them.

Taro is truly a master at what he does.  He’s humble, friendly, extremely knowledgeable, experienced with many hours on the water, and separates himself from others with his ability to adapt to any condition.  Simply put, he knows where the fish are, and how to get them to bite.  Just by talking to him, he will inspire you with his wealth of knowledge and love for fishing.

This was an eye opening experience, and has definitely taught me to keep an open mind on fishing and in life! “You gotta keep an open mind on things”, in the words of Taro, his words also exemplify why we were the only ones on the water when the weather was cold, wet, and windy(25-45km/hr at times, but able to do it safely)!

I would humbly say that Dave and I fish pretty hard.  With many day outings, fly-in trips, and camping/fishing trips to various locations under our belts, we both have quite a lot of mileage. Combining all the trips Dave and I had, we had pulled in more trophy smallies that day with Taro then we have in all our years of fishing combined.  We both even established personal bests many times over! The day was a record day, even for Taro! We managed to boat a total of 49 fish for a one day outing, 10 being over 5lbs, all ranging from 3.5-5.5lbs, 3 double headers + 1 triple, and averaging around between 4-5lbs. We even ended the day with a nice 6-7lb Walleye.  This day will definitely be one we'll all remember for the rest of our lives.

(Dave is over 6’ tall for reference.)

The money lure was the soon to be released Swammer made by StrikeZone Tournament Baits, a lure you can't even buy at this time!  

The experience was priceless not only for the fish we caught, but for the knowledge we gained.  After fishing for many years many of us tend to “know what to do” and as a result we do the same things and leave it up to the fish’s mood if we catch or not.  Taro's Fish City Tours are great for experienced and non-experienced anglers.  He’s not only an expert at Small Mouth Bass but also for others which include: Large Mouth, Pike, Musky, Walleye, etc.  He provides everything you need, from gear, lunch, even jackets & boots if really needed!

So next time you are chasing a dream out to catch your fish of a lifetime, give Taro a call.  Until next time, Dave and I will be looking forward to booking again with Taro to head out for some spring Pike =)!

2009

2009 was definitely one of the busiest years for me.  I guess moving to a new house and getting married can do that to you =).  So in short, the opportunities to head out were limited.  Time on the water had to be chosen wisely.  One outing to my fav musky lake in the kawarthas, and the trip of my dreams to Lake of The Woods located in Kenora, ON!!!  Thanks to the wife for letting me do this trip!

To sum up the highlights of 2009 here are some photos.

Kawartha Lakes, the largest fish I hooked, also the largest fish I passed!  I think I said "Happy father's day" as I passed the hooked fish =).  Well deserved to make up for last year.  This is our biggest now...

 

Lake of the Woods

Before I begin this post, I would like to send my sincere condolences to the Colson family of 'Jakes NW Angle' for the recent loss of Celeste.  Thank you Celeste for your true and genuine kindness you will be missed by many...

Over two years in the planning, this was a trip we have been dreaming of for a while.  It was a trip full of eat-sleep-fish and nothing else!  Conditions were tough with average temperatures being lower than normal for the year of 2009.  We were met with word that even local guides were having a tough time getting anything in the boat.  Still determined to catch sight of a 50", we headed out with high ambitions.  Despite tough conditions we managed to get a few Musky, even a handful of decent sized pike.  To say the least, it was a very memorable trip!  The scenery up there was breath taking.  There was many sightings of deer, bald eagles, pelecans, and amazing rocky boulder shorelines.

A new member of our family! Congratulations Kok!

Let me introduce you all to my partner in crime in the water, KOK.  You're all probably wondering, what kind of name is that?  Actually I sometimes wonder to, but let's talk about fishing!

Before we get onto the fishing discussion, some congratulations are in order for the man.  He has recently become a proud father, and my hat goes off to him for still being sane for only going fishing only a few times!

  

Date: Oct 13, 2008
Location: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

Maiden Voyage, the boat started with ease.  She is a beauty and will definitely haul in some nice fish.  The weather was awesome, I even got a nice tan out of it.  However this weather is tough for the fishing.  We at one point even contemplated changing the game flipping for bass.  But with 99% of our gear being musky, we had little choice.  We surprisingly managed to hook a fish each, unfortunately not hooking them well enough.  Finally this one gets in the boat.  Okay, I'm spoiled...  Looking back, I really should've handed this one to Kok.  Sorry buddy!

Another great outing with Freddy!

Date: Oct 4, 2008
Location: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

Time again for our annual outing.  My mission this time was to put Freddy on his biggest fish of his life.  Haha, chances are slim though considering we only head out once a year.  Last year, I managed to hook a 15lber, but felt bad as I put on a show!

Got on the water around 10am.  It was cold 6degrees!  This was the first time temps dropped below 10degrees.  So we were definitely dealing with cold front conditions, wind was picking up with some eastward waves.  So the best strategy today would be to troll the drop off facing the west. 

Trolled my usual areas, with no luck.  Finally around 1pm we hit 2 baby musky in the 5lb range.  Next what I think to be weeds turn out to be a 15.5lber!  A repeat of last year I thought?!?!  I felt really bad, I mean I didn't call out Freddy to put on a show again.  Must stay till he gets a fish I thought.  We worked our way down the line, then thought screw it.  Let's go back to where I caught mine.  Anyhow, mission accomplished, 17.5lbs(pic doesn't do his fish justice).  Wow what a year!

Finally a HOOK UP!!!

After more than 10 outings.  Through cold, rain, even snow(well, not really)! 

Mission accomplished.  I feel as though I am done for the Season...

Her first fish, hooked on her own...  It was well worth the wait.

#2 Removing the infinite anti reverse(IAR) roller bearing from the spool assembly

Difficulty: very hard

Tools required:            -slot head screw driver

                                    -generic oil

                                    -mini torch

                                    -metal rod that fits in the spool hole(larger diameter the better, I used a power drill key)

                                    -hammer

                                    -newspaper, or a pad of paper

Pre-cautions:  This modification requires the use of heat and oil.  Please perform this in a well ventilated area with the availability of a fire extinguisher nearby.  Once again, please use your discretion and perform this at your own risk.

This modification is classified very hard as there is a risk of damaging your spool, also it is very hard to put a hammer to something you love.  An alternative to this modification is to simply find and purchase a spool that will fit your reel.  However if you are already broke from buying this reel and don’t mind modifying the spool, read on at your discretion.

Intended Audience:  If you are one that uses mechanical breaking, this modification is not for you.  However if you are one that unscrews the mechanical breaks to a point where they are not used, please read on!

Info:

After doing modification #1(spool bearing replacement) I had discovered a IAR roller bearing within the spool.  Strangely enough though, this bearing is not shown on the schematic diagram of the reel.  Most likely as it is not meant to be removed for maintenance purposes.  

The IAR Bearing’s function is given the name ‘Sensi-Brake’ from Abu Garcia’s marketing team.  It’s main function is to allow you to use your mechanical breaks only while casting and not retrieving.  This works by the IAR bearing locking the spool to the shaft during the direction of the cast, effectively applying the mechanical friction(by the knob adjustment).  While in the reeling direction the IAR allows the spool to roll over the shaft.  Unfortunately though as roller bearings are not nearly as smooth as ball bearings, they will only function when there is noticeable amount of friction imposed on the shaft.

To summarize, the main purpose of the IAR bearing within the spool is to lock the spool on the shaft during casting, while allowing the spool to rotate during a retrieve(only if mech breaks turned on).  I will describe the IAR bearing’s operation in the next two sub-sections:

Casting mode:

In casting mode, the IAR bearing locks the spool onto the shaft, this effectively allows the mechanical breaking to perform.  Mechanical breaks are applied by the knob adjustment which effectively applies friction to the shaft during rotation.  Only the outer bearings are allowed to spin in this mode(please refer to picture below).

Retrieve mode:

In retrieve mode, the IAR bearing is free to rotate.  However will only rotate if the friction applied on the shaft is greater than the friction of the IAR bearing(IAR bearings exhibit a noticeable amount of friction).  This would be the case if mechanical breaks were turned.  However if the mechanical breaks are adjusted to be low/off, the spool rotation will rely on the outer bearings for both casting and retrieving. 

The IAR bearing only adds benefit when you use the mechanical breaking system.  Friction is applied during the cast and lessened during the retrieve.  However, unless you are someone that uses the mechanical breaking system, the IAR bearing doesn’t add value to your reel in terms of smoothness and casting distance.  In fact, if you don’t use mechanical brakes, the IAR bearing renders the spool bearing(s) useless as the spool bearings are overcome by the IAR bearing friction. 

With the mechanical breaks turned off all the time, the spool will rely on outer bearings all the time.  As a test you can remove the mechanical breaking knob and watch the shaft rotate in sync with your spool.  This tells you that the spool and shaft are rotating together, hence the bearings separating them(spool bearings) are not rotating in the case where the mech breaks are turned off. 

This modification will allow your spool to rely on both sets of bearings(assuming you now have two bearings in the spool from the previous mod).  Both sets will work as a team, if the friction becomes too high on one set, the next set will be allowed to kick in.  Or optimally, they will both work at the same time and your shaft will spin ½  for each spool rotation.

Instructions:

1. Remove the spool assembly from the reel as you did in instruction set #1

2. Take apart the spool assembly until you are left with nothing but the spool itself and the IAR bearing which you are about to remove

3. Generously apply oil where the  IAR bearing meets the spool, let it soak through for a few minutes.  Repeat on the other side.

4. Apply some distributed heat to the spool neck surrounding the IAR bearing for about 5 seconds while carefully rotating the spool.  Be sure not to hold the flame in one place for too long, better to wave it back and forth.  Also be sure nothing flammable is around the flame.  (Note: Heat can only be applied if there is no line on the spool.  Trying to remove it without the use of heat may be more difficult).

5. Now stand up the spool such that the IAR bearing is on the side closer to the bottom and place on the stack of paper.  (Newspaper or paper should be at least 0.5cm high to absorb some of the impact and to prevent damage to the spool during the hammering.)

6. With the rod placed in the spool with your one hand ensuring it is centered.  Carefully direct the hammer to the rod, be careful not to miss and hit your spool.  Hit it a few times and check if the bearing has moved.  If not, re-apply heat and add more pressure.  It took a medium to hard hit for me, hardest part was aiming with some force.

7. With some luck your IAR bearing should come out!  With the IAR bearing removed, clean the oil from the spool and  reassemble and you’re done!

#1 Replacing the stock bearing and bushing in the spool assembly

Difficulty: easy

Tools required:            -slot head screw driver

                                    -2 new ball bearings, size 4x10x4, ABEC 7 preferable

                                    (future link: bearing maintenance)

Info:

The current stock Record reels contain bearings that are ABEC 3 precision quality.  The performance and smoothness of most Abu Garcia Reels(C3/C4) rely heavily on the bearings within the spool.  However for the Abu Record, this reel relies more on a set of bearings attached by the ends of the shafts outside the spool(3x10x4, an upgrade for the future.  We will concentrate on the spool bearings for now).

Within the spool there is actually only one bearing, and one metal bushing.  This may come to people’s surprise as there are normally two bearings in the spool for C3s and C4s.  However there is a reason…

These bearings are only allowed to rotate during the retrieve direction as rotation is prevented in the casting direction by a infinite anti reverse(IAR) bearing which I was surprised to discover(more explanation on this in the next upgrade).  By upgrading these to ABEC 7 bearings, you will only feel a slight to very little improvement.  With no improvement in casting distance, and very minor improvement in the retrieve direction.  This upgrade is only worth while if you attempt to do the IAR modification which is a difficult modification not intended for the light hearted. 

Instructions:

1. Unscrew the 3 screws located on the handle side of the reel

2. Gently remove the handle side of the reel, and carefully remove the spool assembly

3. After taking apart the spool assembly, simply replace the stock bearing and bushing with you new bearings(future link: bearing maintenance)

4. Re-assemble the spool assembly, place back into the frame, and re-assemble.  Voila!