Silver Bullet

[jgp12000]

Thanks to work2fish & tincanary ! I got this 5500C3 from Mark & NMB bearings/carbon fiber drag upgrade from Rob at Ashlin fishing.I have only worked on a handful of Ambassadeurs but it's always amazing
To see the quality engineered parts going together,easy to work on simple.I mounted it on a Vengeance rod & it will be my goto Striper & live
Bait bass fishing combo.I might have to get that pretty pink line Mark so I don't scare the fish away

[JasonGotaProblem]

Nice. I'd be all over some 20# x8 braid on that one.

[jgp12000]

I have to tell the Rod story,it was part of a Walmart combo for $30 online.I sold the reel for $30 & kept the rod.It matches great & its also a nice rod med-heavy, rated for 1oz lure 20# line.

[foakes]

Well done, James!

Best, Fred

[tincanary]

That's going to be sweet on the water.  Make sure you experiment with different size brake blocks.  White are the heaviest, black in the middle, and blue the lightest.

[jgp12000]

Ok Rob It never ends...is there a shallow spool & which brake blocks to make this a BFS striper special or redfish I need to go flat fishing this year!

I have to get pink line  either way Mark.

[work2fish]

I have to get pink line  either way Mark.

The reel looks great on that rod, James! I hope it fishes well for you. And if you go with mono, pink does go well with silver 

Those 5500C3s cast 1-2 oz lures very well with no modifications, but if you want to cast light lures look into all of Jason's threads about modding Ambassadeurs. I have a stock 4600C, and I'm tempted to try a shallow spool and/or the idler gear bearing and level wind bearings to give it the capability to cast lighter lures.

[jgp12000]

I do have a Royal Express 4600   it really never ends does it?

[tincanary]

I have to get pink line  either way Mark.

The reel looks great on that rod, James! I hope it fishes well for you. And if you go with mono, pink does go well with silver 

Those 5500C3s cast 1-2 oz lures very well with no modifications, but if you want to cast light lures look into all of Jason's threads about modding Ambassadeurs. I have a stock 4600C, and I'm tempted to try a shallow spool and/or the idler gear bearing and level wind bearings to give it the capability to cast lighter lures.

https://www.ashlin-fishing.com/blog/the-red-reel

[jgp12000]

Rob,
Do remember the link for the Royal Express BFS upgrade your friend did?

It would be nice to have them both in one thread for my 63 year old brain to find.

[tincanary]

Rob,
Do remember the link for the Royal Express BFS upgrade your friend did?

It would be nice to have them both in one thread for my 63 year old brain to find.

Let this be your template.  Everything done to this 4500CS can be done to your Royal Express, assuming it's the Ultracast design.  If it is Ultracast, the foot stamping should start with 02, denoting the design is from 1992.

https://www.ashlin-fishing.com/blog/the-pier-monster-avail-tuned-ambassadeur-4500cs

[jgp12000]

Mark,

 I had some clear Big Game #15,that's what we use for stripers but next time I string it up it's getting pink...