The_Natural

This is simply due to the spool weight. The more line a spool holds....the heavier it becomes. 150yds+ of line weighs quite a bit, and your baits are having a hard time trying to accelerate the spool when you cast. When you do launch your bait....heavier spools are harder to stop as well, and are more prone to backlashing. It just comes with the territory of reels that hold a lot of line....

I think when St. Croix made the Legend Tournaments a split-grip....they lost balance. I think the mistake lies in the handle length. You can't have a full handle that balances out the rod nicely, and then replace it with a split grip and expect it to balance. You simply need to bump up the reel seat an inch or two. The Legend Tournament is one of the Best Looking if not THE best looking rod I've ever seen, but it is definitely tip-heavy.

eh.... I admittedly was very anti-split grip before the Steez rods came out. I hadn't held a split grip that didn't seem tip-heavy. It seems that Abu corrected this problem by increasing the handle length. If you notice...the Vendetta has a longer trigger handle than other rods of the same length. This helps balance out the rod. Smart. Granted the blank is the most important piece regarding a rods performance....lighter overall weight equals more sensitivity. I'm a firm believer in that. Less pressure on the hand makes vibrations stand out more. A 10lb fishing rod weighing down your hand just won't be as sensitive as a featherweight 3.5oz stick that floats in your palm....think about it. That is an extreme example.....the difference in a 4.7oz rod and a 3.4oz rod isn't going to be that dramatic...but the theory still applies.

Just buy the compressor I have from TCP Global and you will be in business. It comes with a moisture tap and auto pressure regulator. It is a powerful little dude...it has a 1/5hp diaphram pump. It is $149.99 on their website, but I bought mine on ebay for a 'buy it now' price of $119.99. It's the TC-20T.

It's just so hard to find someone that has actually paid retail for a new Dobyns. They seem to have tons of pro-staffers on ever board I visit. The Texas Fishing Forum has dozens. I have no doubt Dobyns makes a good rod...I know a few guys locally that are staffers and they wouldn't just endorse anything. However, I can't help but wonder if they hand out 'pro-staff' positions just to sell rods. You generally buy 10 or more rods when you become a staffer for a rod company, and it just seems weird when you have more pro-staff than customers.

I honestly think marketing a rod is quite easy right now. If you are a custom rod builder....this may be your chance to become mainstream. Today's consumer is obviously putting looks at the forefront of their buying motives....even guys who swear by and own higher-end rods are trying Abu's new Vendetta. Why? It looks hot. If I was a builder; I would order a few thousand Batson RX-6 blanks and start building split foam grip rods with a cool color. Take that RX-6 blank and add polished winding checks and a Fuji reel seat painted metallic red and you have a hot item that could fetch $125 or more. Hot looks make the consumer perceive the rod as superior. St. Croix's Mojo started the trend, and Abu Garcia and Wright & Mcgill have followed. Loomis must not have a marketing person on staff, because they are sitting on a gold mine with the GL2 blank. Revamp that Gl2 with split foam grips and a cool blank color and you have a huge seller....guaranteed. This may be the easiest market trend to identify I've ever seen. Flechero....want to go in business?

Haha...RW must be blushing

I'll add that I am using UPol Clear #1 to clearcoat my baits. I struggled for a while as to whether to build a drying wheel and use epoxy, or just use aerosol clear. My H&T baits answered that question. They are 5 years old, and the epoxy is yellowing pretty bad. I thought regular clearcoat was too thin, but the Upol sprays on very thick...thicker than any aerosol I have used. I'm also giving each bait two coats. True clearcoat is significantly more clear than epoxy or glue, and really makes your paint 'pop'. However, durability is in question I guess and I can only answer that after using them for a while.

I've only got one receipt for all three airbrushes along with all the other stuff I bought (you can't have it ). You should be fine with the warranty though...even though I can't imagine you would use it.

That bluegill looks stellar Idlov2fish.....I'm working my way up to the more difficult patterns. My wife was giving me a hard time yesterday; I had an airbrush in my hand...a blowdryer on my lap...and baits taped up all over the place. Greatness.....

How about a thread that shows and references custom painted baits and what was used to create them? I know when I bought my airbrush, I tried to do a search to find all the threads that had custom painted baits. Well.....here is a thread that shows the what and how. Custom painters...don't just show us your pics....we may want to try and replicate your bait. List your procedure and colors to help us out. Green apple baits.... Paint the entire bait in a bone color (createx opaque white + several drops of transparent medium brown + a few drops of transparent yellow). This doesn't have to be exact...bone is easy to make. Just mix some white with a little brown and yellow, and Voila! You have bone. f Once the whole bait is painted in bone, rinse your brush and load up a little bit of Createx lime green pearl. Spray the lime green at an angle starting at the top and fading down half way. Rinse your brush and load up some Createx medium brown. Stand the bait on end and start at the tail and spray the medium brown directly on center moving up and down to coat the back. Don't initiate too much paint flow...this will cause a screw-up. Big M and you other guys....When you paint and post a bait(s).....list the paint and technique used to help out everyone. I'm hoping to create a huge reference thread of baits.

Putting my new brush to work. I painted these Carmel Apple with an orange throat.

No biggie if you want a different brush, but I honestly don't think you want something smaller than 1/3oz...I can burn through that 1/3oz pretty quick while spraying a basecoat on a few cranks. Anyhoo...I'm going to ebay them tomorrow if no forum members want them, just trying to pass on some savings. FYI....this is just the brush, which come with a wrench and oil. Whoever buys the first one will get an inline moisture trap as well....which I got free with one of them.

You really don't 'set the hook'...just lean into the fish and keep pressure. Pressure is the main thing...you MUST keep your rod bent. Like KVD and many contemporary crankbait power fisherman....I much pefer a 6.2:1 ratio reel when cranking, and feel it really aids in keeping pressure on the fish. You will lose your fish if you get any slack in your line...plus, when you feel him coming up to jump...shove your rod tip down in the water. A bass jumping is the easiest way to have your crank come unbuttoned.

Good for a paintbrush, but to be honest with you....you put way too much work into those baits to not use an airbrush to finish them. Just keeping it real....

Brand new. I broke my Iwata HP-C, and found such a good deal on these HP-CS's that I bought three. I kept one for myself, and I can say that it is a drastic improvement over my HP-C. I got better at airbrushing the instant I started playing with it this weekend. The best deal you can find on this brush online is at TCP Global for $119.99...way below retail. I will let each of these go for $95. If you are wanting to start painting cranks....this is your chance.

I've only painted td-z's though, and wouldn't feel comfortable being paid to paint a reel for someone. Calfish over on Tackle Tour paints reels for folks...I think he charges like $60. Just go register on the TT message boards and shoot Calfish a PM....

I've got some of those Mimic B3's...nice baits. They run with a tight action, which is rather rare for a large and bulbous bait. After receiving and fishing the Mimic B3, I urged Kelly to do a B2. We'll just have to see if he comes through. Reproductions can be great....I feel Zoom's E2 is every bit as good as the original Bagley B2, and is a secret weapon in several pro's boxes. The Zoom E2 has recorded two elite wins in the past two years. However, they will run you $25...not much of a savings over an old B2 that will run you $35-$50. I hate to ruin my game, but I'm buying a lot of beat up bagleys on ebay. The collectors aren't interested in beat up bagley's, which makes them available for $10-$13. I just bought two B1's and a B2 for a great price. They are missing paint, but will repaint well. The cues I look for are a high line tie (right out of the nose) and I look for an aggressively arched back on the B1's. I will post my repaints when Dwain Batey sends them back to me. He is a master....

Are you freakin' kiddin me? I'm ashamed I didn't know about the Charlie-O and apparently it just cost me. I was searching Ebay for balsa big-O's and ran into a pair of Charlie O's. They were in pristine condition, and I was perplexed as to why bidding was up around $12 for a pair of plastic cranks. I meant to search and see if they were 'special', but didn't. The pair went for $16.

I think the colored foregrip covers when combined with black handle wrap gives any rod an enthusiast flare. I fished with a local guy who saw my rods, and commented on them. He just assumed they were 'some special pricey rods' (in his words). After explaining what I had done, I offered to do his rods, which was only a couple. He had Castaway rods and Green Curado's, so my grey heat shrink looked great on his foregrips, and I wrapped his trigger handles in Prince Durapro plus handle grip and he was extremely pleased with the results. His Castaway/Curado combos looked sweet, and he instantly became proud of them. We all know combos you are excited about catch more fish .

1. Yes, you are wrong in the case of Megabass. Since Megabass started official distribution in the U.S., there is a workmanship/materials warranty for 1 year. 2. Jackall has a warranty for workmanship/materials for 1 year. 3. Evergreen currently has no warranty inside the U.S. because all EG rods are considered to be bootlegs or unofficial products. Don't thank Loomis or St. Croix for the warranty. Thank your buddies who purchase those rods. You and they are picking up the tab, not the manufacturers. This is incorrect. Tom Ashby, who owns Gloomis.us, is not only a certified Evergreen dealer....but he is the largest evergreen dealer on the net. He is also the largest Megabass dealer on the net....right here in Indiana. http://www.gloomis.us/EVERGREEN-INTERNATIONAL-140247.aspx

Just curious- when you use family money to buy do you add it back to the budget when you sell? So the "family" budget sees that profit? And if you decide to keep it, do you pay back the family budget? This is part of the reason our budget has "fun money" which is just grown up allowance. ;D No house funds are used for fishing/hunting gear. Yes, when I use family money and not my allotted spending money; the profit goes toward bills. A couple of years ago I would have kept them without question, but with my wife in grad school..... we have student loan bills piling up.

Lack of puncuation is down right painful! Anyway...the Zebco Omega boasts the most features of any spincast reel by far...it is the Steez of Spincasters. Other manufacturers don't really offer a 'high-end' spincaster. The Omega has twice as many bearings (6) as the second best offerings (Abu's Abu-Matic and Daiwa Silercrest), and features a solid aluminum frame and brass worm/drive gears. The soft touch line disengaging button is also nice. So essentially....the Omega is twice as expensive as the Abu-Matic or Daiwa Silvercrest, but arguably makes up for it with more features. Personally...I choose the Omega due to the fact it has a twin-knob 'regular' baitcasting handle....not a little one-knobber. If you want use this 'Woo Daves' style and bass fish....pair it with any casting rod. When Woo beat all the Pro's on the Mississippi river with his Zebco 404....it was greatness.

As most of you know, I buy and sell a few items a month to make a little extra cash. However, I'm struggling with selling these two rods. My first Loomis was an IMX 844, and my next two were IMX 843's which I used as spinnerbait rods, so the nostalgia factor is huge. I also think the 843 is the best spinnerbait rod on the planet. Whenever I find a good deal, and intend to sell it for profit...I use 'family money', and it comes out of our budget. I purchased them for a ridiculous price, but regardless, I have to look at my 'cost' as what I could sell them for. So yeah...I got a little excited and dressed them up in hopes I can keep them. If not, I will list them in the flea market soon, and hope someone keeps them as-is so I can live vicariously through them

No matter which you choose, just make sure it has an aluminum frame.