Delaware Valley Tackle

Can you expand on the two philosophies and how they differ?

I'm not aware of any such kit. I'd have to start from scratch and see If I could make it work. I have some reservations though.

With perch, panfish, crappie, walleye and trout so readily available I have no inclination to eat a bass of any species or size.

Handle length has an obvious impact on the feel of the finished rod but there are other factors. Followed strictly, this theory would give like create an awkwardly long grip on a 7'6" or 8' flippin' stick for example. There is no right or wrong, build what feels good to you.

Way above what the price indicates. Same can be said for the similarly priced Rainshadow blanks. I have a steelhead float rod on a 13' MHX blank and am very pleased with it. The Rainshadow is available in 3pc so I'll be trying that next.

You'll have more to choose from and much better off in the long run if you save up $100 for a bait casting reel. BPS Pro Qualifier on sale is a great value, the Mettle reels get good reviews but we don't have Academy here so I have no hands on. A Citica, Revo S, Lews models, Daiwa Exceller or Tatula, any name brand model that lits for $100> will be good quality and can be picked up second hand for well under the MSRP.

Did the rod break or just the guide ? New tip top is an easy fix. If broken the rod may be salvageable to some degree but it depends on the specifics of the rod and the break.

Not necessarily it depends on what your expectations are. That's probably not something I'd have bothered with but it's a personal call. Level wind bearings are somewhat irrelevant except in a non disengaging reel like the Ambassadeur.

Nice. The grip inlay came out really well

Where will the 14 mm fit? You'll want 8-11 behind the seat. I'm average build and find that 10" grip on a 7' bass rod is long enough for two hand casting but won't get hung in clothes.

It's good practice to dry fit everything prior to glue up. This is a good time to see how things feel. If you have a rod you like or wish was a little different use it as a baseline.

Keep in mind, there is no industry standard for the terms Fast, XF etc. A St Croix "Fast" is faster than some others etc.

It's personal preference. I often keep my casting grip in place and occasionally palm the entire reel. It just depends on what I'm doing and what's comfortable at the time.

Certain reels excell in certain applications but whatever bait you throw isn't going to damage a reel at all

Waitstaff is one thing, they depend on tips as their main income. 20% is standard for me in that case. Other circumstances, what ever you feel good about should suffice.

Too many people "cheap out" on spinning reels because the casting isn't mechanical so the differences aren't as immediately obvious as with a casting reel. The difference between a $40 and $60 spinner can be pretty noticeable. The point of diminishing returns on a spinning reel is a little lower, somewhere around $175-$200 where as for baitcasters I'd put it closer to $250 and it's hard to get a really good caster for much under $100.

I hear that. And I'm the type, give it gas and make it go- I'm there. But those things and fishing just don't play well with each other.

From what I've seen of the I reels what you see is normal. A rigid fairly light reel is less apt to run 100% silently and spinning and cranking a reel in hand is not necessarily the best indicator of what it will be like on the water. As for being "Packed" with grease, it's just that they grease the spool bearings to offset minimal maintenance schedules. Flushing and oiling them will improve casting.

The only problem with braid on top waters is fouling from the limpness. I throw a lot of small poppers on spinning tackle so it's braid for line manageability and casting with a 1-2 foot leader of mono which alleviates the fouling. If you're missing bites it's not because of you're quicker than the fish. They aren't fully committed or you're setting on the visual strike and not waiting to feel them.

The best thing you can do is learn to apply finish without introducing bubbles in the first place. Granted, it happens and needs to be dealt with but .ghotti is right about not learning to depend on flame.

The B38 is a sweet cranking reel and getting hard to find. If it's in decent condition, sell it for $75 and buy a reel more suitable for the application. You'll be way ahead of the game by the time you souce parts etc.

Vertical finesse fishing- 6'8" ML / XF spinning. You can fish a fairly heavy weight this way since you're not loading the rod to cast. You still have the light tip for feel.

The intention, I assume is to provide lateral support for the spool when under load.

Not that exact blank but other NFC HM models. Nice blanks for sure but over priced imo and supply has been a problem.

Once you determine that you do indeed want to trim the butt, keeping the cut square is the hardest and most imortant part. A thin kerf cut off wheel on a chop saw is nice. If you're careful you can wrap tape around where you want to cutand follow the line with a Dremel cut-off wheel, or a fine tooth hacksaw as a last resort. Think carefully before cutting and envision the effect it will have. Too short a handle on an 8 footer may not feel good. An inch or two won't be noticed, but 4-6" might be a game changer. Just take your time.