Delaware Valley Tackle

Custom tackle making, be it rods, baits, jigs or lures adds a sense of satisfaction to each catch which is the real reason to pursue the craft. Cost savings may or may not materialize. If the do, icing on the cake!

Some metal shields are removable and some aren't. If they have a small wire clip you can usually get them off with a needle or dental pick type tool. The Boca pliers work well. They are hinged to work as a press so they push straight down unlike the old fashioned flat nose ones. I have an extra pair new in the bubble wrap if you want them. The Hedgehawg tool looks like a design I had thought about but couldn't quite pull off. lol

A combination of the following in this order IMO: Handle length & material blank construction components (more & heavier guides, heavy epoxy finishes) I'd much rather have as light a total weight as possible and the most comfortable grip length. There is almost always some weight or pressure on the tip from the bait and don't personally notice or pursue the perceived "weightless" feeling of a "balanced" rod. A truly tip heavy rod is usually just poor design and easily avoided in a good custom build without the addition of weight.

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but have you flushed and lightly oiled the stock bearings? Even if you go ahead with a bearing swap I recommend taking the time to do this so you see the real difference between the bearings.

If it breaks after the first fish it's likely user/handling related.

What kind of line is spooled up? Is it dug into itself? The wobbling spool doesn't sound good. Is it new enough to return for exchange?

He means Super Tuning. Polished spool shaft, inside pinion, tension spacers where appropriate. The stock bearings are flushed and lightly oiled and of course the rest of the reel gets deep cleaned.

Keep in mind that Pro (insert sport here) is really about advertising and marketing. The competition is really secondary. It's just a way to raise the competitor's profile which is what makes their endorsement valuable. Keep getting good grades, study marketing and maybe conservation or fisheries biology. Get comfortable with public speaking and network constantly getting your name and face as recognizable as possible. While you're working toward your ultimate goal, sponsor yourself. Mow lawns, wash boats, deliver newspapers anything you can to make a few bucks you can invest in your education and fishing. It costs money to make money.

With that heavy rod I assume you're not pitching finesse baits. Any quality casting reel in the $100> price range should perform just fine with proper setup. Pick one that looks and feels good to you and I'll help you get the max out it.

Pick a rod and line to fish a technique you don't have covered already, spool up the 50E and fish.

FWIW I service reels everyday and have a Tatula on the way for personal use.

Boca ABEC5 Ceramic Hybrid. As fast as a fishing reel can use, reasonably priced and backed by the company. FWIW, run them dry or save the hassle.

How about a 966 telescopic XH-Mod-F 3/8-2oz spiral wrapped, Fuji Alconite Guides, burl cork grip of custom dimensions paired with a Revo SC (custom red color from Cabelas) or 4600C3 with backing ready to be spooled with your brand of braid. PM me if you want to talk.

Snell them and wacky rig a worm or nose hook a fluke or Gulp Minnow / Leech

Plus, the OP was talking about having a rod rewrapped. The labor adds up with the stripping etc.

Ya I'm pretty sure they're all compensated for participating. I like the Marshal/Referee/Weighmaster position and the fish handling penalties. IMO the Bassmaster Tournies on ESPN etc are painful to watch on TV. Condensed down to a half hour review I could tolerate it. I enjoy more of the what where when and how, which they all lie about anyway, so...

Those don't draft a lot of water, If you can't see a crack or hole doing a careful visual inspection concentrating on the corners, my guess would be it's stored outside and taking on water around the seam. I'm putting drains w/plugs in the top / back so I can mine drain as needed. If you find a crack you can google "plastic welding". I've also seen articles that talk about using melted plastic from a milk crate.

You can just match it to next guide toward the tip. If it's a standard running guide it's most likely a 6. Rods can be successfully spliced with little perceptible affect on performance. In that section of blank I'd use an over sleeve made from a scrap fiberglass blank. The ID or the sleeve needs to closely match the blank taper about 1.5" on each side of the break. The sleeve is tapered on each end, pieces are joined with epoxy adhesive. After they are set wrap over the sleeve and coat with finish. The actual process is a little more detailed. I'll look for an article to link you to. If you know another local builder with some experience you may want some assistance with the repair.

Generally speaking, it's more cost effective to build from scratch than to rebuild a rod. About the only time I rewrap an entire rod is if it has sentimental value or the blank is unique and hard to match (which is rare nowadays). I recommend Spiral wrapping on most of my new casting builds though.

Makes me think I need a retail operation.

Line rubbing on a bass Rod is minimal concern as the rod is rarely bent that deeply and never for long. As long as there are enough guides to keep the line from bowing below the blank on a deep bend the stress is distributed sufficiently. In addition, Spine is '80s technology. Modern theory is that spine is irrelevant because the rod is not always fished on the same plane. We now build on the straightest axis.

All my personal use rods are spiral wrapped and I suggest them to clients. The spiral wrapped rod is more stable all but eliminating rotational torque. Casting improves to a degree as the line flows naturally instead of fighting gravity and you can usually get away with 1 or 2 less running guides which helps maximize the blanks responsiveness. These are small things but all help squeeze the most out of a rod.

If you don't snag them send me the contact!

If lots of filler came out the blame lies with the rod maker and age not the cleaner. Good cork is hard to find and expensive.

They make a 5min one so I think you have the one you want.