Delaware Valley Tackle

Ya they're somewhat similar.

If anything, there is less friction as you're not fighting gravity. The line flows the way it "wants to". Line touching the blank on a bass rod is mostly a non-issue. I'm still using a transition guide but I know several builders that just skip them. I've seen some put a wrap at the contact point if the blank has a nice finish.

You have to purchase from a dealer, they'll have prices posted. Utmost tackle is the biggest one and I believe connected in some way business wise.

ABEC 5 hybrid bearings are as fast as anything a reel can use. Before investing in bearings at all I recommend pro cleaning and / or Super Tuning. The difference between bearings in a tuned reel is much less. I say this even as a Boca distributor. If you want bearings beware of the cheap ones as counterfeit bearings are common.

Not just his. If Capt Bob were around lately he'd beat me about the head and shoulders for this. lol

I see some expense savings material and hardware wise in the G vs the E series, but don't think there's anything that will adversely affect performance, reliability or longevity. There is a more stark contrast between the current Citica and Curado.

Deep cranking open water, nothing larger dia. than 10# mono. In and around cover, the same line I'd use for any other bait.

It depends on the reel. To small, or too high of an IPT and it may feel over powered by big deep cranks. The constant cranking can exacerbate line twist as well. If you're throwing small squarebills or traps in shallow rip-rap a spinning rig may actually be preferable for casting them.

How far is 3/4 of the way across your yard? How far is a "Country Mile"? Rod, line, bait all affect casting as well but I don't think you have as much of a problem as you may think.

You know Lews and Revos are built in the same factory right? Feature for feature the Lews are usually a little less expensive.

To get started as a hobby builder you don't need a lot of tools. I've also wrapped on a notched out cardboard box running the thread through a book for tension. I recommend that everyone turn their first few rods by hand. This is a little tedious, but it gives you great insight into how epoxy behaves as it sets. In addition to components you'll need a razor blade, masking tape, rod building thread, rod building adhesive, tip top adhesive, finish epoxy with syringes, cheap craft paint brush, denatured alcohol for clean up, paper towels, a rat tail file/rasp to ream the grip, a fine file/emory board etc to prep guide feet. You can cut the making tape into strips to hold guides for wrapping or as I often do use a couple wraps of elastic thread with a half-hitch. You can buy mixing cups if you want, or use old medicine measuring cups. You can get by with these supplies to get your feet wet and see if you like it and probably have a lot of it around the house already.

Craw baits will catch fish in waters that don't even have a native crawfish population.

There are still variables. Primarily, reel setup and adjustment. To compare reels all three need to be cleaned, lubed and setup the same. The Premier and Core I believe have lighter, shallower spools which will carry less inertia and as a result have slightly less max casting distance. Conversely they will start easier and cast lighter baits. Max distance is way over rated when in comes to putting fish in the boat. Accuracy rules the day. I use the golf analogy of Drive for Show & Putt for Dough.

A local club is a great way to meet people and get your feet wet in competitive fishing. How much you'll learn depends on where you're at in the learning curve and the composition of the club membership. Don't sell yourself short all the time. Simply owning a boat doesn't make one an experienced or particularly skilled angler. Sharing is a two way street. I definitely recommend the experience. As for bigger tournaments, I've been tempted a few times, but for what I want to get out of a days fishing, the expense on top of the possibility of being paired with an a__h___ for the day, I've passed up to this point. Lots of guys enjoy it though.

(Semi)slack line presentations are easier with spinning tackle IMO. Spinning doesn't automatically equal wimpy. I haul in some impressive salad on lighter rods than most would fish in a given spot.

Line weight affects the bait's action in turn affecting how often you get bit. In general I fish the lightest (smallest dia not necessarily breaking strength) line I can get away with based on anticipated fish size, cover etc.

Either is plenty powerful for bass fishing. The thing with fly rods is that you cast the line not the bait, so it's not as easy to change during an outing. I'd talk to someone familiar with the rod you're interested in and see how they cast. It's common to under or over-line fly rods to get the best performance.

If you're a fan of technique specific rod power/actions mixing brands can be a real benefit. Seem like each lineup has a few standouts and other models, maybe not so much. Same reason I don't build every rod on the same brand blank.

My brain is still bleeding from the last Mag vs. Cent brake thread. lol In my mind braking systems come in 4 basic categories: Centrifugal, Magnetic, Dual, Daiwa's Mag Force. IMO each work well enough to be usable but each has its own unique feel/effect. I prefer Cent brakes over all, for simplicity's sake with Daiwas a close second. Mag brakes are ok for flipping like aavery2 said, but when it comes to dual braking I can take it of leave it.

I've used some of their recipes primarily for Centre Pin rods and they are pretty good. As build more though, you'll see that there is some slight variation among blanks of the same model so I always static test for final running guide placement.

I've had a couple Med power Hi-mod spinning rods just shy of 7' come in at 2.9 oz. Lighter power rods can be well under that. Reel size, shape and weight combined with how you grip the reel all affects the feel too. For example, I almost never fully palm a casting reel, so I get away with a hair longer butt. Conversely, I grip a spinning reel with the stem between my pinky and ring finger, sometimes completely in front of the reel so I like a shorter butt on those. No rod would balance with the reel seat as the fulcrum point unless the butt was rediculously long. To me, "Balance" is matching a rod, reel, line and bait to all work together to make the best possible presentation, not to simply teeter on an arbitrary point like a see-saw. Accomplishing the feel you want is more challenging with production rods like you said though. I can see a cap with a washer or 2 But, 2 oz is a lot of weight percentage wise. Again, there is no right or wrong here, all personal preference. I'll even add a piece to the equation: Lots of guys talk about how a casting rod balances better with one reel than another. I have trouble understanding how this is when the reel sits right where you hold the rod (fulcrum point).

The guide needs replacing, a $7-$10 job for a competent rod builder. There are online tutorials if you want to attempt a DIY project.

Lure weight ratings are as subjective as the other "Specs" put on rods. Pay attention to how the rod feels and handles the weight and let common sense prevail. Unless you do a snap cast with a grossly over loaded rod you are not likely to experience a failure.

To each his own. 90% or better of the topics we discuss boil down to personal preference at some point. On custom builds, I definitely consider balance during the design and using an appropriate grip length and material, light weight guides and of course well designed blanks the builds feel and fish exceptionally well. Of course the client gets whatever they want, but only on very rare occasions do I add any extra weight. We pay premium prices for lightweight, sensitive blanks and can't see weighing them down unnecessarily.

This will probably take longer to type than it does to do but here goes: To remove a damaged guide soften the epoxy slightly with some gently heat ( a few passes with an alcohol torch or a few seconds with a heat gun / hair drier). Don't heat beyond what you can handle with bare hands and you won't damage anything. Use a razor blade / utility knife to scrape the epoxy & thread off the foot of the guide and pop the old guide off. Another blast of heat and pull off the tread. As it unwinds it will peel most of the old epoxy off. There will be a small ridges left where the finish met the blank. Warm one more time scrape with the edge of a credit card, plastic knife, thumbnail etc. Remove remaining residue by scraping lightly with a razor blade held perpendicular to the blank. Don't slice with it and cut into the blank. Final clean up can done with a wipe of denatured alcohol. Use a thin strip of tape or elastic thread to secure the new guide temporarily and wrap & finish as usual. Remember to prep the guide foot for easy wrapping. When matching guides remember that the size is measured by the ID of the frame ring, not the opening in the insert. Most suppliers have pictures that will help you match up or you can try to get component info from the manufacturer (maybe even a free guide). Sometimes I use Threadmaster 1 part Finish for repairs like this, but if mixing epoxy go ahead and mix a batch of at least 1.5cc of each part and measure & mix carefully. Mixing less can result a finish that doesn't cure properly. There will be some waste but in the grand scheme of things epoxy is cheap. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.