Delaware Valley Tackle

Bismuth is probably the closest to lead's characteristics but weighs about 80% what lead does. In some circles there is doubt about what the level of enforcement will be. I know we can't pick and choose what laws to obey, but really.

LOL, Are you the guy that made up the fake Klingon language for Star Trek?

My special spinnerbait rod is a custom 6' M/F with a short rear grip. I use it to make accurate low roll casts to targets. For fan casting I'll throw them on one of my 7' MH/F T-rig rods or occasionally on my glass crankin rod.

FWIW, speaking as both an angler and reel tech, I HATE the "instagage" type flipping switches. They are almost always a weak link and are more trouble than they're worth. If anything, look at one of the Daiwas with the thumb bar lever on to so you can snap he clutch back without reeling or moving your hand.

Grab a Curado 51E on close out (or other lefty of your choice) and I'll tune it for you. Max free spool is the key and on a reel with a light spool and low line capacity pitch casting ie even easier.

Chris, In addition to the blank you will need guides, a tip top, reel seat, size A thread rod building thread, epoxy adhesive, epoxy finish and grips. You'll need an arbor material for the reel seat. My recommendation would be a foam/graphite arbor. Spiral wrapped with micro running guides are the way I would build a jig rod. You can buy single use epoxy kits that are all measured out and ready but if you screw up or take too long you mau have to reorder to be able to finish. If you don't go with pre-measured kit you'll need syringes to measure. The mix must be perfect on the finish or it won't cure correctly. You'll need a couple cheap craft brushes to apply the epoxy. You can use the handle as a mixing stick. You can buy mixing cups or use what I use, the bottom of an aluminum soda can. Just be sure to clean with denatured alcohol. You'll need some denat and paper towels to clean up epoxy before it sets up. You'll want some rubber winding checks to finish off the grips and reel seat. You can email or call me if you want to discuss further. Mike

I don't know anyone local to you but I am the sponsor of the Bass Resource Rod & Reel Forum. I extend a 10% discount to members which whould go toward offsetting shipping. I'd be happy to be of service. PM, email or call anytime. Mike

Done!

Interpreting and adjusting electronics is a topic many of us can stand to learn more about. Thanks for posting!

Welcome, Steve!

Welcome, congrats on a successful season. I'm sure a lot of us will enjoy picking your brain about walleye in the Other Species forum.

Welcome Ben! I enjoy crankbait fishing too. I grew up bouncing cranks off the rip-rap lining the Mohawk Barge Canal in upstate NY.

One of the best things about this forum is the diversity of its members and the way everyone is treated regardless of their experience level, age, ... The only dumb question is the one you fail to ask!

I havent gotten into this but I have worked on a few that were painted. Be sure to mask off all screw holes, release latches, seal edges etc. A little over spray in the wrong place makes some real headaches.

Reels are designed and built to perform in conditions expected during fishing. Although it can happen, complete submersion is not "normal" use. Bearings come with shields, not seals. Waiting until you see symptoms means damage is already being done. The reel in question needs cleaning and re-lubing. Get your hands on either some Cals or Shimano drag grease and use it on the drag and gears. The Shimano oil that came with the reel will suffice for the bearings and level wind. Down load a schematic and have it handy. Keep in mind that it is primarily a parts list and does not necessarily show the order of dis/reassembly. Take your time.

The numbers are sizes. The biggest difference is line capacity.

I believe the s in PTs stands for salt and that the main difference is the finish. There may be other small differences in component material but I don't think the bearings are different. If they are any different casting shouldn't be any affected either way.

Either reels drag will give before any damage is sustained on the inner workings. The weight reduction of the Carbinlite claims to be accomplished through the use of Duralumin drive gear, shaft, and worm gear. The alloy is light and hard. A one piece aluminum frame should be strong. I'd put the reels you have in service based on line retrieve. The E7 is the faster of the two.

The greatest chance of slipping is while tying. If you lose your grip on a tag end you can slip the knot before it is cinched. Once tied correctly it is a strong low profile knot.

Ci4 2500 is my favorite that I own. Pflueger President is my favorite bang-for-the-buck spinning reel and the Daiwa Certate is one of the most impressive I've handled (pricey though).

You can expect a reel to get wet during normal use but a dunking is another matter. Even in what appears to be clear water there are fine contaminants and it doesn't take much to gum up close tolerances. Also the water and oil/grease can emulsify rendering the lube nearly useless. Shipping to and from Mexico is pricey no doubt about it. (about $23 each way by PO website estimate). RM is right, Quantums can be a real bear to work on. Which ever way you decide to go, let me know if I can help.

x2 especially since you're hearing noise

A lighter rod of the same power will generally be more sensitive. Typically when people speak of balace they are referring to the feel of the rod when held in a fishing position. This could be descibed as tip-heavy, butt heavy or neutral. IMO keeping the rod as light as possible and with a comfortable grip size and length produces the best performance.

Putting our foot in our mouth is what defines some of us.lol

The MHX are great blanks. Personally, I'm more concerned with grip length and size than with balance point so I know where the seat will go when I order a blank. If you tell mudhole the info They'll pull the right size seat. They'll also recommend blanks if you tell then what you want to do with it. My recommendation would be to wait to see how you like it before investing in a lot of equipment. Turning by hand gives you a lot of insight into how epoxy behaves too. Alpster's right on the winding checks. Color Preserver (CP) is not mandatory. I depends on the look you're going for. You can accomplish nearly the same goal using NCP (colorfast) thread as using regular thread with CP. Regular thread w/o CP will go translucent which is cool sometimes. Many blanks including the MHX come with decals. Mudhole is having a rod building class in Raleigh in Feb.That's about 3hrs from you. A little guidance goes a long ways and the supplies and components are all included. You'll want a couple under your belt anyway before you build a real keeper. Get Tom Kirkmans book and read up here: http://rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 At first you may get more confused as we each have our own way of doing many things. We do agree for the most part on the basic best practices though.