S Hovanec

There are some Hondas in service with the coast guard that are in the 15000-20000 hour range.

Yep. They were picked up last night.

I feel better now. At least there's ONE rod in his collection without the tape!

Bluegill. Cause they're sooo tasty!

There he goes covering up the cork again!

Impossible. I'm a pretty strong swimmer, but 3-4 miles off shore doesn't happen without a boat!

Most people comparing rods with and without micros aren't really doing it properly. Blanks need to be identical. Not a MH Duckett with micros and a MH Bionic Blade without. By identical, I don't mean 2 rods with the same specs. Even rods of the same model will have differences. The blanks are all hand sanded, so minor variations will occur. I have had 3 rods of the same model in my shop before and without lookking at the labels, you couldn't tell they were the same, they felt that different. Apologies to the OP for derailing your thread.

Any time you remove weight from a rod, its a good thing. So called micro guides remove the weight from a location where its the most critical, the tip section. Is it a lot of weight? No. Does it make a difference in feel? Most definitely, especially on lite and medium lite rods. For years, 6mm guides have been the standard running guide for most manufacturers. Heres a little example. A 6mm alconite fly guide weighs 2 grains. A 4mm alconite fly guide weighs 0.67 grains. A rod with 6 runners would realize a weight savings of 8 grains, or the equivalent of 4 6mm guides. Is it a mental thing? Maybe. But I know I love the feel of my dropshot rods with the 3.5mm and 4mm TiSiC, and I can feel the difference between my old one with the 6mm guides on it. You should use the smallest guide to pass your connections.

Thanks for the link. The 2000HGS has my name all over it! Been wanting another CI4, but not with the red.

I was all set to get a new Sustain last summer, til I played with one at a Field and Stream store. I was quite underwhelmed. It was nowhere near as smooth as the other 2 older Sustains I have. Ended up getting a clearance CI4 3000 instead, saving much $$$.

This is the second 3s60lf I've built. I'm not sure I'd want to use it for smallies. I'd probably bump up to the ML.

I've been procrastinating again. Gotta have these two done and delivered before Christmas eve, so I knocked out a couple grips this weekend. Blank: 5S60MLF-G Cork: Dark Mix block from Bingham Reel Seat Hardware: 17MM Fuji Cobra skeleton Butt Cap: Mudhole Winding Check: Batson Guides: Fuji ICYSG with ICLSG runners. Decal will be Decal Connection Black over silver Blank: 3S60LF Cork: Burnt block from Bingham Reel Seat Hardware: Mudhole Tribal Ink insert with Fuji skeleton (Didn't like the AmTak skeleton that came with it) Butt Cap: Mudhole Winding Check: Mudhole Guides: Fuji ICYSG with ICLSG runners. Decal will be Decal Connection Purple over silver Got the SCV wrapped tonight. Will wrap the SCIII tomorrow and put the first coat of finish on the SCV.

5 year (could be 6 or 7??) without a uni-Uni knot failure. Even had a couple hooks break on fish with that knot. I do typically retie a new leader every day tho.

That's the high school custodian starter kit!

I have many DS set-ups. These are my favorite two. Croix 5S69MLXF. Stradic Mg 2500 (not pictured). 10# PowerPro. 6# Halo leader. NFC DS610 IM. CI4 2500. 8# PowerPro. 6# Halo leader.

Have that rod in SCIII with TiSiC guides. Hated it til I put braid on it. Didn't have enough balls to stick a smallie with straight fluorocarbon.

Happens to me on Erie all the time. Guess there's a shortage of good water everywhere except under my boat.

No need for it to be a dream, I already have it. Custom St Croix. 5s69mlxf.

If local stores had what I need,I wouldn't order online.

Rod: St. Croix customs Reel: Shimano Line: Powerpro Leader: Seaguar or PLine Hooks: Owner

The talent of some people doing the thread art is outstanding. In the bass rod market, people won't spend the kind of money required to make doing a wrap worthwhile. Prices for a decrative wrap or weave alone are close to half or more of what I charge for a build.

They are nothing but decoration IMO. They may offer some protection for the blank.

There is braided material that is about 1/8" wide or so. Gudebrod used to have it. Karen at Bingham carries the Makoi brand of it now. I think there are 5 or 6 colors currently.

Rods: St Croix, NFC, Rainshadow (all custom) Reels: Shimano.

Had the pleasure of having dinner with him a couple times at the ICRBE. That story never gets old and its even better in person. And got sued many many times for using it. I have one of the first brochures for NFC from 2010. On the inside, it says "Hi, I'm Gary......you know the rest." For years, he wasn't allowed to use his name in anything associated with rods.