S Hovanec

LOVE the ECS seat. The ACS is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever held next to a Minima. Still on the fence about the SK2. Haven't fished one yet, just handled them in the shop. I'm not a fan of foregrips on my bass rods, but this one looks tolerable and wouldn't be a dealbreaker. The split grip, I can do without. I'm not a huge fan, but my current favorite rod does sport a split grip. Warranties have gotten out of hand. Glad to see them reigning them back in a bit. No reason to offer more than a 1 year IMO. If it doesn't blow up in the first couple outings, then there's no manufacturing defect.

2002 Silverado 1500 Z-71 LT Extended cab. 136K miles

A rod builder can give you what you're looking for with a custom! Its not that hard to extend one.

Blue Sta-Bil.

All fish are nice, some are just bigger than others. I don't get excited til the smallies get over 6#. Perch are big to me once they hit 11". Crappie have to be over 12" to get my interest. Bluegill over 10" are nice....and tasty too. Lost interest in largemouth years ago, so they don't even make my list.

Even knowing the model doesn't guarantee you'll get the right tip. They are spec'd to be one size, but in reality they can be +1 or -1 size from spec (if you're lucky). The only way to guarantee the correct tube size is to measure the blank.

Not necessary at all. I have 9 baitcasters and they rarely get used anymore. For the techniques and waters I fish, spinning rods are a better tool for the job. There's always at least 4 or 5 spinning rods rigged up on the deck and in the locker.

I've heard of some people having success dredging the area with a chain stringer with all of the hooks opened up. I love this story, cause it wasn't my rod. I just delivered a SCV drppshot rod to a customer and he put his brand spanking new Stella on it. When he showed up, it didn't even have line on it yet! I took him out on Erie to try it out. 4 miles off shore, in 50'+ of water, I hear a small splash followed by a big splash. I turn around in time to see his combo about 2' under the surface and him half way in the water grabbing for it. He managed to scoop deep enough to get under the rod and save it. Needless to say, it didn't float like the SCV/Steez casting combo I built for him a few years earlier.

My OEM plugs are NGK Iridium.

8# is the heaviest that is manageable on a 2500 size reel. If you want to go to 10#, a 4000 would be better. 6# Halo is very nice on a 2000 and 2500 reel. 8# works on a 2500.

Used Halo (and loved it) for years before switching to braid. Now I just use it for leader.

I had a couple old Legend Elites (matte green ones) that would get hazy/white when I fished in the rain, both the blank paint and the thread finish. Let them dry out in the sun for a couple days and they would go back to normal.

Almost everyone around our parts runs Tohatsu on their limited HP lake boats. We have many 9.9 and 20 HP lakes here. Of the 3 listed.......I wouldn't pick any. I'd go with Honda or Yamaha.

I don't believe they are rigid enough to use as structural members of the trailer. See them hanging out the back of trucks all the time drooping almost to the ground.

I like it. It's not as sexy as my Honda, but its pretty sharp. I can envision hydro-dipping the sideplates and top cap with a carbon fiber pattern.

As long as the rod isn't over-lined and the drag is set properly for the line, there is a very slim chance of the rod breaking. I regularly catch 10-15# catfish in my ML St Croixs with 6# line. Its all about the drag.

Get Merc controls before it leaves you stranded, looking for a tow.

Lund Mr Pike 17' with a Honda 135 for me.

I used the SCIII 6'8" MXF for years as my tube rod. Recently sold it to build a SCV 6'10" MXF. My favorite rods are the Croix MXF and MLXF

I've only worked at the International Custom Rod Building Expo. Pretty much all that is there is rod building components. Everyone there seems to make out pretty well. It does seem that people are looking for deals tho. No one wants to pay retail at a show when they can pay retail the rest of the year for the same stuff.

I haven't had a Uni fail yet with 10# Powerpro and 6# leader, even when snagged. The leader always breaks near the hook. I'll keep using it til it gives me a reason to change.

The tips are where the grooving issue is really magnified. I've replaced many grooved tips on Fenwick rods. The rest of the guides were fine, but the tips were trashed.

I like aluminum boats. If I had my choice of boat with no budget, I'd end up in another tin rig, just bunches bigger than 17'!

If it's your first boat, I'd say go used for a couple reasons: 1. You WILL make mistakes with it and scratch and dent it. You would hate to do that to a new boat. 2. You really don't know what you want in a boat yet. You may go through a couple used boats before you find what you really like. I started by rebuilding a 14' Starcraft. I fished it for a year or so and found I wanted something bigger. Bought and rebuilt a 16' Sea Nymph. Got a year out of that one before I ordered a new 17' Lund. Been in that one for 9 years. I'd say I found what I was looking for!

If the leader know is getting hung, maybe the "micro" guided rod isn't the proper tool for your application. The guides are possibly too small to freely pass the connection. Don't know what rod you're using but the MicroMagic rods are ridiculous both in number and size of guides. I join 10/2 powerpro to 6# leader with a uni-uni on my spinning rods and they pass fine through 3.5mm SiC and 4mm Alconite guides with just a slight tic.