S Hovanec

Don't know about loyalty, but to get the boat that I want and rig it how I want, that's about how much I'd have in it.

I'm curious as to why no aluminum also. IMO, that's where where you'll get your best deal. If I had $60k to spend on a boat right now.....is still be getting a tin boat.

I would fish any mono out there before spooling up with vanish if another FC wasn't available.

Its just what is to be expected with Vanish. The fish vanish......your lures vanish....you get the picture. Riprap isn't kind to any line tho.

10# PowerPro with a 6# P-Line Halo leader.

He needs to find out. Some manufacturers will even provide the guide.

I love to tell this story (cause it wasn't my combo). 4 miles out on Erie in about 50'. I hear a splash. I look back to see my buddy's new SCV/Stella DS combo slowly sinking into the abyss. Then another splash.....he dove after it, but not totally out of the boat. His knees were still in the splashwell. He managed to go deep enough to scoop under the rod and he came up with it. He put it in the rod rack and grabbed his SCIV/Certate combo and fished for a while. Guess he figured if he had butterfingers, better off dropping the 'cheap' combo! lol I just delivered both rods to him that morning. We spooled them up and went fishin'.

Warranty or not, it'll still be more cost effective to repair it locally than ship it back.

Metal stringer with all the hooks open. Put it on a HEAVY rod and start dredging.

There's only about 20 or so models to choose from. Find out which one it is and go the mudhole route. Or, find a local builder to do the repair. It'll probably be cheaper in the long run if you don't already have finish and thread. Shipping on the guide alone will likely cost more than a local repair shop.

Not a fan on the Mojo series. To me, they feel 'dead' when compared to the same models in other series. Saying that, I've only handled 2 models for comparison. The 2 models I use the most..... 68MXF and 69MLXF.

He might be getting 'Vanished'? I use a very wet Palomar without issue.

Least expensive combo in my boat is a Rainshadow ISB822.5 with a Stradic 2500 (the old pearl white one). Never worked up a price on the rod and I think the reel was in the $80 range.

Bought my Lund in 2005. I installed 3 Optimas at that time and I haven't taken them out since.

I have friends that lost coolers and equipment to a seiche while shore fishing on Erie. Water rose about 4' and was gone again in minutes.

Possibly a seiche. http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/seiches.htm http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/Seiche-Lake-Erie-tsunami-swamps-Lake-County-marinas-this-past-weekend http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/high_winds_cause_lake_erie.html

You don't need to drop a bunch of $ to get in to the craft. I've been building for 10 years and still use a hand wrapper. I bought a power wrapper about a month ago and it's still in the box. I need to take the time to expand some, but been too busy to do it.

Guess I should have opened your link before posting! That's kinda what I was thinking.

My thoughts would be to utilize a traditional rod, but remove the rear grip and replace it with some kind of hollow tube that opens to reveal compartments. The blank would still be through the center to maintain strength through the grip section.

If you're gonna use Recoils, use a SiC or Alconte tip. You won't be sorrry!

Of all the guides I've used over the years, I've only had one insert pop out on any rod I've built or repaired. It was on a brand new ice rod I just built the night before I was gonna use it. By the time we got the gear sledded to the pond, the insert was hanging on the line. Defect? Maybe. My money is on the abuse that little rod took on the 45 minute sled ride in the woods. Inserts just don't fall out without some help.

I've built a couple on Batson SW967. The guys seem to like them. Can't remember the specs off the top of my head tho.

It amazes me how many people will spend $25 and up plus the warranty charge to ship a rod back with a broken guide. For typically < $10, it can be fixed BETTER than new by a local builder. The more returns for minor things, the higher the prices of rods become.

I pretty much fish with just one rod/reel all season. Actually I use 3 or 4 but they're all ml/xf, so yes, I could just use one.

How about a bilge full of water? Extra weight will rob RPMs and speed.