S Hovanec

Every blank I've ever built on had a slight bend and it's not necessarily located on the spine of the rod. Only once did I reject a blank due to the curve, and that was because it changed directions 3 different times in the tip section. Most manufacturers build on the straightest axis, as do I. It's difficult to detect the curve in that orientation. I always position the curve so that the tip is up. Let me also add that I would NEVER buy a rod off the shelf in a store. I've seen how they are shipped, handled by employees and customers. If an 'over the counter' rod fails, you can bet that it was damaged before you ever bought it.

Sometimes it's just a musky eat dog kind of day! And then he takes ALL of that cork and does THIS! which is why I refuse to use GOOD cork on his rods!!

If I was gonna spend $50 on a blank, it wouldn't be a MHX import when a SCIII can be had for an additional $10. I also may be biased as I've built 3 MHX's in the past and wasn't impressed with them one bit. But, If I were to go the import route, I'd be looking at a Rainshadow RX-7. Just my opinion.

Finding that I'm doing this myself more and more on my personal builds. I'm gonna try the Ti/Alconite K-frames on my next build tho. They offer a pretty good savings over the Ti/SiC's Truthfully, the only reason I use the Ti/SiC's is because I Iike the color of the frame! Once you get into the #4's, there's not much weight difference between the Ti and SS frames.

Not a fan of a Recoil for the tip. I'd use an Alconite or TiSiC. LOVE Tennessee grips! Haven't played with the Microwaves yet so I have no opinion. I'd probably go with ML. If you venture close to the bottom end of your lure ratings, a M will be too much rod to cast very well. The lure won't load it enough. IM ratings are a joke anymore. Nothing more than marketing, so don't look too much into them. I can tell you what I'm using for this type of rod and what I'm gonna build over the winter for myself. Currently using a St. Croix 5S69MLXF. It's my favorite rod, EVER. I've built many many in this action and power in SCIII, SCIV and SCV. All have performed fantastically. On the books for my new build is a 5S610MLXF. It's the 2013 replacement for the 6'9". The only reason I'm building is..... you can never have too many rods! Gonna pass the 6'9" on to the wife cause she needs another finesse rod!

Picked up the Shikari's in 2005 from Bingham. Got the All Stars at the ICRBE in 2006.

Thank you all for the compliments. It didn't bring as much as I would have hoped, but every little bit helps. Tickets were $5 each or 3 for $10. The guy that won it got a SMOKIN' deal. $10 for a rod that I would have charged $385+ tax for. Blank: All Star IGSH1202-2 (10'-0" ML/Fast) One of the last USA made AllStars. I still have one of these left in my personal inventory. Guides: Pac Bay Minima, Fuji Alconite tip. Winding Check: Batson AWWCO Reel Seat: Batson RA-8.5 Wood: reelseatblanks.com Green box elder burl (finished with TruOil) Grips: burl cork Decal: Decal Connection peel-n-stick (green over silver)

Instead of an auction this year, the club sold raffle tickets. The raffle took in $215 for the Conservation school..

Maybe not as deep as I thought. The LX's are only 30% off, but the LT's are 50% off.

No stores I know of have any SCIV or SCV's on the rack and if they did, I wouldn't want to buy one. Have you seen the way people fling, flip and whack rods in stores? I don't think the 2013 LX's on the market yet. Go to the St. Croix website store and look in the bargain room. last year's are on close-out for a deep discount. http://www.stcroixrods.com/shop/catalog/Freshwater-23-1.html

I tied a piece of metallic thread into the wrap about 1/8" after I started it. Then I folded it back and continued to wrap the guide. Once I was almost finished, I layed the trim thread back over the wrap and continued to wrap over it, pulling the trim taught. About 3 or 4 wraps from completing, I trimmed off the excess trim thread and finished the wrap. It's easier to do than explain!

For the past two years, I've been donating a rod to a local Sportsman's League for their annual banquet. The rod is auctioned off and the proceeds go to the Youth Conservation Leadership Camp that the league sponsors. The first year, I just did a basic assembly rod...a 5' UL St. Croix SCIII. The only special thing was the club's pin inlayed in the butt cap. Last year, I stepped it up a bit and build a 5'9" UL Shikari SHIII with a green box elder burl reel seat and some inlayed burl cork on the grips. It too had the club's pin inlayed in the butt. Figuring since I did trout/panfish rods in the previous years, I wanted to do something a little more special......I opted to build a 10' steelhead rod. This is what I came up with:

I use a moderate rod with fluoro. I believe the sinking properties aide getting the crankbait deeper.

Loomis stopped selling their blanks in 2009. Look in to St. Croix SCV or North Fork HM

And a well made mid-level custom can still be a better stick than some of the so called high end production rods.

Check the guides for cracked/chipped guide inserts. Take a Q-tip or cotton ball and run it around the inside of each guide. If it pulls off tufts of cotton...there's your culprit.

Wouldn't change a thing cause I'm already fishin' them. My custom St. Croix's and NFC's.

Don't know what size micros are used on the Duckett rods but I use 10/2 powerpro with a 6# or 8# leader on my dropshot rods that are built with 3.5mm and 4mm Fuji's. You can hear the knot ticking through the guides, but it passes with no problems. A 2'-3' leader is way too short for dropshotting. One break-off or re-tie and you have to tie on a new leader. I use 15'-18' on my leaders. never have to tie a new one all day.

I believe you are correct, but the law reads that one if required if a person "takes, kills, or possesses, while in the act of fishing, a trout or salmon from any PA or boundary waters". I don't kill or possess them, but I have taken them, albeit by accident. I feel that if I am seen catching one by the wrong officer, I would be in line for a citation. Or if I kill one upon release, and I don't have the trout stamp, I'm once again in violation. It's a nice $9 insurance policy!

This chart should illustrate how the various actions compare. Remember, one company's F can be another company's XF. http://www.shfishins...sed-3-11-11.pdf

Yes it does look like a cool rod. That thing would be a dock skipping fool! Looks like a neat blank to put a pistol grip on too!

I was in Mt. Pleasant last night....... Salooms funeral home. Boss's dad died. New fishing partners are always welcome. Might have an open seat this weekend for a half-day at Yough Dam.

It should. Senkos are HEAVY! I throw them weightless on some of my baitcaster set-ups. I haven't been to Greenlick in years. Are you local to the lake?

Not gonna happen! I don't even fit in a Smartcar!

Bad primer ball? Disintegrating fuel lines from ethanol? Plugged-up fuel tank vent?