BobP

I agree with RM that it's not so easy if the blank is repaired according to best practice. It takes trimming the break, gluing in a right-sized graphite blank piece inside the blank, then a right sized piece to fit the actual lost blank area, and finally a fiberglass over-piece to cover the repair. All of these pieces have to be selected from sections of scrap blanks to fit the taper of the broken blank, so it's really only something a pro would do since most of us don't keep/buy scrap rod blanks for this purpose. I repaired a blank broken during shipment as an exercise after it was replaced by the factory (OK, it was a high end blank and I figured what the heck, maybe I could end up with 2 rods for the price of one). It was a lot of work for a neophyte rod builder but I ended up with a very nice blank and a "freebie" rod that I have used for 10 years and like as well as its unbroken brother. Would I do it for $30 if I were a pro rod builder? No way! And I wouldn't pay the fair market price to have it done unless it was a very high end blank to begin with. JMHO

I got a couple of the 1/4 oz Scatter Shad crankbaits. If I crank them faster than VERY SLOW, they spin out. Since getting bit on a crankbait often depends on a fast retrieve, these particular Rapalas just don't hack it in my book.

My first thought would be a jerkbait. They're hard to beat in spring at that water temperature. No bites, I'd then try a bladed jig with a boot tailed plastic trailer. Then a dropshot if hell freezes over.

That little square hole in the bottom of the right side plate on a baitcaster is probably a weep hole for moisture to escape, not a lube port. It's too small to put grease into and there's nothing in there that should be lubed with just oil. Squeezing a bunch of grease in will just gum up everything and will not get to the parts that rub together and actually need to be cleaned and re-lubed.

Every rod fad seems to include "it casts farther" in the description. I've never experienced that for myself and don't care whether a rod will cast 5 ft farther because of the type of guides or the guide spacing/pattern. I do care about sensitivity for rods that I use for "touchy-feely presentations" (jigs, T-rigs, C-rigs). But line type, rod balance, and how you hold the rod have more influence on sensitivity than any guide configuration I've used. Micro guides weigh less and make for a lighter rod tip, which can help you balance your rod/reel combo. Otherwise, I'm skeptical about claims. JMHO

When I do a 100% clean and lube, I disassemble every part down to a bare frame. The process from start to finish takes 2-3 hours, not including time for the parts to dry after cleaning. I don't suggest anyone try to do this unless they have the time and a good hands-on familiarity with the reel based on taking it apart and putting it back together again and again. If you clean/lube the gears, drag, bearings, level wind, and brake raceway, you're 75% of the way to a complete service but there's still a lot of dirt hiding in a reel that can only be removed by 100% disassembly and immersion/scrubbing in a cleaning solution - or alternatively, by using an ultrasonic cleaner with perhaps not quite as much disassembly. I do it because I can and because I enjoy the process and the end result. On my lightly used reels, about every 2 yrs seems good enough, as long as some re-lubing is done in the interim. But if you think "life is too short" to seriously maintain your reels, having a good independent shop do it is dirt cheap considering the time, expertise, and experience that goes into the process.

Do you think you can sell your high end rods for enough to cover the cost of more lower cost Ducketts? Color me doubtful but If so, why the heck would you want to do that? I have nothing at all against Duckett rods - I've never used one. But the idea that one rod company has rods that would be "just perfect" and better than all other brands tor me for every presentation seems damned unlikely. If you have a financial sponsorship with Duckett, it would make sense. Or if you have some misbegotten insistence on rod fashion that dictates you must use rods all the same color or style. If not,....

The best thing to do would be to call the factories and have them tell you the info. If matching the old tip tops is important to your buddy, you'd be better off just ordering from the factory, though factory prices are often higher than buying from a rod parts retailer.

I have a couple of Crucials but no Compres. In the end, I think you get what you pay for and I would discount opinions and rumors about blank composition. The Crucial IM-10 blanks, Fuji Alconite guides, and lifetime over the counter warranty made them great choices for me and I really enjoying fishing them. Paying about $150 for a very good rod is a deal these days.

I throw 5" hollow bellies on 3/4 oz Owner Ultra conical saltwater jig heads with 20# Suffix 832 and a 15# fluorocarbon leader on a 7' MH fast action rod. These will cast far beyond 100 ft and you really do need braid to set hook at those distances.

The M power Shimano Crucial Dropshot rod, 6'*8" sells for $149. Fuji Alconite guides, IM-10 graphite, lifetime over the counter warranty. That's a lot to like. The Crucial Dropshot has a true "hinged" action that is custom designed for dropshotting, with 18" of light power fast action tip transitioning to a M power butt section with enough power to handle big bass. I have both the ML and M rods in this series. Of the 2, I think the M power rod is the better choice since it is just as sensitive, casts light weights just as well, and can handle bigger fish more easily. I also use them for shaky heads and throwing very light crankbaits like #5 Shadraps.

Well, cranks hit the water tail first and the belly treble is thrown toward the lip, slack in the line or not. So it's mostly about the design of the crankbait and the size of the hooks on it. If you look at the most popular crankbaits through the years, functional features like whether the trebles tangle or hang up on the lip count toward why those cranks became so popular.

One favorite spot in the Chesapeake is around the big bridge for stripers.

Some spinning reels have thin brass spacer washers that are critical to smooth working of the reel but are not on the schematic that comes with the reel. So you should pay strict attention to what and exactly where every part comes from. I had this problem with a low-end Daiwa Emblem reel and never got it to work correctly again. Shimano reels I've owned did not have the same custom spacers. But spinning reels seem to use a wide variety of mechanisms, especially in the anti-reverse and the stack of washers and bearings that support the rotor. There's enough variability that working just from memory and sometimes even with a schematic can end up screwing the pooch, so you need to be very systematic if you crack one open. Personally, I only do it if something stops working. Or if it has an oil port, I'll squirt some in there once a year. There's nothing in a spinning reel that moves at 20,000 rpm like in a baitcaster, so...

I had a Chronarch 50MG that had a super high pitched squeal during the cast. I do my own maintenance, so cleaned/oiled the bearings and the centrifugal brake raceway and it persisted. So I sent it back to Shimano. Got it back with new bearings and the old bearings included in the box, with a note saying they couldn't really find anything wrong with the reel but changed the bearings just in case. First cast - the squeal was still there. Over the next month or so, it went away. I never found the problem and still love that little reel.

I've never worn out a rod, but the action on a few have gotten softer as time goes by - which I don't necessarily count as a negative. Well designed reels get smoother as the gears wear in. Of course, eventually, the gears will wear to the point that they begin to mismatch and skip from wear and the spool bearings will wear out - both of which can be fixed with new parts at reasonable cost. I have a few reels that have been used for 30 years and I believe they'll last for a lifetime of fishing. But new, better reels get introduced over the years and you have to ask yourself a what point, if ever, you want to move up to a reel with better performance and quality.

I've been using it for about 10 yrs. Never a problem with 6lb-17lb versions so far. Is it the best line ever extruded? No but if you buy it on sale like now, it's hard to beat for price vs performance.

I usually change mine out in the spring before the season. Sitting on the reel under winding tension all winter develops quite a bit of memory. But if you check it very closely by feel and by sight for abrasions, kinks, nicks, etc and also use line conditioner on it, there's really no reason not to use it until it gets too short on the spool from re-tying lures. You can also stretch it to remove spool memory but stretched monofilament line (including fluoro) does not completely rebound to its original diameter after stretching - it gets a little thinner instead. And the spool memory will come back more quickly than with new line. I immediately change out fluoro if it is ever sharply kinked while removing a backlash.

Fish have swim bladders to regulate buoyancy so they can stay at particular water depths without exerting a lot of energy. Some fish can regulate their bladders fairly quickly but it takes bass quite a while to do it. When you catch a bass from deep water, the air in its bladder wants to expand. If you release the bass quickly, it will usually be able to power itself back down to its original depth without harm. But if the fish is too tired out from a long fight or if kept too long at the surface, the fish's muscles fail and the air bladder expands until the fish is unable to swim upright. Then the only way for the fish to survive is for you to mechanically sink the fish back to the bottom with a weighted hook apparatus or "fizz" the fish by releasing the excess pressure in its swim bladder with a hypodermic needle.

Yes, there are 2 kinds of glow stuff. Glow in the Dark paints or plastics contain particles that absorb light energy and then emit the light over a period of time. This paint will charge in any light source, even daylight on a cloudy day, but putting them under intense light will charge them to a higher energy state and make them glow brighter. They glow under any water condition, at any depth. The other kind is UV sensitive paint that fluoresces when hit by UV light rays. It doesn't store its own energy but will give a brighter look at any water depth that UV light penetrates.

JMHO, but you'll get what you pay for. I own a couple of Dremels and am currently using the cheapest 2 speed model. Dremel is owned by Porter Cable. They stand by their products and have excellent warranty service. I build crankbaits and use my Dremel for hours every week. It has stood up to abuse for several years now without a glitch, so I think it's worth the $40 I paid for it. If it wears out, you can stop by your local home center to get a new set of motor brushes, etc. If it has a problem, Dremel will have a replacement in the mail to you the day you call them for warranty repair.

I build and fish crankbaits and the extent to which little bitty differences can change their action is amazing. You can notice a difference in action between the size or shape of the split ring used on the line tie. You can bet the fish notice too! Using a snap swivel will produce an even greater difference because its bulk in front of the bait can significantly change the water flow over the bait's surfaces. The effects are greater the smaller the crankbait is. Should you do it or not? Not so easy to answer. I don't buy the theory that a swivel gives the bait an extra pivot point so is a better thing to use. The only real right answer is to experiment for yourself with a particular crankbait and see how different connections to your line affect its fish catching ability. And when you find a method that both you and the bass agree works best - KEEP USING IT. But don't think that method will automatically translate to other crankbaits, because it won't. I like the convenience of Norman Speed Clips and usually remove the stock split rings from crankbaits to attach them direct to the clip. I forgot to remove the split ring from a Fat Free Shad one day so just clipped the Speed Clip on the split ring. Caught bass like crazy. Took off the split ring before the next outing, used the clip, and couldn't buy a bite. If I believed in voodoo like most fishermen, I would conclude that the split ring + Speed Clip was the magic solution. But that's just worthless anecdotal b.s. because another day is a day with different fishing conditions. Were the fish still there, at the same depth, and in the same feeding mood as before? Was I still throwing the crankbait on the same line? Trying to draw a valid conclusion about the split ring - Speed Clip question is pretty fruitless unless you experiment under controlled conditions, preferably on the same day, and then continue experimenting over more fishing trips/more days so you can get valid numerical results. Not many crankbait fishermen are going to do that.

I used Fireline for years and liked it just fine. I still use 20 lb on a Carolina Rig reel. But there are braided superlines available these days that handle even better on spinning gear and are stronger with much smaller diameter. Of course, they also cost a lot more too! Don't worry - be happy - just go fishing!

Copolymers are a blend of 2 or more nylon polymers, melted together and extruded into a monofilament. Most brands of monofilament sold today are actually copolymers whether or not they are advertised that way. And practically speaking, all of them have fairly neutral buoyancy.

To me it boils down to whether you trust the engineering a company puts into its reel. Would I bypass a reel from a company I trust and buy a reel from an unknown just because the unknown had metal side plates versus a composite graphite side plate? No. That would be stupid, IMO.