flechero

Yes, it seems to me like 2 or 3 things are missing... (off topic, did you start wrapping the swimbait rod yet? I stealth wrapped mine- no artistic inspiration yesterday!)

Moving post, thank you for sharing.

Unless I missed something, you just need to measure it for a reel seat and order the correct size. Cork or pre-formed grip, your choice... they all have to be reamed to fit... guides: I think hardloys for that blank is what I'd use, probably a double foot BNLG 12 or 10 and the rest fly guides- probably a BLG 8 bumper and then a BLG 7 and then about 6 or 7 BLG 6's. For another $30 retail (or less) you could have a real nice crankbait rod. If nothing else, you could have a very functional rod that serves as a learning experience in fitting reel seats, cork and spiral wrapping.

Then your grips will have a coat of finish!

I was going to say Lube is the key but the Mattlures beat me to it... one other idea I had was slow down even more. I notices the bluegill will try to roll a litttle sideways on me unless I concentrate on slowing it down... just a factor of it's shape. Often times I'll just quit reeling for just a second, to break the pace a little. I think megastrike is the best (of the ones I've used) for lube and also it lasts a bit longer than most others. Keep throwing the swimbait.... it will pay off in time. I think you'd get more bites on the baby bass but you'll also catch some smaller fish.

Some day a young guy will pull up beside you and say hi... then you'll be his next day's yada yada story! I've met some neat people on the water... The best of them always seem to be older. Coincidence? I think not.

From a practical standpoint, can it improve a rod's fishability? I belive it can if you manipulate the placement of the weight to better balance the rod and if you make the rear grip some sort of positive locator, it will help in casting accuracy and consistency. It gives you a few options, some physical some asthetic. As a builder, I use a split grip to accomplish several things. I like to use Lamar Burl cork but it's so dense, I need to split it to keep the weight down but also by varying the size of that grip I can balance most rods with no added weight. It also gives you some more "canvas" between grips to weave, wrap, decal, flame or whatever you want to do. Some people just think it looks cool and some think it looks crappy... to each his own, but I like it and probably won't ever build a rod with a full length grip again.

Dodgeguy, That's a huge statistic. Even if there is some imbalance in the records or fishing, the number alone says something. I'm surprised because you have been a big supporter of braid.... thanks for the honesty!

Nice to see another XT diehard here. I've tried a number of lines over the past 2 seasons and keep running back to XT. I can't find ANYTHING that holds up better in the rocks and trees. I haven't tried the new Berkley MAXX yet but they say it's XT tough but more spinning reel friendly. When I run out of XT I'll try it. For strength and low visibility, Yo-Zuri Hybrid is about like XT but less visable but, if you throw a backlash, the Yo-Zuri will kink and have a tremendous weak spot. (sometimes breaking on the next cast- sending your lure "out to sea." (the high Fluoro content which makes it so less visable also makes it kink like that) Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft is good on spinning gear, but careful not to buy it by #rating... the #6 is actually rated 11 lbs. break strength. Most people use #4 and #6 for spinning... the #8 and above are pretty stiff.

I attribute mono as the reason I haven't broken a rod while fishing in about 20 years... one rod equals 50+ spools of line or so. I consider it low cost insurance for my fishing stlye. I would never leave mono on for a whole season... rarely do I leave it on a full month. If it's not worn out, or so nicked up... then I've cut and re-tied to the point that I'm casting to the spool. (usually after 2-3 trips out)

EVERY type of line has a list of pro's and con's.... if it didn't, we'd all use the same stuff. Are you keeping notes or a log to determine this? And if youhave been keeping a log, how did braid compare to what you previously used?

To me the sporting aspect of bass fishing isn't whether or not my line will hold up... it's finding and hooking the fish. Sure there is a little better chance of braid holding up but you can just as easily cut it up in the rocks or become lazy about re-tying, etc. There are probably as many issues to think/worry about with braid as mono. Some will argue (me included) that it's harder to get those bigger fish hooked using braid and therefore maybe it's harder with braid than mono... I caught way fewer fish with braid than mono... again, some would have the opposite story. I don't think braid eliminates that... knots still slip, hooks still bend, fish still throw hooks on occasion, poor netting skills or poor lipping, etc. When braid starts winning all the tournaments and lake records, I'll think about switching over to it.

Jim, Depending on where you fish I have 1 any water and one clear water idea for you. 1. suffix red box- not quite as limp as 2. but I like it better than XL for behavior. Very managable, good abrasion resistance and strength... all around great line. After my shoulder surgery, I was forced to use spinning gear for a while... this is what I used for all my 'hard' fishing (t-rigs, jigs, c-rigs) with good success. 2. spiderwire xxx mono - green box- very well behaved and low memory, go up one size or two, as it's real thin and not super abraison resistant. One of the clearest monos I have ever seen in the water. I use this in all the clear water lakes. Have used both a lot and still bounce back and forth depending on where I'm fishing.

Hookem' Where are you fishing? I'm also in Central Texas and the earliest I've seen bedders has been January and that was in a power plant lake... which obviously doesn't count in this discussion. Just curious since I haven't noticed a shift like you describe in any of the lakes I fish.

Avid, Nice fish.... crappy pic! ;D Please get a real camera.... I swear they are east to use and only take a few minutes to get set up. I'll kick in the first $10. You have to get used to one by the net BassResource.com trip anyway... might as well get it soon!

Either of them. Even the S model will do that. These aren't like the round reels... they are lighter, stronger and smoother. Any of the Revos will outperform the round reels... but it will take you a little time to get used to the profiles- I was a 20 year Abu round reel only guy until 2 years ago and it felt strange holding anything else for a few weeks. I am referring to the CI's, C3's, 4's and 5's when I say "round reels." I can't speak to the morrums or the records, never owned those.

I'd either start at USPS or UPS and use that technical skill to send a paypal payment to ReelMech. ...lol

I have currently have all but GLX on hand, but have built on IMX, SCIV, SCV and GLX blanks. It's not unfair to compare IMX to SCV (LE)... in fact if you build them up equally in terms of components, and then spend some time on the lake with both using a t-rig or c-rig, I think you would find that they are VERY comparable. I can't even say that I think the SCV is better than IMX, just a little different. The difference in feel is mainly the difference in tip... the IMX has a more delicate tip in like models. So suit the build to your personal preferences... I use a SCV as a c-rig rod and an IMX as a t-rig rod. IMX, GLX, SCIV and SCV are all great blanks... we would need certified scales and some high tech equipment (or access to proprietary info) to argue many of the attributes that these have. Luck for us they all have a different feel so you can chose based on how they feel in hand. Ronnie, That's funny, I just glued up the grips and seat last night on an All Star BB896 (I think it will be named "The Beast") and did the layout and static work today. I am looking at thread color as I type this. ...lol Hopefully I'll get it wrapped this weekend.

Most of us aren't good enough fisherman to apply any of the actual effects of "global warming". (or maybe the fish just haven't noticed any difference) The science of it says the oceans are only a few tenths of a degree warmer now than hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago. (which is well withing the natural heating and cooling trends that take place and are well documented) Even if the effect is 5 fold in smaller lakes and ponds... we are talking 1 degree (maybe) and only in the spawn do I worry about 1 degree. A skeptic, who me? : I stand with what I belive to be the best scientific evidence... and by todays political standards, that make me a skeptic, or just an evil conservative. I'm good with that. ...lol By the way, welcome to the forum.... maybe for your 2nd thread you can open up something on religion! ;D ;D ;D ;D edited for spelling only

Chris, You want a t-rig on all the time but want a rod to pull triple duty, including the t-rig? Sounds like you "need" 2 rods... a dedicated t-rig and a frog/small swimbait rod. A wife friendly answer that's actually true: For swimbaits of 1 oz, almost any "t-rig" or "frog" rod will handle your triple duty requirement. I have several rods that I use (Loomis 784, 844, All Star 827, 828, 848, St.Croix 4C70HF, 5C70HF) that are rated to throw up to 1 or 1.5 oz but have a light enough tip to handle 1/8-3/16 oz weighted t-rigs (my standard). I guess the trick is to find a rod you are comfortable casting the lightest of the 3 with (the lighter tipped rod) but with a rating to handle the swimbaits. What you will have is a rod that is rated for any of them but will "feel" a little awkward with either the lightest or heaviest bait. The way most rods are rated these days, I feel funny with them at the upper end of the ratings as far as casting goes. I typically like the upper limit to be in the mid to upper mid range of the ratings. (most rods rated for 1 oz I like in the 1/8 - 5/8 range and 1 oz feels way out of "how it should feel to me") Bottom line to this whole system is to have a decent reel or well trained thumb that will throw the lighter t-rigs and the rest is easy. To further highlight the example, I was working on my new hvy swimbait rod (BB896) this morning (rated 17-40# 3-8 oz.) but I use a 1/2 oz weight when going through static testing... I decided to take the rod out and do some test casting and pitchin' with just the 1/2oz weight. This rod will cast and pitch the weight just as nicely as my rods rated to handle this lighter weight... and I was using a revo S with 20# XT. The bottom line is most rod ratings are some guys's opinion of what range he likes on that particular blank. Just don't overthink this stuff. If you get stuck in a bind where the wife digs in, I'll send you a loaner- you just have to pay the shipping. (and return it someday when you replace it) -keith

Work on the street is that the Huddleston shad will be ready pretty soon. Sounds exactly like what you are looking for.

For your sake, I wish they would have pulled out another MG that was right so you could have experienced true greatness! However, the CU100D is a nice reel and should be trouble free for years to come but the 50 MG is like a CU100D minus almost 2 oz. of weight. Hope you have nothing but great luck with this one, you sure deserve it!!

Big M, Awesome looking baits! Great paint jobs too! -keith

If he can do a "decal connection" names and date decal under the clearcoat you'd be all set. (decals by the sheet are very inexpensive.

Man Robert, I hate to do this... but I have to steer you away from it... I also thought this would be the perfect swimbait reel but I have to say it was the BIGGEST WASTE of $365 (plus shipping) in my life. I bounce between an old Abu and a Revo right now... the Revo would be the perfect reel if they had a slower speed. As for the BBS, I figure somebody will ask what I don't like about it so here is the list: it's not real smooth, cast control pales in comparison to even the old Abu's and the drag isn't smooth. In fact, the only 3 things I do like about it are line capacity, weight and looks. On the flip side it does fish lighter stuff better... so much for the namesake, so I use it as a c-rig reel these days. It is a little better now that it has a season on it but it's still been a big waste of $$$ and not up to the standards of a $100 reel in my book. (my Revo S blows it away so far) :'( I owe it a trip to ReelMech before I pronounce it a complete and total piece of crap but I sent it back to Daiwa when it was "new" for these reasons and it came back in about the same condition. (more shipping charges) should have sent it to ReelMech the first time. (sorry Dave)