flechero

Yikes!! That is lots of wrapping!! I second the request for pics!

Man, talk about apples and oranges! Basically the 100b has 2 more bearings and holds a little more line than the 50MG and weighs more. If line capacity is an issue, you can swap the spool in the 50 with the curado 100d and gain some but still keep the reel in the 6 oz. range or look at the curado or citica 100dsv they weigh just over 7 oz.. As for drag, if you need more than 10lbs worth, for bass fishing, I need to fish with you. If you are applying more than 10 lbs of drag (at the reel) you are in dangerous territory with breaking rods... think of it this way, a gallon jug of water is about 8 lbs- tie one to your rod and see how it feels. *I take no responsibility for a broken rod with this experiment! The 50 is a tough little reel and will take any bass fishing applications without issue... ask Reelmech or anyone who services or fishes them. The real question for me is how you concluded that the 50MG and the 300DSV are both reels that you should consider for the same rod. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum. If you really need specs like the 300dsv, the 50MG shouldn't even be a consideration. Maybe you should look at the TD-Z Big Bait Special... it has big line capacity and is light weight. (but $$$) You would be the first person I have ever hear of that didn't like them. Geez... I'm starting to sound like roadwarrior. ...lol

CJ, If I were in your shoes, I would get the 844, without question. It will throw spinnerbaits fine but also it's an incredible worm and jig rod... and since you are self admittedly still learning big water, this is a rod that is able to do many things for you. I'll leave you with this... I had an 844 in IMX for about 12 years and used it for tons of stuff... t-rigs, c-rigs, jigs, flukes, senkos, spinnerbaits buzzbaits and even small swimbaits. It has a light enough tip to fish smaller more delicate baits but enough backbone to handle big stuff, it's a fantastic rod. I've missed that rod since I sold it... but I got the blank for Christmas so I will have another 844 real soon.

Ronnie, My condolences to you and the family. We'll be here to offer a diversion or just to talk shop with, anytime you need. Sometimes I find it easier to celebrate the life than to mourn the loss. But we all have our own ways of coping. I will pray for comfort and peace in your hearts. Take care, Keith

If you have a graph, dedicate some time to combing the area and finding what is there... the less cover and structure, the easier the fish will be to locate if you know where everything is. That info will serve you forever. Water temp is still important... as an example, the 3 power plant lakes I fish are still about 72 +/- degrees on the discharge side. There can be a big swing within the lake and can be 20 degrees or more difference from one side to the other- knowing where the "lines" are can be important. Rarely will there just be an even drop in temp as you leave the discharge area... most power plants draw/discharge enough water to make current, at least in a large part of the lake so there may be river similarities to look for as well... and that current will affect the water temps differently in certain areas so pay attention to drastic drops or rises in temp as you change locations. (if you don't have a temp gauge in the graph, you can buy a little digital one with a [up to 20' or so] probe on a wire... those are cheap and nice because you can lower the probe and get real temps at known depths. Your water will still be colder than mine so for you I would try jigs, t-rigs,c-rig and even c-rigging a floating Rapala minnow or Mann's baby 1- crankbait. Hope you hit the mother load soon!! You deserve a good trip for fighting the winter in the Dakotas.

Avid, Do you know if we have use of any kitchen equipment? (for warming and heating all the food) Didn't know if you and Linda discussed that. If not we'll have to figure out who can bring stuff... I'm sure many of us have propane fryer set ups that can be used (minus the oil) to heat things up if needed.

Reelmech, I was pretty bummed when it happened because my t-rig rod is my #1 most used rod. The problem in this case is that this rod was built with Bastson guides which sit high like the TSG's... so it would require a careful bending down of every guide or a complete strip to change hoods. I never intended this to be my t-rig rod because it was an experiment with different guides, cork and it's a +T handle. It just ended up exceeding all of my expectations so I decided to use it until I bought a lighter and nicer blank. I think I'll just retire it but I need to take the tip top off of it for the new rod. ...lol (the tip top is SiC) This was out of the original lot of $12 blanks from last winter. So if you figure time, it's probably cheaper this time to start over. I just glued up a seat and grip on one of the extra MB844 blanks I have so I'll be taping up guides and static testing tomorrow. I'll save it for sure since I like the blank... some day I will probably strip it and re use it or keep it as a freebie for someone to learn how to build on. (it already has good mojo in it!) Happy New Year to you as well!

Thank you (not necessary but appreciated)

Did you see my dad around here? ;D

GMAN, If you aren't in a hurry I'd be happy to help you out. But it would be a few months before I can.

Give me a Lunker Lure Buzzbait any day of the week!

Harshman, I bought the exact one in whittler's picture last year at lowe's... try any place that has a good selection of grills and stuff.

Hybrid has higher fluorocarbon content... resulting the following qualities vs. ultra soft: - reduced visibility in water - 1 lb. higher break strength (over Ultra soft) - increased abrasion resistance - slightly less stretch - increased memory

I wish I didn't have to work so I could get to it right away. Bad news though... I fished yesterday and had a little mishap with my t-rig rod. A misplaced step while trying to get out of the coveralls (it was cold!) was more than a fuji ECSM could take, especially since I weigh 240. > Still not sure exactly how it happened but I heard a snap and the hood jumped a set of threads... the rest of the day on each hookset, it jumped the threads again and again, so, I have to call "no joy" and build another t-rig rod. There is no "expeditor" when you build your own.... :'( I've repaired threads on a seat before but never inside the hood. I'll get some pics when I get the new stuff built. Unfortunately, I'm so busy with my day job that I am lucky to get an hour a day in the garage. I'm hoping for some free time this weekend to glue up and turn some grips. As for time to build, it's hard to say... there are so many variables in the process that you can litterally spend as much time as you could stand. I seem to average in the 15-20 man hour range. One thing you can't change is drying and cure times for epoxies and finish... I can't beat 5 days for a rod since several steps require a 24 hour cure time before proceeding. There are some people that have hundreds of hours in the threadwork alone, doing weaves and other artwork. I usually build stealth rods (for myself) so it's pretty much a function over fashion thing... I'm not real flashy either so it fits my personality. Or like yesterday- if I had a hundred hours in that rod I stepped on, I would have been devestated.

I have to disagree on 2 different levels... 1. I believe the bait monkey takes great pleasure in the acquisition of new tackle and equipment, regardless of cost... as long as you buy good equipment, he also likes good deals. 2. even if #1 isn't true and you used the remaining $250 for non-fishing stuff, that savings will stretch the resources in other places and still leave you with extra fishing money later. Either way it's a win-win, both you and the monkey are happy!

I got a St.Croix 4C70HF (slop/frog) and a Loomis MB844 IMX. Can't wait to get started!

Mike, Could you have read a post wrong? RW's Lake Fork Chauffeur is good for full days on the water... unless a secondary beer run is in order, and then it's only a pit stop! ;D I remember reading (a long time ago) that someone was limited to 6 hours at a time, but it wasn't me. As for your other ? about the sale of alcohol... If memory serves me correctly, a TABC licensed club (which fisherman's cove marina is) can only sell for "on-premise" consumption. So you would be wise to bring a cooler if you desire any alcohol for outside of the club itself. I don't know what the rules are for our use of their facilities... they may be limited to the club itself, I don't know, but someone would need to verify that with them. Texas Bass Pro, Shoot a PM to Avid, he is coordinating meal stuff or atleast keeping track of who is brining what. By the way, where are you from? -Keith

Yup, 35 years old and still have a hard time going to sleep on Christmas eve. ...lol The difference now is that I get more out of the giving. But I won't lie, I am pretty fired up about the tubes! ;D

For rack rods, I would say Loomis MBR784C or MBR844C or MBR843C in IMX or GLX. (I actually prefer IMX in the 784 because it has slightly stouter tip, but that's just my style... most like the GLX better) Either of those in GLX or IMX will blow your mind, and blow it big time with a 50MG... talk about a primo worm and light jig set up!! I used the 784 as my dedicated t-rig rod for over 10 years. (tried many others but never found one better.) I've used some St.Croix blanks that I really like but I can't tell you anything about the factory built rods. With the G. Loomis warranty and customer service, I would think long and hard before buying a different brand in this price range...

Thanks for the link, that is a great story. When I read it I stepped back and really looked at how fortunate and blessed my wife and I are. People like that guy inspire us to give more.

Mick, I think it's obvious we aren't going to agree on the value of the Ti guides and that's ok. In the example of fuji vs amtak ti guides being about a gram different for the set... that would translate into something between 1/4 and 1/2 oz difference in butt weight to balance it out. My perception of significant and yours are just different. Since I balance out some of my rods to 45 degrees neutral in hand, I like the idea of not adding another lead weight to the butt... I do feel it. I don't disagree with you on blanks but he doesn't build rods and already said he was buying the XML or XML TI rod so the only variable was going to be the guides, a different blank wasn't an option. So our disagreement is whether another $80 is a good value for them Yes and no... that difference is only on one single the tlsg 7, the larger the guides the greater the difference and then a factor of x # of guides. It's not the # of grains that is shocking, it's the effect of those when levered out... just as the penny needed 3/4 oz to balance out. I've done it with the same rod, I taped up and marked guide locations with a pencil... taped on weights to balance and then redid it with the Ti frames and again checked for balance, there was a significant difference. I just used the same tape strips for the 2nd set of guides so the weight was consistant. I never thought I was going to debate my findings on the internet so I didn't bother weighing the actual difference in added lead. ...lol You have had me thinking a lot for a day off of work! ...lol Best, Keith

Tommy, I've used both, the Zirconium w/ PVD TiCh and the hard aluminum oxide. Both have performed well. I can't say anything bad about either one. There is a big price difference though. I like the color options w/ zirconium because you can really coordinate tread, trims, blank and guides if you want to. According to the new Batson catalog the vickers harness readings are: Blue zirconium 1500 Ti Gold zirconium 1500 TiCH zirconium 1500 zirconium 1400 Hard alum oxide 1300 Stainless steel 500 And they state that the hard alum oxide is rated for any superline braid. Hope that helps.

Ok, then check out these weights... (these are from other builders on RBO using gun powder scales and or lab balance beams, claimed to be accurate to .001 grain or .0001 gram) A very noticable difference even on the small guides. Just using the size 6 fly guides, you are looking at the better part of a gram over the rod... almost 1/2 a penny. And that's between Fuji and AmTak Titanium frames... Agreed but we are talking about a different set of guides on the same blank. I think the numbers above speak for themselves. And here is a spinning example just to show the extreme. Imagine the difference with other guides... Alconites are some of the lightest non-titanium guides made! Difference 3.272 grams- remember that the original 3/4 oz came from 2.5 grams of tip weight... To deny the difference is noticable would be irresponsible, to say that you don't agree that there is $80 worth of value is perfectly fine. To those of us that balance rods, these differences are much bigger and more valuable... To the original poster, sorry for the rant, but I think it does give you some more detail on the original question.

RW, Very cool, sounds like a good time for you and great exposure for your buddy.

My wife thinks I have been good this year... there are 2 rod tubes leaning on the wall beside the Christmas tree!!!! Have any of you asked for blanks this year? I have no idea as to which blanks they are, I listed about 10 of them on my "wish" list. ....lol Although one of the tubes was a drop ship from St. Croix so that narrows it a little. I love rod tubes... you can't disguise them!! I can't wait, I'll be up at 4am on Monday!! ...lol Which means I'll be here, since the wife won't get up until later! ;D May all your trees, have a 7' PVC tube (or 2) near by!!!!