flechero

I would bet that in 80%-90% of the cases, you guys are right... however, that still leaves 10%-20%. Weight is only one factor... you also must consider strength, durability, corrosion resistance and finish. I agree that $80 is a little steep but that's a percieved value and probably not too far off of the retail price. However, his original question did not consider the price difference. Yeah, what's a gram or two in the big scheme of things, right? Here's something for you to try... Take one of your rods with or without a reel on it and then balance it (tape lead weights on the butt until it balances) at the reel on a fulcrum. Now, tape a penny (2.5 grams after 1982) to the tip top and re-balance the rod... How much weight was required to compensate for the penny? I just did this in the garage to get a base line comparison. I Took an MBR784 (MH 6'6") and balanced at the reel seat hood and with one little penny, I had to add exactly 3/4 oz of lead to re-balance!! Now try it with a 7' rod if you used a 6'6" rod the first time... it gets worse. And if you have ever added lead or tungsten to a rod butt to balance it, 3/4 oz is a considerable difference and is certainly noticable in pure weight when fishing all day. And since a frog rod is something I think most people would use for other techniques also, I would certainly consider Ti frames, if they are within your budget. You see, tiny amounts of weight out on the rod make big differences back at the butt. Add to that, the other factors (strength, durability, corrosion resistance, finish) and I would argue that for a certain percentage of people and rods that titanium does in fact make sense. In fact, considering the abuse factor, I would be more likely to use Ti on a rod like this for strength and durability than weight savings. I consider myself pretty gentle on rods, and even I knock the occasional insert out... but I haven't done it on Ti frames yet... and haven't bent any down yet. They are noticable stronger to me. DanekM, I'm not picking on you so please don't take any of this personally, your post was just perfect to illustrate the point I wanted to make. I'll loop back to cost for one final comment. It has long been said (in reference to expensive rods) that small gains in sensitivity or weight reduction are disproportionately larger (more expensive) as you move up... this thread is just another example of that concept. Many people can't see the value in high $ rods, some can... it's all personal preference. And if anyone is wondering, No, I don't get kickbacks from the chimp.

I'm a 20+ year Abu guy... but I have recently joined the posse, a few 50 MG's will do that to a man. ...lol I'm keeping my mouth shut on Daiwa. What's the budget? My opinion.... If you can swing $200 or so get a 50MG and you will throw the spinning reels into the lake!! ...lol If you can only swing $100 or so, try a 100 size citica. You will like it also.

Hold on guys... before we talk him out of this, lets be sure we know what he is talking about. Are we talking Fuji Ti frames with SiC inserts (or AmTak Ti with Nanolite rings) or Titanium nitride coated rings or jusr REC recoil guides??? There is a big difference between those and honestly I might pay the difference depending on the rod and what the "standard" guides were and which Ti guides we are talking about. But so are good quality reels and you seem to be able to justify a fleet of exotics, right? I'm as much of a taclke junkie as any of you guys but I also realize that sometimes there is a difference. We could all catch fish on a $50 wal-mart combo, but most of us don't... I have a few rods with the Fuji Ti framed SiC guides. I also have a frog blank on order and it will also have them on it. Why? Because they are incredibly light and tough... I like them on the heavier rods but actually prefer Alconites on the other stuff.

I hate that shorty decided to play it that way but the silver lining for the rest of the members is a renewed appreciation for Glenn and all the Mods efforts and a reminder of how rare this type of occurence really is... thanks to a combination of good leadership and membership! Merry Christmas to all!

You can recap it with an end cap ( of cork, vinyl, rubber or eva) or if you lost length (or just want more) you can plug the blank and cork the plug and make a new end while you are at it. When you get the rod in hand let me know... I'll send you specific directions based on which way you want to fix it. Plus you'll need either an end cap or a few cork rings, I can help you locate the materials you need. Are you in Arkansas? I have a friend in AR that's a great builder, if you are close to him, he would probably help you repair it for free. Let me know if interested and I'll get you his contact info.

Avid, Did you once post that you had a little trailer for the canoe? Just wonder if it's possible to launch it like a regular boat and you wouldn't have to lug battery and T-motor. ??? When I had my rotator cuff surgery, I was able to launch a boat from trailer long before I could actually fish from it. ...lol (and I did, just to get on the water) Good luck with the rehab, keep to the schedule, and maybe you'll get a little ahead. keith

Those responses were only 2 hours apart (had you forgotten?) and the first one stated Nikon would cover the loss. So you aren't out anything and if anyone should be ticked it's LBH for the ridiculous hijacking.

The majority of my purchased "bass flies" are actually saltwater flies. I tie all my stuff on SS hooks and tie them for the salt just because I use them in both. I also tie weed gaurds in most of them, so it doesn't matter if it's an oyster bed, hyrdilla matt or a brushpile, I can use the same stuff. I like BIG streamers for bass, Lg and Sm mouth... the trouble is that if you don't tie your own it's hard to find big stuff and if you do it's tied so dense that it's hard to cast from all the water weight. If you have trouble with the 5 wt. you can take a small scissors and thin out most flies a little so they hold less water and cast easier. (streamers) I think you'll be ok with the flies you mentioned, if they are too heavy you will just lose a little distance on the cast. If you cast shorter distances, the extra weight will help load the rod at closer range. Most of it relies on your ability to cast... I have friends that cast real heavy flies with ease while i can not. Good casting skills prevail, almost always. (I can say that because I see friends do easily, what i struggle with!!)

Nice, real nice!! You just gave me proof for my wife that there is someone that would do more than me to go fishing! I'm still a close second but have to step aside and let you take the podium!!!! ;D Really glad you guys were rewarded for the effort!!

All fly line will coil after sitting a while. (even overnight) What I do before making the first cast EVERY day it's used, even with new line, just strip off the fly line and pull between your hands with ~10 lbs or so of pressure and work your way though the end of the line, reel in and proceed to fish or cast. Takes about a minute and will improve anyone's casting dramatically. You'll see after 1 or 2 pulls like that, the line will be laying on the ground and not coiled up.

Flyrods are rated for the line weight, not fish size or weight. A 6 wt. rod "should" (and I won't get into CCS data right now) cast 6wt. line best at "normal" distances. ...lol Clear as mud? Until you really want to get into technical stuff, stick with the same wt. lines. Since fly lines are so expensive, you might try a cleaner and dressing before investing in the line, in case that's all you really need. I think you can get the 3M cleaning pad and dressing for under $5. And even if you end up replacing the line, the cleaner and dressing is regular maintenance so you will need it anyway after a little while. I have several fly lines that are 4-5 years old and still shoot like new.

Right there with you... only fished for them on purpose for an upcoming fish fry. I find that my miller lite cans 'empty' much faster when crappie fishing! ;D

What a great post fishbear! Aaron, Whatever you get (and I'm not a fan of the .40 cal) be sure to get some training if you ever plan to use it for anything other than target shooting. You need to be proficient and accurate, yet still safe while you are half asleep, literally... and if a semi auto, be able to clear jams and make mag changes in the same condition. If you are a new shooter, a revolver is a great choice, the learning curve to proficiency is much less. If you have some extra time and money to devote to training and practice, the semi might be a good choice, each of us have different situations. Not enough info given to make a good recomendation. A good choice for home defense may not be a good C.C. weapon so if you plan to get a carry permit your criteria will probably be different. If you live in a metro area, it's likely that your local range rents guns so you can shoot several different types/models before making your mind up on a purchase. Be sure to check and understand local laws as a part of your research.

like Roadwarrior said, if it's a brand I know, I'll buy sight unseen. I have to buy blanks that way 99% of the time and I've only been fooled twice. (both with new [to me] brands)

Roadwarrior, That's calispeak!! ;D Our records (Tx) are: black crappie 3.92 (Fork 03') white crappie 4.56 (caught in 1968) Biggest I have ever seen is 3.5 lbs., biggest I have ever caught (on a 1/2 oz spinnerbait no less!) was right at 3 lbs., and they were tanks! Both at Hide-a-way's 3rd lake. (and both caught by accident while bass fishing)

The intention was to bass fish but the water is/was real low and all we saw were a few perch and some 2"-6" bass besides the carp. There was deeper water both up and down stream which probably held better fish but I never got to them because I only had about an hour to fish that day so I stayed at camp.

I'd send the refurbed unit and the bill back to the rep and tell him "thanks anyway!" You can buy phones that are new for that price retail... and have them activated to your number.

redlinerobert, PM sent.

+1 or any of your MH or H rods rated for the weight... you asked about really light baits for swimbaits.

I like Owner, no question about it. I have to agree, even Xpoints are not expensive enough to worry about, replace them as needed! Even the Xpoints are under $1 a piece so unless you are really broke, replace them. Most people lack the skill to properly sharpen a hook so I don't recomend it as a rule but I do think all fisherman should know how. (cutting points like Xpoint and Owner require more care and a little different technique to sharpen) Having said all that, when running low I will sharpen as I go. To Avid's point (no pun intended) years of practice allow me to put a true needle point on a hook in short order. They just don't hold it as well as when new, I think due to the chemical temper being lost or changed. As for lures, like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, most need to be touched up straight from the package, IMO.

Roadwarrior, some of us are also rated heavy/slow!! ;D

Felt like all day but really took about 10-15 minutes. Once I cuaght him on foot upstream, he took off down stream in the current and got me deep into the backing again, the second run really wore him out and then it was a matter of reeling all the backing in. ...lol It was a blast!

Thanks Reelmech! Roadwarrior, I also think Loomis has the best warranty... consider that the price of their rods have increased less than the rate of inflation over the past 10+ years, and before the expeditor was implemented. SO they have either cut their profits to cover it or come up with efficiencies in manufacturing to free up dollars.... either way it's a WIN-WIN since we don't pay more and they obviously still make enough profit to continue. Long live G. Loomis! ...lol I still think All Star makes great rods... but I buy them for the rods, not the warranty.

That's just not true... I guess you think fuji guides and reel seats suck also? To everyone: there have been 4 people who had bad experiences with All Star post... out of over 7000, if anyone believes this to be a widespread problem, I would like to live in your sheltered world!! Especially when a couple of the complaints are from abuse or guide inserts falling out (which usually takes a good smack or stepping on). ...lol And no one actually claimed that the warranty period was still in effect, except redlinerobert. And I hope his is resolved quickly. If you are only concerned with a warranty, why would you buy a rod without a lifetime warranty? It makes no sense... you spend under $100 and then cry and whine that you don't get G. Loomis type service. The funny thing is that we have had threads that bashed Loomis and St.Croix customer service in the past as well. So like those, I will dismiss this one since the current tally is that .00057% (4 of 7000) of the membership now thinks (and not even all 4 complaints are legitimate, IMO) that All Star's customer service sucks. Lets all grow up and accept our own actions. If you bought a rod with a timed warranty and you break it through abuse after the time expires, don't cry about a replacement, open you wallet and shell out a few bucks. If I have offended you with this post, buy something with a better warranty and quit crying. ;D

Welcome to the forums, Corky! Matt, Tell your Mom that you have a great Christmas gift Idea... it's $12 and comes with free shipping (delivery by 12/22) from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Carp-Fly-Flyfishing-Barry-Reynolds/dp/1555661866 It's a pretty cool book. I never thought of fly rodding for carp until I saw it. It also has a section where the authors share their favorite and home tied flys. (even some dry flys!) That's my best tip, I'm as green as you... that was actually my first stalk of a carp. So I think it was luck, and a well placed cast that caught that fish. As far as weight goes, I would guess 6-7 lbs. It was almost completely round in the body.