flechero

Fish don't "tell" other fish about hooks. ...lol And yes, the bucket is bad for them, unless you are catching real small fish, have an aerator and the bucket is insulated.

Unless you have an unusually long boat or tongue, 29' should be great! I'm jealous!!!! I have a 12X30 storage for a 19' champion. I have about 3' behind the prop and almost 2' in front of the tongue to work/walk around. I could go down to 10' wide with no trouble and if I trimmed the motor down some I could get by with 26' of depth.

In keeping with ReelMech's theme, I also only use a sinker on the mainline... I do the rod bending with a line attached to the tiptop or by pulling with my fingers on the tiptop. This way also keeps you from pulling (or just moving) guides through the tape when testing in the heavy range of the rod.

There is a good article in the library of the .org site with photos on water break free prepping. It's worth a look. Don't prep guide areas, finish is designed to adhere to itself when the rod is encircled with it, it will stick to the rod but it won't help you to prep that area and it will show through the finish where you have gone beyond the wraps. As Reelmech said, prep the area to be corked and under the seat (minus the exposed trigger area if you have one).

Ronnie, In the interest of function first with a little weight given to symetry (sp?) I think the #2=3" will catch the eye and "look" wrong. (even if it is right) With that in mind, I would start by moving to: 1=3.5", 2=3.5" or 1=3.75, 2=3.75 and retest. Sounds like the 7" mark is a place it likes to hinge. They look funny if any of the spacing gets smaller than a previous spacing. So I always try to space with an increased gap but am ok with 1 or 2 equal gaps near the tip. I don't like to go under 4" but have done so out of neccessity. Also, be mindful of the line angle when you static, to steep of an angle can make you think the guides need to be tightened up. Think about how you fight a fish and try those angles... I wouldn't be worried if you need one extra guide than you are used to, I've had a few rods need one more than I thought they would, and a couple ended up needing one less. (that's why we have to test every rod- none are the exact same) Let us know what you end up with. Keith

It's wireline. I use single strand stainless wire in .014 for all my weedgaurds... because it was the smallest dia. I could get locally. ...lol There are many brands to choose from and it's sort of expensive, I buy the "SEVENSTRAND Magnum", by Pure Fishing... it's available in a 25' length and fairly reasonable at Sportsman's Warehouse. This particular wire is pretty easy to work with. My only caution would be if you are using it on small or very short shanked hooks, you may need something in a smaller dia., as the shorter the weedgaurd is the stiffer it is.

Yep, I hate to see that... I love watching fish at the surface. Especially when they are so fat and heavy that only the head gets out of the water. It's one of my favorite things.

First of all, there aren't many people that actually catch 10's all the time... save and except to a few Cali guys, I might take what he told you with a grain of salt... or at least temper it some. Secondly- to people that didn't grow up with smallies lots of us would trade a 10 lb largemouth for a 5 lb smallmouth- (especially those from the south) I sure would!! You should know by now that "the grass is always greener..." ...lol

Guys, he said his leader was breaking... beads and weights are on the mainline, above the swivel.

I would guess that either you have a bad batch of transition or you haven't been wetting your knots as you SLOWLY draw them tight. (which would cause a weakening of the knots)

Lucky for you about 7 of those wil go away with some experience. My biggest pet peeve now is not bringing enough of the "adult beverages" along for what turns into a full night of fishing for smallies!!

You are only limited by your own imagination. I drop shot at times but I don't usually do it to finesse (although sometimes I do) I do it because I want a bait at a specific height and to keep it in place but with action. I have no issues drop shotting with 15# line, 1/2 oz weight and 2/0 worm hooks when I need to. The drop shot began as a finesse technique but then again, so did swimbaits!! Don't restrict your thinking...

Part of your question will depend on if you build a conventional rod (guides on top) or one of the various spiral wraps. Your guide sizes and numbers will be different depending on how you design it. I agree with ReelMech, Kirkman's book is a way to greatly shorten the learning curve and avoid making some mistakes. You can borrow mine if you like. Just don't lose it! ...lol As to your original question, I don't like the guide kits... I haven't built a rod yet that ended up with the size and numbers of guides in those kits. Besides, Alconites aren't very expensive so if you end up with a couple left over (they will probably be 1 or 2 of the size 6 or 7) it's only a few dollars wasted if you don't return them.

Heard it a million times... funny how it's usually someone that used to own a ski boat that says that! I bought my current boat new in May of '94 and have had more than my share of bad luck... including a drunk driver hitting it (when it was only a year old) while it sat in my driveway on the trailer. 10 months of not using it and fighting with insurance companies, while making payments on it > Anyway, even with all the B.S. that can go wrong, all I need is one day back on the water and all is right again. Not everyone is cut that way. (but I'm sure glad that I am!)

The clips on the stringer are only -not supposed to kill the fish before you get done fishing so you can then fillet them! I think your better off with a small hole than a letting a metal clip bang around the gills all day before weigh in. In the grand scheme of things, what's a small hole going to hurt... it's not like the fish have to hold their breath under water! ....lol I like DD's idea the best though.

I think there are a few that stick to sponsors... they are pretty easy to spot. So easy in fact, many times I see a thread title and know who will reply and can almost guess the response to the word. ...lol Most people here I think are pretty honest about it all. I won't recommend anything that I haven't had good experience with unless I know someone well, that has. (and I've seen it) Too bad the mods aren't accepting sponsors... I have a good size inventory of blanks and no room in the boat for new builds right now. I guess I'll just have to keep giving rods away to local anglers. ;D

Maybe the people that gave you permission to hunt know the owner... and if so, may be able to introduce you. (the introduction may help since they know you are hunting nearby and have a good relationship with other local landowners.) If nothing else, they may know his/her name, so you can address them as Mr. or Ms. so and so. Good luck. Even if they say no, thank them for their time. If you leave them with a good impression, you may end up with permission later.

Great pics, Matt. Also glad to see the 6" baits listed. Lightning rod- you need your own gallery!! Way to represent! ...lol

I feel your pain, I also did the same job yesterday. Luckily, I did have a helper and mine went as "smooth" as those kind of projects can. I was only pulling 2 new wires through since I'm not using a 12/24 anymore. So just in case I pulled a "pull rope" through with the first wire removed, that way, if I had one of my new wires disconnect while pulling, I had another shot without starting over. Having another person there to feed the wire from the back is mandatory for a smooth feed... unfortunately you found out the hard way. You're almost through... just keep the pursuit of smallies in your mind for motivation!!

Until the fish say otherwise, I fish it about like a t-rig, as far as speed and distance moved per move.

While I agree 100% with the suggestion of an experienced aluminum welder, that may not be the most practical solution. A good welder can be very expensive. Considering this is an old boat that's had a rough life already, the repair bill and time spent may cost more than the boat is worth, or even a new jon boat. It may not be the perfect option but glass works. I used fiberglass resin on the rivits of my jon boat, it lived in the boathouse for 4 years (in the water) and did not take a single drop of water in. Before I glassed the rivits, I had to dump the water out every few hours and keep it on land. The trick is to use a high speed drill and a wire brush to prep the areas and wipe with acetone a few minutes before applying the glass resin. (the project took a total of 2 hours and $20 to complete) I have also glassed 2 other boats for friends that had similar results. I think the trick is to just cover the rivets, not the whole bottom. Mine looked like a polka dotted hull of little 2" circles of resin over all the rivets... but the bass don't care. I really hate to disagree with Peter and L_B_H since they are certainly more experienced with aluminum boats than me, but if done right, glass is a cheap, easy way to fix the problem... not permanantly but for a good while.

Way to use the noodle!! ...lol You'd think I would have rememebered to suggest that since I carry one. ...lol

Looks like a spinning reel leg "thingy" Maybe it's time to get a lighter power baitcasting outfit up and running... split the time up some. Or go BC only for a while and see if it goes away. This could be a Dr. ordered "challenge" for the forum... [Dr.] "I challenge L_B_H to fish with no spinning gear for a period of 3-4 weeks" ...lol Heal up guys!! I need the mojo back soon!!!!!!

I can't say I have experienced that. Sounds like an arthritis kind of thing... or a really heavy rod and reel combo. Keep a worm rod rigged up and switch off as needed until you fix it or figure it out. Good luck on a real solution!

2 things to look at.... 1. Are you having to cross large open areas which will get really rough? (is the launch protected?) 2. Is your weatherman better than mine? ...lol A Belton 10mph "breeze" as reported by our weatherman is normally in the 20+ range on the lake, with sizeable swells to go with it. Also how does your lake set up? Our's is a deep, rocky, river lake with many canyon-like walls that funnel any available wind... I guess that's really more than 2 things but you get the idea. Some lakes we fish are no trouble until you get into the high 20's mph and some are brutal when the wind is only up to 10 mph. It has more to do with the specific lake than the actual wind speed, most times.