flechero

Rapidly falling water is normally tough. They are probably in panic mode, heading for the deeper spots and only eating what and when they have to. I'd give it a few days to stabilize and head back out. (assuming they have drawn the lake down as far as they need to.) When they get acclimated to the new water level, they should be plenty hungry! I would still target the same types of places, if they like wood or brush, stay with it, etc. I'd guess they will be tight to whatever cover they use for a day or two, it's a security thing.

yes, I have used several different brands in the smokes and light, clearish colors, with good success.

Al, Don't try to out think the lake... (none of us are that smart anyway!) I don't worry about a pattern anymore, at least not anything too specific. Since I know the lake well enough to know where fish normally are and I usually fish plastics, I don't make the effort to establish a pattern beyond which color plastic, depth and cover or structure. But in cases of new water, tourneys, etc., you have to cover water and use a variety of baits to establish a pattern.

But they can detain you until the warden arrives or until the warden steps out of the car.... Game wardens routinely ride with DPS trooper on the major (I-20, I-10, I-35, etc.) highways here... been there and done that. One of the guys in our party was questioned by the trooper and then asked to sit tight while he got the game warden who "happened to be riding with him that day" for a few follow up questions. Funny how the ride together on Sunday afternoons in hunting seasons, since we saw the same pair on the following 2 sundays, working the same stretch of I-20. ?? The reality is that we got stopped by a cop (dps trooper) but we were detained so the warden could ask his questions.... it's a common "trap" in TX. We got pulled over for no front plate on a farm truck but the reality was that we had coolers, gun cases and hunting/camping gear visable in the truck's bed, hence the "courtesy" stop by the trooper. And once the trooper introduced the warden, he forgot about the plate missing... conveniently! No infractions were noted or cited but it's just their game, to check the hunters/fisherman. So in many cases, it doesn't matter who stops you or who asks first... in the end, the game warden has the last word. This example was hunting, not fishing but the same thing could easily happen, and probably does.

Good work, I also like the heavy gold... I thought at first glance you used the gold leaf foil.

If you don't use cash, you might try a slow steady diet of a few items... kind of get her used to always seeing a couple bags of worms or hooks or whatever, showing up. In no time it becomes like anything on the weekly grocery run and she'll become immune to it. And when she does, it's nothing to add a few more items. This theory covers about 75% of my regular needs... This does one of two things... saves your cash for the occasional "big" purchase or opens the door for you to ask/tell about an occasional big purchase. Like Kana said, trust is hard to gain, once it is lost. I would play it cool since you just bought a boat... However, since you just bought a boat I have had occasions where there are charges not "itemized" on the tune up bill. Of course this only works if the dealer you use sells tackle. I think the biggest problem is that WE get immune to how much we get away with and then try to figure a way to do more. I learned this while recovering from rotator cuff surgury and not being in my "normal" routine. ...lol I was pretty good! Now I'm having to sort of re-train her. ...lol

The balance caps are pretty cool, I still have some work to do to on the design but this prototype is working out so far. (except at the moment, I can't remember what I did with the weighted one) ...lol The other balance system I'm working on uses a removable internal weight as opposed to the weighted cap but so far I can only do it on rods with a large ID butt. I'll get it figured out one of these days... until them, I'll keep trying other stuff. ReelMech is in another league as far as his artistic abilities... I'm just having fun. ...lol But thanks for the compliments!

I wouldn't kill them... they are probably part of the reason that the pond is so good. If you are stuck on the bank, they suck. If you have or have access to a boat, you have a gold mine! Learn to pitch low... meaning where your jig or soft plastic will cartwheel along the surface and pitch into the little gaps at the base of the tails. They are not so thick underwater and there ARE bass in there waiting for an easy meal. Until recently, I fished an 80 acre lake that looked like the picture above. (all the way around) The deeper you got your bait into the tails, the bigger the fish you could pull out! It requires heavy line, frequent re- tying and some patience until you get used to that style of pitchin. Sweet Beavers were the best item in them... they don't grab the stalks on the way by.

Well, if I ever get up to your neck of the woods, I'd be happy to show you anything that I know. Ahh, the good old days!! I had a nice shop until our last move. We have planned to build another shop down here, but I posponed it to pay off our remaining debt. Now the debt is paid off and somehow she managed to talk me into some remodeling before we build the shop. ...lol I think it will end up being a good trade since I only agreed to it by negotiating in some extras when I do build. ...lol An extra 100 sq. ft., air conditioning, a clean room for finishing and 10' ceilings. Can't wait!! It would be a real treat to have ReelMech give us a class... I'd probably find a way to scrounge up a plane ticket to attend! ...lol On a serious note, you should start saving a few bucks here and there to go to High Point, NC in March (I think) for the rodbuilders show. I am planning to go next year as well as a buddy or two. From what they said about this year's show, we really missed out!!

Luck, patience, good fortune.... ok, just kidding! ...lol You will also need thread finish, a butt cap or plug (unless you are planning on plugging a ring) and maybe winding checks. Oh, and I already have your reel seat, if you are planning on a Fuji ECS. (exposed blank) I can (and will if you want) help with some or all of it. Meaning, I have everything you would need (threadmaster, exotic burl, regular burl, regular cork, alconites, thread, epoxy, winding checks, reel seats, etc.) if you don't want to make the first try all mail order. And if you don't mind working in a messy (un-air conditioned) garage, I have the tools and a willingness to help. All you have to do is ask. Off topic but cool... I fished Mr. Coufal's place in Zabcikville on Saturday... field testing a few rods. Caught a 6 and a handfull of other chunks. Good water! And had a sausage burger at Green's on the way home! I'm headed out of town on Friday and won't be back until Sunday afternoon... let me know what you want or need. Best, Keith

Normally it's no problem - when in my boat, I have a locker full or rods. But I want to be able to have options when i travel or when I go with someone else. Plus, it's a way to make a rod more versitile. I love the idea of spending a lot of money on a great blank, titanium guides, etc. and getting 2 awesome rods worth of use out of that expense. Instead of building 2 rods with lesser quality materials to fill those needs. And if I ever sold any, it would be a big value add to prospective customers. As I get better at building them, I'll be using better/higher $ blanks and components so it allows me to do more with my money (and not have to carry so many rods with me when I fish.)

I spent several years from the bank... granted that was many years ago but I think all the lessons learned will still apply. Your best friend should be the c-rig. It will allow you to "map" the entire area that is accessible to you. If it is a pond you will be fishing a lot, slowly start at one end and c-rig in a fan pattern, then walk about 20 feet and repeat... do this until you are out of bank. By the end of it you will have a mental picture of the structure and cover as complete as if you had a map full of notes. It can take a whole day to "map" out a pond... but if you are going to be spending time there in the future, it will be WELL worth your efforts. As you throw a c-rig more and more, you will be able to distinguish bottom compisition different types of cover (grass, brush, rocks, etc.) as well as any irregularities in depth (drops, humps, creeks, etc.). And the bonus is- you will likely catch some fish while "working" on your map. If you get into a lot of cover and start hanging up, switch to the t-rig and resume where you left off. Also, use tungsten for "mapping" it telegraphs much better than lead, even if you don't plan to use it for normal fishing... it's well worth the $5 for the tungsten c-rig/t-rig weights for this purpose. I would take a piece of paper and a pen or pencil... a crude sketch of the shoreline and then add notes. You will likely lose the paper and notes but writing them down will burn it into your head. To this day, I could draw you a detailed map with good notes on some of the ponds I fished 15-20 years ago... because I took the time to do all of this. I have a brother who still fishes some of these ponds and he still calls me every few weeks for info on one or more of them. ...lol I know it seems like a pain, but it will help you out down the road... I have a Lowrance LMS 332C on my boat but I still use the c-rig/t-rig to verify and compliment what I see on the screen. And I still pick up on many things that I didn't get from the electronics. You can make it as involved as you want, just remember to have fun out there!

I looked at the bottom of a pyrex here and it says do not microwave or use on stovetop. My guess is that the pyrex and plastic heated a differently in the microwave so when you poured the cooler plastic caused the glass the shatter. I don't know if all pyrex is the same or not... maybe some are and some are not microwave safe. ? Glad you are ok though!!

nb1226, Thank you for your dedication and sacrifices to this great nation! Without you guys (and gals) we would not get to enjoy all these freedoms. Glad you are finally coming home!! I hope you catch a new PB shortly after arrival. Keith

Couldn't figure out how to post both pics on the same post. ...lol And the butt / cap:

I decided that it might be fun to do some checkerboard grips on a rod build. I don't have a cork jig yet but wanted to try anyway. I eyeballed them and "went to town" with an exacto knife. ...lol the first pic is obviously the grip. Nothing special, just a few checkerboard rings. second is the butt and removable cap. I have 2 caps, one weighted to perfectly balance the rod (as I hold it) for pitchin and other "feel" techniques, and the other is just a cork cap to keep the rod light when fishing moving baits. With the unweighted cap, it's still a few grams heavier due to the bolt and internal nut in the rod blank but I feel like it's a good trade off for being able to balance it whenever I want to just by unscrewing it and puttin the other cap on. I'm working on another balancing system but this blank would not allow it's use since the ID of the butt area is so small. Please excuse the photo quality, I'm limited to the camera phone at the moment.

Borderbasser, I think we are talking different seats... ReelMech and I both advised you based on using an exposed blank casting seat, where the tight fit is critical. If you are using a non blank exposed or a spinning seat then you don't have to have that kind of fit. You can use the drywall tape or make some arbors. Hope that made sense. Keith

Ok, that makes perfect sense. I rough out and shape with a Sureform blade and a large rasp and sand after it's close to my final size and shape. That has to be the best looking spinning grip I have ever seen!! Fantastic work my friend!

I would take the advice from above and combine it with trying a smaller diameter line in fluoro or clear mono. Also, when possible, make longer casts... if you can see them, they can see you.

ReelMech, you obviously have a slicing jig! Very nicely done! Your work inspires us! It's elegant, in a masculine way! ...lol I did some checkerboards with laguna and burnt last week, but did them by hand with my eyes as the jig. ...lol They actually turned out pretty good but not perfectly even. I'll be buying a real jig one of these days. I am confused about something though, you said: What are you using to rough it out? It's a little different but I haven't noticed it to be any more difficult to shape or turn. I believe it takes a few extra minutes because it is denser and I go a little slower with it but that is all.Oh, one more thing... if you call Andy and ask, he will make rings with no hole so you can use them as butt rings without having to fill or plug. I've done it on a few rods so far and really like it. Have a few more rings with no holes... waiting in line to be used.

If you are building one rod or don't have a need to "stock" different size reel seats, the best way is to have them measure it for you when you buy the blank. You just tell them how many inches up the blank you want the handle to fit and they'll check your blank and send the right one. (I would add 1/2" - 1" just to be sure they don't send one a hair too big) Each rod tapers differently, some are fairly level in the butt section and will use a seat that is only a little smaller than the butt OD and some taper pretty steep so they take a MUCH smaller seat. You should be ok since you asked them to check it for you. Sometimes (most times) you have to ream a little to get a good seal/fit. When I build a rod, I plan where the seat goes and then ream to fit. If you use the mud hole theory, you'd have to adjust your handle specs to accomodate the seat that is closest to where you want it. That isn't custom in my book.

Sorry about that. ...lol Brotherly love can be quite primal at times... I'm one of four brothers, myself.

Tell him that a family outing trumps a video game, but he can bring his gameboy to play if the fishing is slow or he gets bored. That way he goes but if he doesn't have fun he can still play his games. If that doesn't work, punch him in the mouth and say "in a few years, you'll understand why I did that!" Second thought, you might omit the last step. ...lol

Oh but there IS something you can do for us... Build a new custom rod for yourself and then post a picture of a nice fish you caught on it!!

1. I eyeball the guides, I tried marking the blank but it only caused me more trouble. With the tip and reel seat to eyeball from, it is not a problem. If you have bad vision or something like that, a center line or mark may be the way to go. 2. I go top dead center with my butt guide on a simple spiral. Some actually offset opposite the bumper to compensate for the guide's diameter and keep from a reel sideloading the line. I've not seen that problem yet. I like to use a smaller butt guide, rather than stagger it. I normally use a 10mm butt guide unless building a really heavy rod. 3. All guides should be wrapped.... what you saw was someone's attempt to shortcut time or money, IMO. But, I don't put a decorative thread wrap at the base of the tip top. 4. I think it's personal preference... I don't use hook keepers on my rods... even factory rods with them I hook on the reel so the point is not exposed. 5. I haven't done any restoration work yet, but something like an armor all may help... ReelMech might have a trick or two for that. 6. I use 1/8" or 1/4" masking tape. It's quick and easy. The rubberbands and tubing seemed like more work to me... and the problem of how to get it off when done. Either cut it off and risk a nick in the blank or take the guides off again and slide it off... which chances a moved guide, after static testing. Neither of those options are in my comfort zone. 7. I wish I had a good answer for this one... I have 2 rods waiting to be wrapped. I got up this morning to begin and had one of those mornings where the fingers were stiff, weak and without dexterity. So, maybe tonight they will feel better and I'll get some wrapping done. Hope that helps, Keith