flechero

purely decorative. They are foam, cut out of a sheet I had in my fly tying supplies... just wanted to see how it would look.

I've not seen them in any of my catalogs so I don't know where you can get them. There was an article in Rodmaker, I think 2 issues ago about using poker chips. The poker chips did the same thing for sensitivity and also gave you lots of options for color schemes, etc..

If you fish in water shallow enough, weightless is great. I wish I had more water shallow enough to do that with... Flukes, Ikas and senkos are the 3 I never weight, regardless of the depth.

Yes, the whole handle. In the other thread the rod Reelmech made also had burl for the whole handle. I believe it was a mixture of regular and exotic burl. This thread has some pictures of a few rods I built over the winter. I like the look of burl when it's new, but once it gets dirty, it just looks like dirty cork. ...lol (but with no hole and no filler!) http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1140882283

That's awesome!! You're hooked now!!!! No turning back... now you need to buy some blanks and components so you don't waste all that liquid gold!! It's like looking at your thread through glass, isn't it?!! Your post is just like mine after my first try with threadmaster. ...lol It really is great stuff. Here's the best part... each time you use it, it gets even easier and you pick up little tricks each time to make the next time better. Andy is a super nice guy! Before I ever bought from him, I called with some questions and we ended up getting into an hour long discussion on the ins and outs of rodbuilding, and fishing in general. Not many people are willing to spend that kind of time with a customer. Andy said it actually continues to cure for like 72 hours so even though it feels hardened after 8, be easy with it and try not to fish with it for 2-3 days, just in case. (although I have only made it 3 days, twice so far!) ...lol Too funny... I'm sitting on the edge of my seat typing this - I'M FIRED UP FOR YOU!!!! And I have a new CTS blank on the stand, right behind me waiting for the guides to be taped on. Did you get any cork from him?

Now your opening up a can of worms! ...lol Cork- I will never again mail order any cork that isn't burl, period. When I started, I ordered a big bag of "Premium Flor grade" and another bage of something like "AAAA premium" cork... I paid an arm and a leg for this "premium cork" and it was all a GIANT waste of money and was chocked FULL of huge voids, cracks and pits, etc. Since I tried burl and exotic burl, I have no desire to EVER use natural cork again. The burl on mud hole is good quality, not perfectly squared up to the hole or pretty- but is dense and rarely has any voids. With a light coat of tru oil it looks ok. Lamar's "exotic burl" is really nice, looks good, is extremely dense and is a dream to work with, by hand and with power tools. And is actually less expensive than that so called "good cork." I also get Threadmaster thread finish from Lamar. http://www.lamarreelseats.com/ Guides- This is a little tougher... there are some great guides that don't cost a lot. And there are some that are really expensive. In my personal opinion, I like the titanium framed SiC's by Fuji the best, but they are expensive. I have also used alconites and they are probably the best guide for the money that is on the market. I built a couple rods with the Batson guides and they were great to work with, a little higher than alconites but the feet are almost perfectly prepped and you can also get them in tons of finishes. (frames and rings) Available at http://fishsticks4u.com/ Reel seats are easy for me... I only use Fuji ECSM for rods under 15.5mm, they are cheap and they are great. But I use Pac Bay exposed on big stuff since the Fuji only comes to a 15mm. As far as money is concerned, using alconites, I have about $50-$60 in each rod (cork, reel seat, epoxy, tip, guides) plus the blank and my time. But I already have lots of thread and finish. You might add $20 to that for a couple spools of thread and some thread finish. Hope that helps. (I still pay retail for my components) Keith

And it shows!

AB, The best way to get started is to do some reading. Lots of good info out on the internet right now. I'd suggest a book - "Rod Building Guide" by Tom Kirkman for starters. It is written in an easy to follow and easy to understand format. Next you need to start getting familiar with the components, so I'd go to http://shop.mudhole.com/ and get the free paper catalog sent to you, as well as www.anglersworkshop.com. Mud Hole also has a 2-3 page tutorial on rod building in the catalog and maybe on their site. All the tutorials are a little different, you will like certain parts of some and not others. Decide what fits your style and put the pieces together. Reelmech did a nice step by step on one of his recent builds, find it here: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1140119967/0 There is a TON of info on the rod building website: http://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 As you start to read up on it you will probably have some specific questions, you can post them here or on the .org site. There are also a handful of threads in this section if you go back a few pages, that address shops, tools, tricks, etc. The next couple of days are supposed to be rainy... good for reading! -keith

Mortgage interest rates are still good... I'd move while the market is hot! ;D

If you can find someone locally it would be pretty cheap. The guide will run (depending on what kind) probably a buck or two and a few dollars more for the install. Lots of tackle shops have a person they take repairs in for or at least know someone local to refer you to.

About 20 miles west, in my garage. ...lol Seriously, what are you looking for? All Star is no longer offereing blanks to the public, and very few of the bass type blanks are left. I have a stash of them and may have what your looking for.

When I had access to smaller waters, with good fishing, I rarely was out fighting the crowds... I was lucky though, the best 2 small lakes (80 & 90 acres) I ever fished had ramps and I was able to use my fiberglass boat. With permission and a 4wd truck, most bass boats can be launched w/o a ramp.

NADA has boats and also boat trader on line has a new boat pricing guide.

Yes, the 332 can be used as part of a "network" or as a portable. You'll need (for portable use) a cig lighter plug for the vehicle and either a second puck or use a quick release mount for puck mounting, and have one attachment on the boat and another on your vehicle. FYI if you want to use the same puck, the unit comes with a mount that attaches to marine antenna bases that are sold everywhere... academy has them for about $10.

I bought the LMS 332C and really like it. I paid a lot less than that. $589 w/ no tax and free shipping, last summer. I just checked, the price went up to $609 still free shipping... they have a very good selection. No point in spending an extra $90 - $100, you can use that money for other tackle. http://www.gpsdiscount.com/products/lowr/lowrancehome.html

I made the mistake of taking my bass boat to the coast a few times and was running along and came up on some shallow sand flats... (realizing it was too late to shut down) I trimmed it up higher and went to full throttle to get as much of the boat and motor out of the water as I could... I made it but lost a little paint on the skeg. I waded back later (chasing some reds) to find I had run through about 14" of water. Never made that mistake again but I learned that with 16"-17"" my skeg would have cleared. I gave a quick prayer of thanks and a nod to the sky after reaching deeper water that afternoon. I hate running shallow water, just because you never know what could be on the bottom... a single rock or log, etc. could ruin your boat or WORSE, kill you if your boat comes to a halt. You used good judgement, since you were unfamiliar with the water, I applaud you for not just following them out. Stay safe and have fun!!

I agree with Reelmech, if it were me, I would start with new cork and reel seat. A buddy of mine recently broke a rod he built so he salvaged everything for the new blank of same model and measurements... worked like a charm and he didn't have the $$ to start over so it was good for him and fit exactly on the new blank.

If you are careful, you can save everything. Cut the thread and finish from the guides with a razorblade and use your fingernail to peel it off of the guide feet. It may help to warm the thread finish with a hair dryer to soften it first. Cork can be tricky but needs to come off so you can get the reel seats off. Cut the blank about 6 inches from the cork... boil the cork and handles for about 10 minutes to weaken the epoxy and push (hard) down against the floor, the cork and seats should break free. The "be careful" part of that is because the cork will be very soft after boiling and will tear easily. And when you have your components off, save the scrap blanks, you will need several pieces of them to make your tapered reamers when you start building rods.

I voted for and still use hand control. I think I would like Foot control better for "normal" fishing if I got used to it but since I don't sit or lean when I fish, rough water and high winds are not easy to balance on one foot and drive with the other. Besides, I take lots of people fishing that do not have boats and they couldn't operate a foot control. We fish enough places that are pretty swampy and when the wind is up, someone HAS to be on the t-motor... if I hang a good fish, need to pee, etc. I just call the other person to the front to take over. Sometimes I like to be a passenger and with a hand control, anyone I bring can drive me around, once in a while! ...lol The other part of a foot control that I don't like is having a single control, in one place... I have big foot switches mounted on both sides of the deck and can use them from anywhere one the deck... since I rarely fish off the front, I go side to side a lot and that would be a pain moving the foot control around constantly. Unless it's really windy, I only use the foot (or knee or hip) on the hand control anyway. But for tournament bass fishing, I do think foot control is the most efficient.

justtrying, I also skip the winding checks. I have used them on a couple rods but actually think I'll be cutting them off. I used thread on a few... matched the wrap of a single foot guide, just as an accent... and that is only if I have a slight gap in the cork/blank. On most of them I have reamed the grip carefully enough that there is no space and no need for thread, winding check or epoxy ramp. In answer to your original question, you can take a winding check and cut it w/ a razor blade and glue it back together on your rod. If you do this, I would get one that is larger than the OD. of the rod and trim to fit... normally they stretch a little to fit snug and if you cut one like that, you won't get it back together! ...lol

Exactly what I needed, THANKS!! Of course the last thing I need right now is to have to order more stuff! ...lol But a few pigments will only amount to a drop in the bucket compared to the cork, guides and reel seats! (I can only afford to order for about 5-6 rods right now.) I'll keep you posted as I start new rods. I expect the cork to arrive on Monday and the rest of the stuff probably not for a week to 10 days, so I'll turn some grips and get them ready to glue while waiting on the big order to show up. I can't wait to get the CTS built and on the lake, it is so nice! Going all out on it, with Ti framed SiC's!!

Yup, and I'm hoping to see a tutorial thread on marbling epoxy!! (hint, hint)

I was worse than a kid in a candy store, I was like Raul in BPS!! I'd let you guys each have a "pick of the litter" ...almost! ;D Yes, Andy was kind enough to arrange it all for us. He's a great one to do business with... always goes out of his way to take care of us. What did i get... well, almost a few of everything! ...lol I got a pretty big selection of blanks ranging from a mega swimbait (back bounce) blank down to a light spinning blank (for the wife to catch schooling white bass) A big assortment of 6'6" - 7'6" med, med-hvy and hvy, mod-fast, fast and ex-fast blanks. And not all of them are "All Star" brand. They did a bunch of production for other companies in the past. Although we were asked not to mention any brands. We ended up with some current production and some past production blanks. Really a smart move on Andy's part though... I wouldn't have ordered more than 5 or 6 blanks at a time... and can you imagine what I'll end up spending on exotic cork by the time it is said and done!! I really think I will be using these blanks (except the 4 or 5 that I already pulled aside ) as stock for friends and family that want rods built for them and a few as loaners for people I take fishing. Andy had been telling us about the CTS (Tournament series) blanks, and he brought a couple for us to inspect... all I can say is WOW!! They are impressive!! I believe they are lighter than GLX and they have a backbone that is just shy of a sign post! A super light and responsive tip... needless to say I bought it too. ..lol It will be the first blank built, and will be the replacement for my MBR784IMX, which is/was my t-rig rod. Haven't had any issues with storage yet, I keep them upright and supported in the middle... so none of the tips are flexed. (so far, so good!) Now I need to order tips and reel seats in a few of the common sizes so I can build in any order. Luckily there are only 5 tip sizes in all the combined blanks, which makes it easier on the wallet for now. A much bigger variance in reel seats but I already have about 5 sizes so will only order a couple more of those for now. I guess this will have to count as my "mid-life crisis" since I can no longer afford anything that would count as a mid life crisis!

Well yesterday I got to spend the day in Houston, Tx. at the All Star blank manufacturing facilities, complete with a full guided tour, given by the Plant Manager and Production Manager! (Thanks again Mike and Sharon, if you see this, we had a great day!) What a fascinating experience, to say the least. A friend and I were invited by one of our blank and component suppliers to join him for the day in Houston. We got to see the entire process from the original templates and mandrels to pattern cutting, layout, tacking, rolling, cooking, cutting, sanding, finishing and quality control testing of the blanks in process. After that we got to see some of the actual rod building in process. They even have automated diamond wrapping machines. ...lol What an incredible day! To top it off, we were able to see and handle blanks of any model... many of which I never knew All Star even offered. And the best part of all... we picked out a bunch of bunch of blanks "for the supplier!!" And subsequently "acquired" them in the parking lot, before departing!! I am the proud owner of 22 new rod blanks!! ;D ;D ;D ;D The only problem now is figuring out how to pay for all those reel seats and guides!!!! ...lol

L_B_H, I understand where you are coming from but we are not talking about line verification and approval. I will also agree that they do some good things. (so did FEMA and they got trashed) But for an organization that champions trophy fishing and records, they are pretty snobby to the common people. It is NOT difficult to get an accurate weight from a scale after the fact. No way, they are like an *** claim forms administrator, lets credit the law enforcement to the game wardens. Agreed to respectfully disagree.