flechero

I'm beginning to think the IGFA is a bunch of @#$^&* &^%$#@! %^&*( *^^$!#@%!!!!!! I honestly think if I caught a world record tomorrow, I would do everything required by the IGFA except submit the paperwork... and have an officially certified weight and tons of photos/video/etc. and when asked by reporters why I don't submit it for the record, say something like "I don't recognize the IGFA as a legitimate organization..." just to give them a taste of there own crap. It is easy to certify a scale after the fact or simply calibrate (by actual weight and a certified scale) a weight from a scale that doesn't certify... any idiot with a 3rd grade education can do it. I say "HORSE $#!+" (poop) !!!!!!

That's for sure!!!! Stay tuned... I am going to post a little story tomorrow. ;D ;D ;D

What, Floow this link and submit your library's information. Maybe in a short amount of time, they will have the books and magazines. http://home.earthlink.net/~rmlibrary/index.html

You've been busy! They look good so far! You will have less hours in a new build than a redo... which is why I still haven't touched my "store bought" rods... just waiting to have the big sale so I can restock on blanks and components!! ...lol

Agreed! Like stalking something with a traditional bow.

Wow, June for a few guides replaced? What are you guys doing to them that has repairs so backed up? Do you know what guides they are? Brand, type & size... most are easy to get in a week or so but there are a few I can't get sometimes for several weeks. If you were local I would do it for you but you would spend more money shipping them to Tx with insurance both ways that you could buy a new rod. Good luck, Keith

I've only built with new components so far but asked almost the same question before... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1143488674 Having not done it before I would be more inclined to say put the guides where they were, so the old finish marks don't show. If you are satisfied with the current guide placement in static testing, just flip all but the butt guide and tape on guides and bumper and check for line clearance then wrap and finish. If you carefully get all the finish off and the blank cleans up without showing the old finish marks, it would be just like building from scratch. (except the handle) Oh- you will also need to buy a bumper guide. ...lol

Yes, they are very good blanks!

I use them a lot but I have to say the cheap ones (2 for $3) are the best because I normally remember them about the time I get home. ...lol ;D You'd be surprised how much help they are... never seems like you are drifting that much but drop a marker and see how much more you use the trolling motor to stay in position. Worth a try if you fish deep at all.

Isn't that the point of a prediction? ...lol I believe I would have gotten one or both had the lake been open... it was just that good all the time. Total heartbreaker to lose such an unreal fishery.

What, I'll second ReelMech. I just started building rods over the winter. All it took was Kirkman's book and a few questions on the rodbuilding site. Now I'm about to start #9 & #10. The only other advice I'll give for right now is to go to mudhole.com and anglersresource (or any other supplier) and get the current catalogs. You need to start becoming familiar with the components and read a little about the rod blanks. You will be surprised how quickly it all starts to make sense. Once you read up and get ready to start building, you'll have some specific questions... post them here and we'll answer all we can for you! Check your school library or city's library for Kirkman's book... they have beed sending them to libraries all over the place. -flechero

Wind (through wave action) also diminishes light penetration, which IMO is the biggest help. The bass are more aggresive and less spooky in low light. Aside from that if there is a big shad population the wind helps to concentrate them by stirring up what they eat, in certain areas.

Awesome!! I sure remember the feeling of finishing the first rod! It's the same feeling I still get each time I finish one!! It's like catching a big one, it is always sweet!! Congratulations!!

justtrying, Sounds like you are steadily improving and surrounded by family... count your blessings and spend the quality time with your wife and kids, the rods can wait!! There will be time this summer when it's either too windy or stormy, etc. I was finding that the hour or two I'm awake in the mornings, before going to work was perfect for wrapping rods, and the last hour before bed is always available for the "garage part of rodbuilding" (cork shaping and handles) Anyway, you will find time for rodbuilding later. I'm not going anywhere and I doubt ReelMech is either so when you get back to it, fire away with questions... we'll be lurking. ...lol All the best, Keith

Well in the interest of full disclosure, we showed up on the 31st of march at our faithful honey hole and there was a chain across the boat ramp and a sign that said "no more fishing, lake closed" > :'( Someone bought the property and closed it to the public. What a way to spend a morning after a 2 1/2 hour drive, filled with anticipation. We went to another lake and caught tons of fish but nothing bigger than 4-5 lbs. So I am probably the first to fall in this thread. Do I win something for losing first? ;D

If it was tested and is bad, do you have any prorated warranty left on it? If you don't, Wal-Mart has the MAXX 29 deep cycles (the big yellow ones) on sale. I think they are $64. They are pretty good, not the best but have a 2 year 100% replacement then another couple years of prorated warranty. I only had one last 2 years yet but I haven't paid for a new one in a few years either. And when you have a problem, there is always a Wal-Mart close by. Just my $.02

I started off the same way, had rotator cuff surgery and knew I'd be out for a 6-8 months... and would be able to fish spinning gear a month or two before I could use a baitcaster... so I used the rehab time to (learn then) build a nice (St. Croix) blank into a spinning rod, as a "reward" and incentive to rehab. You would be surprised, it's not as hard as it sounds. I think it is easier than the repair and modifications you are already doing. The hardest thing for me was figuring out what to buy, as fars as guides and parts... once you have the stuff, assembly is not very difficult. (it's intimidating at first but not hard) With Tom K's book and a few questions here, you CAN make a great rod... one that will serve you better than 99% of the "off the rack" rods at a tackle shop. My first one isn't the prettiest but it functions better than any rod I ever bought. And the fish don't care what it looks like!!!! (by the time they see it, they have already been caught!) ...lol Cabela's and other places sell the thread tensioner for $5 and yuo can mount it to your wrapper. (if you buy a wrapper it will come with one, or at least most of them do.) One other thing... if you spend a little time in the rodbuilding.org site, almost all of those guys are happy to help out beginners... and there are probably guys in (or close to) your area. If you decide to give it a shot, let me know and I'll gladly talk with you on the phone about any questions you have... sometimes it's a lot easier to explain than type. Also... since you had an interest in Threadmaster... Andy bought out the blank inventory from All Star, they no longer sell blanks... he's out of the heavier worm & jig bass blanks but has lots of others (talked to him on Friday and he still has about 2500 All Star blanks). They are cheap enough to try and not be heartbroken if you screw one up and if all goes well they fish perfect. I used 3 of them on a trip last weekend and used them over my Loomis rods... food for thought!! ...lol

justtrying, I get my cork and Threadmaster from Andy Dear at Lamar: http://www.lamarreelseats.com/ He's a super friendly and helpful. If you want to order everything from one place, I believe Bingham and 1 or 2 others now carry Andy's products. As far as what you "need" for building rods... kind of a loaded question. You could get by with a couple v blocks, a phone book for tension, and a cork reamer. But that's no fun! Tom Kirkland's book would have been my first suggestion but you have that. You will "want" to (if you shape your own grips) to set up a makeshift lathe. My first was a drill clamped to a board with a dryer vent hose clamp and used an 18" drill bit as a mandrel wich was supported by a block of wood with hole in it. ...lol It worked great but I changed because I wanted to pre drill my cork to 1/2" for glueing and turning. Now I use another drill and a 1/2" grade 5 bolt that has had the head cut off and has been trued for size. If you have a lathe, disregard all the above and get a lathe mandrel from Andy Dear. ....lol All you need for shaping is sandpaper, but I like to start with a Stanley shurform blade (looks like a cheese grater) For wrapping, I started with a cardboard box with 2 V notches cut out and ran the thread under a book for tension. It worked fine but I didn't like the idea of the thread getting dirty from the book and box. You can buy a wrapper (manual) from many places, but the best ones will be home made. If you go to the rodbuilding.org site and look in the library there is a step by step on building a wrapper. Cheap and easy and it will serve you well. Thread tension can be checked with sinkers... 3.5 - 4 oz is a safe and workable setting. You MUST have a good (new) razorblade for cutting thread as you wrap... it is the difference between perfect and crappy. I use a new blade as soon as I notice 1 cut that the thread leaves a fuzz or trailer. A rod turner/dryer is very handy, and I would suggest one. Lots of guys and lots of professional rodbuilders don't use one, they turn by hand. But since we only work on one at a time, it's no fun to sit there for 2 hours watching finish cure. ...lol I am a fan of low speed... I use 3rpm and 6rpm. The 3 was made from a BBQ rotiserie motor purchased at Lowe's for under $20 (on closeout) and came with the stands. I only added a small scrap of wood with felt on top to the stand. The 6rpm is a Flexcoat and was purchased retail. Reamers are essential. The best are made from scrap blank with sandpaper spiral wrapped and glued... but new builders don't normally have scrap blanks. I bought my first ones from Cabela's, they were not real expensive so I bought all 3 sizes. (and have needed all 3 sizes) For guide prep, I have tried lots of things and the easiest to use and best results came from my gunsmithing files which are just a set of Craftsman needle files and some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Check your tension first. (3.5 - 4 oz) Then be sure to hold a finger on the thread as you cut it and put tag end through loop, and be sure to pull on tag end while you pull loop (yes, 3 hands would be perfect for this but you can keep tension on tag end and hold rod from spinning with one hand) lastly, 3 wraps will hold the end but on anything other than trim bands, I use more... usually 5. I practiced in the beginning using up to like 8-9 to get comfortable with it and then went less. It will come very quickly with a minimum of practice... if tension is good and you hold tension while pulling loop. Also be sure to pack your thread as you wrap... I pack on about every 4th or 5th wrap (I use thumbnail as I go) The tighter you pack the thread, the better it looks and the better it will hold the tag end that you pulled under. Sorry to get so "wordy" but as you can tell, I enjoy rodbuilding and like to help out anyone I can. If I think of other stuff, I'll post again later but I lost track of time and have to get to work! ...lol

There is something about the ones that are fussy... as it turns out, the hardest rod to figure spacing ended up being my favorite. I'm sure it has to do with the work put into it and pride of workmanship. Sounds like an awesome set up! Glad I could help!

Reelmech, I was hoping you would jump in, I haven't built any mod action blanks. vtbassin, One thing I forgot to mention before... this may not help much but may help some. On every rod I have built so far, I have fiddled with the bumper location and actually gotten better clearance and more load to the #2 guide. In every case the bumper was closer to the butt guide by 1/4" - 1" and rotated slightly (about 5 - 10 degrees) towrds the top. What happens is this: when the rod is under heavy load the bumper will "follow" the #2 guide (since the blank is stronger towards the butt guide) a little bit so moving it closer to the butt and rotated up slightly gives plenty of clearance from butt to bumper and when the bumper follows the #2 guide it will maintain clearance (well past the point of drag being pulled.) That spacing will also help to make up some of the #2 guide's laziness, so to speak. ...lol Where this really helps is when you load the blank and move side to side with it. (I have never fought a big fish straight on the whole time.) Reelmech's example has the #2 and bumper moved out some from your location, that should cause the #2 to carry some load, or get really close. One more thing that helped me A LOT when pulling heavy loads. Measure the drag on the reel you will put on that rod.... I found beforeI did that, I was static testing well beyond the max drag I will use on the rod. For example on some of the heavy rods I was putting 10-12 lbs of pressure and having trouble but when I measured the drag for the reel it was to have it was in the 6-7 lb area... I was asking WAY too much from the blank without even realizing it. (and probably got lucky I didn't break one) And when I think I am done, I mount the reel and hook to a 5 gallon paint bucket and pull (carefully) until I lose drag... keeping an eye on line clearance between butt and #2, just to be sure. Sounds like you have good patience, most guys would have just finished the rod. You will be glad you went this route... when you hook a monster fish you won't be thinking or worrying about line clearance!! Let us know what fixes it, I may be in the same boat when I build a crankbait rod and just might remember your answer. Best, Keith

That may even be an understatement! ...lol It's easy to use, is super clear and spreads easily with a brush or spatula. I bought the small bottles (2 oz each, 4 oz total) have finished 8 complete rods with it and have only used 1/2 of it. $12 for 4 oz kit. I'd stick with the caps you have for now because the cork under them is obviously been turned down and fit under them. If you change, you'll have to cut off the last ring or two, build up the last inch of the blank to level and re cork the last ring (or two) and then make whatever cap or ring or eva you use for the end. (probably more work than it is worth) When you build one from scratch, all of that is done in order (easy) and you will have lots of options for caps and plugs. The tips and tricks you learn now will pay dividends later!! Don't fight it, the baitmonkey is merely a runny nose compared to the addiction that rodbuilding becomes! ;D

I assume you are setting up a bumper (simple spiral) right? Give a little more info... what blank and guides are you using? what is the distance to the butt guide from the front of the reel? and then the distance to the bumper and #2 and #3 guides. You may actually need to move the #3 guide further out, to get the #2 to carry some load or move the bumper and #2 out some... each rod blank is different, even the same models... I bought 3 of the same blanks and if you stand them up side by side, they are all spaced out different and one even needed an extra guide. (but that is what it took for proper line angles throughout the load range) ...lol I had one like that where I couldn't get the #2 guide to carry any weight after hours of jacking with it... I finally decided to leave it and field test it so I left it alone, since I would lose drag long before it became a problem. (I haven't had any troubles yet and I have fished it pretty hard.) On all the others I was able to shift the guides around and remedy the situation. I found that with a bumper it helps to use a lower butt guide and #2 to lessen the angles and carry weight. Each rod has had it's own unique needs... which is something that doesn't get addressed on factory rods. One other tip, use masking tape to hold the guides on (except the tip, attach it) while static testing, that way you can move them around quickly & easily and you will not be tempted to leave them "close enough" to where they need to be since they are already wrapped. ...lol

Give him a week! He'll come around! ...lol Justtrying, If you have the patients to convert rods... you will make a fine rod builder one of these days. Might I suggest a big rod sale in the flea market section of the forum... 20 rods could become LOTS of inventory of blanks, guides, cork, etc.!!! I have 2 more rods to go before I will have replaced everything I use. Then I'm having a G. Loomis fire sale to restock my blanks and components... and start all over AGAIN, with really nice stuff!! Yup, it's a horrible addiction!! ;D

Unless you are fishing extremely deep... like deeper than Bass live, either has way more power than you will ever need. The "weaker" of the two is rated to scan to 800' Even if the marketing guys were drinking when they came up with that number you still have several hundred feet to play with. ...lol Are you near a bass pro or cabela's or some place with a selection on demo? You will be able to look at them running and you will see if the added pixels are a big help. I have a Lowrance X-55, Eagle Ultra Plus and a Lowrance LMS 332C so I can't steer you either way on the units you are deciding between, sorry.

They have much better power these days, we use to use shoot thrus on units with much less power than even the cheap ones use now. Either of the units you selected are going to work fine with a shoot thru, as long as it's properly mounted. (and not an aluminum boat!)