flechero

I think All Star represents a terrific value in each of their price points. Bottom line is that they are good rods. Those of you that say they are heavy, would you care to document the weights? Or at least share what you are comparing them to? I think if you put them on a scale, you'll see they are not any heavier than like powered/actioned rods in similar price points. I have used most of their different blanks and know that they aren't heavy compared to like blanks in different brands. And the cork is the same as the others use... the reel seats and guides are same as many others too. A gram scale will dispel this myth. Of course if you compare it to a steez or glx there will be a difference... a difference of a few grams and a few hundred dollars. I've also been through All Star's facilities and seen their build process first hand... I can confidently say they are well built... probably the best of the production rods.

Well if you want to fish falcon or choke, you'll be real far south. There are some fun power plant lake options also. So if you are driving, you can make day stops along the way.

I was on the calendar since the date was announced... but it looks like my wife might have to be out of town... and if so I'll have an 11 month old to watch all weekend (and no, he doesn't have a life vest yet!) :'( As soon as she gets confirmation I'll know for sure. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

For what it's worth, the golf ball retrievers I have seen are pretty flimsy. The lure poles are very rigid.

Well done... The finish appears nice and even... that's usually not the case with beginners. You are on your way to creating some nice rods! A word of warning though- once you build the first rod from scratch... all your factory rods will feel substandard. ;D Then it's a race to see how quickly you can replace them all.

Hopefully someone local will PM you about a trip.

Muscle is denser than fat... why do you think beer is outlawed in tournaments... it give more of an advantage than live bait!!

That's nuts. What if you keep a limit of small fish for dinner and then want to fish for another species? Hmm... Maybe I just need to stay where I am. ...lol not that really it matters, it's extremely rare for me to keep fish, but 1-3 times per year I keep them for my elderly neighbor. Just wondering.

Glenn, Can you clarify this for me? So if you are fishing for recreation... if you keep your 3, 4 or 5 (whatever the limit is) you can't keep fishing for fun and release the rest?

I have less luck with the knockers but do carry them in the boat. I mostly use a telescopic rod like this: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_37104____?ordProd=Y&CMID=TOP_selectitems#itemDetail it's 18' long when opened all the way out and lives in my rod box. (collapsed it's only 6' or so.)

Profile says he was on this morning. Maybe he took Mom's advice about saying nothing if you had nothing nice to say. ;D

since conception :-X

I'd be looking for a feel rod... and looking at the Legend Elites or Legend Extremes only since they will be over half off and I'd only buy something with an obvious cosmetic flaw, there by reducing your chances of getting something with a goof in the actual build.

there is only one way to cure line twist, regardless of the reel and line used... TROLL it. Even freshly spooled line will have some twist. Depending on what baits you use, it will twist more, but no matter the cause, or equipment, trolling fixes it. Once every 1-4 days depending on use and baits will usually be sufficient.

check craig's list in your area... there has been a lot of small boats and motors (outboard and trolling) on it lately. For half of your repair estimate, you can buy a better, lightly used one.

Steezy is probably right, if you want this primarily for trick worms, I'd go med-light. I'd look at the AVC66MLF or the AVC69MLXF.

If it's a low bid scenario, realize that concrete work in below freezing temps often requires chemical additives, insulation or heaters to obtain a proper cure. I'm not defending it, just pointing out a possible, logical reason.

Pretty cool! Now that you mention it- You were also absent on my best day ever... coincidence??? Maybe/Maybe not! ;D ;D just kidding!

I started driving to the lake... I find that I'm less tired upon arrival and don't fall as often.

For sure! Not to mention that unless you get really lucky (or refinish the entire blank also) you'll see where everthing used to be. And, add to that the risk of damaging the blank when removing each of the components and heating the old epoxy... well you get the point. I think a rebuild is much, much more work than starting from scratch.... so much so that I won't rebuild one at all. My time is worth more (to me) than the cost of the components.

Wow, amazing that one survived that.

I look for a lot of things in reels, but never even thought to look at bearing retainers... and never, ever thought my bearings would contribute to my rig's sensitivity! ;D I'm not sure if I think they are dishonest, or incompetent.

True, but the aggravation of a USPS insurance claim far outweighs those few dollars extra. The heavy cardboard rod tubes are actually pretty good, less flexible than the pvc but when they can break instead of bending... so the risk is similar... the contents rarely survive either occurrence.

He'll pay more in shipping charges than the repair actually costs.

I'd just replace the 4 you ruined... and wouldn't bother to spend the extra cash on Ti Sic's. (alconites are better than what you are replacing, IMO) Save that money and put it towards a new custom rod when you save enough to do it right.