flechero

Yup. When I bought mine (a 190) in 1994 I tested about 2 dozen boats at the lake... by far the best handling and best and driest rough water ride was the Champion. 15 hard years later- it's still solid. Be sure to have the motor checked out. A great hull with a bum motor, sits on the trailer while everyone else fishes. ...lol

You've clearly mistaken my post. I never said pee pee away money... but the 1.99 seats are only in certain sizes and the ICRBE priced blanks were at the show. By the time you make purchases at multiple vendors you've wasted 4x that $3 savings on the reel seat, in shipping charges. There is a difference between cheap and inexpensive. So if you go cheap, a perfect build will still be inferior to the inexpensive rod. Like anything, common sense should prevail. And with that, I'm out.

Kyle, Although I don't advocate spending a lot of money on the first one, I also don't want you to think that everyone messes up the first one. To this day, I still fish my first build. It's not perfect but it's better than any factory rod I've ever owned. If you are relatively handy and go slow- thinking about each step before you act, you can make a VERY serviceable rod the first time out. I say this because if you build a cheapo blank with mediocre components the first time out then you will probably not fish it and therefore have little incentive to do a quality job on the design and build.

Only hearing the same "talk" going around. Anyone think the press release about Loomis no longer selling blanks after year's end was a coincidence? I'm saving a few dollars for later.

No offense to Skeet (I like him) but $90 will pretty much cover a set of Fuji Ti SiC's and a few cork rings. ;D I expect he meant to say the best materials available in a $90 rod. Not may of those on the market. :

I was hoping Fish Chris would post #18, since he's got a legit 18 lb bass to do it with. (although that was a good 18) ;D

Local is usually better, when it's an option. Have you looked at a 7' Heavy St. Croix at your local dealer and see if it feels right? That's where you should start. From there, you have the option of the factory rod or finding a builder... I do build- but not taking any orders these days. I'm hoping things will settle down and I can start again next year. If you have no luck finding someone locally, PM me and I'll make an inquiry for you. I know a guy that might be able to take on an additional client. (he builds part time)

2 spares aren't a bad idea... last flat I had was "after hours" so I had the remainder of a long trip to go with no spare after that initial change.

I think the best value blanks are the Batson RX6 or RX7, depending on your definition of inexpensive. I've built both and have nothing but good things to say about them. go slow and ask lots of questions... there is a tremendous amount of knowledge here and RBO.

I don't know first hand but have read that the different joints make different noise and wake... (many like the original single joint best) However, there is supposed to be a more cost effective, and better slammer option coming to market... I guess it's behind schedule. :-X How about an update, R.T.

carb cleaner might help some but since it's probably been a long time since you have had it tuned up, why not take it in for a once over?

Congratulations!! Time for a new rod or reel????

DW, I'm not up on the current lines components. (not sure which ones come with what guides) But for blanks- depending on how much backbone and tip you want... I use a 4C70HF blank as my t-rig rod. I built it for heavy t-rig and lakes with bigger fish and heavier cover but I've really grown fond of it for everyday use. It's a lot of backbone and tip- most here wouldn't like it for t-rigs. I had been planning to build either a 4C70MHF or a 5C70MHF to use as a primary t-rig rod but I'm re-thinking that now. I don't mind being overpowered for Belton fish, and I like using one rod for any t-rig situation. If I ever needed it, this rod will easily double as a c-rig, jig or frog rod with no trouble at all. You should contact Reel Mech to see if he has any 7' H blanks in stock... If he's taking internet orders these days, you'd be hard pressed to find a better builder or price. If he's not, maybe he'll build one as his next "rack rod" -Keith

I love the colors and stripes!! Beautiful fish!

Lots of smallies in central Texas.... as far south as Austin.

A little off topic but I'm sure glad to see Reel Mech as a sponsor again.

A couple years ago, a thread ran here about state laws... some state laws aimed at preventing snagging were loosely written and the drop shot was could have been considered a snagging rig... so to get around that they used bass jigs as the weights. Michigan rings a bell but I'm not positive on which state(s).

Save your money... if what you said earlier about a flimsy tip is really how you feel, you probably won't like Loomis blanks. The tips are actually very light (we say delicate) for the power rods, and they are that way by design. If you want the heavier feeling tip, go St. Croix.

10 is definitely too big. And to RW's point, #8 and #6 are only rated .1 lb different in break strength... so unless you need extra diameter for abrasion resistance I'd stick with #6 on regular (2500 size) spinning gear.

The obvious choice since I don't have a 14 lb bass to post. ;D

There are better rods available at the same price points as gl2 and gl3.

To be thorough, you should do both if there is enough holes and areas to work on top. There are always some fish below that have no interest in feeding on top.

With the exception of super flukes, I don't care one bit. Not sure I've ever seen a straight line in nature. besides, I kinked worm appears injured to prey.

Here is why I think so many have a "hard" hookset- ever had a nice fish come up and spit a jig at you? Most of the time it's because the hook never got her... with a closed mouth it can be tough to clear the jig's head and hook the fish. Tie a jig or something on and hold the line above the jig- see how much force a light hand hold can withstand before the hand opens and the jig begins to slide through. Even on a good hookset, I have an occasional fish come up and open its mouth to (smile and then) spit it at me... and I clearly see that the jig was just held in her mouth and not hooked. I've watched many guests do the same thing with a t-rig bullet weight, when the hookset was weak.

for open water, light tackle is great. No offense, but some of us have refined our approach over a period of 20+ years and have a lot more than a TV pro's justification for what we do and how we do it.... I'd love for you to come fish with me... we'll go fish the deep timber and see how well the ML rods work out. I'm guessing you'll experience a much higher than normal break off rate. As for the original poster's question, My own opinion is that rod will do ok for anything with treble hooks, but not going to be optimum for plastics. I built a St. Croix 2C70MHM for cranking, and found it too slow (and light) even for my cranking tastes. It may be ok for your style, but that depends on a bunch of factors and all are preference driven.