flechero

Good stuff guys (and Kerri!) thanks for taking the time to do that!

I question the number of rod builders you spoke to on this. All professional builders have a policy for warranty replacement... however, most charge for car doors and stepped on rods... as they should. True warranty situations are pretty rare. And in those cases you are likely to pay a little for your replacement, just like many factory rods. If you buy any particular rod because of the 100% replacement warranties, you are not a good candidate for a custom rod... In all my years of fishing and subsequent few years of rodbuilding, I have come across exactly 2 defective blanks. (and one was actually a friend's rod) which makes it below 1% for my own experience. So even if I'm twice as luck as the average guy, that's about 1 in 150+ rods with actual defects. If you count operator error as such, warranties are just not an issue. If I abuse it and break it, I should have to replace it... not the factory that sold me a quality product that I shut in a car door. Ok, I'm off the soapbox now.

He said they got 1 of each model... No telling if they sold yet but since they are not listed on the site, he may still have the others. He did say that all of them were available though and Batson had them in stock so even if he had to order it, the wait would only be 2 extra days.

That's funny Hector! Infidel - You obviously fall into the "majority" which most rods are designed to work well for. I wish I did, then fishing would be a much cheaper hobbie for me. that sums up almost anything in life, but like a lot of things - what works isn't nessecarily the best tool for the job, or the best tool for everyone.

If it is a rod (and now reel) you needed or wanted or would have bought anyway, you got a great deal but if you bought it because it was a "good deal" you spent $500.00 more than you would have, which is no deal. ...lol It's a sickness and most of us have it... I just try to keep it in perspective.

I thought the fact that the struggling guy was landed implied a shimano reel at a minimum.... ;D All in fun.

The catalog picture isn't accurate to what it really looks like. I tried to take several photos but the problem is that either I got glare from the chrome aspect or I had too much shadow and it looked matte... so here is the best I could do... ironically it was a picture of the label. ...lol The finish is not actually grainy... that's a combination of a low res pic and the macro lens. and a couple others:

We were talking, laughing and having fun, no doubt about it... I just happened to have a night where even subtle bites felt vicious. It wasn't a case of concentration or focus.

With each video, I catch myself looking for glimpses of the VS3 guides... I smile each time, and then I cringe as I see the rod dropped, smacked, stepped on etc. ;D If it is stil taking that kind of abuse, maybe I need to come out of retirement and build you a swimbait rod that will stand up in the Ghetto. ...lol

That's awesome! Matt, the +T rear grips are a fantastic idea!! The last 2 x-long handled rods I built for swims were cut off to regular length because they were in the way too often. Major props to you on that idea!! And the bait looks like a piece of artwork, not a lure! Your are a true pioneer!

Just another reason to have a swimbait rod handy at all times! ...lol

I had a pretty cool experience last night while fishing, one that doesn't happen much anymore... I could clearly feel my pulse in both hands while holding the rod and reel. Kind of like I had increased blood flow to the nerves in my hands. I don't know how to describe it other than being so in touch with my hands that everything was clear & pronounced and nothing went unnoticed. It's sort of an unconscious effort of mind and body working together in perfect harmony. It made for very easy T and C-rigging, even in the wind and 25'-30' deep brush piles. Even on the light bites it was like I was watching the fish. It used to happen pretty often but only happens occasionally, these days. I had forgotten how cool it is. I sure wish I could get to that 'place' on demand... I figure that a number of you can relate. I think Catt probably lives in the zone. ...lol

Every gun is always loaded until you have personally cleared it or verified otherwise... and then only while in your custody or sight.

Picture chrome, now picture "black chrome".... now think of a dark gray in the same luster. Hope that helps until tomorrow when I can snap a pic. ...lol

Yes, it helps... that is exactly what I'm wanting to know. I haven't used the mission fish before so I don't know anything about how it fishes. It just seems like a good bait to throw for bigger fish in my scenario.

This is one of those that I'll probably do a dozen test wraps to see how the colors go. I'm sure there will be several good looking options.

The blanks arrived... no pics yet, but I have to say they are pretty cool looking... darker than titanium, sort of a dark steel gray with a chrome like luster. (thus the name "Titanium Chrome") ...lol

Welcome back, Dominick! I hope a fresh starts applies to an old friendship as well. (if not, I'm re-naming your meatball recipe ) Best, Keith

I spent a lot of time reading archives this morning, I had forgotten about a bunch of the swimbait threads that are virtual gold mines of information. But I found very little on my intended topic. What kind of depths can the Mission Fish comfortably reach. I'm targeting some deep grass beds, some extend past the 20' mark and a number of deep tree lines and brush lines in the 25+ range.... is it an easy to fish deep kind of bait? Or are there other better options for deep water swimbaiting with cover present?

Floating rods are not good for business! ;D ;D just kidding

A little fancier than ole 22 typically knows!! ...lol The beauty of our addiction is that even when we "miss" our mark, which happens to all of us on occasion, we usually still end up way ahead of the factory. Looking forward to the next round of pics!

It's not just from over stressing it, the reel seats are rigid and when the blank flexes it ovals out a little... when it flexes under the inflexible portion of the seat by the trigger, there is no where for the blank to give, so it collapses. in a "normal" seat, there is an arbor which will give slightly and a gap between the "neck" and front which distributes the stress a little. A Tharp seat is like bending a rod over a countertop... if you held it down at the edge, that's where it would break, every time. Same concept. There are ways to cushion the tharp style seat where it won't break, if you really want one. You can relieve the edge or arbor it, both ways will work.

The new style, full length cut out (with one piece top) model is much better anyway (IMO) there had been reports of a lot of rod breakage with the Tharp style skeletons.

Thanks for looking out for me, but this one is a classic case of service adding value... I've more than made up for any potential savings by using fishsticks... between warranty stuff and shipping that I haven't paid for. Not to mention the fact that they will call me at home in the evenings if something comes up... and have given me home phone numbers for after hours- never have been asked to wait for business hours for any need. And fishsticks usually has it in stock, which saves me time and money in splitting up orders. Just fyi- I have bought several fly rod blanks from Schneider's and had no trouble- all went smooth.

Although Wal-Mart can be a controversial topic, I think the fact that the docu slammed it was the big key... Think of our rods and reels section, anytime someone say X brand sucks or X brand is the best, it draws a "reaction strike." If the question is something like how is Loomis or how are the carrots, the responses are usually very tame by comparison. I believe a general wal-mart thread would be fine... Emotion draws out emotion. speaking of which, people suggest wal-mart all the time and others don't attack them.