flechero

you should PM muddy, they used to talk regularly... I would guess they still do.

Sorry, I think you missed the point of his post. It should be fun and we should be able to learn...

Cliff, You should start with the "Newbies with rod building questions" thread in tacklemaking (it's a sticky). I have Tom K's book you can borrow, no need to buy it yet. If you think you are up to a build, I can help you walk through it.

There is an arbor in it... it's not solid wood down to the blank so couldn't be lightened up very much.

"sudden-expertism?" ...lol I fully understand your post and comments but probably shouldn't comment further.... it backfired last time I mentioned the subject, even though I meant no harm.

I haven't tried any of the sub $100 St. Croix rods so I can't say if they will be similar in feel or not... I'm sure some others have handled enough of both to say. I have some 6'6" mh & hvy All Star and Castaway blanks if you want to try building one. You're welcome to any one of them for my cost.

That's nicer than what I started with... my first wrapping "jig" was a box with v notches cut in it and a book for thread tension. it was ugly but fairly effective! ;D ;D You'll soon realize that the best rod building tools and jigs are often the home made ones!~

Awesome, Ronnie! Do you have a plan for dust collection yet? I imagine it will throw it out!!

Sorry Cliff.... I was thinking you could compare my 844IMX with the 7' hvy legend tourney and elite's since I have rods built on those blanks.... I missed the $100 line and did see the custom line so I didn't consider price on them. Total goof on my part. ...lol If you change your mind and want to check out the above mentioned rods, let me know. Keith

Set your drag properly and you should have no line induced trouble. You can easily break a rod with mono or braid if you fail to use your head!

avid will be back... I have no doubt.

I can't disagree more with that statement. Especially with a bobtail or officer's length grip!! A good concealment holster will snug the grip up to your body. I carry a Kimber ulta CDP on average about 5 days a week. (and a Ti-framed snubbie the rest of the time) The 1911 is super easy to conceal because it is so thin. Most holster makers agree it's one of the easiest full sized weapons to conceal. With an IWB holster the problem people have with many guns is the width... it looks like you have a giant growth on your belt! The 1911's narrow profile is a huge plus. A good holster (and belt) conceals so well that my wife has to ask me if I'm carrying... (unless she hugs me first and brushes it) Gene- sorry for the topic drift! Have you considered a lightweight combat commander? You can get them with alloy or titanium frames these days and they are pretty light. As far as holsters go, lots of great stuff out there these days... I like custom leather for comfort but some of the kydex and hybrids are also pretty good.

Congratulations!!!! I suspect that YOU will want to fish a lot less since you'll be spending such awesome quality time with your wife and new baby!!

Cliff, If you are used to a 6' then you may be more comfortable in a 6'6" than a 7'. I had always used 6'6" and then it took a solid year to get used to a 7'. The 784 was my worm rod and the 785 was my jig rod. I think a 7' hvy is most common down here. Depending on preferences, something like a MBR844 will be a hvy power and have a delicate tip... or a St. Croix Legend T. or E. in a 7' hvy will have a heavier tip. (and a slightly slower action) Come down to Belton before you buy... I'll let you compare some those rods, plus a few blanks with slightly different actions and lock up points to see what I mean, and see what feels right.

Welcome! What part of the state are you in?

This is incorrect.... The reason you don't have IMX or GLX crankbait rods is that the fiber has such a high strength to weight ratio that you would have to make the blank with paper thin walls to slow the action enough to be considered a "crankbait rod" and that would make it to fragile to actually use. By using a more limber material they get the desired action with a suitable wall thickness that makes it acceptably durable.

You are getting this stuff down! Good job! Have you considered locking wraps? Man, I almost hate to throw this at you now... (since you already wrapped) But since you don't have finish on yet- You might want to wrap all your single footed guides with a "Forhan locking wrap." It will prevent a lot of potential mishaps. (and repair work!) Here is a good tutorial from RBO to get you started: http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/forhan.html It only takes a few extra seconds per guide, once you get the hang of it. Let one of us know if you have any questions.

for most it's extremely easy to get used to... it takes about 3-5 casts to pick a grip you like. From there it becomes 2nd nature pretty quickly.

Here's another guy in your corner! The first couple days are the worst... frog if you made it 2 full days then you can make it a third! Once you make it on the 3rd day- call the 4th and so on. It gets better pretty fast. I'm sure smoking is a little different but I quit dipping cold turkey... after 3 or 4 days it was not too bad... the habit, not the addiction, was the lingering thing that took a while to get over. The first 2 days were very tough.... I was light headed and dizzy & had a bad headache from the withdrawal.

Gene, One of my friends has the 9mm and a .40. He loves them and says they are the best shooting pistols he has ever owned. Very comfortable in my hand also, but that's subjective. They get all kinds of great press and very little bad press... which is pretty rare. My best bit of advice it to order your holster(s) now... many of the custom leather makers (and several of the kydex) are running 20-30 weeks out! There are some other options depending on your needs/wants. Let me know if you need some links.

XT in #17, #20 (or #25 on rare occasions) depending on the locale.

Sorry about that... I didn't mean to imply you should or shouldn't use a fast.... just that it can work fine. You can get a mod or mod-fast in any power, just as you can a fast or x-fast in any power. I was just trying to point out that often people confuse the power and action and end up with something they didn't intend to get or won't like. I set hook way harder than most, even on crankbaits... I think (purely speculation on my part) that more treble hook fish are lost due to hooks not being set past the barb than for any other reason. I rarely loose them once hooked and I use a fast action, med-hvy rod and set hook like I'm jig fishing. Some people use a lighter power, mod action and have the same results... what works for me may not be best for you. Hope that helps more than it clouds up the options.

Unless it changed very recently, the only ones that were coming in on ship were the sub $50 classics. As far as the rest of them go- the cork and seats go on at the blank facility and some are wrapped there and some go out to contract wrappers, locally.

Just be sure to check the policies you already have. Years ago I had my stuff stolen, it was covered under homeowners since i was at out lakehouse and the boat was in the boathouse. I found out afterwards that my boat policy would have covered it under the "contents" portion. The point is that many of you already have coverage, and might not know about it. As stated, read your policies (boat, auto and home/renter's) and know what you are paying for.

Welcome! I almost hate to say this but if you fish 50/50 spinnerbait and crankbaits, I wouldn't waste $200+ on any rod. You would be well served with an All Star or another Castaway for those baits. (or a cheaper Loomis but dollar for dollar, I like All Star over the the GL2 & 3 rods. Sorry. If you want to talk worm rods, then we'll go IMX!