flechero

Looks good... and for a first one, it looks great! Not much to critique, but one minor suggestion... I'd round the cork edges off some (it doesn't need to be much, just take the edges downa little)... if you don't, than you have a high probability of chipping, chunking or tearing those edges up over time. uplocking or downlocking seat... depending on how you hold a spinning rod and how you fight a fish, either is "correct" but one will serve YOU better. Be sure to post some finished rod and wrap pics!!

If I were going that way, I'd opt for Lake Leon first with clyde and cisco being a secondary plan. Coleman lake is just south and is also a decent lake to fish. There is a little gem called Scarborough but it's very tough to get to and get into... a 4x4 truck is good to have there. Clyde was extremely low in the past few years and the fishing suffered. The link is to TPWD lakes page. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/

I'll make you guys a deal... I'll throw $100 in an envelope each month (starting today) and make plans to go. My only possible conflict would be my wife being 'very' pregnant at the time... but you'll have at least 6 months notice if that is a possibility. ...lol We have continuing ed requirements for our real estate licenses... and it's "chair time" for $$$, little to do with the "ed" part!

http://www.tax.state.ri.us/ I just looked glanced but it appears RI has an "online" sales permit and a retail sales tax permitting requirement. I saw the retail renewal but not the original application on that site. Call the 800 number on the link and ask to be sure... you may need one or both.

You should be more concerned about a fish wrapping you up in cover and breaking your line than worrying about the reels getting broken. As long as your drag is set, you have nothing to fear as far as reel failure. With drag set to 1/3 - 1/4 of line rating, you are never over 3 lbs. of pressure on your spinning reels and never over 4 lbs. of pressure on the baitcast... even if the graphite was cheap plastic, it would be ok with such light pressure. The recent thread about graphite bodies was more of a cry wolf thread than a graphite reel thread, IMO. Set your drag properly and go have fun!

Think about a real lizard or craw... before they see a predator, they just ease along. They are walking, not swiming. On occasion, I'll float one over grass but even in thick grass I prefer to let them ride the grass top. I usually just use a lighter weight so it doesn't dig in as far.

;D ;D I'm not sure if I fit the young or old category but I will undoubtedly fall into the "very conservative" category! Until I found ***, I bought them and re-bagged R.I. in ziplocks. They are great baits, no doubt. The reality is that we are talking about them right now... if the colors were listed the same way as the Zoom colors are, we wouldn't be talking about them. I think that (even though I don't like the names) this helps more than it hurts from a marketing perspective.

Sounds like you got it figured out pretty well! I still make adjustments every few grips... from dust collection to tool rests, etc. Half the fun for me is the process. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to post or PM. Keith

Lucky dog! I wish I was going, but I can't. :'( I wish badly that I could make it. Between the screaming deals and all the seminars and free knowledge, not to mention being able to "talk shop" with the best of the best would be incredibly educational and fun!! I would bring some cash if you go on Sunday- there are a few dealers that will not want to ship all the blanks back and the deals are said to get silly by sunday afternoon!

If you are a plastics guy, I like and use the easyview. I fish plastic more than anything, so I set mine up to basically hold the 3-5 most common colors of each bait I use. Unless it's a tough day, I don't even get into a soft sided plastics bag.

Very cool!!

Shikari was purchased, and is a part of what's now called ATC. http://www.advancedtubularcomposites.com/

Assuming it's new and you mean thread finish... I don't use anything but water and /or a lint free cloth when building it up. Use of any chemical or soap has a chance of screwing up the finish. Also if you get ANYTHING into or on to the thread like oil or grease, you'll want to re-wrap it because it's a disaster waiting to happen. If you somehow got grease or oil on a rod before you finished it... I guess I'd try a very mild and heavily diluted dishwashing liquid... and I would rinse 3-4 extra times to be sure NO residue remained. Thread finish reacts very strangely to other stuff. There are countless threads on RBO about finish disasters. Knock on wood, I've never had one- but I'm pretty strict with how a blank is treated and stored before it's finished. Hope that helps! and- welcome to the forums!

Looks better than my first try! What is the mandrel made from? The key is getting a mandrel that spins true. I had trouble at on my initial attempt because they first drill had the chuck out of true. When I realized that, I switched drills and have been turning away ever since. I still bounce back and forth on "lathes" and the drill press, depending on the job at hand. Keep it up, you'll be in production mode in no time! edited to add: does your drill have the trigger lock? (to keep it on?) If not, you'll want to make one with a little clamp or something... you definately want two hands for shaping the grip.

I like the Revos for Swimbaits... good line capacity, good gears & drag, LP comfort and lower speed gears available if you want them. I know a few of the better swimbaiters say the Revo line cap isn't enough but they fish differently than most people.... at least the non-Ca guys. I don't need or want to make 80+ yd casts. And I sure don't want to lug around and fish a big heavy reel. I've gotten really spoiled with 50 MG's, TDZ-BBS and Premier... Until I visit cali, I'll stick to lighter reels. You can make many reels work, you don't have to go buy a new reel to throw swimbaits. You may want to if you become a frequent swimbaiter but I wouldn't blow the $$$ until you know if you "need" it. $0.02 from a non-cali guy.

I hear ya, but why not just exchange it for a new citica? It's what you had already decided was the right reel... every company has a couple bad ones slip through QC or you mistakenly were sold an exchanged reel. Unfortunately it happens sometimes... I would exchange it if I were you.

I've had several 844's and completely agree with the above thoughts. They have a delicate tip so you can cast and pitch some pretty light stuff with ease. If you have trouble casting 3/8 jigs with the 844, your problem will be something other than the rod!

Micro set is actually the setting solution that allows you to adjust the decal. Here is the order description:

The wrapping doesn't take very long (unless there is an exotic or complicated design involved) Finish can take several days to cure hard enough to use. The problem is that often you wait a long time before the works actually gets started. But for him to say it's ready and then not deliver is frustrating.

Spring, pre spawn.... 10-30 feet of water. Lots of stuff will work but... I'd have a dedicated c-rig rod and a few bags of zoom lizards with me. YMMV

I hope you get fewer PM's than I did when I mentioned "experts." ;D

+1 Always fast, inexpensive and ALWAYS top quality. The "new water slide" material is so easy that it's practically idiot proof. Buy the "setting agent" for like $4 and it is super easy. You have time to adjust for straightness and work out any bubbles or wrinkles. Decal Connection is one of very few "absolutes" in the rod building world.

So far only 6 people report breakages... For an honest comparision we should ask the other question also... Anyone had an aluminum or metal framed or footed reel break? I have dropped (assuming cast aluminum based on how porous the material was) that had the foot break off. I've had several spinning reels that the neck broke over the years... I doubt I'm the only one who has broken more metal than plastic reels. Cheap and inexpensive are very different terms. I still use 2 old Abu 4600's with the "plastic" feet that are older than a lot of the members and have ssen more use than most reels will ever see.

Nope. While I won't recommend you seek out a graphite or nylon or whatever combo material some of the reels are made from... I've beaten the tar out of a few Abu 4600's, for over 15 years, with the "plastic/nylon/graphite" feet and never broken one. That includes my 250 lb self stepping on them while night fishing. What is your price range and intended use for the reel... I bet we can come up with some suggestions to fit your criteria.

For what it's worth, I bought a Daiwa Exceler for a friend that I introduced to baitcasting and it casts really well. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. I had no trouble adjusting it for him to start "thumbless" at first and then each day backing it off a little. He's now casting it like a pro and loves this reel. Seems to have a decent drag as well. I have no idea what the lifespan will be but for $60 it's a keeper so far. I can't give you an objective comparison to other reels in this price range because I have nothing to compare it to... but it has a lot of features typically found in more $$ reels. I'm not usually a Diawa guy but if mine is "typical" for the Excelers, this is an easy reel to recommend to people looking in this price range. edited to add: It also comes in LH if you need it. (which is how I found it)