justtrying

ronnie, man, i'm sorry about the broken rod. were it me, instead of thee, i would call loomis, if yes, thank the Lord, if no, just put it aside as a lesson. i know it's a little late now, but, i've found a very easy, very fool-proof way to take guides off. i just take a razor, & cut a little on top of the guide (i try to cut it through the thread, but, if i don't it still is ok. then, i take a heat gun & in a matter of seconds (very few seconds), the epoxy opens up & Voila, just pull the tab off that's cut, hold a piece of string & turn the rod. as it unwinds, it takes most of the epoxy off. i then take a plastic knife & scrape remainder. ..works great. ...i've done about 20 & haven't had any problems whatsoever (thank the Lord!).. to remove tips, i take a pair of forceps, clamp them on the tip so they will be sticking out on the side. then, as i apply heat, the forceps will begin to rotate down, just as soon as glue loosens. ...with the tip, i take a little longer, apply heat Very sparingly til tip loosens. on a bright note, i took my 7'9" shikari out today for the first time. i plan to use it for frogs in heavy cover & tubes for bedding bass. today, i just used it to throw a c-rig. ...Man, it was like throwing a surf rod. ..it's not pretty, i built it as a work rod, but, it absolutely has the best action of any rod i've built. ..Loook Out Big Mammas in Santee Cooper!!!!! ronnie

dane, like you, when i first started w/building rods, i was faced with all the "lathe questions." ..i decided to just bite the bullet & bought a rikon mini lathe. it was a great choice. i find i use it for quite a few things around the shop (even building toy baseball bats for the grandkids. LOL) ...i've even built some reel handles & butt sections out of a dead dogwood branch from one of my trees. it was a good investment for me & for just a few more dollars, i solved the "lathe problem." ronnie

alp, btw, you guys just as well get ready, because after fork, i see a LOT of guys wanting spiral wrapped, split grip rods. LOL i really wish you had modded one of your loomis before you sold it. i saw one today that had a custom $600 daiwa on it & it was Sweeeett. yep, a loomis glx w/split handle, & spiral wrap ronnie

alpster, MAN, THAT LOOKS GREAT!!! that's really first class work. ..i can't get my fingers to do that kind of work anymore.. the wrapping & coating is really cool (just get someone to look at some of the rod racks sold today, then look at yours..yours is, indeed, custom.) i am So Glad i didn't post pics of some of my work rods. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee ronnie

one of the best "flipping reels" ever made (IMHO) is the abu garcia 521 XLT.. it has the flipping switch, but, it is also a Great worming rod. and, it just so happens that i have one for sale in the flea market section :) for $40. ...it's comparable to ANY $100 reel for flipping. ronnie

great looking jigs ...they'll catch fish ronnie

flech has given you guys some good advice ..and, he, & a few others on here will really be a big help to you if you'll ask them. let me just add one thing that may help you. i've got wholesale accounts w/all of these companies(that require it ..some don't) & if you'll take the small amount of time needed to fill out paperwork, it will really help when you start buying. ronnie

hey guys, this is really a Great post... it's exactly the type i needed when i started... you give specifics on sizes, etc., & it is the type of info a novice really needs. thanks for sharing your time & expertise. ...and, speaking of novice, this kind of stuff still helps me a lot! ronnie

hey guys, MAN, i wish you guys lived closer to my home... it sure would be nice to sit around & drink coffee & talk rod building...... oh well, thankfully, i can still get advice from you all via BassResource.com. Wheeeeeeeeeee i'm building the next to last shikari blank i've got // 7' ml, don't know what i'll use it for, also, am looking for st croix blank from mudhole (cranking) to build out for my brother. AND, i've made my wrapping station into a POWER wrapping station. bought a kit from merrick & it works great. ...spent $50 instead of $250-$350... leaves more for blanks. LOL this is my "moveable" thread carrier... really works quite well but, hey, a shop is supposed to have junk everywhere! LOL ronnie

10-4 on some good looking cork work. man, that looks Great! congratulations on a very nice, unique, rod. ronnie

rw, cool story, ..i know that was exciting. don't you just love it when those big 'uns smoke that drag? congratulations ronnie

this is a "tongue in cheek" statement ... "Help me find that man, you know, that man who said 'building a rod is EASY!!!!'" i just finished a working man's rod. it'a a 7'9" shikari (imf794f). i didn't have the reel seat i wanted so i took my dremel out & "voila" ..after only about 2 hours, there it was! LOL then, i decided i wanted this rod to be as close to bullet proof as possible, so, i used double footed guides all the way to the top. ..that's a lot of wrapping,,,esp. when you decide to put an accent stripe on each wrap. even the marbelizing took longer because i mixed some paint colors to get a special color to match the rod. so, all in all, it took a Long time (arthritic fingers didn't help) & it was probably the most difficult rod i've ever built.. ...it wasn't "Easy." ps...what kept me going???? ...this spring, Lord willing, there will be an old man in the flats at Santee Cooper with a 7'9" rod loaded with some Heavy Power Pro, trying to haul out some of 'dem 'dere Big 'ol Good 'uns! LOL

"bite me" shakey head w/4 or 5" gammy cut tail

hey guys, i've been offline for some time, so, i thought i'd just say hi & share a few things w/you. my mom passed away a few days ago, after an extended illness. i'm one of four boys, no girls, so, we, along w/our wives, had to see about mom. ..and, we're all old & sorry & not worth a plug ourselves, so, it was all we could do to try to make sure she was well taken care of. a nursing staff can help, but mom wanted her "boys" with her. anyway, didn't want to bum you out during your Christmas holidays, but, i've kept glancing in, just to try to keep sane & keep my mind off mom's illness. will post some things later on - tackle making can really be a therapy ..but, in case it's not before the new year, wish you all a Very Happy one! ronnie

welcome jigger, those are some GREAT looking jigs. esp the shakey head. do you sell them? i know someone who would "love" to test a few out for you!!!!!! ronnie

hey flech, Great fish there buddy! Congratulations. i've been using a buzzbait lately, just to try to locate some movement.... but, i haven't caught anything with it ..but, hey, you've proved that the Big 'uns will hit them, even when it's cold. ronnie

good looking fish. re: the baits you're using.... i found by accident that i could cut them to about 1/2 length & they make Great trailers on jigs. ..and, like Chris alluded (even tho he knows a thousand times more about fishing than i do, & certainly dont' need my approval), there's something about those rings that make the fish feel like he's getting a "mouthful." i.e., he'll hit it in deep dark muddy situations. ronnie

i was using a "bite me" shakey head jig. it Had to be tough & sharp to penetrate the cartilage where it did. .....they're good jigs. oh yeah, i was fishing it Slowww, NO, that's too fast, you gotta fish it Slowwwwwwww. but, hey, i lost one that looked even bigger than that on a crankbait... go figure ronnie

do you think that if God had intended for people to live up there where the water gets hard, He would have made warm places like here? the only hard water we get is in cubes when you put it in your tea! ;D MOVE SOUTH! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

man, what a bummer! i was moving some rods today & noticed that my absolute, favorite, rod had a broken tip! it was my first "high dollar" rod. i had modded it about 6 mo ago, have caught many fish on it & Love the action of it. (7' med AllPro APX) i know i can put another tip on it (even tho it'll be about 2 inches shorter), but, it'll never be the same. oh well, i guess it's time to build a new "all time favorite" rod! ...my wife is NOT going to be happy : ronnie

just a suggestion, if you haven't already ordered your st croix. they are, indeed, Great blanks. ..at this time, however, bingham has their shikari blanks at Very low prices. i just bought a imb794f blank for less than $40! that 7'9" baby would make a Fan-Tas-Tic frog rod. i'm building mine out w/big tubes & worms in mind (for spring bedding fish), but, i'm sure i'll try a frog on it as well. btw, if you want to stick w/a 7' blank, i also bought an imb704 from andy@lamar & it's a heavy stick that would work great for a frogger (andy was a little higher on his prices, but, i found out he got his blanks from karen ) either way, they're great prices on great blanks. ronnie

my 2 pennies re: yo zuri all of my life, i've tended to "over kill." ..when i decided yz was my line of choice (at rw's rec) i bought LOTS of it. i even bought a soft sided cooler to keep the spools in. so, i've used most kinds of yz ..i even have yz hardcore. for avid's fishing, however, i strongly recommend Power Pro 10# (same dia as 2lb mono). i have my shakey head outfit rigged with it & it is GREAT! ...NO MEMORY, casts a mile & a half (you don't "Throw" it, you just aim & it flows off). it's strong enough to catch Very big fish (note my catch of yesterday - http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1165516695) ..plus the fact that you CAN break it off if necessary. yo zuri is great, i really like it, but, at times, braid IS the way to go. IMHO ronnie

what earthworm77 says i had one prove itself this morning ....another reel, another drag, i fear i would have lost a Big fish ronnie

now, i just want you to look at what that shakey head did this morning! Kinda "BIG AROUND THE MIDDLE" too! after the shakey head heard that randall & fluke were "double digit" with the spot remover, it just tried to "catch up." Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it was a lot of fun on light line ronnie

Ronnie, that is one "super cool" looking rod. Great job on building! ..i hope you have as much fun w/it as i do w/mine. i've begun using mine @times w/a trickworm or a fluke, just to "play" with the basses. it's a Blast! ...takes a long time to wear them down, & then, when you get them to the boat, they surge again & take the tip of the rod Under the boat. LOL ..they're a lot of fun. i've got just the opposite end of the spectrum i'm working on right now. i've got a shikari imb794f that i'm building for the spring in Santee Cooper. ..gonna use it to chunk some heavy tubes & try to pull a "Preston Clark" on them. Wheeeeeeeeeee this rod building is addictive!!!!!!!!! ronnie