justtrying

Congratulations RW, those are the kind of days that make us forget the "tough times." glad you got 'em. Hope you have some more of those kind of days in the very near future. Best Wishes ronnie

RW, i really hope that you'll get a chance to try one of Alpster's, or some other custom builder's, rod when you go to Fork. i really believe, by reading your posts, that you'd appreciate the "small differences" that a split grip, spiral wrapped, loomis would present. ..you'd still have the loomis, but, it'd be lighter, would cast better, & would feel much different (better) retreiving baits. just like you'd like Everybody to try a Stella, just once, i'd like you to try a custom combo one day. (and, hey, you wouldn't have to do like Alpster & sell all your rods, you could just get ReelMech to "mod" yours! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee) ronnie

for me, the main difference is: 1) w/t-rig, i slowly "crawl, drag" the worm across bottom, limbs, stumps, etc. 2) w/jig head or shakey head,the bait stays in the same place a lot longer & is "shook", then it's "hopped" a little further, etc. just my 2 pennies ronnie

i find myself fishing the lucky craft baits, more & more. ..it's kinda like high end rods/reels,,,after fishing them awhile, the others "just don't feel right." i still fish bombers & warts, but i just have Lots of confidence in the LC's Look WAAAAAYY down in it's mouth - LOL fish like them too ronnie

the original wiggle warts were "must haves" for any serious fisher, esp i the spring. the new wiggle warts are not. ...(i bought quite a few ..trying to find one that ran like the old ones :'()

i just got in a 7'10" shikari at a KILLER price (from karen @bingham) that i intend to build a flippin/pitchin rod with. ...i've got a few others to build, but, i'm so excited about this one til it goes to "head of the line." ronnie

steve, you're correct on the "spine" theory. ..there is an on-going debate amongst many rod builders whether or not the spine has ANY effect on the rod. i won't get into it here. i'm no expert, i have, however "modded" about 20 rods in the last few months. i changed the grips to split grips & took the fore grip off. i also spiral wrapped the rods. ...i had No Problem, whatsoever. i even took some of my old pistol grip rods & put split grip on them & spiral wrapped them (for the grandkids) personally ...and, i repeat, Personally, i Love the split grip, spiral wrapped rods. they make a LOT of difference in a days casting... if you want to have a favorite rod "modded"...go ahead, & do it. you'll be glad you did! and, btw, ..i've read a lot of pros & cons about building rods, cleaning reels, etc., lately & i know that we all have opinions. the one person, however, that i think, is qualified to give an "expert" opinion on the matters is David Green. you know him as ReelMech. ronnie

the browning pliers are good pliers. however, since i had so many shimano reels, i got the shimano pliers (http://www.anglerscenter.com/acc_shimano_tools.htm) note* when i first got my pliers, they didn NOT work very well, the cutting edges didn't touch. So, i called shimano, they told me to send them back. they told me they made a complete new run ...i can't vouch for that, and they sent me a new pair. AND, they sent me a great looking shimano hat & shimano golf shirt. ...i like shimano ronnie

like the rest of the posters, i, too, have some of each of named reels. chronarch mg's are Fantastic for ...jerkbaits, smaller crankbaits, lightweight worms, etc.... even tho they're lighter, i've had no problem with 8+ pound fish with it (i keep them spooled w/10lb line) the calais is best suited for bigger/deeper crankbaits, heavy spinnerbaits, etc.... both models have their place in my arsenal & i'd hate to do without either one. i'm not sorry i spent the money for either. ronnie

gr8wall, kinda funny that you asked about flipping just now. ...i've got a couple of telescoping flipping sticks that i'm planning on putting up for sale....And,,,they have abu 4600 reels on them!!! LOL it'll probably be tomorrow or monday before i post pics, but, it'll give you something to think about. ...i also have some cranking sticks that i'll be putting up. ronnie

Aaron, just to let you see how it would look, here is an Avid w/a split grip. ..i also took the foregrip off. i don't/didn't like the "hump" on the handle, so, I Changed It! ...And, i changed the guides to spiral & now, it's one of my favorite rods. ronnie

thanks for the post basschaser, That, sir, was a Great, Informative, post. ronnie

10-4 on the schematics!!!! if i hadn't had them, i'd be in Big Trouble! and, about the yellow rocket fuel, i Thought it seemed might "thin"/.... Siiiigggghhhh, now, i'll have to do them all over ...but, at least, i've got the assembly/dis-assembly down pat! LOL

but, guys, you failed to see: IT COMES WITH A HIGH QUALITY ZEBCO REEL!!!!!!!!! gotta have one. LOL

i have been blessed to be able to purchase some very nice shimano reels (calais, metanium xt, chronarch 50mg.) HOWEVER, in the past year, i have done little, if any, maintenance to them. my intention was to send them to ReelMech to have them serviced. Last week, it rained, i didn't have any rod blanks to build, so, i decided to try my hand @cleaning my reels. after a LOT of trial & error, & some cleaning solution, yellow rocket fuel, etc., i finally got them all serviced. took them out fishing & it was AMAZING! i honestly think they're smoother than they were when they were brand new! ..i have to be careful judging distance w/crankbaits, traps, etc..... they are Wonderful! now, i'm not suggesting you try this at home (it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to take the cover off the calais! LOL) ..but, i Am suggesting you get those bad boys cleaned & lubed...it's like getting new reels! ronnie

just to add a "me too" to this thread i began changing the grips on my high end rods last year ...and that led to spiral wrapping ...and, now, ALL of my rods have split grip and are spiral wrapped. we discussed this in a thread a week or so ago, but, the torque of the rod trying to twist in your hand when you're cranking a big bait, for example, is completely gone. if you'll be honest with yourself, if you try one for a day, you'll want all of yours to be spiral wrapped, too. IMHO ronnie

ok guys, it's raining, i don't feel like getting wet, so, i'm spending another day in the shop. (actually trying to pretend i'm a ReelMech apprentice & trying my hand at cleaning reels ...which means i may be sending RM some dis-assembled reels! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee) anyway, point of the post. ..you guys are probably already aware of these things, but, just in case you're not: (1) andy dear has remaing shikari blanks at Great prices ...i've got some coming that i'll be building as the weather turns colder. (2) karen @bingham has st croix handle kits at half price or lower ...even tho i don't use kits, i'm getting some for the reel seats & will use the remaining cork, etc., for some "freebie" reels i'm doing. (3) if you've ever thought of getting a pac bay power wrapper, they're giving a free drying motor, etc., w/each power wrapper. (4) don't know how much longer it lasts, but, woodcraft had the rikon lathes for 2 hundred bucks! Great lathes! so, get buying & get wrapping! LOL ronnie

Oh Man!!! Jim, that is a GREAT looking job. Fantastic! ok, now, all the details, please....... ronnie

chris, you've given me some ideas! i hardly ever fish for anything but bass, i get to go so seldom, but, i've got this little ultra lite that would just be unbelieveable on a Big Fish Fight! (it's a 7' ultra lite that i built on a CTS blank) i've got it spooled w/10-2 power pro & use a small beetle spin. i've caught some pretty large bass on it, & they make it bend double. ...wonder what a 50lb fish would do to it?????? .....think i'm gonna try. this is the first bass on the first day fishinig with it. ....if this little fish gave it a workout....Look Out! LOL ronnie

nice fish, congrats

bro, you're "living a dream" in the fishing world! CONGRATULATIONS HOWEVER, keep in mind, that I, like the rest of the posters, wish you congratulations, we are, inside, so envious til we can't stand it! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ronnie

i met roland martin this past year. got a chance to shake his hand, spend some time with him ....and, yes, i know this is a thread about jimmy houston. but, the same thing applies to jimmy that applied to roland. i thanked him for what he has shown & taught me in the past! ...i know both of them have exxagerated size of fish, have said & done some crazy things, BUT, they've entertained, taught & helped me enjoy this sport of bass fishing that i love. does he know what he's talking about. You Better Believe he does. ...And, i'm glad he does, & i'm glad he's shared it with all of us, especially me! ronnie

Lightninrod (dan), i've gotten to the place that i view some of the posts here, but, hardly ever log in. when i saw your post, i really wanted to log in & thank you. you really are an encouragement to all of us, especially the "over the hill gang." (i'm 61) i like the fact that you keep at it, love what you're doing, & let that enthuasim come through. ....and, the fact that you post 'em, just as they are,,,,if it's a 5 lber, or a 1 lber. i got to go fishing a few hours last week & caught a few (deep cranking & shakey head) & while i was fishing, i caught a good one & thought to myself, "man, i wish lightininrod could take a picture of this one." ----(that's a good sign that i'm reading posts on this forum too much! Wheeeeeeeee) anyway, thanks for keeping us up to date on what you're doing, for helping us enjoy the pictures of someone "enjoying what they're doing." and, hey, if you ever get a "notion to travel" ..just come on over to south carolina & I've got some ponds, rivers & lakes that hold some "Big 'ol Good 'uns" that would look good beside some of that fine looking equipment you've got (even if it is daiwa! LOL) great pics ronnie

the Lord has blessed me & i have been able to buy quite a few "high end" shimano reels, so, naturally, that's what i use for my jig reel. before i got the shimanos, however, i used ambassaduer reels. they were Great reels. and the one i used for jigging was the XLT. it was MADE for jigs. ...AND, they're still available on ebay at great prices. buy you one of those, then take the extra & get you a high end rod.

mr whittler, sir, that is just absolutely BEAUTIFUL! GREAT WORK! i'd really like you to make me some "fishable" crankbaits. pm sent justtrying ronnie