justtrying

i fish lucky craft crankbaits in some VERY rough situations. ...lots of trees, laydowns, stumps, etc.. they out perform (MEaning Catch More Fish) Any other of my crankbaits by far. in fact, i've begun making a LC Only box. i know there are LOTS of other makes of crankbaits & some of them may be just as good. i haven't tried them all, so, i certainly can't say. ..i can say, for me, however, that i'll probably soon be down to only Lucky Craft, Bomber & (early spring) wiggle wart, crankbaits. JMHO ronnie

al, you made a good choice. ...i've learned in life that if you buy the best, you only cry once. you may cry over price, but you won't cry when you're fishing with an outfit that feels absolutely too light to be real; that is super smooth; that just makes you Very Happy that you have it. God has blessed me to be able to buy some very nice equipment & i never forget to be Thankful & to Enjoy "Fishing with Fine Equipment."

RW, i certainly agree with you. as you know, i also have a 200 calais & it is Absolutely Awesome! ...the thing is, however, i have Lots more reels than i need! (please don't tell my wife i said that. LOL) however, that being said, if i buy another bait caster anytime soon, it will also be the 100 calais.

i agree w/dan. the only way i'd see fishing it would be w/a wireless hook, pulled Backward.

WOW, ...thanks Catt for pointing out that test. for instance: i'm using 10 lb power pro on my ultra lite spinning outfit. it's a 7' rod w/a shimano sustain reel. i can cast mini lures (beetles, roadrunners, etc.) a LOONNGG way & have yet to have one break off. now i know why..24 Pound breaking strength!!!! with a TWO POUND diameter, No Memory, i mean, MAN, what more could you want? i've used it quite a bit & it shows No shedding, fraying, or anything negative. .....i may take it off & replace it.....but, Not Today! LOL BTW, Thanks Chris for beginning this thread. this is the kind of thing that let's you see & evaluate what will actually help make your fishing more productive.

this time of the year, i'll spend at least half of my time trying to "crank up" a biggun. only trouble is, Big ol Hang-ups live down there where those Big ol Hawgs live. i've been using a David Fritts knocker & it actually works pretty well. i wanted something, however, a little quicker, so, i got a "go get it" lure retriever ...http://www.mygogetit.com/pages/seeit.htm. i'm keeping grandkids this weekend, but, i'm anxious to get out on the water & Hook Up a Big Un (Hawg, that is!) Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee What kind of retriever do YOU use? ronnie

for anyone who thinks there's not a reason for spiral wrapped rods, i have a "trial" for you. take a deep diving crankbait, work it for a half day with a spiral wrapped rod. ...THEN, try to work it for an hour w/standard rod. ...i won't have to say a word. When you go back to the standard rod, the torque feels like it will "ring your wrist" off! EVERY new rod i build has spiral wrap ....AND, i've taken the high end rods that i continue to use & have converted them over. yeah, i like 'em ronnie

do yoursef a favor. get ReelMech or Flechero to BUILD you one! i wanted a GOOD 7 foot ultra lite rod & couldn't find one. so, i got me a CTS blank & built it. it is just Fan-Tastic. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1154829795 with a custom build, you get Exactly what you want, built Just For You! Give it a thought! ronnie

chris, i've followed this thread w/interest because you've brought out a lot of the things that i've been thinking lately. i used braid (power pro) on quite a few of my reels last year, but, decided i'd take it off & use Yo-Zuri ultra soft on most applications. i left the braid on my jig rods. so, i bought lots of spools of YZ. then, i began to wonder why the braid wouldn't work. as you mentioned, strong, no memory, etc..... now, i've put braid on approx half of my outfits & am leaning toward braid on the others. i even tried 10lb braid on my "noodle rod" (custom 7' ultra lite) it works Great! i've caught bass up to 3 lbs with no problem whatsoever; ...and, it'll allow me to throw a beetle or roadrunner a mile. i'm still using yz on my shakey rod, but, am thinking about going to Gamma. i think that's one application that something other than braid would work better. SO, i tend to agree with you on the braid. for me, it really works good. the positives outweigh the negatives & i think it is Great STuff. ronnie

i was a super moderator on Lots of satellite & computer sites during the time i was taking a sabattical from fishing. one of the stock answers we had when somene questioned our techniques was, "we are Just Trying........" and, that became my board name. most people, however, shortened it to "JT." when i found this site, i just automattically logged on as "justtrying." ronnie

hey chris, Coooollll fish. we've got a lot of strippers, oops, stripers LOL ..here in santee cooper, also, but, if i catch one, it's an accident, 'cause i'm chunking for 'dem der black basses! Hee Hee

chug bug, that sounds like a great boat. i'm sure you'll enjoy it. hope you christen it with a double digit largemouth in the livewell!

rich, cool reply thanks for details. ronnie

after my first few attempts at applying epoxy, i "do it all" to keep down bubbles. i stir in a way as to not induce bubbles -(i've got motor, etc., for stirrer, but, so far, can't find any ball bearings) i always pour epoxy onto warm aluminum foil - i actually used an alulminum plate for awhile, but, foil is easier to throw away, rather than having to try to clean it each time. my rods are always turning when i coat them, & after coating each guide, i use a straw to "breathe" on it before going to next one i also keep an alcohol burner at hand & some times, i'll "wave" it beside the coatings so far, thankfully, i've been able to coat some pretty "bubble free" rods. where CAN you find some ball bearings???? LOL ronnie

hey rich, let me add my WELCOME!!!!! Good looking handles ...what kind of blanks?? do you spiral wrap them? we just love to see/read, all the the little details i bought a lathe a few months ago & am doing some little things on some rods & it's a lot of fun. ...fact is, i've spent so much on lathe, etc., til it's almost a hobby in itself.. but, again, it's fun. looking forward to hearing/sharing with you, glad to have you onboard ronnie

reelmech, don't want to hi-jack this thread, but, just a note/question on your comment about wrapping 3/4 turns then packing. i bought an "electrication" kit that turns my hand wrapping unit into a power wrapper. on long wraps, it is Fan Tas Tic ....however, it'll wrap 15/20 wraps in a heartbeat. i noticed the rpm's on your unit was very fast as well. how often do you stop & pack when you are using power wrapping? ronnie

hope this makes sense, another way to line them up is to turn the rod over & look at the guides from the rod side. just observe how much of the guide is visible on either side of the rod. i've also tried the laser light, string, etc., but, it just seems after awhile that you can "eyeball" them pretty accurately.

my dear, you may do a lot of other things between now & christmas, but, Nothing you do will make dad any happier! his Own Rod, with His name on it, that His Little Girl made! take it from me (btw, my Little Girl is married w/children, but, she's still my baby!) best wishes for a Great build ronnie

you know, i keep going back & looking at David's craftmanship. ..you just DON'T do that overnight. it's professional, and, it LOOKS professional. ....a lot of "rod builders" could learn something from him ..and, i'm glad he's here to look out for us NEWBIES!!! LOL

tmarie, st croix are Very popular blanks. check out this site & it'll give you an idea as to "what kind for jerkbait..or, crankbait, or, worm, etc.,,,," ....http://www.stcroixrods.com/blanks/default.asp?blank=3&section=builder i'd go to rodbuilding org & then click on sponsor's links, such as, bingham, fishsticks4u, etc... these suppliers will talk to you, "one to one" to offer advice as to "how many guides, what kind of guides, ..what else beside guides, etc." in other words, you can tell them you want to build a high end crankbait rod, & they can offer suggestions as to which one, why that one & what you'll need to build that one. i posted here to get advice from these guys w/my first build, then, called one of above suppliers & they "held my hand & guided me & told me what i'd need." ..there's still lot's & lots that i don't know about ordering, but, i've gotten more comfortable in asking questions when talking w/vendors. ...i can now order LOT'S more than i can pay for! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

flech, i'm getting the cb843 7' crankbait rod. ...it'll be my first loomis. btw - i hope you like your cts rod as well as i like mine. EVERY time i use it, i think i appreciate it even more. just like threadmaster, they're "good stuff!"

yessir, they absolutely are!

hey guys, i built my wife & my 14 yr old granddaughter personalized 6'6" rods & they loved them. problem is, my other kids & grands all want new rods as well. so, while i'm waiting on my new loomis blank to come in for MY build, i'm taking some of the older 5'6" & 6' pistol grip rods i had & am converting them to new personalized rods for the younger ones. i'm taking everything off & starting from scratch. (the 4 yr old wanted a green ranger one, so, i painted the blank green!) but, anyway, i'm letting them choose the color thread, etc., & they just like that they've got a rod with their name on it. ...and, it's giving me lots of practice. some of those pistol grips are a bear to get off, & i'm having to use more heat than i'd like, but, i figure a kid won't keep it that long anyway. and, if it breaks, maybe i can build them a nice one. ...but, at the present, i've got all these old rods that aren't being used, they aren't costing me anything, & it's keeping me building. ain't it fun? ronnie

BASS fisherman just for what it's worth --- i saw a hank parker episode earlier this week and he, & bobby murray were fishing. they were talking spinner baits & blades & they said something like this. ....different blades (willow, indiana) have different feelings, but the colorado blade has the RIGHT feeling! now, that's advice from two who Really Know!

well, guys, here's how to get some "sponsorship" without harming your integrity. i like/love shimano reels. sooo, when i went to buy an extra set of pliers, i bought a set of shimano's best. trouble was,.,,, they were No Good! ...the needle nose ones were fine, but the cutters blades didn't touch, therefore, you couldn't cut any small diameter line with them. called shimano, explained what happened. they told me to send them in. i did. got new pliers, PLUS, very nice blue shimano hat & very nice black shimano polo shirt. so, now, i can not only fish shimano, but, also, REP RE SENT! ...cool, huh?