AndrewVT

Roadwarrior, thanks for the help. On rivers with constant changing water levels, do you find the prespawn bass move up into the shallows when the current is moving and the water is up or do they typically stay around the spawning depths you noted?

I am looking for some insight on bass spawning on rivers below dams or river impoundments. I fish the Catawba River below Lake Wylie, which is a medium/large size river that can range from almost no current to having a very strong current depending on how much water is being released from the dam. I assume this is similar to many river impoundments including the Tennessee River and others. How do fish behave on rivers like this around the spawn (prespawn, during the spawn, and postspawn)? What types of structure should I be focusing on this time of year, and what lures? When there is little current I assume the techniques would be similar to that of a lake meaning jigs, lizards, brush hawgs up shallow and crankbaits and spinnerbaits at staging areas. How does that change when the current is up? Any help you would appreciated.

That rod looks great, it matches the reel perfectly. That is a really impressive build for your second rod. My one suggestion would be maybe next time trim the reel seat threads so that when you palm the reel your fingers aren't resting on them. But like I said, very well done.

The easiest way to get a reel seat off (and easy is a relative term, it is still a PITA) is to use a hack saw or dremel. Start at one end and cut a spiral around the reel seat until you get to the other end, cutting through the metal rings and all. Just be careful to only cut through the seat and not all the way down to the blank. There should be a gap between the two where some type of arbors are used. Try to space the cut so the spiral cuts are about 1"-1.5" apart and you go around the reel seat 3 or 4 times. Once the reel seat is cut, you can use a big flat head screw driver to pry it away from the arbor and untwist it at the same time. Then just scrape and sand the epoxy as you did under the foam.

I want to start fishing a jig more next year, and had a couple of questions about trimming them. The lake I fish has very little standing timber, and almost no vegetation so I was going to use mostly football head jigs and focus on points, shell beds, and rocks. What is the ideal length for the skirt? Does it depend on trailer size, jig head size, material (rubber vs silicon), etc.? How about trimming the weed guard? Basically I am looking for any tips or tricks you guys have for trimming a jig or selecting one with the correct dimensions to begin with. Thanks for the help.

It's real easy to treat expensive gear the way tournament pros do when it is given to them for free. The funniest thing I saw Ike do was on City Limit Fishing when he was fishing with a guide and lost a fish. He slammed the rod on the console and snapped it. Then he looked down and realized that he was using one of the guide's rods, not his own. I don't him breaking one has any reflection on the quality of the rod when used under normal circumstances.

I'm not trying to advertise, but I think the rod I have posted for sale would fit that need perfect. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1288057407 Maybe some other people throw in some comments if they agree or not, but if you interested shoot me an IM and we can work something out.

How is the action on the 5" injected Lunker Punker? Are these baits a good option for small swimbait topwater, or should I stick with big spooks and sammies?

A casting rod might have a few more guide wraps, but the layout will generally be easier to setup with a casting rod. Also, not sure if you know what reel you are using, but most bass casting reels are generally the same size which isn't the case with spinning reels. I just finished a crankbait rod with all size 4 Fuji micros and am very happy with it. My suggestion is build the rod you want, take your time and keep it simple, and you will have a great performing rod that will last you a long time.

Like most have said, micro guides are really personal preference based on your line/leader choice and passing knots. I think a lot of people are turned off by them because they assume they are fragile, but in my experience the hold up the same as other guides and are less likely to be snagged on something because of there size. No bass rod/situation will be to heavy to use micros. If the knots will pass through them, I would use them because they result in a lighter rod. One thing I prefer however, is a normal sized braced tip (size 5.5 or 6 ring) because I seem to get fewer backlashes than with a micro tip. Might just be me, so you might want to try them both.

You don't need a rod dryer, and I would wait to buy one until you build a few rods and get the hang of the finishing process. You can turn a rod by hand and get perfect finish results by simply rotating the rod 180 degrees every 5-10 minutes at first, with the time interval getting longer as the epoxy starts to set up. Generally, you need to turn it for about 2-4 hours depending on the brand. I built a few rods that came out very nice using the book and cardboard box method before building a jig out of wood similar to the Crookedneck showed.

Although I haven't used all major brands, I will say that when I buy another reel, it will be another Abu Revo STX. The frame is extremely solid, the drag is the best in its class, and it is almost entirely metal. You may want to look at the small Toro if muskies are going to be a common occurence, but I don't feel like you can go wrong with a high-end low profile Abu.

I agree with Bob, that you can build extremely high end rods for about 25% cheaper, and I mean titanium guides and $100+ blanks, and build it to your exact specification. I built my first 5 rods using a cardboard box and an old Chemistry book from college (figure I should use it for something). Also, you will spend ~$50 on tools, thread, epoxies, etc. at the start up, but these last a very long time. The price tag on the first rod will usually be more than expected, but you will use these same tools on every rod you build. I will say the secret is to keep the wraps simple for the first couple rods until you get the hang of tensioning multiple threads at once. You will end up with a much nicer rod if you take it slow, and spend more time building it right than making it look fancy. Another site I found helpful was Mudhole, and they have a section full of videos that will go over each step of the process.

I have heard from another site that the Batson XBB964 might be exactly what I am looking for. I think it is new this summer, and they don't have it on there site yet, so I'm not positive, but do you have any hands on experience with this blank or any of the RX7/RX8 blend blanks that would be similar. I only have the SW967F and the SWS70L so I have never handled an RX8 blank.

The Castaway blank was another blank I was looking at, specifically the BB1 Big Show XP3, but I liked the length of the MHX more. Do you think the MHX blank would be too heavy for light swimbaits? I was thinking the graphite blend would help me cast the lower weights better by having a softer tip. Any experience with any other blanks that might fit the bill would be greatly appreciated.