OkobojiEagle

If any sharp nicks occurred on the spool lip they can be polished smooth with a dremel and rubbing compound. oe

Mr. Baluga... was I to know the color of your underwear? I'm interested to know if freshwater fishermen BELIEVE the company claims that white line is nearly invisible under water (Dodgeguy does not). I also am interested in which of the three common line colors freshwater fishermen BELIEVE to be least visible to game fish. Thank you for your book suggestion. oe

Winter is 4-5 months long in my part of the world. The first couple winter months I clean the boat and tackle. As I'm cleaning and repairing my tackle I evaluate how equipment, tackle and techniques performed for me during the last fishing season. If I wasn't happy with a piece of tackle or bait I dig through the closet and tubs in my fishing room to find a suitable replacement. The same time I read the web boards to see what others would use as my replacement. If I find I need a new piece of equipment and/or bait, I jot it down on a shopping note pad to be purchased on a trip to BPS or Cabelas sometime during late Feb. or March. I give myself most of the winter to mentally evaluate options so that I'm not "impulse" shopping. oe

Much dancing, not much answering. Do you believe the line manufactures' claims that white braid is nearly invisible under the water's surface? Which line color, white, green or grey do you believe is the least visible to fresh water game fish? oe

Quite a few white braided lines showing up in the market, does anybody believe the visibility claims or do you believe it's simply easier for the line companies to not deal with coloring the braid? For mostly clear freshwater fishing top to bottom of the water column... which would you believe to be less visible to game fish white, green or grey? oe

I would never buy a rod without handling it in person, but if you have an opportunity check the Fenwick EliteTech smallmouth rods or the HMG series. oe

Very nicely tied. Depending upon what bait you will be using the treble hooks on they may be dressed a little full not to adversely affect the bait's action. I prefer bucktail or feather to be dressed about 1/4 as fully and to not extend past the treble bend farther than the treble's total gap. I think you got the bottom jig hair quantity about right, pretty sparse! I prefer less action to most of my hair jigs. To this goal, when I use rubber strips I only use about six strips; pulling the forward facing ends of the strips back over the first wraps and tying them down facing back. Very nice wraps! oe

Began using two spools of 10lb when it first became available this past June. Quickly learned to use a double Palomar knot when tying direct to terminal tackle and an Alberto knot when using a fluoro leader. Probably the most important knot lesson I learned when using this line was to leave a longer tag end... usually >1/2"! Nanofil has a unique coating that gives it a mono-like behavior, don't you think the "fraying" is merely the coating wearing some rather than the bundled dyneema fibers fraying? At the end of the season the coating didn't seem as slippery and the line didn't cast quite as far as when it was new but it hasn't lost any strength. oe

As many things in our lives, rod powers and actions are a continuum while we try to pigeon hole them into a five step scale. The short answer to your question is no. oe

First... one way. When the bait gets a little chewed up, the other way. oe

Slug-go oe

Texas Tackle

Find the best balanced spinning rod you can afford, then learn how to backreel. oe

I have more confidence in the Revo S and STX models oe

How much weight are you planning to add? What techniques will you be using the rod for? Will the appearance of the butt balancing cup (butt ugly in my opinion) be preferable to a small epoxy filled hole at the end of the rod? oe

Have you considered weighting the inside of the blank? oe

I'm assuming you are saying the lower leg is too THICK to wiggle freely at slow speeds with light jig weights. I thin down the tails of my grubs with an emory board for that reason. Makes a good winter project. oe

Wapsi Smallie... you've got mail. oe

Never having used a Kalins Scrub, I'd like to know the characteristics of this bait that you find detrimental as a jig trailer while advantageous for a chatterbait. oe

Who has used the Kalin Scrub as a jig trailer? Thoughts? oe

Painting reels has to be one of the most ridiculous things we anglers do within our passion. oe

12lb Nanofil might be a consideration. The benefits of braid with the slack line sensitivity of a fluoro line. oe

Then go for it. You could do alot worse! oe

Fenwick HMG oe

It would easier for us to make informed suggestions if we knew how big of boat you were interested in and the type/size of water you would be using it in. oe