Tim Kelly

I think the UK record is a bit over 6lb. That one was a high four. My biggest was 5lb 4oz, the exact same weight as my biggest smallmouth! Blades?

Yes London UK. No smallies though unfortunately. I have to put my hands in my pocket and fly over the big pond to play with smallmouth fins! I'm very lucky to have some very generous friends who take me out when I come over, which has been every two years in recent times. I fish the Thames here a lot, mostly for perch, but also pike and zander. The manic expression is what happens when you try to use a camera's smile detector to take the picture for you when you are on your own. LOL

Just to add to the pedantry, you're describing the balance point. The fulcrum is the point where you actually hold the rod, so at the reel, assuming the reel is palmed. The position of the balance point, relative to the reel seat, is a way of describing how tip heavy the rod is, relative to the fulcrum.

Of course. You are demonstrating where the actual balance point is. Earlier in the tread there was a statement about the reel weight effecting the rod balance. While it effects where the rod balances, you actually hold the rod at the reel, so that's the fulcrum. A heavier or lighter reel can't have much effect on the rod's balance when it's at the fulcrum, so the only way you can judge a rod's balance in a practical way is to hold it at the reel seat, where your hand will naturally be, and see how it feels. If you feel the need to make the tip lighter you have to add weight to the butt as a different weight reel won't change the felt balance of the rod.

The balance point doesn't really matter though as you hold the rod at the reel, so the balance around the reel is the only thing that makes a rod feel more or less tip heavy.

Isn't the fulcrum exactly where the reel is, so the reel, of pretty much any weight is not going to effect the balance significantly?

I know what you mean about the way rod manufacturers choose to build their rods. I really dislike the builds on all GLoomis rods, St Croix are no better, but at least you can buy blanks to build them properly. Dobyns rods are the closest to something I would build myself. I suppose they have to build a rod so that it stands out from the others on the shelf, but they seem to build them willfully ergonomically wrong! Also, why is it that no rod company can cut down a reel seat? It seems hilarious to me that companies build rods with no foregrip, which I like, but leave a mile of thread from the reel seat sticking forward. Why do the reel seat manufacturers even make the threads that long in the first place? Rant over. I would own GLoomis rods if I could buy blanks, or if they got someone at Dobyns to design the build, but until then.... Recently bought a Shimano Zodiad spinning rod. Good job on the handle Shimano. I would have dome the guides differently, but very acceptable!

Jump cuts were fine, as you get more used to presenting you'll need less of them. Loved the cut aways that illustrated points, all in a very polished performance. I must admit I've stopped watching Gene and LFG's videos. They've got so far away from what made them interesting in the first place that they don't offer anything anymore. Those get togethers with other you tube youths are about the end of my patience. LOL Is Paul Roberts the future?

You've got a great presentation style and the editing is excellent. Very slick. Look forward to your next films. Now please try hard not to become too successful and then get sponsors and become a clone of the other guys who started out well, then sold out and became terrible corporate mouthpieces!

My kind of rat rod. Avail spool and old skool handle.

I've a 3601SX that I bought an avail spool for, it's am amazing reel for casting light baits on light lines. 1/16 not a problem and backlashes are very rare. Nice reels, though not as smooth as Shimano conquests.

Usually stopping and starting it makes it reverse. Try switching it on and off a few times. I bet it will run one way some times and the other at other times.

I have the ned mould too and, especially with the smaller sizes, there just isn't much lead around the hook, so they are prone to moving. Power coating the heads does a good job of making the hook secure enough. It's the only mould I really feel it's necessary to power coat the jigs, the other moulds with moulded keepers have much more lead round the hook, so the hook is solid.

When I went to Lake of the Woods musky fishing in 2003 the understanding was that unless you anchored or went ashore it wasn't really a problem. When I went back in 2005, it was a problem and you had to phone in every time you crossed the boarder. Of course, not being an American or Canadian stressed the system to the max! I doubt much of the smuggling is done by Islamist extremists, so the 9/11 defense is a little weak. Smuggling can be policed by patrols and intelligence, like it is at sea. Whatever, it's not my problem, but I can drive from France to Holland without stopping and can only tell which country I'm in by the road signs and the quality of the roads. Belgian roads suck LOL.

Astonishing that two grown up countries can't manage this situation better. You'd think that as long as you didn't go ashore there would be a perfectly reasonable grey area that nobody would need to get excited about.

Not sure if it's the case in the 1000 Islands, but a lo of the waters in that general area aren't open for bass fishing until the third weekend in June. Might be worth checking. Stunning area, my favorite part of the world - in the summer.

Huh. Must be my technique. I have mostly spro popping frogs and they seem to dig in mid skip, a jig slides across the surface nicely but the frog usually digs after a few skips. Something to work on.

I can skip a jig reasonably well, but I've never found a frog that skipped nicely. What are you guys using?

I use that Japanese knot, though tie it slightly differently. Never had one break, so I think it's a winner.

When I used to make spinners I found that there was a definite relationship between the body weight and clevis size and blade size and type. They need to be sympathetic to each other if the spinner is to work well. If I were you I would concentrate on getting the formula right for one style and repeating it. Making lots of different configurations doesn't teach you much and leads to frustration. Also, colorado blades are very difficult to make work. French blades seemed to be the easiest. Getting a small enough bead behind the clevis seemed important too from what I can remember.

I use an FG knot and don't have any problems at all. Double uni knots might well struggle, but then it probably would through the guides too. If you're going to use long leaders you really owe it to yourself to learn the FG knot.

Fair enough. I had no idea the melting point would be so low. I expect lead bans are going to see the end of home pouring as there isn't much choice of metals that melt low enough and are dense enough for people to be able to do at home.

The Tatula and Tat CT reels currently have full axles on the spools, like a shimano. The SV spools have Daiwa's little stub axles like their previous reels, so it wouldn't be a direct swap. If they are doing a Tat CT SV they're either going to have to make it like the zillion SV with different frame material or redesign the SV spool system to work with a full axle.

I would think you could powder coat any metal just about, you just need to heat it enough for the powder coat to melt onto it. Other than mercury, most metals should be fine with that?

I always have my leatherman wave in my pocket. I'm a plumber and it's constantly being used at work and while fishing. The diamond file is great for hook sharpening, the blades and scissors are always useful and the pliers do a good job unhooking fish. Invaluable.