rippin-lips

Nice diy for everyone. I've been making these for a few years now. Though I don't go as in depth as you do. I just cut them with a hot blade on my soldering iron. Fold it in on itself and fold the other end over and heat shrink it. They work good.

I crimp the rivet down with needle nose. I also take a small file and rough up the top of the rivet. I've heard of people zip tying them to their car antenna for a day or two.

You can get submersible led trailer light kits online for about $50 or so. It has a tag bracket with it. Super simple to install. Maybe look into it.

Hold er W Pin it to win it Two things I lived by when I rode dirt bikes.

On a slammer I wouldn't worry about a top notch paint job. It'd be different if it was a glide bait.

You are kidding,right?

Gamakatsu finesse wide gap from 2-2/0 Never had an issue with them over the years.

Generally I use the uni knot, but I'll tie a snell if I'm using a light punch rig. Say 1/4-3/8oz tungsten,4/0 hook,rage craw, and a punch hub with skirt

Fish it as is. There's no need to BB rig a 6" hudd. You could add a treble as a stinger if you wanted to. Again not necessary though.

I wouldn't say that they are all finesse reels. Daiwa and Shimano both have plenty of reels that are $300 and not finesse. I have no need for a reel that holds a lot of line. Anything over 150 yards is way too much. For me I don't need a spool that holds any more than 75-90 yards of #10-20

eBay is the site I was referring to. I've bought 90% of my reels new and used from there. From the states and Japan. Never once had an issue. Buy from sellers with 100% feedback or darn close and with a lot of sales.

The new max 3d is supposed to be a touch better than the endurance series. Which is better than the original max series.

Mike has already said it. It boils down to what reel offers what you like the most. All 3 will perform the job at hand. If possible mount all 3 to the rod you will be using. Sometimes a heavier reel 'tatula' will balance better than a lighter reel 'lews' You can find all 3 $10-30 cheaper online if you look around. The drag star is composite. The tension knob is metal I believe. I'm at work or I'd double check for you. The handle but is metal, but has a plastic cover. None of which really mean much. The reel is very solid. Beware it's a larger frame and doesn't palm well for some people.

Thanks. Yeah pretty close. A few shades darker with more metallic. He asked me what color and I told him I didn't care. Either some sort of metallic grey, or black. He said well here's a motorcycle tank I just painted, and walked me over to it. It wasn't cleared yet, but I liked the color so I said that'll work. Made it easier on him too.

Outside in the sun.

Well I had to get this thing back in one piece. I kept debating on having the handle color matched when it was there. I believe now it's together I'll have him paint it too. I have a pxr drag star for it but I'm liking the stock look for now. Maybe a 90mm carbon handle in the future.

Got a call about 30 minutes ago that my reel was finished being painted. Can't wait to get this TD-Z back together. It'll have 6:3.1 gears,Steez 100 spool, and boca abec 7's. Also scored a 90mm 100m handle for it. This should be a nice little caster. Maybe I'll stay up late and assemble it.

I didn't think the spools were available yet. Great just what I needed haha

Is this the same reel, or did you get another one?

If I was as dedicated to fishing big baits as people like Wayne, then I'd have no problem spending that much. I have some big baits now, but I haven't broken the $100 mark yet. I also still haven't exactly put the time in to learn the ones I have. Until I master those I don't have a need to spend that much on a single bait.

Amazing work,Scott!

No rod will make up for someone with numb hands. Some have it, and some don't. Secondly if a $13 spool of braid bothers you then fishing might not exactly be the best choice for a hobby.

It allows you to retain the advantages of braid and use the advantages of fluoro. Best of both worlds kinda thing. Braid isn't the best choice for certain things. For me, I don't like it for buzzbaits,spinnerbaits,poppers,spooks,weightless plastics. A spool of fluoro isn't the best choice for topwater baits either. So I tie on a copolymer leader. Makes your combo more versatile when you can choose any type and size leader to use for a certain fishing technique.

You don't need #50 braid for bass fishing either. Only in a few situations does anyone need it. If it wasn't for the diameter you'd need nothing more than #20. Leaders are very handy. Fish anywhere where toothy critters are present and you'll see quickly. Multiple other benefits too. Make a 40 yard cast with mono and see how hard it is to set the hook. Do it with braid that has a 3ft leader. One of the two will land you a fish. Certain techniques are better suited for mono/fluoro leader. Topwater poppers love to foul up using straight braid. Jerkbaits and cranks can get a little deeper. Plenty of reasons. It's called using the right tool for the job. It has its place. Abrasion resistance 'Rocks,zebra mussels,toothy fish' Shock absorption 'Treble hooks' Gin clear water 'Line shy fish' It's denser than braid 'Get baits deeper'

Bobber and a hunk of crawler!