BORDERBASSER

I have been using WalMart brand SuperTech and Mercury Quicksilver oil in my '01 200HP Yamaha HPDI and was thinking of switching to Penzoil Synthetic Blend. I still have about a gallon or so of oil left in my tank and was wondering if anyone knew if I can just top off the tank with the synthetic blend, or do I need to flush the old oil out of the system first. I have heard that if you mix the synthetic blend with the regluar oil, there may be a problem with the two not being compatable and actually gelling up. Anyone have any experience with this? TJ

I really apologize if I ruffle anyone's feathers here, but I will tell you guys that a quality LCD graph IS a good FISHFINDER. However, it is only as good as the user. First off, turn off the fish ID option. It is JUNK. Most of the manuals will tell you it is not dependable and why. At least Eagle/Lowrance does. It reports back fish symbols based on the strength of the signal return of a given object. The unit has a preset signal strength range saved in the processor that says if it is between this signal strength and that signal strenght, then it is a fish based on the average denity of a fish. Problem is, if the graph picks up ANYTHING that falls within that signal strength range, it shows it as a fish. I personaly have a Lowrance x-15 on the bow and an Eagle FishElite 480 up front. Both of these units are awesome. The Eagle FishMark 320 is the same unit as my eagle, but less pixels (but plenty) and no GPS at a reasonable price. I have used my Eagle to target black bass in over 30' of water with a drop shot within a foot of bottom. I'm not talking about targeting fish holding-structure. I mean, see the fish, catch the fish. It is not difficult to do, but it takes practice and knowledge of your equipment. Your sensitivity, chart speed, ping speed (sometimes), and a variety of other factors must be right. Then it is up to you to interpret what you are seeing. For instance, if every thing is right, the fish will show up as an arch, IF you are moving or the fish are moving...ie. moving through the cone. If the fish is not moving through the cone (by whatever means) or is moving slowly, the signal return will show up as a flat or semi-flat line. My point is, don't let anyone tell you that your depth finder is not also a fish finder, because I an assure you that it is. But YOU the user, are the biggest part of the equation. And you don't have to pay the high dollars to get that kind of technology. Just get the most pixels (vertical are the most important) and largest screen you can afford. Stay away from the Cuda and similar units. I think the Eagle fishmark 320 or 480 is under (I think) $200 without the GPS and I highly recomend it. The Lowrance units are just about the same. The biggest difference is the power, but power really doesn't come into play all that much untill you start getting into extreme depths. It can affect a few other things, but the Eagle will have plenty of power for all of what you want to do with it. The best thing you can do is get familiar with it, read your manual front to back, and once you are familiar with it, take it out of the AUTO mode and learn to customize the settings to your particular conditions at any given time. It is kinda like a good digital camera. If you just want to take pictures, put it in Auto, and shoot. If you want to take fine photographs, take it out of Auto, apply what you know, and go to work. TJ

Let me add my two cents or three... First off I am a strong believer in power pro as I have been using it almost exclusively for the last 6 years. I have tried others, (due mostly to lack of availablity of powerpro) and have always seemed to prefer the power pro. Any problems I have ever had with it were inherent in the other brands and always due to "operator error". However, I won't sit here and tell you that your problems were not due to a defective or counterfeit spool, which unfortunately can happen with nearly any product we purchase today. I will say that power pro is coated. Exactly what the coating is for, I can't remember, but the coating will wear off. This is evident right out of the box if you ever pinched the line in front of the line guide pawl to keep tension while re-spooling. It will leave the coating on your fingers. Over time, this coating will wear off, and the line will turn white. It will eventually happen due to use. I have seen no major adverse affects from this. Simply put, the lack of color alone is in no way an indication that your line is defective or worn out. If you wish, you can take a permanent marker in the color of your choice and color the last several feet of the line if the color bothers you. I usually prefer black However like was mentioned above, the line will not absorb the ink and essentialy becomes another coating that must be reaplied with time and use. Some lines like Spiderwire will maintain their color a little better, but still fade out a little with use. I personally do not like Spiderwire because I had more problems with it burying up in the spool. As far as breakage is concerned, I have broken off...several times. It happens. How often it happens is entirely up to you, how observant you are, and how often you re-tie (barred any defective line, which I'm sure exists, but have personaly yet to see it). I will say that I have fished several days, through the thick stuff catching good fish and had not had any break-offs...but then it has also usually been under those circumstances that it did break...usually on the hook-set though. Frayed line is a killer. As far as knots go, I can not stress to you enough how important your knot is. Mainly because power pro (and all other braids I've tried) is very slick and an inferior knot WILL slip. Power pro WILL NOT "grip" itself like mono. I have found that the palomar knot has been the most efective, but beware of some of the variations. I once tried running the tag through the loop as well as the bait, based on a recomendation from a buddy, but that variation proved to be inferior to the original palomar and was very prone to slipping. Also, make sure that when you secure the knot down, that you pull on both ends...together and sperately. I know that sounds like a given, but if you don't pull on the tag especially hard, the knot will not seat properly. And on that note always trim the tag just a little long, pull on the main line HARD, and watch to see if your tag doesn't shorten a little on you. Then you can trim a little more if needed, but I always leave a little more tag with braid than I do with mono, simply because you can not effectively recreate with your hands the kind of force that is put on that knot like a strong hook-set can on a 5lb+ fish (or stump, LOL) on a MH or H rod. Another problem that was mentioned earlier which I have had happen to me several times, is the knot comes out of the joint in the hook eye. This is due to the rather small diameter of the line. The most effective solution I've found (other than changing brands of hooks) is tie a knot or two to the hook eye like normal, and then cut your line just above the knot leaving the knot intact on the eye. Then slide the knot or knots down to the joint, effectively "stopping up" the joint and retie as usual. Another thing that will help is to check your knot occasionaly and reposition as necessary and pull on the line to keep the knot tight. The knot will loosen up a bit and tend to slide around. Or, as mentioned above ( I think?), put a drop of super glue on the knot. Just remember, that "super" lines can be an overstatement. You cannot just spool up, tie on and forget. I don't care what brand you use. If you do, you are heading for disapointment. Braid is also by no means better than mono or flourocarbon, just better under certain circumstances where the utmost sensitivity and abraison resistance is required. Hope this helps. TJ

You bet! Try www.tjstackle.com You can also search fluid beds on E-bay. If you want more extensive info on them, go to www.tackleunderground.com and do a search there under the wire baits section and maybe even the home brew tools section. I posted a reply to a post there on how I made mine a few months ago. I have the same user name there as here. Hope this helps. TJ

Get yourself a fluid bed to dip in insted of the jar. You can make your own or you can get a very good one from T.J.'s Tackle. You will get a lot thinner coverage which will greatly minimize or eliminate the excess melt off problem your experiencing. Plus it will make your powder go a lot further. Hope this helps. TJ

I am not a pro, but I have gone through about 15 gallons of plastic in the last year and used pyrex almost exclusively with no problems. However, I have heard of this happening on occasion, especially with Anchor brand cups, which I also use. Usually it is due to transfering the hot cup to a colder environment. Ofcourse you said that was not the case. However if the glass had a small hairline crack in it, it may not have to take much of a temp drop to cause the explosion. I've had a few small burns myself and it is no fun . Glad to hear your OK. TJ

Hmmm.... :-? I too was talking about an exposed seat. I see what you are saying though. You obviously don't want a small gap around the blank at the exposed seat area. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what I get. Maybe....no hopefully I won't have to order a smaller one. I guess I can shorten the handle a bit and see how that works out too :-[ Mudhole did say they would size it to fit at 10" from the butt as per my request but I think maybe 9" would be satisfactory. It might make it a little more tip heavy, but on a cranking rod that might help on the casting distance a little. Guess we'll see here in a few! Thanks for shedding a little light on that for me. TJ

Thanks guys for the help guys. Like I said above, I ordered a 15mm seat but asked that the guys at mudhole size it before shipping to make sure it is right. If they do send the 15, I think it may be just slightly too large but I think just one or two wraps of drywall tape or masking tape on each end will do the trick. Thanks for the warm welcome reelmech! Glad to be here, and get ready 'cause I'm sure the questions will be rolling in. By the way justtrying, I talked to Andy today and ordered some Threadmaster. He was a great guy to talk to and really took the time to answer a lot of "newbie" questions. Next time I roll through Bandera I'd like to try to stop by and meet him in person. Thanks again yall! TJ

I am a newbie here and have a question regarding your tutorial above. You said you used a 12.5 real seat reamed to fit the blank. I did some research and found that the blank you used was sized at .605 at the butt which I think is just over 15. I realize that the diameter is smaller at the final location of the seat, but was the dia. that much smaller? I am fixin' to build on a 7' St. Croix SC1 crankbait with a butt dia. of .6 which I believe is 15.24. I measured a St. Croix production rod built on that blank and the dia. of the blank near the foregrip on an unfinished section of the blank was approx. 14.95 so I ordered a seat sized at 15. Am I a little too big here? The guys at Mudhole said they would measure the blank at the location I specified for a correct fit as they didn't recomend reaming the seat even though I don't see it being that big a deal as long as the seat is not too small. I guess what I'm getting at, is on average if you don't already have the blank in hand, how much smaller would you order the seat for a custom reamed fit? On another note, what about the rubber winding checks? Will they stretch slighty if orderd a little too small? Thanks for any help for the "aspiring builder". TJ