Alpster

There is nothing like a long 7 1/2' flippin stick. I have a home made Loomis IMX FS904 and it's the only way to fly as far as I'm concerned. Ronnie

I am an amature rod builder, if I told you how many rods & blanks I have you wouldn't believe it. So, with Raul, I will take the fifth. Rods catch fish. That's all I have to say about that. Ronnie

I am hopelessly right handed and I have caught a lot of fish with a spinning reel that I crank with my left hand and a a baitcaster cranking with my right hand. Never once have I been confused or felt awkward. In 40+ years of fishing with both, my mind has never had to think about it. It's as natural as riding a bicycle. Don't think too hard about this, just do what's comfortable for you. JMHO Ronnie

What Roger said!! Ronnie

This is an experiment I have wanted to do for a long time. This is a 7' Lamiglas fly rod blank with spinning guides for crappie and bluegill fishing. I will be using a 1000 FB Shimano reel with it. This is one serious noodle rod, a buggy whip is stiff compared to this. This rod should make a hand sized bluegill feel like a 10lb LM. Ronnie

Hey Jim, Here's "FRANKENSTEIN" 7' Lamiglas 4wt Flyrod with titanium guides and carbon fibre seat.....

I use braid for everything except crankbaits and I hate crankbaits. Ronnie

If I had to throw away all my rods and reels and could only keep one set up. It would be the G-Loomis MBR 843C GLX and Shimano CL200 Calais. I hope this answers your question. Ronnie

If you are fishing in heavy cover, lilly pads or weeds try pitching to specific spots and work on accuracy and quiet (no splash) presentation. Use a craw or pork chunk type trailer. Look for a strike as the bait falls, when it hits bottom let it sit still for 15-20 seconds and make short hops with the rod tip. Watch the line for movement, you may not feel the strike. If the line moves in any direction or goes slack, set the hook. Go get em. Ronnie

I build quite a few rods and yes, leaving out a hookkeeper saves weight. The weight of having to do a little more work. LOL It's kind of like the fastest gun in the west, everyone wants to challenge the best G-Loomis. JMHO Ronnie

Question answered... Ronnie

Matt, GKs suggestions at the flyshack are a good choice. Ronnie

Sounds like a Rapala FS original floater? Ronnie

Bud, That is starting to sound like a plan. Count me in. Ronnie

You jest do what the Marshal says there pardner an I rekon you won't git yurself into no trouble. Deputy Ronnie

This is a good question. I have said to myself 100 times, "I'm going to catch fish on crankbaits". I have an expensive cranking reel, a custom cranking rod, a box full of LCs, DTs, Ratl Traps, you name it, but I can count on my fingers how many times I have fished with them this past year. I read post after post about how many folks have murdered bass and caught their PB with cranks, but I have only caught a small handfull of fish with them. I know I'm cheating myself out of some nice fish because I don't discipline myself to work at fishing them. For the 101st time I will say "this year I'm going to catch fish with crankbaits". Ronnie

Any insurance? Just curious. Ronnie

Terri, Usually the frustration with masking tape is that it is too wide. You can try cutting thin strips with a razor. Also if you want to use glue, try to get the "Flexcoat" guide glue, it behaves better than regular hot glue. Another option is tiny rubber bands, you can either cut them from small rubber tubing , you can get the tubing from a sugical supply. The easiest way is to ask a orthadontist for the bands that go on children's braces. This is a common problem for rod builders and you just have to try different methods till you find one you can live with. After a lot of rods and frustration I have settled for using "Flexcoat" guide adhesive. I cut a small chip off the stick with a knife and lay it on a piece of tin foil. I use a butane lighter (the kind with a trigger) and heat the glue till it turns clear. Touch the guide to the melted glue and quickly wipe off any excess with your fingers and press the guide in place. It only takes a little bit to hold it in place. I find the less you use the better. If you get a little too much glue on the blank you can heat tip of an ice pick or a big needle and wick the excess away. You hear a lot of disscussion among rod builders about guide preparation and this a big reason why. If you carefully file or sand the guide feet untill they fit snug and flat against the blank it will be far easier to keep it in place for wrapping regardless of what method you use. I hope this is helpfull. Ronnie

I have 2 stradics, 1 Twin power (sustain) and 1 stella. I think the best spinning reel for the money is the sustain. It's feather light and smoot as silk. The few times I have fished with it I have had to take a second look to make sure it's not the stella. You can find the sustains on ebay for around $175 pretty regularly. Ronnie

You can test this pretty easy yourself. If you pull the back cover plate off the foot controller and attach your battery to the wires on the motor side of the controller (bypass the controller) you should be running at 10 or 100% power. Just a thought. Ronnie

I like to fish an area that I know is productive, lots of structure & cover thoroughly, But if the bite is way slow, I will start covering more teritory. So I start out spot fishing and end up gunning. Just depends on how the fish are acting. JMHE Ronnie

The previous posts are right on! THERAFLU will Git er Dun!. Drink one wait 2 hours and drink another one. It works! Get well soon! Ronnie

Avid, You can use cork tape to build up the grips. It's easy to work with an relatively permanent. http://shop.mudhole.com/Cork-Tape-per-ft?sc=2&category=34 Ronnie

My 14 year old daughter & I have traveled all over the country on this bike, we have had a great time. Ronnie

I've done that a bazillion times. I didn't know if that counted. Ronnie