Alpster

I think it's a confidence issue also. I fish with a lot of youngsters (trying to turn em on to something besides video games). When you touch the fish he is going to at least flinch, if not flop like crazy. Those who lack confidence will flinch and react when the fish does. This is when the bass gets away a lot of times. If you are going to handle a fish without a net you must do it deciseivly and without hesitation. Be carefull as this will also get you a hook in the thumb (don't ask me how I know this). Until you have confidence that you can grab them without losing them, get the net. When I was younger I would grab them before they knew it. My arthritis is advancing and nowadays I only grab the dinks. I keep a landing net in the boat always, like Fish Chis said, there's no need to lose a great fish. JMHO

Let's face it! They are delicious!! Ronnie

Welcome to the forum bitman. You will learn a lot here, I know I have. What part of Louisiana?? I grew up in Kenner/Metairie and a few years in Plaquimine Parish and I miss them Reds & specs. I am in NJ now but still chasing them Basses. Ronnie

Like Avid said, you gotta have height. I love flippin so much I rebuilt the deck on my aluminum boat so it's almost to the top of the gunnells. Pitching is also very effective and with a little practice you can do it without much of a splash. You are on the right track in the lilly pads. JMHO Ronnie

No harm done here, sorry I misunderstood. :-[ I think the idea (about funneling) is, that 2lb test line on a UL spinner (small diameter spool) is not as unruly as larger lines. The one I saw (at a fly show) was a 4 wt. with a little larger stripping guide and the rest alconite rings (not sure what size). It used split rings on a flat sided cork handle that will accept a fly or spinning reel. You can also order a separate butt section and just build a second handle. This is the way Orvis does it...http://images.orvis.com/orvis_assets//prodimg/8157L5FF_lg.jpg . I'm pretty sure you can order any extra sections you want from st. croix. Their SCIII blanks are very nice and very affordable. This has really got me thinking about a couple of experiments I want to do. Looking forward to a picture of that 2 wt. Ronnie

Piece of cake! Ronnie

I wasn't trying to start an argument and wasn't implying 'flechero' had done anything wrong. In fact, I know he is an excellent rod builder & fisherman and have a lot of respect for his knowledge. I was trying to find out if he knows something I don't (allways trying to learn something new). The fishing bibles say snake guides simply because they are still the lightest and conventional wisdom is, lighter is better with a rod that will be cast almost constantly all day long. BTW, I use single footed snake guides (still just one foot to wrap and no added weight ;D) almost exclusively. Stripping guides have had ceramic inserts on most fly rods forever. As materials have gotten lighter and stronger, ring inserts have been used more and more on heavyweight 10 wt & up rods as a trade off to handle huge fish and salt water conditions. A lot of guys have used ceramic guides on light weight fly rods so they can use them for UL spinning also. I am waaayyyy tempted to do this. Probably no one, but on their very best 'Cross Current' GLX fly rods, G-Loomis does not use ceramic guides, except for strippers + 1. Your opinion is "ceramics are the way to go on fly rods" and that's great! I respect your opinion and appreciate your sharing it. The premier production fly rod makers in the world - Sage, Berkheimer, R.L. Winston, Thomas & Thomas G-Loomis, Orvis and many others, for some reason, don't use them (except for strippers). I can't help but wonder why. My guess is, at least with high end fly rods, is that weight and balance are most important. I recognize that I am an amatuer, and I always have more questions than answers, but I am always trying to learn to do it better. I appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks! Ronnie

Flechero, The rod looks great! I like the big cork grip too. The blue blank is pretty and the thread is subtle, which I think makes a rod look 'classy'. I am not much for lots of glitz on a fly rod or a small fresh water rod, but saltwater rods should look like "MARDI GRAS". One of my goals is to build a surf caster with triple layers of thread and gaudy butt wraps with lots of metalic thread and maybe some braid. I built a 4 pc 4wt recently on a st. croix blank. I used a store bought wells grip though. My lathe is busted and I have a buddy who is giving me a newer one. I just need him to hurry up. Just curious, what size/type line are you casting with ring inserts. I have never seen a 4wt with anything but snake guides. Is this one going to double as a light spinning rod? Nice work! Life is good! Ronnie

My late wife bought a little plaque at a craft fair, shaped like a fish that says.."A fisherman and his BEST catch ever, lives here." She was right about that! Ronnie

Vince, If you want to drive a to the East end of I-195, I will bet we can find you a bass to catch. My boat has two seats and you are welcome. Ronnie

Just a handfull this year. I like to take kids & newbies. The problem where I live (New Jersey) is, that a fishing license costs $25. For an adult that's not hooked on fishing, it's an expensive outing. I take a lot of kids because under 16 needs no license and they need to know about fun that doen't require a computer or video game. The youngsters get a kick out of driving the boat (TM only) and they freak when they get hooked up. Take a kid fishing! Ronnie

Yes, it's the 904 IMX. I wondered about the extention handle too. I called and told em if I get two pieces you will get it returned. It is a one piece rod blank & I am pumped to get it built and to fish with it. Thanks for the heads up, I will be sure to check and adjust it before I start wrapping. I sent you padded envelope with the metalic thread. I had to wind it onto card as it's on one of these large skein spools that holds about a pound. If you need more just yell, I have a ton of it. I also threw in a few spools of odd ball sizes and colors that I have way too much of. You can use them for practice or tying up the cat, or just being creative. Cheers, Ronnie

Flechero, I have some metalic bronze, ounces of it (more than I will use in a lifetime) it came with a lot of threads I bought on e-bay. I can send you enough to do a couple of rods if you want to try it. PM me a mailing address and I'll drop it in the mail. I considder both black and silver guides/frames to be nuetral in color and don't consider them in thread color choice. Colored ring inserts would be the exception for me. JMHO While we are waiting for your pics, I will show you guys the small progress I have made on the new flippin stick. I got the grips & reel seat glued up and taped on the guides for a static flex test. I hope to get the wrapping done over the weekend. This is my first spiral wrap. It's a simple spiral with a bumper guide. So many rods and so little time... Ronnie

WOW!!!! MAN!!! That's FEAKIN GREAT!! You go man! We better be hearing all the details as this progresses. CONGRATULATIONS! Ronnie

I have used anodized aluminum and titanium carbide coated, but never nickle silver. However, if you measure carefully, and they fit perfectly, hard winding checks make a rod look slick. A trick a friend of mine showed me, was to buy them a little big and make a few thread wraps so they fit nice and snug. The thread centers them on the rod and works as a an underwrap to keep the winding check from damaging the rod and makes the hard WC fit perfectly. If it's a drastic change in diameter you can cone wrap it to make the transition. I can post a picture and tell you how I do it, but you have to practice on a pencil or broken blank. I am in for the rod building show in NC. I too will save my extra pennies for some goodies. ;D Ronnie

Well, somebody plan it, I'm in. I would host it myself but it would probably be easier for me to do the cross country thing than for all you guys to travel so far. There is a huge rod builders convention every year. Last year it was in charlotte, NC. This year it's in High Point, NC. Maybe we could meet there. I have been wanting to go to this show and this would make a great excuse to just do it. Here's a link to the info... http://home.earthlink.net/~icrbe/ Ronnie

Yea! and for the guys that must have the very best, a 'Hardy Cascopedia' (not sure about spelling) but these go from 2500 to 4000 for a single freshwater fly reel. And like you said, real quality rods will begin in the 400 to 500 dollar range and there doesn't seem to be a limit on high end custom bambo rods. I saw a guy at the FLY show in Sommerset, NJ this past year throw down 3200 for a single rod. He had ordered it and had it delivered at show. These rods are something to behold. I have wrapped more fly rods than spinning or casting. I love working on them. And yes, TX (I was born there) & KS (I have been there) are a little more than an afternoon ride on the motorcycle. I'm looking forward to a pic flechero's new project. Ronnie

Flechero, Good for you! I love building fly rods! Those small diameter shafts are definitely a challenge. The main reason I use a power wrapper and thread bobbin is it's easier for my arthritic hands to wrap those little ends. There is something magic about a fly rod when it's 'just right' that doesn't happen with casting and spinning rods. IMHO. PS: Don't share the secret. If some of these guys ever caught a heavy fish on a custom fly rod, they would become a slave to a whole new killer baitmonkey. Get that camera fixed and get them pictures up. Ronnie

Hang in there Vince, I live in central Jersey and I like summertime fishing. You are right about lazy fish when its hot. Try to fish at dawn & dusk if you can, but fish all day if you can. Take Road Warrior's advice and start learning how to gently and slowly fish a dark colored weightless senko. If your patient and don't rush, I think you will catch some fish. I haven't been skunked since March. Post a picture when you nail a good fish. We will celebrate with you. Keep on keepin on... Ronnie

I just learned a new one this week. My kid fishing buddy and I only had an hour or so to fish so we decided to beat the bank rather than use up our fishing time hooking up, launching & putting away the boat. We were fishing the bank and catching a few fish when this lady comes along with her dog. She throws a stick in the middle of our fishing spot for the dog to retrieve. This is a several hundred acre lake. She could have played with the dog anywhere, she was oblivious. I was tempted to tie on a 1/2 ounce pear sinker and discourage the dog, but it wasn't the dog's fault. JMHO Ronnie

I have a 16' aluminum V and it is decked bow to stern 2" below the gunwales and it's very stable. It's very comfortable and I can pitch a lure from a sitting position as the deck is almost level with the top of the boat. I stand up for flipping and it's not unstable at all. Ronnie

Ronnie, Glad you could get out and fish a little. I walked a lot at work today and my knee is swelling up an gettin revenge even now. I really want to make a UL noodle rod. It will probably happen sooner than later. I recieved my Loomis "slate" Flippin Stick blank today. I just ordered the guides and the cork. I can't wait to fish this baby! ;D I will be going out for a couple of hours in the morning to fish my "challenge" from the general forum. Anyway I hope you are getting better all the time. Take your drugs properly and do what your doc tells you. Ronnie

Here ya go Nate. This is one place, but if you do a little google searching you will find a lot of them. I hope this helps. www.staminainc.com/ Ronnie

Ronnie, I bought everything except the wood, wheels and the 'Dremel' speed controler from this place: BRIELLE BAIT AND TACKLE 800 ASHLEY AVE BRIELLE, NJ, 08730 Phone:732-528-5720 If there are specific parts you want, this guy is local to me and I can pick up stuff and ship it to you. The wheel sets I bought on ebay (I got 4 sets) and he had 17 sets up for auction. I will check this guy out and see if he has any more of them. If not, you can buy the individual "Pac Bay" wheels from the guy above and make them the way you want them. Let me know how I can help you out. Ronnie

In our area 4 or 5 lbs is a great fish. Anything over 6 is a hawg. Double digits don't happen. The state record LM is 10 lbs 14 oz. I get excited with anything over 3. I've caught several over 5 & a couple over 6. Lots of high fives and attaboys when that happens. In the tournament I fished last week, 5lbs 12oz took the Lunker prize. Ronnie