MickD

Try Hitena's Pureline 21 pound test, only .006 diameter for the best of everything, casts very long, no stretch, good knot strength. Seems abrasion resistant. I haven't tried it without a leader because when changing lures I don't want to sacrifice the braid. It is pretty pricey but lasts well. I have some in it's 3rd season and it works and looks like new. I just don't seem to get wind knots with it. (Fuji KLH guides) Sensitivity is much much better than either FC or copolymer, and you can use a pound test that casts great and isn't fragile like the lighter FC's and co's.

How about sharing how you know that. Is there an ANSI spec that they pass?

The design of the savior is really nice. Rods go in and out easily, don't have to be carefully fit into a little slot, the just are naturally lightly loaded against the cross member about 2 feet up the rack. This design is a piece of cake to make and if done with the right wood, it can be very attractive. The secret is the slanted floor with the crossbar right at the grip.

I don't think your builder can come through with St Croix or Loomis blanks. Only a few St Croix blanks are available through Rodgeeks and Loomis blanks have been unavailable for years. If your builder is any good he can make whatever shape handle you want out of cork, regular or burl-don't feel like you're stuck with wood. Ask what his typical 7 foot medium power fast action rod weighs. Lighter = better sensitivity, so if his rod is over about 3.6 to 3.8 oz, it's nothing special for weight. If he's into Fuji, which is a high quality brand, he knows how to do a spin rod with the KLH reduction train. Find out if that is what he uses. IMHO, it's the way to go these days. As WRB says, make sure you know what you want. I'm not sure what is available in the the factory rod market, but you can get some pretty nice factory rods for less than $200, especially between new model introductions. I've never built on Fenwick. MHX offers a bazillion options. This sounds a little shaky to me. The only way I'd do it would be if I could visit him in his shop, look at his work, and talk about what you want and what he's built that is close.

cranks, jerkbaits, even tubes with small snaps with proper strength. most everything . NOT snap swivels, NOT big heavy snaps.

If sensitivity is your goal braid is your answer. IMHO, the best way to fish jigs or other finesse techniques is braid with an FC leader, the leader made of leader-grade FC, not FC line which is designed to be somewhat soft and flexible to facilitate easier handling. Line will work; I've used it too, but the best leader, with no disadvantages, is leader-grade FC. One uses so little in a season that it's price is not a significant disadvantage.

But the trolling motor is not the same. I don't think it is vibration, but as others have said, electrical interference. I don't know the electrical draw of your depth finder, but I used to take an old Eagle to Canada and powered it with one of those very compact batteries, like used in security systems, and it would last all day just powering the depth finder.

Flew Delta last Jan and their policy in the passenger compartment was unchanged from previous years and allowed a carry-on bag and a personal item. I had a back-pack and my travel rod case and no problem. The case was for 4 piece 9 foot rods, I think 30 inches long. I suggest carrying in the carry-on bag your reels and enough tackle to at least start your fishing trip if your checked bag gets delayed. I have carried my reels, flies and leaders but no tools, and have had no problems. Nail clippers are now allowed, so it would be a good idea to have on so you can cut line. In some areas fishing tackle is very hard to get and theft could be a problem, so I like to have as much that is allowable in my carry-on.

The diameter of the braid influences how much of it your reel can hold. Not an issue for most fishing, but if you're spinning for bonefish, you'd like not only to have a decent pound test, and a lot on your reel, but also a line that casts well for distance. So a braid that is 20 pound test and has a diameter of .oo6 in is much better for all these parameters than a 20 pound test that is .010 in in diameter.

cast or spin, same rod characteristics IMHO, 7 to 7 1/2 feet, moderate to moderate/fast action, medium power (look for a lure weight spec in the middle of your planned lure weights to ensure the rod will load properly on the cast). I like graphite for its low weight.

Mining pit = very clear water, right? Swimbait color should be almost clear, transclucent, not dark. I have not fished where you are , but LMB up here cannot resist tubes. Small ones, 1/8 oz jig tube to get a slow fall, move them slowly. If the bass are active you very well may get hits on the drop. If his bass on minnows are being caught near bottom, try drop shot with plastic minnows or other small drop shot plastics, like KVD perfect plastics drop shot magic (or something like that) the same size as his real ones, again, almost clear.

Don't take the screws out of the bail pivot assy where the spring is. Easy to get apart, most are not easy to put back togther even though it may be obvious where everything goes. Just oil the pivot points. But that's not your problem-sticky pivot would keep the bail from closing but would not increase the effort to crank.

I have used plenty of spinning reels with composite structural parts and have had no trouble, so I'm not convinced that is the problem. what I suggest is to lightly oil 1. bail line roller 2. handle knob and its entrance into the reel 3. the rotor shaft under the spool. Then take off the side plate and grease the gears in there. I don't think it wise to go further into the reel as you may not get it back together correctly again. At least this should offer some clarification. Did it get better? If yes, lube is probably the major issue and you may need to go further into it. Since the reel is pretty inexpensive, I would not pay a pro for service, might cost as much as a new one. Now you know that you can go further into the reel with little risk. If no lubing at any level fixes it, it may be true true that it's flexing. There are lots of great reels available from $70-$100. Look for specials on new ones. Pflueger is getting a lot of good reviews, and my choice these days is always a Daiwa.

Both Getbitoutdoors.com and Mudhole.com have lines of very affordable blanks. Also, check the specials at both stores and others as well. Anglers Workshop and Schneiders are well worth a try. Ron Schneider is a very experienced builder and very helpful.

Looks like it's designed for a clamp-on motor.

Got it. I don't have a clue. Sorry.

Can you provide a photo of the bow where you want to mount the motor?

I think your best bet is to call customer service at Mudhole.com, Getbitoutdoors.com, Anglersworkshop.com, and any other blank seller. They know what they have and can tell you quickly if they have anything. They have many brands, hard to go through them all on the internet, but their customer service will know right away if they can help.

Really good photo of you and your fishing partner. It says a lot. Your son?

Both Mudhole and Batson (Revelation line) have fine 2 piece blanks, look them over. Then see what your builder comes up with. If he's really good, he will have good suggestions to meet your needs. You need to decide what you want for power, lure weights, action, and some idea of what you're willing to spend for a blank. And you need to communicate this to the builder. With what you've told us, you may be getting into something that will disappoint. Almost any 2 piece 8 foot blank could satisfy what you've stated.

Since I'm unlikely to be able to cast a reel before purchasing I purchase by brand. The Shimano and Daiwa baitcasters I've bought have all been good. I lean a little more towards Daiwa because my recent Daiwas have been great reels at very good prices. There is a brand that I used to buy, but it didn't last well. That brand may be fine now, but with two brands of great reels, why try it again? So I'm down to two brands and now I look for the features/specs that fit my needs. Like weight, size, drag capacity, and line capacity.

Get a reel different than those you already have. In that price range they all are good, but most likely a little different. Then you'll be an expert on all those reels.

My son does this , too, using a regular vest while running and the auto-inflatable when fishing or moving slowly. I have had a couple different inflatables, both Cabela's, and one thing I've noticed is that the the collar design, behind your head, makes some comfortable, and some less so. My rounded collar one is the more comfortable. I don't change anything annually. The only time one went off was when it was in a boat locker and my boat cover leaked allowing a lot of water into the locker. I think the inflatable ones, at least mine do, have a pull string to allow manual firing of the CO2, + the mouth tube. I also like the idea of using a vest type regular vest when out in lonely, cold water. My son kids me that he wants me to always wear a PFD because he doesn't want to waste any fishing time looking for my body. Easier to find if floating.

Yes. 2 pounds over is insignificant. But you can use anything you want-you can use 30 pound braid if you want. You just don't use as much drag as you might have with a more powerful rod, and you don't stress the rod more than about 90 degrees by pointing it more at the fish. The only issue with overstressing the rod by using heavy line is if you also use lures much heavier lures than its rating, and don't carefully lob them. If you try to do snap casts with heavy line and lures, that's when you might break the rod. I missed this blank when looking for one for you. It sounds almost exactly like the Bushido and Loomis rods that I have used for light cranks, and much more, for years. I expect it's very much like the REV IP70ML.

Good to have one in the boat; I have a Leatherman Wave. But it's backup to my regular tools most of which work better for the job they are designed for. Shore fishing might be a different story (one tool advantage) . I agree that the diamond hook sharpener is very good.