MickD

The retrieval you describe will tend to keep the line to the left as it goes through the line guide. Which side of the reel is the crank on? If it's on the right, then you have to be influencing the line to the right.

Keitechs mentioned above are very good, Yum has one that is very good, and Strike King KVD coffee is very good in a slim shape. Z man has plenty of action, but if you are snapping them off the bottom then they are a little too soft; the tail ends up getting stabbed by the hook now and then.

Good to keep the smoke in. An electrical engineer once told me that most electrical and electronics devices fail because the smoke gets out.

A little out of the "bass" subject, but one glide bait that really is effective on the really big migrant tarpon is he Rapala Glide Rap. I've taken a few pike on them. Other gliding lures for bass, me too. Shut out. For bass, nothing on the spy baits so far. I'm going to keep trying.

For your older cork, clean it up with soap and water or magic erasers. Sand it a little if it needs more to look almost like new. I you have big voids, fill them and sand flush. THEN use the cork seal. Because cork is impermeable only one coat is recommended. By using the U40 cork seal you are setting yourself up for cork that doesn't get as nasty and that cleans up easily and nicely. It's the real deal. Not magic, but significantly helps.

Norman Deep Tiny N's will catch everything from bluegills and perch to bass, pike , and walleyes. Spring Craw is my favorite color, but for clear water and sunny days, have a black and silver available. Bumblebee is another good color, looks like a perch.

Put it on everything. Won't hurt, can help. Might improve the contrast a litte. One coat. Not two.

Trimming from either end results in a slower action. If you want to verify this, build yourself a setup that allows you to do the objective measurement process described by CCS, Common Cents System. http://www.common-cents.info/ The setup described in the literature requires a 4 x 8 sheet of pegboard, but you can do it in a much more compact way if you have a 1. vice + 2. a relatively level floor. It is a great system that takes the guess work out of comparing rods and blanks. Meaning that if you have a rod you love, but it's no longer available, you can test other rods to find one with the same or similar numbers, and it will feel and act very closely to the original target rod. If anyone wants to see my setup I'll send details. It correlates quite well with the rod makers numbers. I cannot explain the physics of why it slows the action , but it does. Obviously, trimming the tip slows the action. And trimming the butt without moving the reel seat will not result in any change in feel, but you won't have the butt length that the original rod had. If you move the reel seat forward to retain the original length behind the seat, the rod will be slower in action by the CCS numbers, and feel slower in action.

For spraying clothes, I go with permethrin. But when the bugs are really attacking , I don't think treating the clothes with anything is going to stop them. You have to apply to the skin, and I'm not going with DEET. Exc possibly with a very dilute mix of DEET.

The best part is that you and your wife both enjoy fishing. That is very special. Nice fish, too. Looks like St Clair or Traverse City.

Amtak has a new Microwave fly rod stripping guide. Next up a Microwave system for cane poles. ?

LG from Fuji is one I was also looking for. Take a look at that one, too. It's one of their newer ones, latest design features.

So where do you put it? Not on the skin? I don't get it. Cautions on DEET are valid, it dissolves just about anything. There has to be a better way.

"Poles" don't need reels. Rods do. :-) Good suggestions above. I've never been disappointed with any Daiwa reel I've bought. Even under other names, like the old Cabelas Prodigy and ?? one other. My Shimano reels also have always been very good.

Your sizing decision is fine. Better a little big than a little small. The problem with ordering a tiptop from the rodbuilding sources is that the shipping will cost more than the tiptop. But, if ordering a number of them, it might make sense. An option if you have a builder in your area is to let them replace it. They will give you the right one (brand is not as important as a few other parameters) for your rod, you'll know it's done right, and the cost is not that high. If you decide to order this one and a few more for other rods you need to know 1. what is the ring size I need for each rod and 2. what is the tube size I need for each rod. 3. what is the frame finish color I need to match the other guides (this is least important). This will ease the shipping cost issue. As suggested above, ask SC to see if they are reasonable. If going it alone, I suggest the FAT series from Fuji or their new KG series. The latter is a little pricey, but if you want the best in design and execution, it's a great tiptop. I've built a lot of rods with the FAT tiptops, and have had no problems. With the alconite ring and stainless finish, pretty inexpensive and still better than what most factory rods come with, fine for braid. With the SIC ring, still not out of reach for most people. If going this way I suggest getbitoutdoors.com, a good company, family owned and run, good service. Ask them what they suggest.

The one thing the ML will not do well, IMHO, compared to the M, is tube fishing. I like the power of an M (Rodgeeks-same as SC SC4 and SC SC5) is the power to set the hook and control the fish better. But there are things the ML will do better. When snapping 3/16 oz darter head jigs with swim baits off the bottom, the M is too powerful to give the snap the right "acceleration." It comes too sharply off the bottom and loses contact on the fall. The ML is also fine for casting light cranks. So, the logical conclusion is, get them both. One cannot have too many rods.

Never mind, got confused on brands, and can't figure out how to delete the post. Sorry.

I agree with most of the posts above, but will comment that there are times when smb are very choosy, (cold water, recently spooked, just plain choosy), and in those cases smaller (and slower) is better. (Think Ned or slowly dragging tubes). One time some friends were killing them and we were finding it slow. I finally noticed they were using smaller tubes, so I cut the tail about half off mine, and instantly was catching fish. (Early summer, post spawn, about 8-10 feet deep in the typical trough near a sea wall). This was a slow, even, dragging of the tubes, no hopping or twitching. If the fish are active, they will hit anything/any size, so I usually start bigger/faster and change as necessary.

Since both Nanofil and all braids I know of have almost zero stretch, how can one be more sensitive than the other? I think that while sensitivity cannot be measured, the amount of stretch a line has is a good proxy for sensitivity. Nanofil is smooth, small diameter, essentially no stretch, but I've found that it shreds easily near the "terminal." I have found better options with some of the premium braids. IMHO

Me too. A Lk St Clair guide told me they work best in calm water. A friend had success there counting them down in deep water. I had a follow once. ?

Make sure your "problem" reel is properly lubed. I'm not sure what your maintenance habits are, but I have a son who is a great fisherman, but seldom lubes his reels until I remind him. Sometimes the level wind worms look absolutely dry.

If you like it, it's a good rod.

I admit there are a lot of better baitcasters than I am, and if I were more skilled I probably would try FC again, especially where I needed a sinking line. Last year I thought I'd try spybaits, so I rigged up my 9 foot slow action (very expensive North Forks blank which I won at a gathering) steelhead/salmon rod that is perfect for long casts with light lures. I rigged it with 4 pound FC, (as the experts recommend for spybaits-has to be light so not to affect the action of the spybait) major brand, on a Stradic 4000. Could cast a mile with it, for about half an hour. Line was simply too fragile. So I put on a .006 in diameter braid with a leader (FG knot-rod has micros). Still casts a mile, I don't think the line is impairing the action of the spybait, and it has solved the FC problem. Theoretically it won't sink as fast, but it also won't be broken off so fast. AJ, any experience to relate that might help me fish spybaits?

Same for me. I've tried a lot of them, not Tatsu, not going to pay that much for a type of line (FC) that in every other brand has resulted in disappointment. It's as you say, fragile on taking out backlashes, a few of which are inevitable since it doesn't cast that well. If not braid just go mono. I have one casting rod still with FC, have avoided disaster so far, but will be changing to braid or mono when the FC gives up. Same for me. I've tried a lot of them, not Tatsu, not going to pay that much for a type of line (FC) that in every other brand has resulted in disappointment. It's as you say, fragile on taking out backlashes, a few of which are inevitable since it doesn't cast that well. If not braid just go mono. I have one casting rod still with FC, have avoided disaster so far, but will be changing to braid or mono when the FC gives up.

So you spool it on tight, then do a bunch of casts without catching fish. How tightly is it being spooled on? Tightly enough to prevent digging in? I think you'll find a lot of fishermen, myself included, who have had braid dig in. Not so much now as in the past, but it seems logical that there would be less of a problem with the heavier pound tests than the lighter pound tests. I'll keep it above 30 on my casting outfits. I see no advantage to going lower, and depending on the line, there can be disadvantages. I may have less trouble than most since I keep my drags lower than most probably do. I don't do a lot of fishing where horsing one out of cover is needed. It also seems logical that the best line for that would be a heavy pound test.