MickD

I keep the plug in the drain hole unless I'm using the live well. Sometimes use the live well for dry storage when not planning to use it. My Lund stays dry in the bilge unless I'm visually taking water on. A little leakage is only a problem if you plan on leaving your boat in the water when not fishing. Then you need an auto bilge pump.

Finding spine is fine, but not necessary. Just build so that any visible bend in the blank is the least noticeable. If no visible bend, and you like the spine idea, then that's the way to go. Not all wrap epoxies are the same for curing time. I suggest that until you get a "dryer" (epoxy doesn't "dry," it is a chemical reaction, so it cures) you avoid Pro Coat as it takes a very long time to cure. It's a fine finish, but you'll be turning your rod a lot longer than you want. I would use flex coat lite at least at first. Don't try to get a finished job with one coat since a second will cover any imperfections, which are likely on a first rod. I still do two coats every time.

What torques the rod are the guides, not the spine. The higher the guides the more the torque, which is why micros don't do it as much. Most builders don't even find the spine any more, they find the straightest axis and build either with the bend of the rod, if there is one, either up or down so it's not noticed.

You say you've bought nothing, right? You can buy a kit and have everything you need, or the parts and tools separately. I would only buy a couple spools of thread until you know you'll be staying in the hobby. Mudhole has kits which include all the necessary tools and materials, which can be a good idea to start with decent stuff and yet not spend a fortune. And there are just the rod blank and components kits. And you can buy it all separately. A reamer is a very valuable tool that greatly simplifies opening the diameters of cork and EVA components to the right diameter for the components, but they are a little pricey and I can't think of another use for them if you don't continue building. One common mistake is to not make the hole in cork large enough, the cork gets stretched, and it breaks. You want the bore to be a fit that does not stress the cork when the blank is slid into it. I use paste epoxy. I would buy a book, Mudhole lists some. What else? Sharp razor blades or exacto knives, masking tape, stirring tools for epoxy, small good quality (no shedding of bristles) brushes, epoxy cleaner (to clean brushes), denatured alcohol for clean up of uncured epoxy, syringes to make exact proportions of wrap and other liquid epoxy, etc. What I forgot you'll find in the book. Lots of good videos on U tube and at suppliers like Flex Coat, Mudhole, Getbitoutdoors (they have kits, too).

Fish can be very finicky, especially in cold water. I fished a reliable spit about a week ago a basically fished a two acre area for about an hour before I found the fish. they would ONLY take a slow-worded tube. Nothing else worked. I tried other stuff just to see what would happen, since I knew the fish (LMB) were there, and only the tube worked. Watermelon green with red specks. In MI go green. Not the school, the lures. Many fishermen have told me that they only fish green, a dark green, watermelon. I like JUnebug for LMB, too, but I always have green ready. This spot is a little pond off a BIG water bay, is only about 3-4 feet deep, and in summer, weed choked and no good (slimy weeds/algae). It has a silty bottom, and I think its appeal is that it warms faster than most other water, although last week it was about the same temp as the bay , about 53. Can you think of a spot in your water that sounds like this? Good luck, stick to it. Keep a journal of every fishing day with notes about weather and water conditions for the few days before you went and the day you went, the results, what you tried, what worked, etc. You will learn from it even if you strike out. As time goes on you will get successful and you'll have the dates and conditions so you can more likely repeat the success.

There is no set price on a first rod, so do what you want. the only reason many of us caution first time builders about spending major money on a first build blank is that we screwed our first builds up and better to screw up on a cheaper blank. But I've seen some very nice first builds, just not mine. I think that the book may be a better tension device. Regular thread may be damaged by the trap, and I think it very likely that metallic thread will have the metallic peeled off. But if it works, fine. If you start seeing thread that looks scuffed, or encounter breaks, try the book. Thread does not normally look scuffed and it doesn't normally break. A book will allow you to modulate the tension too. I built my first outfit from wood, and built on it for many years. I finally replaced it with what amounts to a power wrapper without a motor, and I really like it. A lot of stuff is a lot easier with it, like doing the last few tip guides and tip trim. i don't think i'm steady enough to keep up with a power wrapper. Good luck with your building! I'm so glad I got into it, about 60 years ago.

Yes, one coat only, will stay cleaner and will clean up easier.

How do you know they are different? Unless you are using objective measurements like CCS, you are just guessing. You mention length. That can be measured, and you did, and found a difference. What did you do to measure power and action? I don't deal in rods; I deal in blanks, and build them into rods. And I assure you that blanks of the same model from a single manufacturer do not vary significantly. If rod manufacturers are mixing different blanks into their rod builds, I don't know about that.

The original question concerned blank consistency between blanks of the same model and manufacturer, and they are very consistent from all manufacturers that I'm familiar with. When considering blanks between different manufacturers one has to consider that the terms describing them are subjective, not objective unless one has the CCS data on the blanks. If the CCS data are the same, then the blanks will feel somewhat alike for power and action, but unless the frequency data (which is a lot harder to measure) is known, the blanks can feel different due to weight and frequency differences that come with different materials. Sensitivity can be different on blanks with exactly the same power and action numbers. Higher sensitivity is what one usually is paying for in premium blanks. Since the action, power, line weight, and lure weight descriptions are subjective then it is possible for a LOT of variation between manufacturers. St. Croix, for example, usually provides blanks with more power than their description would indicate vs most other manufacturers. For example, their med light power is often about the same as others' med power. CCS power and action numbers are pretty easy to measure if one wants to do it. http://www.common-cents.info/ The rig shown in the site above takes up a lot of space, but it is possible to make a rig that takes up a lot less space.

Of course they are, and they do. Not only for that season, but for as many seasons as they offer that model. If you take a St Croix SCV 7 foot medium power fast action rod from 10 years ago it will feel very much like one made this year. I have made rods out of this particular model blank for about that long for me and family members, and they are so close to each other in feel that they are essentially identical. Additionally, the CCS power/action numbers are within a few percentage points from blank to blank. I have experience with a few other blank models that indicate that St Croix is not the only manufacturer with this capability. The only reason that rods made from the same blank model will feel different from each other is if the rods were built with different guide trains and/or grip configurations.

You said "diaphragm pump?" If you have a 1991 with its original diaphragm pump, that is where I would start to look. A diaphragm pump for anything that is critical is a design mistake, iMHO. They fail from use. They fail from age. They just fail. You may not be getting enough fuel.

My Yamaha only had one stat and I removed nothing. I have never seen that engine or my newer Merc run on the water without peeing, regardless of temperature. I always assumed that there was a stat bypass that ran a healthy stream of water whether the stat was open or closed. Obviously, I'm no expert.

On my old Yamaha I had to tape shut part of the water intakes when using the "earmuffs" to provide cooling water because with them open the water didn't rise to the water pump. It just went out those vents, which were low. Any chance of something similar being a factor here?

Regarding how to tell the quality of a blank. Keep in mind that quality is a subjective term that may be defined in many ways. What is "quality" for a downrigging rod won't be "quality" for a finesse rod. Think of quality in terms of what you want the rod to do and how its characteristics fit that. I'll talk general spin and cast blanks for the "normal" bass techniques and assume you are interested in the usual attributes like light weight, sensitivity, consistency from blank to blank, reliably meeting the description given for power, lure weights, and action, and reasonably durability and toughness. Although many times when the first two attributes are met they come with a sacrifice of the last two. High mod graphite rods can be fragile. I should add that the last attribute most of us consider is reasonable cost for the "quality" delivered. To elaborate a little, a great finesse rod will not be a great cranking rod. A great cranking rod for little squarebills will not be a great rod for deep cranking. A great flippin rod will not be a great drop shot rod. No rod will perform at the great level if the lure weight is not matched fairly closely to its power. Blanks are blanks. What are called spinning blanks can make great casting rods and vice versa. First I would say that you get about what you pay for. Stick with well-known, popular brands at least at first, until you get a feel for the different brands. Keep in mind that after a certain price, like almost everything else, added dollars don't give as much of an improvement as they did lower in the price scale. I think there is a sweet spot that starts at about $60-70 for most regular blanks and ends at about $100 depending on the length and characteristics. Over that you're getting into the really high quality. Whether that makes sense to you depends on you. I have many rods made from the sweet spot range that are what I would call great rods for their intended uses. What can make a great rod from a "sweet spot" blank is the quality of the workmanship and design (meaning all the components and their placement) that you provide. What can make a mediochre rod from a great blank is the failure to provide the above. Brands that provide a wide spectrum of blank "quality" are American Tackle, Rainshadow, Rodgeeks (where you get St Croix now, also), MHX and its derivatives from Mudhole.com, and I'm sure others will add their advice here. There are more, but the above are probably the most popular right now. I would not build my first rod on an expensive blank. I did that and had to rebuild it later to fix it. Some do better on than I did on their first, but I think it wise to stick to the sweet spot for at least a couple rods. As I said, do it right and they can be great rods. Buy one of the books on rodbuilding and search the web sites of the manufacturers for build instructions. Some are very good. (Mudhole.com, Getbitoutdoors.com, the Flex Coat youtube videos, and probably many more) Read this forum and others (rodbuilding.org for one) regularly to get a good sense of what blanks other builders respect.

I didn't read it carefully enough-I thought he wanted a pistol grip. Sorry for the confusion. If there is a significant difference between the sensitivity of an exposed vs non-exposed reel seat, I'd be surprised, as Spoonplugger mentioned.

Unless I'm missing something, the only thing standing in the way of installing a seat and grip from the butt is if the seat ID is smaller than the blank butt OD. Then it's got to be done from the front. But if the seat/grip ID's (cork grips can easily be reamed to larger ID's)are larger than the butt OD then the blank taper can easily be accommodated with masking tape wraps on the blank thus providing a constant diameter just a bit larger than the seat ID. If the tape wraps are totally encased in epoxy they will last forever and the structure will be fine. That's why I suggested contacting Mudhole to find out what the ID of the seat is.

https://www.mudhole.com/Pistol-Grip-Casting-Handle-Kits Whether this can be adapted to your rod or not, I don't know. But it's worth a call to customer service to get their advice-Mudhole has great customer service . I recommend having the OD of the blank where it enters the current seat/grip when calling.

Mine doesn't make strange noises like that. Since it is making the noise when turning, it most likely is external, so lube in the right place might help. Look it over closely to see if there is a place that you may have missed that could be making the noise. Contacting the manufacturer is always a good idea. They should know their products better than anyone else. Yes, I know, sometimes they don't.

It's not about what brand battery, it's about the battery's condition based on its use, charging , and maintenance. If it's an old battery that has been performing well for years and now it isn't, and you've maintained it the same way for years, and your fishing duty cycle has not changed, it's time for a new battery. But charge it and take it to a dealer and have them do a load test on it. If your use has changed, then it may be that the lakes you are now fishing don't give it time to charge on the motor's alternator. Do you charge it between trips? If not , you should. Put it on a charger between trips. You don't need a deep cycle, you need a starting battery. But the brand is less important than its duty cycle, age, charging history, etc.

Have you ever noticed that line marketing claims sound a lot like a wine label writer was involved? I used to use Yo hybrid in 12 # test and found it a very nice casting (baitcasting) line with no use of KVD or other treatments, but found it too "stretchy." Interesting spectrum of opinions.

The hospital urination "jars" work very well, hold plenty, not easy to spill. I rinse it overboard, but keep in in the livewell.

I think Ontario is that way too. Really puts the religion in compliance.

If you are not getting good distance with 4 # braid, something is seriously wrong. Any reel, with a 7 foot rod and 4 # braid, should cast very well. I just don't know what to propose to fix cast distance.

Might be beginners luck to try the spinner, but they are known to be good SM lures. I think there are a number of old lures that would work (again) if we would try them. I'll bet the Jitterbug will catch fish just as well as the now popular WP. There is another old lure, Arbogast I think, that I cannot even find a reference to that used to be a killer on SM when I was a kid, looked like a Johnson Silver Spoon, painted, with a skirt. It and many others (River Runt) would work today.

Elderly = older than I.