MickD

Do the lure weight recommendations for these blanks match the lures you intend to cast? Mod action is right, length is right, but the rod has to load properly for casting the cranks, and that depends on the lure weight recommendations.

Of course if you can get a warranty fix, do it. It sounded to me like it was an old rod that might cost a lot of money under warranty. If that were to be true, then the method I proposed is cheap, low risk, and high probability of fixing the rod to a condition better than new. The original construction failed, right? This fix won't .

Loose handles and reel seats. The most common problem with rods other than custom. Skimping on epoxy. I have no knowledge or expertise on St Croix warranty and what makes sense with it, but I do know what can fix the rod. Drill a couple holes in the area where the grip/handle/seat is loose, 1/16 inch or so. Drill them only until you contact the blank, no farther. Then inject a structural epoxy into the holes, pushing it well into the rod so you know you are getting a lot of it into the area between the components and the blank. Don't skimp on it, get plenty in there. Then when it has cured, fill the holes with an epoxy/cork dust mix. Finally sand it off flush with the cork grip.

After your last post: Notice in my numbers that the MH Rainshadow was the most powerful rod of the ones I mentioned. My son uses it for 1/2 oz jigs with pretty hefty trailers, and likes the solid hook sets. You may be better off with blanks called MH, even RodGeek blanks, since the Rainshadow of my selection has the highest power. I don't think that Rainshadow is too powerful for what you describe. I think your risk of being underpowered with M is greater than your risk of being overpowered with MH.

No FC. Life's too short. By the time you find one you like you'll be too old to fish it. Big Game has a very large following on this forum, so I expect it is very good. If you're used to 50 pound braid, mono may disappoint because of its stretch, but it does cast very well.

Calcutta 100? if so, a very fine reel.

RodGeeks MODEL #C470MF LENGTH7' POWERM ACTIONF MONO. LINE WGT.6 - 14 lb. LURE WGT. OZ.1/4 - 5/8 TIP SIZE*6 BUTT DIAMETER*0.457" Weight*1.9 oz. I have built two of these, and they are very fine blanks. Being "St Croix," they are a little more powerful than the typical med power. This blank is very similar to the St Croix SCV 7 foot medium power blank. Which I've built many of, and is one of my favorites. There used to be a great Rainshadow MH 7 foot XF action blank that I built, too, and it was just a little more powerful than the RG, but don't find it now. The CCS for these is as follows: SCV 181 pennies-77 degrees (452 grams) Carbon4 200-75 Rainshadow 231-74 For what you describe, I think the Carbon 4 is the best of these 3. Certainly better than the RS which I couldn't find any more.

6 pound test is too light, and FC is too fragile. Also check your tiptop with a Q-tip to see if it's cracked. The fuzz on the Q-tip will catch on the tiptop ring if it's cracked. Try 10-15 pound test braid and you'll be amazed at the casting distance and better hook sets, especially at long range.

I think you have one of my photos. I took a friend fishing one time on Saginaw Bay. We were after smallies, and went to Big Charity Island. My friend was not a very sophisticated fisherman, with his Zebco 33. We fished a nice drop into about 10 feet, me using tubes, and catching about nothing. So my buddy puts a couple split shots above his metal leader, and puts a yellow 1/4 oz Jitterbug on the snap of the leader, and throws it out. And immediately caught a nice 18 inch smallie.

Keep the rod. Don't take a chance with the relationship. Not worth it. Use it for neds and for light square lips cranks. Not too long for neds imho, and perfect for small cranks that are too light for BC. One cannot have too many rods.

If it's a new motor it will have AAA batteries, not the coin type. At least my 2 year old one does. They last a long time, but of course you want spares on board.

With today's ferrule designs, at least on quality rods like St Croix, the action and power differences between one and two piece rods are undetectable. The weight will be very slightly higher on two piece, but that too is IMHO undetectable.

I don't think the XH power is right, and with a rod that is both XH and quite long, it's probably going to be very tiring. And even pitching does load the rod some, so this rod may be like a long broomstick. Costs nothing to try it though. I could be mistaken.

Make sure your rod tips cannot contact anything, especially a vertical wall/bulkhead. It doesn't take much motion to break the tip by jamming against something.

I was asking about a previous post in which it was mentioned that the hands are not on the grips much. I think casting is the best application for Winn grips or tape. Keeps the rod stable in the hand. Tacky under all weather conditions. I would think they would be ideal for heavy duty rods like muskie rods. I have Winn's on my pitching rod and really like them.

Power is about the whole rod. You don't fish just the tip, and you don't fish just the "body." In CCS the POWER number is the weight it takes to deflect the rod to 1/3 its total length. If two rods of the same length have the same power, but one is "X fast" and one is "fast" ACTION, the X fast will have the softer tip. CCS measures the power and the action and yields objective values (numbers) to describe the rods/blanks. One might argue about certain details of it, but it beats describing rods as "heavy-moderate" all to heck. Too bad you don't have the numbers for the rods you are considering. It is not just about fly rods, but can be used for any rod. http://www.common-cents.info/

Yes, St Croix generally run a little more powerful than most others. It's very difficult to evaluate power in a store. Modern hi modulus rods with small, light , guides just don't respond to anything other than gently deflecting them on a carpet. Even that is not very good. Best is to know the ccs numbers for all. You'll more easily get social security numbers. Let me get this straight. You have an ML St Croix that you love, but you seem to be wanting something a little heavier, but you won't simply buy a M power St Croix, which would be the next logical step up in power. I'm not sure anyone can help you. Seems to me if you buy a "light power M" you'll end up back at your ML St Croix. Buy a M St Croix. It will be a great rod for something. One cannot have too many rods.

Yes, he's an idiot. I can't believe he doesn't lose more fish the way he handles the rod. Agree on the mute button.

Don't even consider anything other than LED's. The only thing you need to know about wiring them that is different is that polarity must be maintained correctly. Wire them backwards and they don't work.

I used to take a young man fishing with me and since I didn't trust him to handle the rod right, I always gave him my old ugly stick. One time he got tangled and I gave him one of my rods while I got the ugly stick untangled. He too said it was a lot more fun fishing my rod, and when I fished the ugly stick I couldn't believe how clumsy it felt. I retired the ugly stick. This was one of the old original ugly sticks; I expect the new ones are better. But the point of using reasonably good rods was made on me very well that day. It doesn't take a lot of money to have decent rods, but you have to know how to choose them. First step is to go light. Light usually means sensitive. The old ugly stick, 7 feet, weighed about 5 oz. My other rod weighed about 4. The rods I'm building today are usually 3.6.

What color is the wrap? You can get wrap thread and epoxy at Mudhole.com. If the color is a bright color you will need color preservative, too, to keep the bright color of the thread from going translucent and darker when the epoxy is applied. They have great customer service so an email with a pic of the guide, with a ruler shown in the pic to give them a size (or measure the OD of the ring in mm is better) and design for a good match will help them. If wrap is black, then you won't need color preservative. I would not substitute plain sewing thread. Get wrap thread, most likely size A for most fresh water or inshore rods. Search for youtubes for wrapping instructions. Or view them at Mudhole.com. A cardboard box with "V's cut for rod support and a book to tension the thread will work in a pinch. Wrap epoxy is different from the structural stuff you get at the hardware. It is designed to level well and be clear for guide wraps. It is two part and has to be close to 50-50 proportions. Check Mudhole.com again for video instructions. Not rocket science, but it can be screwed up.

Sorry, missed the "eyelet." (guide) To replace a damaged guide it has to be re-wrapped and coated with wrap epoxy. If it's damaged, it has to be replaced. If it's just loose, it can be just re-wrapped. If you don't feel confident to do it yourself find a repair person to do it. Won't cost a fortune.

there are risks in everything. Doing something has a risk. Not doing something has a risk. I see the risk of taking apart a brand new reel as being pretty high. The manufacturer has no incentive to provide to us anything other than a reel that is ready to go, to best represent their company with no other action by us required. I have never done anything other than use a reel that I bought. And I have never thought that I made a wrong decision.

An easy way to find out if you like the way Winn's fish is to spend $10 for a Winn grip tape and put it on one of your rods that has deteriorated cork. You fix one rod and get experience with Winns. the tape will feel just like a new Winn grip. Exc for casting a baitcaster?

I don't think it is a Big O. Big O bill is uniformly thick for its length, not tapered like this one.