MickD

How much force does it take to rip hooks out of bass's mouths? And straighten most hooks?

I think it's a cheapo, as you suggested. That bill is really thick. If anything might help it would be smaller hooks rather than bigger, I would think. Use a small snap (not snap swivel), and try gently bending the eye to the right and/or left just a little. Doesn't take much. If you can get a decent wobble, with the lure staying upright, hunting is not necessarily bad.

Reels, including spin, are now so complicated I only take them down about one layer and if more is required, send them to an expert. However, I take good care of my reels, keep them clean, and lube them regularly. It is a rare thing for me to send one in. I think that good quality lube is one of the things that keeps me out of trouble. With casting reels the level wind worm drive and pawl get lubed a number of times a season. I use reel butter oil, but see Lucas has one out now, which I will try. They know lubrication. And reel butter grease (rarely need to use more). There are lots of good ones on the market. IMHO, the hot sauces are not good lubes. Stain everything, the grease dries fast. Nope.

I have a Pfluger Patriarch that is very smooth, and many have commented that all of them are very smooth, but the thing I don't like about the Patriarch is that the distance from the stem to the spool lip is different than my other reels. Significantly, so it's not as comfortable. Other reels are Daiwas and Shimanos.

Do not use epoxy or super glue. They will be very difficult to remove if necessary. Use hot melt, preferably that designed for rod building. Slice off little chips and place them into the tube of the new tiptop. Then heat the tube with a lighter and slide it into position. Rotate it 360 to distribute the hot melt well, then stop at the correct position. It will be adjustable for 20-30 seconds. If you misposition it, a couple seconds more of the lighter on the tube will allow it to rotate again. VERY LITTLE HEAT IS REQUIRED!

If "busted" means "broken," that was not what the OP reported. The ring from the tiptop came out.

Yes, that is why I was reluctant to even mention heat. The heat needed is so little that one can hold the tiptop in their bare fingers immediately after it slips off. But when I started building and repairing rods, I didn't understand the technique and amount of heat needed and I fried one.

If you can make a rod in a showroom "wiggle" by shaking it, it's a pretty crumby rod. Avid blanks are a good value, attractive in price, very high performing, so I expect the Avid rods are too. I'm glad I got into rod building where I have thousands of blanks to choose from and can configure them any way I want. And don't have to worry about grip/reel seat failures that plague many OEM products. I can also get cork that has not been filled, so I can see its real quality. To exaggerate a little, not that much, It appears that if the filling of cork goes any further on OEM rods, the grip will be more filler than cork.

catfish and carp are nothing like a bone with regards to back-reeling. Wiper would be closer, but still, with the explosive speed of many saltwater fish, one just hangs on for the first few runs. I don't think anyone could keep up and in control by back reeling. Think of snagging a passing pickup truck. I too like back reeling when it's practical and I'm capable of doing it. My point was not to deny its utility with most fish, just a comment on its limits.

Let me know how that goes after trying it on bonefish.

I don't think there is a way of determining with confidence if this is a faulty tiptop or if the tiptop had been whacked against something. But it needs a fix. Have you asked St. Croix to send you a replacement tiptop for you to replace yourself? Piece of cake to replace. It hardly seems worth shipping a rod to get this fixed.

I reread your original comment and finally got your intent.

I don't get the point here. It seems like what other sports do has no relevance to this issue. My post was all about protecting the fish and fishery and how our DNR is putting more emphasis on tourist $$ than protecting/managing, which is their primary function. Tournament practice is part of the issue. Please elaborate. If the fishery is not protected/managed properly there will be no tournaments. Tournaments are held only where there are adequate numbers of fish. Any idea how many tournament anglers there are in MI, including visitors? Any idea how many non-tournament anglers, including non-resident?

X 2. I think the natural resources departments need to get into the game and limit the number of tournaments so that the fish and non-tournament fishermen are not subjected to week after week of practice and then the tournaments. I believe in MI the DNR is pandering to the tourney trade and damaging the fisheries. We even have some fools who are advocating tournaments during spawn, removing the fish from the beds for travel to a weigh in. This is guaranteed to adversely affect the fishery. But the DNR is considering it.

While it's not that unusual to catch a black drum while fly fishing for redfish, it is unusual to catch one that weighed 52 pounds on the guide's scale. The LA state fly record is 54.55. Biggest fish of any species that i've ever caught.

Do you mean taking a wire off a battery post? Certainly is OK, but inconvenient compared with a switch. But wherever you do the manual disconnect you could have a switch, couldn't you? No extra wiring? If you prefer it manual, do it manual. You know the requirements, and a switch isn't required.

I'm no expert on this, but I think the principals are that all grounds should be common (all are connected without switches or fuses-experts, correct me if I'm wrong) and the power to all the "accessories" should have a fuse to protect the accessory.

If you are like I am, you will understand it when you sketch the wiring diagram yourself. Then post your sketch on here and get advice based on that. Much better than trying to critique a word description. You can sketch it and take a phone pic, get the pic to your computer, then upload to this site.

With what we know about what you want to do any answer would be a WAG.

Don't worry about the ratio, just fish it. Look at your lures in the water for a while to see if they are going the speed you want, then either slow down or speed up if necessary.

Most good glasses tell the % visible light blocking, and the greens and greys are usually about 90%. The ambers are usually a little less, around 85% if I remember right, so they will transmit more visible light. I think they are still OK for sunny days, but you might not. If I were going to pay a healthy price for them I would try them before buying. All the good glasses will filter 100% UV and state it clearly. If you're going to buy cheap, be sure the glasses specify this. Not sure I would trust the cheaper ones to be honest, though.

I have not tried it, but I think you could bend the weed guard forward and hold it there using a thin walled cylinder slid over the head and guard. Try coin roll papers, like nickel or quarter size.

Wow, never stumped the whole forum before. Netcraft says no difference except the clear does turn yellowish in time.

Regardless of the details of the problem, stronger hooks and split rings is a step in the right direction to solving it. I think most anglers who haven't had fish like king salmon or peacock bass strike a lure on a short line just don't realize what a shock it can be.