MickD

Won't damage the guide, just an inconvenience. Keep in mind that all micros are not equal. Different ring materials, different diameters, different frame materials, different foot designs/lengths, different ring to blank angles and shapes. Some are very tough, and others are not. Being lower to the rod they don't get "hit" as often. Like regular guides. Braid doesn't eat micros any more than it eats any other type of guide. Grooving depends mostly on the hardness of the ring. Since the reasons for micros are casting distance and sensitivity and they have the disadvantages of clogging and are more easily damaged (at least some are, and the ones with tiny feet tend to slip out of the wrap if a locking loop is not used, and I don't think factory rods use locking loops) they don't make sense on a slop rod. The casting distance advantage is minor at best. Go with the regular guides. For this application you have a much higher probability of seeing the disadvantages of micros rather than the advantages.

The yellowing usually takes a lot longer to develop than what you mention, based on my experience. I'll bet the white rod you mention was a cheap rod? Maybe the manufacturer used inferior epoxy. Some of the products available to custom builders are pretty good for quite a while. But I wouldn't leave any rods, especially white, exposed to sun any more than that required to fish them.

While looks are important to me, more important is that the rod be what I want it to be. I'm not big for the flash, either, preferring a more traditional, classy, look. For beauty, it's hard to beat the Quickline blank series from Pac Bay, a smooth, glossy black finish. It will go with any wrap colors. Black wraps with fine gold or silver metallic trim is really classy. After that the charcoals (natural graphite) are very nice, again very versatile for wrap colors. In gloss with no paint the beautiful color of the graphite weave is seen and is very attractive to me. I do prefer glossy blanks, but glossy does mean that an extra coat of finish is required to get that gloss, and while the weight of it is minimal, if you want the most sensitive rod, then matte finish with the lightest guides that will do the job is the way to go. White is very popular now, but has the disadvantage of showing any discoloration of epoxy due to sun exposure. Like at the end of wraps or decal areas where the blank shows through the design. Or over signatures. To see some very capable blanks in all kinds of colors check out Rodgeeks.com.

There seems to be a lot of interest from new builders asking for help on another forum, so in a couple days I'll close this down and offer it there. Seems everyone is in pretty good shape here.

I did not state that. Helpful? Not in my opinion. I stand by my post.

Replica fish are the way to go now, I believe. Take pics and measurements and a nice replica can be made. I could be wrong, but I think most "real mounts" are painted anyway. So a replica will be as good and you can keep the warm feeling that comes from releasing that special fish.

The sarcastic and un-helpful statement about selling more rods falls apart when one looks into the history of micro guides and finds out they started in the rod guide industry, not the finished rod industry. They have only gotten onto non-custom rods in the last few years. If the statement were "in order to sell more guides (we are in business to make a profit, just as everyone is) we are offering these new guides called micros which have some definite advantages over our old stuff," then it would be accurate. The advantage of micros, and be careful about defining a micro because there is no "official" criteria for micros, is twofold: 1. They are lighter and therefore make the rod more sensitive. This is in-arguable. It is basic science-lighter means more sensitive, all else being equal. 2. They cast longer distances. I think it is true, but I have a lot of rods built without micros that cast like crazy. They were initially, as I remember it, sold based on casting distance. The introduction of so many great braid lines make them practical for most fishing techniques. They simply don't work well with the higher test monos and FC's. They work fine with monos and FC's up to about 8 pound test. I'm sure I'll get a disagreement with that statement, but it's true, or very close. They make the most sense where sensitivity is a prime objective, like finesse. They have disadvantages in the area of icing and knot passage. I have settled on 4.5mm "micros" on spin, 5 on cast. I see no significant advantage in going smaller.

I have a Batson Hand Wrapper that needs a "thread carrier" piece (the piece that goes into the groove and allows the thread to go from the spool to the blank) cobbled new that I will offer to a new builder (please, don't respond unless you are a newbie) for just the shipping cost. First one to respond to my email will get it. Better than a box.

Thanks for the endorsement. Mudhole won't meet his timing req't, but the MN builder might.

I find that the FC (and mono) designed for leader to be tougher, less fragile, than those designed to be line. Leader is stiffer, which one would think might make it more sensitive to bending problems, but I think in the formulation the stiffer/harder stuff is less fragile. Nope, no data, just my impression.

It's not just the brand, match the model number exactly and make sure the gap is right. Exactly.

That's a piece of cake. Consider the search I mentioned above. If you plan on doing it yourself, tape (masking tape) the area of the cut to prevent splintering and use something like a Dremel. You want high speed of the tool coupled with very slow progression through the blank. A Dremel with an abrasive disc will work. Other types of saws can be made to work, but take more skill and experience. Dremel is pretty reliable for not splintering the blank. The probability of someone having that particular piece is stock is very low, but there are similar pieces available.

I miss why you want to replace it, but you probably can get it off with persistent gentle heat and twisting. To do this most effectively you probably need to cut the part, not the blank, to get closer to the blank when you apply the heat. If you screw it up, you will sacrifice the lower approx two inches of rod length. Which would be undesirable to me, but not a show stopper. To explain further, most knobs are held on with structural epoxy, which cures from a chemical reaction, so heating it weakens it, but does not melt it. And the temperature that damages the epoxy is about the same as that which damages the blank, which is why heating in cases like this is not very effective. But it sometimes can be done. Another way to handle this would be to find a rodbuilder with a lathe and turn most of the knob off, then ream the new knob to that new OD of the blank, and glue it on. A custom builder may have the part in stock. Search for Lake Lady Rods in Breezy Point, MN. Most but knobs come with a smaller diameter than most rod blanks and you ream them to fit your blank. Not much chance of getting it by next Fri from any source I know.

If the heat (thermal) conductivity is higher for one material than another, ANY heat will leave the area quicker. What has higher thermal conductivity, copper or steel? Copper. If you heat two samples the heat will be conducted away from the source faster with higher conductivity material, copper ,faster. If FC actually has a lower thermal conductivity than mono then heat will be conducted away from the source slower than with mono. I'm not talking about what material when deformed or stretched or tied will generate more or less heat, but when the thermal conductivity of a material is higher than another, heat will be conducted away from the source faster in that material. What all of this means to knot strength is, in my opinion, insignificant. What is significant is that FC, as you say, is fragile when bent. Anyone who has tried to get a backlash out of a baitcaster knows this. I am not a fan of FC for anything other than leader material. And I even doubt that it's coefficient of refraction advantage is significant. Having said all of this, one fact is indisputable: millions of fish have been caught with both FC and mono using many different knots.

Yes, take a vacation to the Bahamas, to a bonefish camp. Best idea yet. Leaving in January.

I can't think of anything "around the house" that would take priority over all the wonderful suggestions above.

Tie some maribou and hair jigs.

If true, the heat generated by tying the knot would be held more by FC (and therefore have more opportunity damage the leader ) than mono, which would conduct more heat away from the knot. i'm not sure the conclusion is true, or if true, significant. Just another opinion.

It's tough to do a good looking repair on this because it's very difficult to replace the cork with new without removing the guides, which I don't think you want to do. It can be done by making the part out of new cork, reaming the ID to the correct diameter, splitting the part cleanly with a sharp blade, installing it tightly wrapped (glue the bore and the surfaces that will be joined) until the structural epoxy cures, then sanding it to remove any misalignment showing along the glue line. Start with about 100 grit and progressively go finer. Clean it up as well as possible before taping - cleanup of hardened epoxy off a soft material like cork is not easy. Something that might work also would be to use structural epoxy inside the splits and at the bore if necessary to stabilize the piece, then cork filler in the voids, then finish sanding as required. When you do it, do both parts of the cork so they will look about the same. I'd say it's worth a try before going with the tougher job above.

It's not so much the action that's important; it's the power. Too much power will tend to ****** the lure out of the mouth of the fish. It's hard to not react too fast to the strike. But whether it's mod action or fast or whatever, it's the power, which applies the force to the line, that is most important. Stretchy line will help because it prevents the direct application of the power of the rod.

The jig looks very good. Other really effective colors are olive and brown. Smallies respond well to barring, so continue to use a barred slim, soft, hackle feather.

Tom, are your lips moving? ?

Well, I'm still a little skeptical based on the fact that friction, whether from brakes or bearings, is still friction. From the comments I get the impression that the differences are generally pretty small. But perceptions are powerful, and if we think there is an advantage in something, we really believe it. And options will not be as pleasing. Next time I have a reel serviced, I'll upgrade and see what I think. Part of my reluctance to do it is that a "butcher" reel "super-tuner" one time wrecked my first really nice reel, a Calcutta 100. Cost me over a hundred bucks to get a reputable reel man to build it into a 150, and it really works well again. It had sentimental value, so was hard to give up on it. Thanks for all your comments.

I've often wondered why I would want "slicker" bearings in a reel I was using that required at least some "control" from the anti-backlash controls. It would seem to me that they would only makes sense if I could cast with all controls off. ??

I was just about to ask about using a single hook, and there it was. Thanks! For those having trouble with tangling due to straight braid, why not add a couple feet of hard mono leader? It helps. My problems have been mostly snagging on the bottom, and I think the single hook will help that a lot. Mason hard mono leader material from fly tying sellers.