MickD

Not surprised, Revelations are great blanks that perform as if they were more expensive than they are. I don't have that one but have built others, never disappointed.

Oh yes, I get it. Should have been designed with a sleeve in it.

I cannot see the area where the cork meets the blank, but I presume you sealed that area well. Considering what you started with, I think it came out very well. Should give long service.

I see no need for a leader so long that it enters the reel. Seems like asking for trouble with interference to casting or retrieving and/or beating up the knot and weakening it. My SV 103 has the T-wing and casts better than any other reel I've used. Not sure how much the T-wing contributes, but it's a great reel.

There is a floor on the locker that I don't want to lose. To access the area under it where a charger would go, beside the batteries, requires that the floor, which is a metal plate that just sets there, no fasteners, be removed. It does not come out easily. Since I don't want to lose the floor of the locker, where I keep charts and a few other things under the rods, putting a charger under there is not my preferred option. I was just trying to inform the original poster of the trade-offs to be aware of. I'm perfectly happy with my two bank in the compartment to the right of the locker and the single bank back in the battery compartment.

My Lund came with a dual bank charger mounted in the compartment to the right of the rod locker. I think it was put in by the dealer, not Lund. I'm glad it's there and not out of sight under the rod locker. I can observe the status lights, and if anything goes wrong, it will be a lot easier to replace. At least that's the way I see it. Maybe some Lunds are different than mine (Rebel 1650 ss) , but the area under the rod locker is a real pain in the butt to access.

I don't think there is anything available that is going to satisfy your requirements.

I respectfully submit he is your father, not the "old man."

Try Google Earth on the small lakes. Sometimes you can find stuff on the Google Earth images. Especially smaller lakes like you are fishing. Lots of good ideas above, I would add troll two rods with different lures. I would make one of them a DT 10 Rapala.

I've been thinking (I know, dangerous), and I'm wondering if there is a mis-interpretation of what Lund recommended. If your charger is under the rod locker, how do you get the cable out without opening the rod locker and picking up the plate at the bottom? Every time you use it. If you run the 110 cable out somehow, and don't have to open the compartment to use it, you cannot see the indicator lights. That is unreasonable. Maybe they meant the compartment to the right of the rod locker? Easy access to the cord, more trouble running cables to the battery, but an order of magnitude handier than under the rod locker. That is where my two bank charger was installed by the dealer; they ran the cables along with all the electronics cables. I think it better to be able to open a compartment to assure no temp problems while charging, too. Do some serious thinking before following what you think is Lund's advice.

That is a very difficult place to access on that boat. And as mentioned, running cables will be difficult , with long cables. I find it amazing that they would recommend it. If it will fit put it into the battery compartment-weight will not be a problem. You can make a piece of 1/4 or 3/8 plywood that will be a "force or very snug fit" into the compartment and mount the charger to that. No need to drill into your Lund. If it's too big to fit into the battery compartment then put it into the rear compartment on the right side, then your holes and cables will be easy to do and out of sight.

One decision to make is what kind of thread tensioner. The ones that load the spools axially, spring on the end of the spool, sometimes don't give consistent tension because the spool label seems to interfere with them. The old Flexcoat tensioner that mounts vertically into a hole in the base and tensions the thread by pinching it after it comes off the spool has been my most successful tensioner. Some argue it can damage thread, especially metallics, but I have never found that to happen. It has been around for many years and still is available for about $9. By the way, Flexcoat has a nice hand wrapper for $79 bucks if you want a shortcut to a nice wrapper. I've never used a power wrapper for guides. They would be handy for doing a very long wrap, like one to hold down abalone while the glue "ages," but I don't think they would add value for shorter wraps like guide wraps.

Fuji DPSSD, the deluxe version of the DPS, size 17 (better than 16 for a long day's fishing) mounted up locking with a ramp of cork or rigid polyurethane off the front. Feels great in the hand, nice and smooth off the front, no hands on the threads.

There is another knock-off of the WP. It's called a jitterbug. Or is it the Crazy Crawler?

Only if you think it is. I am beginning to think nothing is going to work.

Good suggestions so far, but I would be sure to take some super flukes with 3/0 gama hooks. Don't take a lot of space, and they kill smallies on rivers. You have to hide them when tying on. :-) White/pearl with chartreuse tail and something green, I like the green back, pearl belly. The weight of the tube jig will depend on the depth and current speed-take along 1/4, 3/16, 1/8. Smaller rather than longer tubes. Green green green.

Hold the rod high when reeling. this will become clear to you within a few casts. Around Mid MI I've had very little luck with the WP. Loon/Bone 110

This site may help, but a call to the PA Fish and Boat Commission might help more. http://pfbc.pa.gov/fishpub/summaryad/children.html

Titebond III is waterproof and is used by many rod builders to glue cork rings together for grips. Epoxy is waterproof as well, but clean up will be easier with Titebond III or similar waterproof glue. I think the job calls for something that will contribute to structure since it appears that the existing cork is not in good shape. You'd like it to not just fill, but to provide more structure. Wood filler would be the easiest, but not the best, IMO. Please let us know how you handled it and how it turned out.

It's worth a try, very well could work, and could save you from a bigger repair. To replace the piece without taking the rod apart it is possible to take a piece of cork, turn its OD to the right dimensions, bore to fit the blank, then split it, glue it to the blank using tape to hold it tightly in place while the glue dries, then sand the surface to make it smooth. The split will not be that apparent. I would use waterproof wood glue or epoxy for adhesive. Also, if you don't like the looks after you repair this, use Winn grip tape to get a new, tacky, and attractive surface.

If the leader length is such that it comes close to the reel but doesn't enter the reel the knot should flow well if the guides are not too small. That should be plenty long, usually about 7 feet.

Replacing reel seats is not a trivial task, so it won't be cheap. Have you tried tightly wrapping the threads with electrical tape, then running the nut over the tape? Or simply using many very tight wraps of electrical tape right onto the reel foot, with the nut backed off?

Above comments cover your WP specific question, but after that. . .It's pretty easy to feel if one is overloading a rod by casting too heavy a lure. Cast gently at first and get a feel for the rod/lure combination. When you feel the rod may be overloaded, just cast more gently.

If one knows in advance he is going to fish this method he can easily prep the worms in the garage, out of the wind, under better control. I think that's what I will do with the elaztech.

Got it, thanks. Yes, without some trick sticking a nail weight into a elaztech bait would be impossible.