MickD

I have two Rainshadow RX8 blanks built into one spinning and one casting rod explicitly for casting for king salmon as they enter Pere Marquette Lake in MI, and have used the heck out of them. If using spoons I use the casting rod, and it casts a Little Cleo a mile, wonderful rod and not fatiguing. If using Deep Thunderstick Jr's, I use the spinning rod, and it does very well, also not fatiguing. I think that the weight of the rods may be an issue. With the RX8 blanks, these rods are not that heavy, so not fatiguing. I expect if these rods were glass, they would be fatiguing to use for long periods.

Regardless of whether the water is absorbed or adhering to tiny spaces in the weave, it is still weight, which is added to the weight of the the line itself, and making filled spool heavier. Making braid less advantageous because it is "lighter than mono." I am interested in your data that states that the density of braid and mono are different, or I should say, significantly different. Could be rounding, but if it is rounding, the difference is very slight. But I'm open to being corrected.

i have a number of the regular Stradics, different models, size 4000. I like them, but I also have a Partiarch and like it also. As above, both are very smooth, both have been reliable. If I were to buy again, price within $30, and the Patriarch an oz lighter, I'd buy it.

The last time I checked, braid was the same density as mono. If it's a smaller diameter, and packs more closely than larger mono, you might have more weight on the spool than with mono. It also can absorb water (weight) more than mono. So I'm not so sure that it will be lighter than mono. I sure can see the logic of using it when you want a lot of line on the spool.

Using super glue for tiptops makes them very difficult to remove, with real risk of damaging the blank. Hot melt "ferrule cement" is a much better choice, in my opinion. I use U40 Rod Bond quick bond paste epoxy for cork rings and reel seats, etc, and have had no problems. Seems to work perfectly for all structural uses. I have an acquaintance who uses an adhesive designed for wood for his cork rings, swears by it, but I don't know exactly what it is. I can find out if you want. Gorilla glue is too messy, expands all over everything. I see no reason to change from Rod Bond. It does come in a slow cure version.

I considered those cleats, thought they were unreasonably priced, and I was reluctant to mess up my boat with new holes in the gunnel. I had zig zag cleats on my last boat, and they do work fairly well, but not as reliable, IMHO, as a regular cleat design. They also are more sensitive to rope diameter.

Ah, good to know. I haven't tested these things for scrotum deflection. I'll leave that for someone else. The problems with open cleats are bigger than I ever dreamed.

You mention the power but not the action. Unless that rod is an extra fast action, I would go medium power. Yes, St. Croix power ratings yield rods with slightly more power than most other brands, but for your all around rod, while ML extra fast will work OK, I think M fast will work better as an all around rod.

The reels are too big if you think they are too big. You can use smaller reels with braid, especially braid below about 20 # test. I've never heard of that test for rod/reel match before. I don't think I have ever seen a combination where the line goes through the first guide without touching the guide either on the cast or the retrieve. I have three Stradic 4000's and use them on a variety of rods, all with braid. Yes, since I have been moving to lighter braids I've been buying smaller reels when I need one. They work well with the lighter braids.

Never tried it. How far into the sleeve do you want to pass the guide? That depth will have to be stretched. I found some Chinese sleeves on Ebay that come in two sizes; the larger working OK with my spin outfits. For the taller Fuji KLH first guides I have to untuck the bell shape to get it easily over the guide.

My dad had an Airex spinning reel (from France?) in the early 50's, I think. The only line I ever saw on it was a very thin green braid. The favorites I remember were the Hula Dancer in red/white, a River Runt in black/white, black Jitterbugs, and hammered brass spoons for river smallmouths. About 1955. I had a crazy lure called the Crazy Crawler, a surface lure with pivoting "wings" to catch the water, but never did very well on it. Just noticed the post of Scott F, he had one too and did better than I on it. Neat!

That Frabill looks very good. If you decide to go with a rubber net, be aware that most of them are so shallow that the fish are not reliably kept in the net. Look for net depth before buying. Thumb and finger work pretty well, but be sure you know how to get an embed hook out; sooner or later. . . :-)

Mine are similarly located. The statement directly above is valid for me and my boat (. . .easy to place a rod. . .) I may be very careful of where I place my rods, but cannot completely control others. But those who don't recognize or have an issue, forget it. If it's not an issue, never mind.

I have torn a shirt on mine, no broken rods. But I often loan my custom built rods to friends, and friends and kids have no way of knowing that those cleats can break a rod so easily, so I wanted a reliable solution. I knew sooner or later there was going to be a broken rod unless I did something about it.

I did my best. Just got the boat this year. :-) Your comment makes me feel good in that there is the possibility that this post can save others' rods. Looks like I was right in concluding that open cleats are in fact a rod trap.

Try Tom's suggestion. I believe that the crayfish in the chimneys on shore are terrestrial crayfish, and bass have probably never seen them. Neither have I, but I've tried. The lake crayfish are often easily seen at boat launches at night. Ask local fishermen what colors they find most effective on that lake, and use a crayfish trailer in that color.

If your boat has open cleats, then there is a significant probability, especially if fishing with kids and others not tuned in to the potential, that you will have a rod broken by its getting under the open cleat end and simply picked up. Note the pictures. I have such a boat, and could not find retractable cleats that would work on my boat, so I searched for another solution. If you have some of the flexible polyurethane foam, about 1 inch thick, that comes as packing with electronics (I never throw it away-has so many uses), you have a solution. It is light, clean, doesn't flake or quickly degrade, and snaps on and off in a wink. Cut a piece of the foam out that can enclose the cleat and be about two inches longer than the cleat. Then cut out the center to allow it to be placed over the cleat. Leave them off until on the water, storing them in a handy place, then before fishing, cover the cleats. Piece of cake. Note the photos, (note the image, not the title, I screwed up on titles) and if you have questions, please ask. This simple, free, solution can save you a broken rod.l

You've got to get the right impeller kit, and you have to orient the pump impeller blades in the right direction when putting the impeller into the pump housing. It can be done at home, but this is a little further than I want to go on a big engine. If your impeller has not been changed since 2003, it is WAY overdue. Either do it or have it done. There are a couple common ways the water system can be clogged. One is that mud can be pumped into the system by shallow running. The other is that mud dobber wasps can plant their larvae in the "pee hole," clogging it up. But as I said, if it has not been changed since 2003, just get it done or do it yourself.

If you trim either the butt or the tip of a rod it will change both the power and action as described by CCS. Maybe not as felt by the hand. If you have an existing rod and do not move the seat, trimming the tip will affect the power and action, trimming the butt will affect neither. Trimming the tip is like breaking a rod near the tip and putting on a new tiptop. I've done that, and never have liked the rod after that. I have not yet found a good enough reason to trim either end; there are so many blanks available that I have found what I wanted. The closest I've come is considering trimming the butt of a long "hot shot" rod. With this new Point Blank, that will most likely not happen either. Good discussion. By the way, this Point Blank to be built will be done with Winn grips and the Fuji Perfect Fit hardware, my first for the latter.

You gotta get your CCS rig done. Then you can test the blank as is, then move the butt back so that you're only testing the front 7 ' 3" , or whatever length less than the original blank without cutting it. Then you can decide on whether to cut, and if you do, how much, based on objective numbers. It's fun, and very informative.

It can be done, but is pretty labor intensive. You can use braid line to saw off the EVA by making a number of cuts, then clean up the blank. Now use wraps of masking tape (about one every two iches, use judgment to provide a solid base) to provide a few support points for the new cork, varying the wrap to form a "cylinder" of wraps onto which you slide the reamed cork grip. When gluing, make sure you totally encapsulate all the masking tape to protect it from water degradation. Slide on the new cork grip.

I adjust it by feel with different settings for different techniques. This is not rocket science. How do you know you are ripping mouths?

Man, if Mercs require rebuild after only 800 hours, I'm really going to miss my Suzuki. Seems strange since Merc doesn't even recommend plug changes until 300. So less than 3 plug changes the engine might need rebuild?

I would never use only one brand. I would always be wondering what the other brands were like.

I have never heard of a procedure for draining water from an outboard other than putting the engine into a vertical position. Using that procedure on a Suzuki 50 for 18 years never resulting in any problem whatsoever. I'm sure someone will "correct me," but my point is that if there is no water in the engine, there is no problem with cold temperatures. And I'm sure all manufacturers design to the same criterion, i.e. no water when vertical.