MickD

What is at work here is getting the rod to load properly. If you over-line a rod it will load properly on fairly short casts, which is where a lot of fishing is done, and the casting is easy. If you are able to get a lot of line out, the rod may not have enough power to handle it as well as it could the proper line. You will put a lot into the forward (and back cast) cast and the rod will bend but will not throw the line properly. When you under-line a rod it won't load properly until you get more than a normal amount of line in the air. That is pretty difficult for those of us who are not expert fly casters to handle. With a short or normal amount of line in the air, the rod doesn't load well, and you are not able to use the energy of the rod. The rod will feel too stiff and the timing of the cast must be perfect. I'm no expert either, and when I was having trouble with my 8 wt I got a recommendation to use what in effect is a 9 wt line. It worked very well in making my shorter casts easy, and it happens that my rod has the power to get some pretty long casts when I need them. I am not able to make the long casts that experts do even with the 8 wt regular lines. bottom line, get the right line, or even one wt. heavier than recommended. Many fly shops will allow you to try lines before purchasing, an advantage on in-person shopping over on-line.

You will get much longer casts with 10-15 pound braid. Many use 20, but I do think there will be a distance loss with 20 vs. 10 or 15. I use a lot of Power Pro, but also like Suffix Performance Braid when I can get it. A little stiffness is not bad, tends to prevent wind knots and tiptop tangles to some degree. Even the stiffest braid will be much more supple than mono.

Brand of oil is not an issue. Use any decent quality oil, 3 in 1, sewing machine oil, gun oil, reel butter. I do not recommend the red stuff-dries out and stains everything it touches.

It sounds to me like the line is severely twisted. When it is you can usually see the uneven reflection of light coming off the line, but the best test would be to take the lure and snap off and trail the line, all of it, off the stern for a few minutes, then lightly tension it as you reel it in. It is also worth your while to test all your guide rings, including tiptop, for cracks. Use dry Q-tips and gently twist them inside the guides from both directions. If a guide ring is cracked the crack will catch the Q-tip fuzz. If cracked it must be replaced. This is not usual performance, so there IS SOMETHING WRONG. You just have not found it yet.

I think I read in the manual of a former unit of mine, an Eagle, that it's best to store indoors where the winters get cold. Seems to make sense for something called "liquid crystal." I've always left transducers on the boat in cold winter storage, no issues.

Software update to 1.4 solved the defective view problems with my unit. I think everything is working as designed finally, and I'm now able to concentrate on learning to interpret it better and use its features more effectively and efficiently.

First, I think 50 pound test braid on a spinning reel is much too heavy. At least it is for good casting distance, and maybe for this issue too. I recommend no more than 20. The loops will not form if the line is wound onto the reel under at least a little tension. If it is being wound onto the reel while the rod is being dropped, thus creating a "no tension" condition, that will add to the problem. Especially if the line has a twist in it. Also, all braid is not the same. This looks to me like the braid is too limp, not stiff enough. You didn't mention the brand, but I really like Suffix braids, also Power Pro in second place. If using an off brand, try the name brands, especially Suffix performance braid. There is also a braid from American Tackle that is excellent, though hard to find. E-mail me if you would like more info.

I'm going to venture into Forum Heresy here, but IMHO: 1. Balance is highly overrated. I would never add weight to an outfit to achieve balance. 2. When a lure is added to an outfit, it usually overpowers the "balance." 3. With the trend to longer rods balance is increasingly difficult to achieve, regardless of your definition. 4. If balance is important then plan on paying very high prices for the lightest rod tips/guides and the lightest high modulus rods, very expensive very light reels, or very short rods, or rods with such long butts that they hang up on your clothing. I find it amusing to read about how well a rod "balances" without mention of what reel is being used.

I don't know what "remotely close" means. But I think it means you would like to get something close to the performance of the Loomis rods (Loomis does not sell blanks any more). I think you're probably talking in range of $200 for components and $200 labor. Decide on how much priority to give "bling" and how much for function, because you can spend significantly on "bling" with fancy seats, seat thread covers, winding checks, fancy butt wraps, etc. For me function is more important so I would opt for "good" but not necessarily top of the line guides, a top of the line tiptop, and decent $10-15 seat, cork grips (I think EVA and other softer stuff may compromise sensitivity too much, and cork, properly maintained, can last forever) and put the rest into the best blank I could find. This strategy would lead to about $140 for the blank. Go over all this with your builder and get his/her opinion on how to best fit your priorities. For $140 you can get some great blanks. A Rainshadow Immortal will run less than that. A Rainshadow Eternity II will run about $190 for the blank. Point Blanks blanks are about the same price, and wonderful blanks. Think long term, you can find an extra $50, right? Rod should last a lifetime if treated right. Bushido blanks by American Tackle will run less than $100, and are very fine blanks. These would be ideal if you find my labor estimates way off or you want to prioritize the bling more. Think of the Immortals, also, if that is the case. If I were dreaming of a Loomis, I would wait until I could get the $$ for the Eternity or Point Blank or other top of the line blank.

I have owned three aluminum boats, all about 17 feet. My son has a Crestliner, about 18 feet. Of the 4 boats 2 were welded hulls and 2 were riveted, the last one my current Lund. Both welded hulls wander at just above a trolling speed, demanding constant correction at the natural speed for leaving a launch in the no-wake zone. Both riveted hulls do not; they track straight. It is because the welded hulls I have experience with do not have keels. I talked to an engineer from Monark, my second boat, and he said that keels are only used if they feel they are needed, and on my boat, they didn't think it was needed. But its wander was such that I never got used to it. My new boat is a Lund 1650 and it does not wander. The storage execution on my current Lund is far superior to the other boats I had, the structural feel is excellent, its handling is excellent. It has two things I wish were better. Shift-throttle cable effort is a little high. Dealer says it will get better with use. Second, the routing of the cables with a big high loop seems out of line, intruding into the back casting "platform" area. I haven't talked to Lund but the dealer says it's correct. But this is the same dealer who told me I didn't need to know how deep the water is above trolling speed. Too bad one cannot get a Suzuki 4 stroke on a Lund. My old Suzuki was a much nicer, quieter, engine than the Merc that comes with Lund and Crestliner. Considering all I am glad I bought the Lund. Interestingly, Lund and Crestliner are built in the same factory, one on the welding line and one on the riveting line.

I have an old Maxxum which works except that the housing cable anchor (steering) is broken. I don't think that is serviceable since it's simply molded into the housing. However, if anyone needs it for other parts, it's free. Central Michigan

If the prop spins freely when spun by hand, it is not a mechanical "stuck" problem. I agree it's most likely the motor, and most likely the brushes. Which may be serviceable, not sure. I think they have brushes.

If you are breaking rods in the price range you mentioned you will break rods that are more expensive. The more expensive, lighter, more sensitive rods/blanks are more fragile than the cheaper ones, generally. The only way to get this rod custom built for under $200 is if labor is free. Since you have fished a Kistler that you like, just buy one. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf There are many good flippin/pitching blanks, some telescope if you're interested. Go to Mudhole.com or GetBitOutdoors.com or Utmostenterprises.com, or any other supplier of blanks. Call and talk to them;they are all very helpful on a personal basis in helping to meet builders' needs. They can help with guide selection, too. Good to avoid micros for this kind of a rod; no reason for them. I would use a good two footed casting guide (no need to be bigger than 6mm) for the first two or three, then single foot fly guides for the rest of the way, 6 mm. Since "light" is a priority you might consider Alps titanium for the double foot guides and Fuji SIC titaniums for the running guides. But really, there are tons of options in guides that will work fine.

That's the plan. This looks like a software issue to me. thanks for your help. 1.4 is current software for both 7 and 9 . Just checked. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This forum seems to be operating like my helix, missing some posts. I got on the water to day and have images to show the differences in SI image in different views. Note that my Helix 7 up front is tied to the 9 at the helm and shows identical images as the 9. Sometimes the view will be fine, then it will switch to the asymmetrical one which seems to indicate that the water on the right side is about twice as deep as the water on the left. 09 shows what it looks like when you switch views from one that works to one that is "flawed." Software is 1.35.

Mono and braid are both about the same density as water, FC is about 50% higher, so on a loose line it will tend to slowly sink while the mono will not. But as mentioned, attached to a lure the difference isn't that great. The leader grade monos are very tough and hard, with the added advantage that tangling on something like a blade bait will be less. I think 8 pound FC, especially if it is not leader grade, is too fragile for both the spin and BC application. Since you don't use much leader the expense of leader grade leaders should not be prohibitive, and they are definitely tougher and harder than line grade (both mono and FC). I recommend at least 10 for the spin leader and 15 for the cast. For some reason, it seems to me when FC gets below about 10 pound test it gets pretty fragile.

Will do. Probably won't be on the water until at least Wed, but will try to get and post them.

Not all braids are the same. The digging in problem used to be a bigger problem than now because there were fewer "round" braids. Braids used to be sort of flat and the edge would allow the braid to dig in. I think there still are some flat braids. From the comments some people can use just about any pound test, but they may be using round braids and fairly low drag settings. I use round braids but I still keep my drags on the low side and generate more stopping power when needed with my thumb. It sounds like if you want a braid that will be fool proof with regard to this issue use a round 50 pound test braid. But don't set your drag to its max torque; keep it where you would have it with lower pound tests.

Thanks, Wayne. As I suspected. Which means more of a mystery as to why a SI image is different in a combo view from what it is in the single pane view.

I read it again this AM, about the third time. And I have gone through the Humminbird site numerous times. I think I'll get it figured out before long. The one thing I have not seen or heard of from anyone else is the asymmetrical SI display on certain views but not others. I also have not found the answer to this question, although I think it is assumed: When I have the SI full screen image up and make my SI settings, then those settings should apply to all views that include the SI image, right? Thanks for your help. I think I had seen your tip, but had forgotten. thanks. I think a four credit-hour college course would be about right for understanding these units.

Thanks, that's the plan. Again.

I'm not clear on the frequencies. I have Mega SI 9 and I think I have it set to the Mega transducer, ( I think it's the only one I can connect) but the label on my SI says something like 455 Hz, not 1.2 MHz. And the image is not a good as shown above. What am I missing? I expect it's in the settings, but I haven't figured it out yet. Back to the book. Any tips?

A proper knot properly tied needs no glue. In fact, I suspect that if one relies on glue, they may get a little sloppy in knot tying. I think that super glue is the most commonly used glue, and if the line is moist, it will cure almost instantly.

If you fish in waters with northern pike, wire is the way to go. I've had trouble with bands not keeping the skirt in place, but not with wire. Siebert jigs are very well done, but I avoid the one with the square hook bend, trouble with hook sets.

Don't wanna be a guide, don't wanna be a builder, don't wanna be resort owner, don't wanna be anything except head of new lure development of a major company. Fishing trips on company money, to the spots where the target fish are known to be, getting paid for it, some pressure, keeps it interesting, but nothing like pro-angler or guiding or chief operating officer.