MickD

How much force is a "locked down" drag able to generate if its capacity is about 15 pounds?

If that were mine I would buy a Winn grips wrap and it would perform better than new, and probably look better than new. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Winn_Grips_Superior_Rod_Wrap/descpage-WINNGRI.html If $10 is too much to risk, go to a tennis or bike store and buy either tennis grip wrap or bike handlebar wrap for about $3.

My Curados are the best casting BC reels I've tried. Other experience includes older Quantums, recent Revo's, and older BPS. My Curados just seem to cast well with any braid or mono with little or no adjustment between lures.

Please clarify what you mean by a locking half hitch? How does it differ from the others? thanks

My point is not to state that installation doesn't have to be right; my point is that Humminbird maintains that (if it's done right) there will be no need to switch transducers in the settings. Do you agree or disagree?

I've contacted Humminbird and they offered about a 25% discount on the second transducer and Y cable, and state that when installed correctly the Helix 9 will automatically, without having to select a different transducer, read SI correctly at low speeds and depth properly at higher speeds. I really think they are obligated to do more since there is not mention that I can find anywhere that buying over $2000 worth of their electronics won't tell you how deep the water is if you're going faster than 6 mph. But it's not world peace, and I took them up on it.

I have used this outfit for the last few years, and am very pleased with them. http://www.zennioptical.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BING - Search BRANDED&utm_term=zenni&utm_content=Zenni - Exact One thing they offer that is really reasonable in cost and quality is their clip-ons at about $4. That's not what you're asking about, but don't overlook them if you order other glasses. There is another post about sunglasses farther down the que, so see if there is help there, also.

Yellow used to be a very effective color for bass, seemed to have fallen out of favor. They must have forgotten about it by now, so it will be proven very effective again and will enjoy a sudden resurgence in popularity, especially for expensive lures like whopper ploppers. From my experience there are lots of fish out there that are not color-blind, too. I also remember a chug bug my son had that was an ivory and black spotted pattern, sort of like a holstein cow, and it was much more effective than any other color either of us had.

I doubt if there is a significant difference in sensitivity between an open blank and regular straight spin seat. Anything that you could feel on the blank at the seat should be transmitted pretty well through the epoxy which bonds the seat to the blank. Also, you can mount the seat up-loading and put a small ramp turned from rigid poly reel seat shims to the front of the seat, sized just under the diameter of the seat hood, coated with epoxy, and I think you'll find it as sensitive as the blank itself. The pic shows one done with burl cork, which is a little heavier than the seat shims. Lighter = more sensitive. But even with burl, I don't think the differences are significant. Unless you are using braid the sensitivity of the seat/blank/window/etc combination is a moot point. Won't make any difference no matter what you do.

Find your local Craig's list on line and try that. I found it very effective.

Nice look, interesting yet not gaudy. Very good workmanship! I am interested how that shape (rear grip) works out. The swell behind the seat and the mild taper would make it a little large for my hands, I think. I made one similar to that once and had to take the diameter down, also made some "finger slots" to locally take the effective diameter down. Since then I' ve sort of copied the more abrupt taper of the St. Croix grips.

If you have trouble with FC, you are not alone. Some people on this forum probably, based on their posts, spend hundreds of dollars searching for the perfect FC. And in the end, there is nothing about FC for line that is a compelling advantage. It certainly is heavier than the options, so it makes going deep easier. And also screws up using it for surface lures. But its transparency and increased sensitivity advantages, if any, are not compelling. Ask for objective data and you'll most likely come up empty. The data there are on stretch doesn't prove that it has any advantage over mono. So for me, I just don't fight FC any more, using it only for leaders when I'm using sinking presentations. If I don't want the higher specific gravity, I use hard mono for leaders. Good for those who are happy with it; I never reached that stage.

There will be a difference in casting distance between 10 and 20 pound test braid. It will be more or less depending on the rod configuration. A rod designed to cast well the heavier braids will cast lighter braid just fine, but a rod designed for max sensitivity for lighter braids will not cast heavier braids well. As previously stated, it depends on where you fish, think ability to stop a fish in cover, or not having to worry about that because there is not much cover. With cover, 20, without cover, 10. (or 15?)

Medium heavy means power, what is the action? Probably fast, so adjust the reel properly, try to cast smoothly (don't worry about the overhead yet) and use heavy lures that will load the rod properly. If you have an old less powerful rod around, try that. But don't give up. Keep trying different things, spend a lot of time in the back yard practicing, and in time, you'll get it.

If you're using a fast action rod, and have a moderate, change to the moderate until you get better. Not a total fix, but they do cast a little easier than fast or extra fast. Previous comments about properly adjusting the reel and casting smoothly and gently at first are also important. Try spoons and heavier jigs for a while, then move to the more challenging lures. Stay away from spinnerbaits for a while. The issue with lures is that you want to learn with lures that don't catch the wind much, don't slow down really fast, and that are a little on the heavy side.

Knots bumping guides can damage the knot, even if not the guides. Also, many micros have very tiny feet, and I don't want bumping that is "significant." But it can be solved to the point of its being indecipherable, or almost so. On a casting rod you cannot simply go down on pound test, so you have to have either a very small knot (FG/Alberto, with FG obviously being the smallest knot possible) . But it's not the easiest to learn. If one cannot use the FG, and the Alberto makes too much commotion through the guides, I suggest using either no leader or a short leader that doesn't have to go through the guides. There are a lot of guys on this forum who use braid without a leader and do well. You can camoflage your braid by mottling its appearance with a sharpie for the last 2 or 3 feet.

"Top of the line" blanks cost more than $150. But that does not mean that you have to pay that for a really good blank. Look at Rainshadow Revelation and American Tackle Bushidos. + a lot of good stuff from Mudhole.com that I'm not really familiar with. However, to start building rods you'll have to fund a bunch of stuff, your first rod probably will not be the winner you were hoping for, and you will have spent many many hours. Unless you are really interested in getting into rod building, I think you're better off finding a good factory rod on sale. Sales happen all the time, and there are many factory rods that are really fine rods. Millions of fish have been caught on them. Having said all that, I'm really glad I got into rodbuilding. It is everything Unclustered said, addictive, rewarding, but also expensive. It's sort of like trying to justify fishing because you don't have to pay $10 a pound for walleyes. It will end up being a lot more expensive than you initially think. You'll want some of those top of the line blanks, guides, cork, reel seats, trim, dozens of spools of thread, etc. Building rods for your kids and grandkids that match their personalities and interests, rods they will be using long after you're gone, is really special. Just keep in mind, it will be a consuming hobby.

I didn't answer the original question-"Will it hurt the reel?" Never has with me, but I fish mostly fresh water. In salt the rod and reel should be rinsed every day. I've never done more than this after fishing salt water and I've never had an indication of reel corrosion. (with aluminum spools, spin and cast)

The traditional jerkbait rod has a moderate action, or moderate fast, and works well when the "jerk" is sort of slow. But on Lake st Clair and probably many others, especially in the fall, smallmouths like a very fast "twitch." A fast or Xtra fast action is right for this kind of "twitch/jerk." The only way a moderate action can get it is if the moderate action rod has so much power that it doesn't cast the 1/2 oz or 5/8 oz jerks well. If you want to do a fast jerk, get a fast action rod which will load properly on the cast for the weight lures you plan to use. It can also work for many other techniques.

Lots of opinions here. Mine: 15 pound braid, 10-15 pound leader. Just to avoid the "fragility" of the lighter ones. Especially around cover. I just don't see the need for anything less than 10 pound leader, and 2-6 just isn't going to be reliable in or around cover and rocks. I believe that the digging in was caused by flat lines going in "edge" first. Many lines today are round and don't do that. Keep in mind that your drag setting will determine to a large degree how much of a problem, if any, digging in will be. But fundamentally, when you have a slippery, very strong for its diameter line, digging in is more likely to happen. I tend to go a little light on drag setting with braid since it has no stretch, give.

It is my opinion that braid casts a little differently on baitcasters in the back yard than it does when wet. I believe it tends to spin off the spool more when wet (and heavier), sometimes contacting the reel posts (within the reel). This can cause loss of distance compared to dry. So I keep it a little farther down (not as full) on the spool as compared to my mono fill point. I also find myself having to do "softer-gentler-smoother" casts with braid than mono, which can be really "whipped" on the cast. Some braids do this more than others. I look for braids with what feels like a harder, smoother, finish thinking they may not absorb as much water. But I have to admit that my whole idea on this subject is not backed by hard data, just by what I think I've observed.

All it does is slow you down when you are being drifted by a wind that is moving you faster than you want. They also can be hung from the bow with a fairly long tether so they go under the boat providing increased drag while trolling with a motor that cannot troll as slowly as you want. In either case they simply slow the boat down some.

Sorry, missed your post where you did just about what I recommended. I expect it will be fixed under warranty. Good luck with it. I've never had that happen with my "name brand" reels. Or even a couple off brand reels.

It looks on the video that the drag is higher as it is tightened down than at first. If the line were slipping, the drag setting would not change anything. I think you have reached the drag capacity and you don't think it is high enough. What force are you really pulling, in pounds? What is the drag capacity as specified by the maker, in pounds? Most people are surprised by how low drag capacities are on most freshwater reels. For most fishing you don't really need high drag settings, and with the use of braid, often the line is much stronger than the drag.

Casting light lures with a bait caster is not easy. If you're focusing on lighter lures, probably you should stick to spinning. Weightless senkos is something I won't do with a baitcaster, and I've been bait-casting for many many years. With either BC or spin the power of the rod should be determined mostly by the weight of the lures expected to be used. This is to load the rod properly on the cast . If you have the rod loaded right it will cast more easily, and longer. Look for a rod that gives its lure range that will include most of your proposed lures. Don't worry about the line recommendation other than a second indication of power. Use whatever pound test you want and adjust the drag according to the line you use and the feel on the strike that you want. For example, the more aggressive the strike you anticipate, the lower the drag setting, and vice versa.