MickD

I'm not sure what the mystery is here. Replace them with the most identical hook you can find, replace the split rings similarly, and you've done the best you can do. It will work fine.

Without knowing your depth, hard to recommend a weight, but these jigs are most effective when not moving or moving very slowly, so that would lead to lighter weights, trying for almost neutral buoyancy.

Most carriers of Rainshadow blanks are offering the Immortal line (at least most of it) at a new pricing level, from 30-38% lower than previous pricing. In addition Utmost Enterprises has additional discounts. The Immortal line is a beautifuly finished (Chrome titanium) line of very high performance blanks. They are now within the reach of most of us for our special rods. Very good news.

Since structure is so important with skeleton seats which have very little area of contact with the blank, be especially careful to properly prepare BOTH the blank and the seat components before gluing. You want to scrub both with an abrasive pad. Easy to do and will maximize the performance of the epoxy. Also make sure you get full epoxy contact with both surfaces. The best performance will come not from deep grooves from very coarse sandpaper, but from a "deglossing" of the surfaces and removing of mold release from the seat parts. Do not follow this treatment with any other action other than wiping the dust away. To do this to the seat parts it is easy if you have a shotgun patch tip for a gun cleaning rod. Cut a piece of the abrasive pad and put it through the slot in the patch holder, put the rod section in a drill-driver, and buff the ID of the parts for 20 seconds or so.

If balance is an issue, go short and look for the smallest possible guides, and of course, graphite. I don't worry about balance. I think it's a highly over-sold parameter. Regarding power and action, I think no more power than a medium, and fast or Xfast action for what you want to do. Wacky and drop shot would lead me toward a medium power, ned toward a medium light.

As long as the bass agree. Keep in mind that what the fish want will determine what is effective. I think smallmouths more often will not go for the subtle jerks that a mod action gives.

You can get any action and power in graphite, and it most likely will be significantly lighter than glass. As stated before, if you want a sharp twitch, you don't want the slow recovery of glass and you don't want a moderate action. You want a fast or extra fast. I've seen days on St Clair when we just couldn't catch a fish on a mod action, but using the X-fast action gave us the quicker acceleration on the twitch that the bass wanted.

The spacing of the first guides on any Microwave setup is based on Amtak testing of the guide and reel geometies and does not depend on action, power , or length of the rod. Just do it according to the instructions that come with the guide set, then space the remaining (few) guides per your own stress test. Since Microwaves come as a set, you'll have most of the running guides left over after the build.

I have another anecdote on line visibility that contradicts my jitterbug story. My son and I were fishing super flukes over pads, pulling them across and letting them sink. He had a FC leader and was doing well. I had 10 pound white nanolite tied direct, and wasn't getting much. Until I put a FC leader on, then my strike rate increased dramatically. Go figure. Of course the safe tactic for maximizing strikes would be to use a transparent/translucent leader. If it matters you're set. If it doesn't, you're set.

I was fishing crystal clear water around the Charity Islands in Saginaw Bay, MI, and my partner threw out a yellow jitterbug, on a metal leader, with a few split shots to take it down, and came out with a nice smallmouth bass. He was using a Zebco 33 on a short glass rod. But you already figured that out, didn't you.

If you point the rod at the fish the stress on the rod will be zero.

Don't overthink it. Fish have been taken with many different ratios, actions, powers, lengths, etc for many many years. They all will work, and if they are working well for you, then no problem. As you become more proficient, and really get into different techniques, the strengths and weaknesses of your rigs will become apparent. You can then fill the greatest need when you are in a position to do so. When its priority becomes to you, number 1. And it will go on from there. Relax and enjoy your fishing.

Fuji has a very handy tool to help guide your line through the micros. It's as DVT says, the biggest advantage is a lighter, crisper, more sensitive rod. A disadvantage not yet mentioned is that they do not pass line to line knots as well as bigger guides. Yes, I know there are knots that will work with most pound tests and micro sizes, but the plain geometric fact is that a bigger guide will pass a knot cleaner than a smaller guide. If you're going to use fairly heavy leaders and fairly heavy braids, and want to use your old favorite double uni knot, you may want to go with bigger guides, bigger meaning only something like a 6, so they are not that big.

If selling you'll need to understand the tax law and file (fed excise tax), not sure if that affects repairs, probably not. You'd better be a LOT faster than I am if you expect to make a profit. After you build a couple rods and have recorded your time, figure that your time when you get good will be much less, but still may make your rods hard to sell while still making a decent rate for your time. I suggest you simply try a few rods for yourself, starting with moderately priced blanks and components, then decide if you really want to go on. If you have a fishing family, there will be "demands." Keep in mind that if you simply put together a lot of standard components, your rods will not be that distinctive compared to factory rods. If you custom make grips, butt knobs, do fancy thread wraps, you will have more time in the rods. Custom dimensions are faster, but still take time to make the decisions and plan the rods. I think those who actually make a decent profit in rodbuilding are very skilled, very fast, and very good business people. You will need to consider that when you sell a rod you are going to be expected to stand behind the rod, and many people don't know how to properly treat a rod. You WILL get failures. It may be in your circle that repairs may be more lucrative than building. Unless your tourney friends get their rods at deep discounts or free. Big decision, sneak up on it.

For smaller lures/trebles, just adjust your hook set.

Build your own CCS measuring device and you'll take all the mystery out of power and action. I've never tested Garcia rods, but from my experience, mostly with blanks or rods I built from blanks, St Croix spinning/casting are usually more powerful than you would expect from their description. There is a way to do the CCS testing without using a big sheet of pegboard. http://www.common-cents.info/

Looks based on the number of posts that most didn't believe the topic should be closed. I'll go go for a tube. Warm water, cold water, smallies, largemouths, shallow, docks, beds, deep, pike, muskies, walleyes. A little limited in heavy weeds, but that's about its only down side.

Buy some heavy duty ones, like for salmon, and report back. :-)

If one uses split rings that will handle trophy bass, it's pretty tough on the nails. The best tool is a very good quality split ring plier. I think Texas Tackle are excellent. The cheap sheet metal ones simply don't work, or don't work well.

Give it a try. There are two positions for them. Out, or active, or in past a little detent feel to make them inactive. I don't know how one can screw this up, I think they are either out or in past the detent . I suggest you put a drop or two of oil on the surface that the brakes run against, then put all the brakes out, or engaged. Adjust the little cap that loads the end of the spool until your casting weight falls slowly when the rod is held horizontal and the reel release is tripped. Try a couple easy casts. Any funny noise? Feel? Do they seem to be preventing overrun? If all looks OK, adjust them for what you think you need to cast well but prevent backlash. If something seems wrong, noise, gritty feel, anything other than smooth casts with no significant noise, then send it to DVT or another good reel servicer.

Look at your reel's schematic, you can find it on line if you don't have the sheet that came with the reel. Do you really want to get into taking all that apart and putting it back together? You don't have to, and I certainly am not going to. I've used many reels for many years, and except for dunking one for a few days, (I sent that to an expert for major clean and lube) I've serviced only as you suggest, take it down the first level only, lube from there. Maybe the level wind needs a little cleaning, but don't take a chance on a major dis-assembly. Light grease for gears, good oil like DVT suggested for everything else. Not that red stuff-it's inferior in quality, stick with clear oil like DVT suggests. I add a drop or two of oil to all moving parts, especially the level wind worm, a couple times a year max. And my reels work fine. Don't get too obsessive, keep it simple.

How about some details on what makes them worth the extra money.

I'm really surprised no one mentioned lube. You have a used reel and no idea of whether it has ever been lubed. Put a drop or two of good oil on every moving point on the reel (roller, bail pivots, grips, and into the hole where the handle goes, both sides) . Then try to get into the habit of closing it by hand.

I guess I didn't think one could trim so much that it would make a significant difference in whether the threads come into play either visually or functionally. I stand corrected.

I agree with those suggesting going smaller. You haven't mentioned your rod, but if it's short, hooksets will be poorer than with a longer rod. Also, a faster action sets the hook better than a slower action, in my opinion.