MickD

Or don't trim. What is the reason for trimming? Minimize weight? How much? almost nothing. Better looks? Not sure it's worth it. IMHO

+ watermelon black flake. KVD Dream Shot

I just don't think it gets much better than St Croix SCV , not familiar with the factory rods. But I think the absolute best rod will be the rod built by one's self on a Legend blank. Then everything can be as one wants it.

Ned is not a small fish lure, it is an all fish lure. Since there are more small fish than big fish, you'll get more small fish. But if there is a big fish there, it will bite.

In my opinion, hte secret is layering. I start out with light weight fishing pants, T shirt, and light fishing shirt. To start the day , depending on the temp, I'll have either breathable rain paints on over the light pants, or insulated pants on. On top, I do a fleece over the fishing shirt, then a wind shirt, then depending on temp, a hoodie sweat shirt or just a breathable hooded rain jacket. Very flexible, very comfortable. Don't forget an ice fishing fleecy hat over your billed fishing cap, and fingerless gloves or mittens with exposable fingers, and you can handle anything. Take layers off as it warms up. Very comfortable without spending a fortune.

Iron Silk only. Sorry for the confusion.

I've tried it in higher pound tests and see no redeeming value for it.

You are at risk with 6 pound test anything, but certainly with Vanish. Your lure will vanish.

I would contact the Duckett people first. There is no reason a guide will fail just because it is a micro. They must be using inferior micros. I have micro casting and spin rods that are years old, lots of casts, lots of fish, no problems.

Any suggestions for a reasonably priced (less than $150) 6 wt 9 foot 4 piece fly blank? Personal use experience will be especially valuable. Not looking for fast action, but somewhat slower, like a moderate or moderate/fast. thanks, Mick

I like 5:1 for spinnerbaits, too. I have trouble slowing down, and many times spinnerbaits are more effective "slow rolled," or at least retrieved fairly slowly.

That piece, the foregrip, is epoxied to the blank. There is no way that I can see to make it screw down. To remove it is possible, but the mess left will be a problem to dress up nicely. If it were removed then a cork piece could be turned to fit over the nut, split in half, then be epoxied to the nut, and would move with the nut. Final sanding can hide the glue seam necessary to put it back together to some extent. But that's not easy, even for a good builder. I think the right way to handle this is to simply accept it the way it is, sell it if you cannot, and buy a rod that meets your expectations. The fact is that there are designs that are possible to execute by builders when building new rods that are not available in "production" rods.

DVT, when you say razor blade perpendicular to the blank, don't you mean that the cuts should be made parallel to the blank? Along the blank on top of the keeper? I still think the lowest risk, less disruptive answer is to carefully use the Dremel and finish with a drop of finish as stated above. It will not be noticeable unless one is already aware of the past presence of the keeper. And the decorative wraps will be undisturbed. Keep in mind a little nick in error will be on the finish, not the blank, and it will disappear with the drop of finish that will cover the metal.

For future builds consider the methods recommended for this rebuild, and also consider the Fuji sleeves that cover the lock nuts and threads. I think Alps has them also in similar designs. You won't see the threads at all and will have a nice smooth surface there. For most of the rods that bass fishermen use there is no need for a foregrip. I built with foregrips for a long time until I asked myself what is there function, and found there wasn't much if any function.

I always favor going at these things with the least disruptive strategy first, then if it doesn't work, go on from there with another strategy. So I would try to salvage the current windings by trying to remove the finish, then refinish. If that doesn't work, remove windings and rewrap. When you remove the old finish you may find the surface irregular and rough. Do the best you can to make it look good, then apply rod wrap epoxy, not structural/hardware epoxy. You may find that the new coat of wrap epoxy will smooth out the surface quite nicely.

Then touch up the exposed wire with a drop of Sally Hensen's fingernail hard finish or epoxy to prevent any corrosion or exposed sharp edges.

Don't beat me up, purists, but they all are so darned small that if you're off a little , you will never notice it. Either visually or functionally.

You don't have to watch them if you don't go that far. It is, IMHO, not necessary to go that far. The risk/reward relationship is not in our favor. Let DVT worry about them itty bitty springs when your reel is really raunchy.

Keeping in mind that the grub material won't go over a cast-in grub "keeper", and that the success of the rig depends on retaining the buoyancy of the grub/jig, the jig wire has to be light. And the keeper has to be wire. And the wire may break off. Sounds to me like dockskipper has the solution for either starting from new or using the jigs that have had the keeper break off. Great solution.

I've tried the blank in the split area, too. Did it to keep a lure farther away from a rod sock, but I don't care for it on the water. It's unnatural to find and use. I still think the right place ergonomically is right in front of the seat/ramp/fore-end at 180 degrees, both casting and spin.

Anything will work on a kayak. If you jerk too hard the kayak moves. :-) Seriously, I really like braid + FC leader with a moderate action rod, or any action rod for that matter. The comment on using hard mono is right on, also because it is tougher than mono designed to be line. I use leader grade FC, too , on outfits not likely to cast surface lures.

Pretty cool! Functional, unobtrusive, no epoxy problems, works well with rod socks. Why didn't I think of that? The only thing it might not handle well is a small treble?

I don't disagree with your major points, Logan. But the poster sounds new to the game and may not be ready for FC. I was only pointing out that the quickest and cheapest way out of his frustration might be to, at least for a while, give up the FC. For me personally, I've practiced and practiced with many brands of FC and simply don't find that there is an advantage in it that justifies the problems.

For rods, wash the grips to remove dirt/scum, clean the blank and guides with a soapy paper towel. Check for broken/cracked ceramic guide/tiptop rings by wiping the ID with a Q-tip. If one is cracked it will snag the Q-tip. Store straight in a not hot room. Hanging from tip or a guide works fine. Reels: Wipe clean with a damp soapy paper towel, followed when dry with a slightly oily rag like you would for a firearm. Oil all external moving joints, like grips, bails, level wind pawl. Not a bad idea to brush the pawl and worm gear clean with mineral spirits or other cleaner, then oil it. (I like reel butter, but any good oil like 3 in 1 or sewing machine oil will do fine). For the inside I don't recommend taking the reel apart beyond what you see when you open it up. Reels are too complicated for me these days, and unless it has been dunked, you don't need to go further. If it's sort of gunky, brush to clean with mineral spirits, blow it out with compressed air if you have it, and relube. Pivots, sliding contacts, etc with oil, gears with reel grease. Look at your reel schematic to be sure you have found all the bearings. Don't overdo it, just a drop is usually sufficient. If the reel has been dunked, send it to a good repair person for a pro job. DVT is good and discounts forum members. I don't recommend servicing the drag unless it's not working smoothly. If you do service it use drag grease, not regular grease. Be sure to lay out the parts in order so you can get it back together properly. Loosen the drag before storing. There are many good tutorials on line, both pics and UTubes. Do a search and you will find many.

Thanks, DVT, much appreciated.