MickD

In most cases it can be repaired without a significant effect on the rod characteristics. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/repair-oquinn.html

If only the guide was damaged it is easily fixed with a replacement. Not replacing it will compromise the ability of the blank to take stress and most likely will negatively affect the feel and casting ability. If the rod didn't need that guide, it wouldn't have been there in the first place. They would have eliminated it and respaced the other guides.

I have not fished either of the two almost identical PB's I made for my son. Will have to try them next time we fish together. I can tell you he loves them. The blank was selected based on CCS data that Fuji provided, before they went public with it, to use with Lake St Clair smallies on jerkbaits. Traditional crankbait rods just won't allow you to get the shart twitch they want, and these XF blanks do. This shows the power of CCS and being able to measure your blanks. My impression of the blanks is very positive, they are straight, look good, will look good with just about any wrap color, and are very light for their power. I think they are one of the premiere blanks available now. One thing to watch, their finish is different than other blanks, and it can be affected by the rollers in rod winding rigs. Do not tighten them into the rigs, and especially when curing the epoxy where they turn in the same place for hours, the finish can get smoothed at the roller points. It can almost be restored with a grey abrasive pad. Just cosmetic, not functional. Regarding overrating for lure weights, there was one model that had this problem, and I think Anglers REsource has fixed it in their current literature. It was a blank that they said went up to 1 oz and it should have been 3/4. Use the Anglers Resource current site or the PointBlankrods.com site for specs.

I don't have definitive data on all the options, but with what I have, and what others may have, you can figure it out. 1. Winn grips are lighter than cork. 2. Carbon fiber is lighter than cork. 3. Burl cork is almost twice as dense as plain, natural, cork. The answer is the same for full handles as with split grips. It's all about the density of the materials assuming all shapes will be the same. There is nothing in these materials that will allow shapes to be different, assuming you are not compromising ergonomics. I expect that the differences between Winn and Carbon fiber are very small. I expect, but have no data, that EVA is the heaviest. Carbon fiber is hard, so one might expect it to be higher sensitivity than Winn, but I'll bet you'll have a hard time feeling it. I just finished the lightest split grip casting rod I ever made, conventional Fuji reel seat (skeleton would be lighter), 3.44 oz with Fuji titanium K guides (RV first guide), Point Blank 691MXF blank, and it had no foregrip, Winn short cast grip with Winn butt knob. Any further questions I might help with, just ask.

In my experience with most grades of guides with braid, which is tougher on guides than mono or FC, it is rare for any guide to groove. But it is not rare for tiptops to groove, which is why I always use SIC, Alconite, or zirconium for tiptops. I would use all SIC, but in some cases you cannot get the model, finish, or size that you want in SIC. One aspect not yet explained is that the lighter the guides on a rod, especially on the tip, the more sensitive the rod will be. It is not that some materials are more sensitive than others, it's simply that lighter means more sensitive. Period. It happens that many of the lighter materials are more expensive, like titanium used in frames. You've probably seen micro guides, guides that have inner ring diameters of a few millimeters. The reason for this is twofold. First, small is light, so they are good for sensitivity. Second, some believe that with the right height of guide, and a very small ID, the line gets controlled quicker and casts farther. Also, not all titanium guides are created equal. While Fujis and Alps are just about indestructible, there is a brand whose titanium A frame spin guides are almost fragile. Interestingly, you can sink well over a hundred dollars in a full set of spinning guides, Fuji Torzite to be exact. Are they that much better than the more normal ~ $50 for a set of titanium Alconites? I personally don't think so. Another interesting thing is that most factory rods have a lot of sizes of guides, getting progressively smaller as you go out to the tip. It has been found that that is not the best setup for guides for weight (sensitivity) or casting distance. The best way is to have only about 3 guides getting progressively smaller, (spinning rod) then have the rest of the guides the same, small , size out to the end, Why do factories keep doing it in a less efficient way? Because they feel that customers expect the guide train to look like that and would not as likely buy what might be counterintuitive to some.

I can see this for spinning, but not BC. I'd spend all my time fiddling with backlashes. If one needs to cast a very light lure NOW, I just cannot imagine BC being the best option.

The improved cinch knot works fine. So does the cinch knot, but not many believe it. You need to do three things with these knots and they will work fine with FC or mono. First, when you are drawing them down be sure they are well lubed with spit. Second as you draw them down, help the process with nudges of a thumbnail which forces the line into the right position, while pulling the tag end to tighten the knot. Finally, while the knot is still wet, pull the main line very hard to "set" the knot. These are easy knots to tie and will work fine for any terminal use. They are not reliable for braid, nanofil, or similar lines.

Colors do make a big difference, but you just have to figure it out for yourself. I think the clearer the water the more likely that color will be a significant factor. And there is a lot of evidence that dark colors are more visible in murkier water. I recently experienced clear water smallmouths preferring one of two drop shot baits that were identical exc one had purple and green flecks, the other did not. I think fish tend to use motion first, then color most of the time. I think it's whatever triggers their specific "instincts" that day. Keep in mind their brain is said to be "pea sized." When you consider what some lures look like, yet work effectively, you have a hard time arguing that details of shape and appearance have a lot to do with it. What natural prey is shaped like a tube? Or a jig skirt? Or a spinnerbait? All of these lures suggest it's more about having the right cues with motion and color. If you think about it by visualizing what the lures look like to fish, look at them with your eyes out of focus, I think you have what fish see. And it's not very detailed. We have all encountered the day when slow works great, other days it does not. And the day when fast works great, other days when it does not. Why? I don't know. But the bass's instincts do. Even bonefish, which are in crystal clear water, take flies that hardly resemble their natural prey, but they have to move right to get most bones to bite. And sometimes, be the right color. Both with bass and bones, somewhat matching the color of the environment is often the best place to start, as stated in the previous post. Natural prey tends to take on the color of the environment. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The only way you will have any trouble running any line through micros is if you use line to leader knots, which you probably won't on this setup. Since flipping is such a low energy cast, you don't want anything to interfere with free flow of the line. I really think braid is the right line for flipping, to get the best possible hook set while in the slop and weeds. Having said what I have, I see no compelling reason to use especially small guides or especially large guides. I am building one with Fuji K series in size 5.5, using all KB's for max strength of the guide feet. That guide is now available in a new less expensive version with the Concept O ring. Log T I think?

From my experience with many brands of flouro the two big issues with flouro are that if it gets kinked it will break easily and if the knot is not lubed it will fail easily. But, even the simplest knots, if they are not knots that kink the flouro sharply, will work just fine with a couple extra turns and lots of spit, slowly draw them down, then push them quite hard with a thumbnail to "set" the knot. I test before starting to fish by pulling quite hard on the lure, but I don't get failures. I see the improved clinch knot recommended above, and I agree it's a good flouro knot when done as I mention above. Even the simple, unimproved clinch works well with about 7-8 turns and the method mentioned above. If the knot is "set" then the flouro is permanently deformed into the shape of the knot, and it won't slip as flouro is said to do. But don't kink it, and lube it well.

Unless you are a very good baitcaster, I would not recommend flouro at all. I know there are a lot of guys who recommend it, and I admit I have not tried all brands of flouro, but I have tried a few. I have not found one that casts anywhere near as well as mono. 15 pound mono, exc maybe for the extra tough stuff, will cast very well. And will work well for all lures including surface, which flouro doesn't work well on because it sinks affecting the action of the surface lure. If you want to try braid, which with its zero stretch is very sensitive, helpful for jigging/finesse, get about 40 pound test. Some like even heavier. But get a premium braid that is tightly woven. I prefer Suffix Premium Braid or their newer stuff with the gore thread. Without the gore thread it will have neutral bouyancy, like mono. With the thread it will sink faster.

REVS68MXF-SBAll purpose bass/Freshwater 6'8" 6-14 3/16-1/2 0.455 4.5 X-Fast 1.92 M $52.0 Rainshadow Revelation from GetBitOutdoors.com Everyone I have heard about who has built Revelation has been pleased. Another good option would be the Amtak Bushido series, find one that best meets your power needs in a fast or Xfast action. Again, very good blanks at an attractive price.

If "locked down" means what it sounds like, like no line will be allowed off the reel by the drag, then how do you prevent line breakage?

All the Daiwas I have are reliable, very smooth, reels. I have heard a lot of good comments on Pfluegers. One reason I prefer the big name brands is that some reel service people don't work on off-brands.

You have little to lose since it's no good now. There are two ways to salvage it, although I'm not sure you'll like the results of either. 1. Cut back to solid rod, no cracks, on both pieces. Buy metal ferrules to fit both pieces, if you can find the right sizes. Try Mudhole.com. This will result in a shorter rod with a flat spot in the action at the ferrules, which don't flex. 2. there is a slight chance that you can cut the rod back to solid rod and get matched tapers/diameters so that you in effect have well fitting integral ferrules. It will be chancy, and you cannot sand much off the male to get the match or it will be weakened. If you get matches that look like they will work, wrap the female with thread, top with epoxy. Wrap should be about 1 inch long to provide max possible strengthening of the ferrule. If nothing works, save the rod as pieces of the blank can be used for sleeves to repair other rods. Also, guides can come in handy for replacements for other rods.

If the braid is slipping on the spool you will see the line pack rotating on the spool relative to the spool, which will be stationary relative to the reel frame. If the reel has been taken apart, or if the sideplates got loose and you had to tighten them, then the release bar for the free spool may be out of its proper position. If this is the case take the reel apart again and experiment with the position of the release bar while the sideplates are slid into position. If these ideas don't work, I would take it to an expert or to the store from which it was purchased.

The main feature of a "cranking rod" is the moderate action rather than the fast actions that most other rods have. It means that the rod will bend farther down the rod rather than bending mostly just at the first couple feet. If you notice the pros on TV, almost all their rods are this slower action, sometimes called parabolic. The advantage is that it doesn't tend to tear the trebles out of the fish's mouth as faster actions do. This having been said, I think any action will work for cranks as long as it isn't too heavy a power. You do want the tip to flex rather easily. The best rod for cranks will be a moderate action rod that has the power matched to the weight of the lures that you intend to cast. I'm not familiar with the rods available; I build.

If you have had to tighten down the casting controls to prevent backlashes with the flouro try a soft mono of about 12 pound test. It should allow you to free up the controls.

Just thinking more about this, is the male ferrule intact? The damage limited to the female?

Looks to me like the cracks go way up the blank, so I think the only way to get a fishable rod out of this is to make it into a one piece rod. I'm assuming that the female ferrule is the main issue, and it's pretty well destroyed. I think if you found a sleeve to put over the messed up area and glued it all together into a one piece rod, it will fish well. But it's of course going to be cumbersome to transport.

Got a pic of it? Sounds like female ferrule broke, possibly due to coming loose while fishing. But more info is needed to determine the right approach. You won't be "buying replacement parts,"l most likely.

I agree that with that degree of destruction, the rod cannot be repaired to anything like its former self. And it most likely will fail again. Don't throw it away because the blank sections can be used for sleeves to repair less severe rod failures. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/repair-oquinn.html

Need more description of the failure, but if the female ferrule has failed, you should be able to use structural epoxy to put all the parts back together, (an internal spigot or external sleeve will add to the strength) then wrap the full length and about a half inch on each end more, then finish with wrap epoxy. But with other failures, need more info.

Anyone who thinks color is relatively insignificant to bass and walleyes is mistaken. Just saw it yesterday on clear water smallmouths, Dream Shot drop shot lures identical to each other exc one had green flecks in addition to the black and purple flecks in the others. Interchanged lures quite a few times, green fleck far superior. Other times with walleyes, and ALL walleye anglers have experienced this, they will take one color far more than any other. The fact that walleye anglers have hundreds of color options in their spinner selections is not because they are stupid.

That is an excellent idea. You may want to try the Winn tape, really a great product, feels great, really good grip dry or wet. It you want to know what it feels like go to a big sporting goods store and you likely will find some rods with Winn grips. Will feel the same as the tape. Your way is reversible if you don't like it, easy to do well, and not that costly.