MickD

In terms of stretch, neither braid has significant stretch. However, since the line doesn't always go directly, in a straight line, to the lure, heavier braid will not go through the water (taking up the slack by moving laterally through the water) as easily as a much smaller diameter braid, and a little sensitivity will be lost with heavier braid. Significant? I don't know, but I believe it's true in theory.

I'm not sure why wider loops would have less air resistance. If you take it to the extreme, I would think that if you had zero diameter loops they would have the least air resistance. I'm also not sure we are all defining shallow the same way. Does shallow mean longer along the axis but a smaller diameter? Like most reels today are? Or does it mean shallower/shorter along the axis but a larger diameter, like some of the BPS reels? When spinning reels first came out they were proportioned a lot like the BPS reels and had a larger diameter than most current reels. The larger diameter should allow a heavier pound test mono or FC to stay on the spool better since the coil diameters are larger. Some guide train philosophies size the first guide based on the diameter of the reel, (half the diameter of the spool) so the smaller diameter spools would lead to a smaller ring. This is changing since testing indicates that guide height is more important than ring diameter. It is not clear to me that there are significant differences that would lead to one being clearly better than the other.

It may be time for dynomite. :-) Since you've been seeing large bass, they are there. I have only caught a few bass that I have seen before casting to them. Usually if I see them, they've already seen me, and they don't bite. Long casts, small and slow, like others have been suggesting. And just keep trying. When you figure it out, you'll feel great.

If there really are decent sized bass in the lake, they will not be able to resist a 3-4 inch minnow about 6-7 feet below a bobber. OK, plastics purists, give me hell, but I think the first step is to in some way verify there really are good sized bass in the pond. I would not consider any stocking without consulting an expert. With most ponds it's too many fish, not too few.

ANY drop shot keeper will do what you want, allow the control of the lure without exposing the hook point.

Buy a gallon jug of water at the grocery store, have them weigh it at check out, then check both your scales to see what they say. The grocery scales should be very accurate. my Berkely weighs 1 oz low for that weight, about 8 pounds.,

If you are new to baitcasting, you are just going to have to learn the fundamentals then practice a lot. There are many videos on line on how to set up the reel and how to cast with it. If you are expecting to get it right with all types of lures right away, you'd be better off with a spinning rig. Do an internet search on "how to set up a baitcasting reel," then "how to cast with a baitcasting reel." Don't give up, you'll catch on, and it's worth the time and effort. Sort of like learning to drive a stick shift car.

Measure the filled spool diameter, multiply by 3.1416 to get the circumference, then by the gear ratio to get how many inches of circumference goes by with one revolution of the handle. . If it's an old one, most likely a 5.1 ratio, but I think the ratios are marked on the reels. Or, fill it with line and measure how much line comes in with one revolution of the handle.

I am very surprised that no one has yet warned you about starting your baitcasting experience with flourocarbon. It is the trickiest line to us on baitcasters, and some very experienced anglers do not use it or use it only for lures that cast easily, like lipless cranks and spoons. I suggest good quality mono in the 12-17 range, or braid in the 40-50 range. Note that you will not try to max the drag to match the braid line test, keep it in a range suitable for the mono line tests. If you use braid you may consider a FC leader. Now you need a good knot to join the lines, check out the double uni, which I think is the easiest reliable knot. Others have their advantages and disadvantages relative to the uni. Search for sites on how to tie the knots you're interested in. Lots of good sited, including video.

I only use FC on a baitcaster for casting spoons and lipless cranks, both of which cast very easily. For everything else, mono or braid. One problem with FC not yet mentioned is that if you do use it and get backlashes, you have to be super gentle in clearing the backlash because it takes very little tension on one of those little loops to break the line. I've used BC'ers for manymany years, and I finally gave up trying to cast spinnerbaits with it. Life is too short for that hassle. Congrats to anyone who can do it at all, special congrats if you can do it without concentrating on every damned cast. The comment on FC on spinning outfits is on target, too, if you use anything but the light lines, like 8 # max. The lighter lines work OK, in my opinion. But the heavier ones will drive you nuts. For finesse I use braid with a FC leader. I don't notice problems from braid in front of FC, but next spool I use will be the sinking braid to see if I like it better. Have not yet tried it. Braid just lasts and lasts, so I don't have to change often. For FC leaders I most often use the "leader grade" FC's, which are stiffer and more durable, but in the 10-20 range, FC line grade works fairly well, is a little more damage prone.

I use Power Pro and Suffix braids, like them the best. All braids will not work with the common knots that work fine on mono, so the advice on other knots is good advice. If you use a leader, then you have another issue with the leader to line knot, which is an issue that gets a LOT of different opinions. Look back in the history of this forum subject and you'll find a number of strings that go over it in excruciating detail and diversity.

You are not going to damage any reel with the drag a 6 pound line can take. Keep looking.

There is no need to fill anything in the buttcap, IMHO. There is no defect. Filling a natural dark line in the cork is sort of like working dry wall too long, and everything you do makes it worse. I've received premium cork that looked great at first, then found it was highly filled. Which is so phony. Better to have cork like this, which has a few lines in it, but they are small and tight, and are not really gaps. They are honest, high quality, cork. Leave it alone.

Buy a gallon of water at your local grocery store. As you check out ask them to weigh it. They have very accurate scales right at the cash register. Write it down. Take it home. Weigh it with your fish scale. Compare the result with the grocery store. From then on, adjust your observed weight on your scale by the error between the grocery store and your scale. My Rapala weighs one ounce light, so I just add a ounce to what it tells me the fish weighs.

Remember how surprisingly well the Zebcos would cast? I think that the Zebco design, with the tapered hood with the little hole, was the inspiration for the AT Microwave first guide. Just visualize a tiny Zebco hood mounted to the first guide of a spinning rod.

If you are going to wrap it yourself you can easily find a matching color in a thread/sewing shop. Buying on line will not easily get you a match, maybe impossible. Size 40 is close to rodbuilding thread size A which is most likely what you have. Buy poly thread, not rayon or other fiber. You will need color preservative to retain the color properly and to prevent the silicone that might be in the thread from affecting the wrap epoxy (fisheyes). Order some from Jann's Netcraft, Mudhole, etc along with Flex Coat lite build wrapping epoxy. Flex coat color preservative is good, use two coats, three with light colored thread, let each coat dry overnight. Flex Coat epoxy hardens much faster than Mudhole's Pro Kote, so for a newbie, will be easier to handle. Go to Mudhole's site and look at their guide wrapping tutorials for good info on how to do it. If you need to go fishing before you can do all of this, use tightly wrapped electrical tape to temporarily hold the guide on the rod. Even if it comes off, since it's a running guide, you won't lose it. You usually can skip a guide, too, but just don't overload the rod with a guide missing. Removing the old guide should be done by using a razor blade, cutting on top of the guide foot, do not try cutting along the blank. Once you have the wrap cut on top of the foot you should be able to chip it off with a fingernail or unwrap from the whole length of the wrap. If this is all too much, get the matching thread and take the rod, guide and thread to a local builder. You know it will be done right, even if it costs you $15-20. Come back with any questions.

This doesn't seem all that complicated. Casting the knot through the guides is not going to work. Therefore, the solution is to get that knot deeper into the spool so it doesn't go through the guides on casting.. Most of the solutions proposed do this in one way or another.

I build on both, but tend to go hi-mod when I can. I think I am most likely to get the performance I'm looking for by starting with a hi-mod blank. There are some very good hi-mod blanks out there that don't break the bank. How you build the rod will have a significant effect on its performance. I have an 7 foot two piece RX 7 Rainshadow med power spin popping blank, that with micros/Fuji K method, built into a rod that feels very good, has become one of my go-to rods for not only cranks, but also finesse in a pinch and hard twitching lighter husky jerks. If I didn't know better, I would think it was RX8. The Rainshadow Revelations and AT Bushidos are really great blanks for a less-than-premium price.

Go long unless stream conditions make that impractical. Once you have used a 7 to 7 1/2 foot ultralight, you don't know how pleasant and effective it can be. Ease of casting, ability to cast light lures a long way, better hook sets. If you're buying, it will be difficult, I think, but there are some really nice blanks available for this. Also, the fastest 3 wt fly blank will build into a nice rod. A little slow, but still a lot better than the short ones. The spin blank REVS72UL-SB, Rainshadow Revelation 7 ' 2" blank is excellent for an ultralight spin. Faster than fly blanks.

I've built many brands of blanks, AT Bushidos and Matrix, several grades and types of Batson and Rainshadow blanks, two types of St. Croix, in different types, Mudhole whites in spin, Loomis, and some old brands that I forget. But new on the scene is Fuji's Point Blank series, and I have just ordered one. PB69MXF. Have to see what they are like. I think this blank will build a great hard jerkbait casting rod for the Lake St Clair jerking for smallies. You have to be able to really get the lure to aggressively jerk/twitch. Timely question.

E. E. Cummngs used very little punctuation, and it worked for him. Same for Junebugman.

I have some experience, but not enough.

forgot the link: http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/staticguide.html

This is a complete description of the method Hovenac uses, if I am not mistaken. Put this together with his photos and you have it. I have to admit, I'm lazy, and I have built a lot of rods without the second line, and have broken none, they all cast fine, and perform well with fish on. I don't disagree with his method.

I have some experience in using powder coat paint on lead head jigs, and all I do is put the jig head into the flame of a propane torch for a few seconds, then dip into the powder paint. With a few tries I got quite good at hitting the temp right. I think on my first try I coated a couple dozen of 4 colors in about half an hour. I'm not an expert, but I think you are "overthinking" this.