MickD

The advice to go to rodbuilding.org is golden. Best advice anyone could give you. Do some serious searching there for guide sizes, guide spacing, etc. Second best advice you can get: Do your first build with a good but inexpensive blank. Blank price is the biggest part of your investment in building a new rod, and you will get better with every build. Don't spend a fortune on your first build. You can get good blanks for less than $50, many times a lot less if you buy closeouts/sales/etc. Even with a good but not great blank your rod will be better than most factory rods. Regarding guides, you can spend an average of $10 per guide, or $3 per guide, and the chances are you will never see the difference. Use Fugi Aconites for about $3 on the small guides and somewhat more for the bigger ones, and you will have guides better than most factory rods. Welcome to the club.

Come on guys, read the post. I didn't say the line was terrible, I didn't say I didn't like it, I didn't say I was going to throw it in the trash, I said it has its positives and its negatives, like most things in life. And its positives and negatives depend on your priorities and preferences. I really value sensitivity, so I lean toward braid for most of my fishing. I think it is a great line for cranks, and it works well for vertical jigging. I just prefer braid for a lot of other applications. Simmer down! Mick

After all the recommendations on this forum for Ultra Soft Hybrid, I bought two spools, a 12 # for bait casting and a 6# for vertical jigging and spooled two setups for my annual Canada walleye, pike, and perch trip. Re bait casting-the line casts beautifully and runs through the guides silently. For some kinds of bait casting, like maybe crankbaits, it probably is fine. But having gotten used to the sensitivity of braid, I find the line too insensitive for jerking stickbaits and too stretchy for trolling. Braid is much more in line with my requirements for those kinds of fishing. Jerking stickbaits with it is a lot like pulling on a rubber band compared to braid. I guess I'm stuck on braid for these two applications. Re vertical jigging, the 6# worked very well. I wanted to use it because the water is so clear where we fish that I didn't want the possibility of braid spooking the fish (even though I always use a 7-8 foot flouro leader, with drifting the line still may spook fish if it drags through their area-at least that was my theory). The Ultra Soft stayed on the reel without looping off, had adequate sensitivity for vertical jigging, though with the long line out drifting, was a little insensitive. It appeared to have good knot strength-lost only one fish to a bad knot and that was not the line's fault. Of course it was smooth and silent through the guides. Bottom line (no pun intended) I consider the line to be fine for certain applications, but it will never sell me over for jerking stickbaits or trolling. As with so many things, it depends on what your particular priorities and preferences are. MIck

If the Yozuri mentioned is their Ultra Soft Hybrid, it is not a pure flouro so its "invisibility" in water may not be as good as pure flouro which has an index of refraction that is fairly close to that of water. Flouro's acceptability on a spinning reel depends on many factors, like spool size, pound test, the characteristics of the specific flouro, the type of fishing (for example, if you are casting lures that have a lot of resistance to retrieve the line will be put onto the spool of the reel more positively than if you are fishing very light plastics), the skill of the fisherman, temperature, and probably more. Kevin Van Dam uses BPS flouro in 10 pound test, so it can be done under certain conditions. I don't think it is accurate to say that only one brand can be used. There are too many variables affecting its practicality and lots of examples of people who are doing it.

I have never found a pure flouro in 10 pound test that is soft enough for my 2500 series reels, and I expect that it will be a problem in bigger reels too unless you luck into a very soft flouro. Then I wonder if its knot strength will be sacrificed to get it that soft. There are a lot of people on this forum who say that fish just don't see 10 pound braid since it is so small in diameter. I can testify that if you try 10 pound braid, or even 15, you may never go back to mono or flouro. It is wonderful to cast, very trouble free, and lasts a long time to make up for its high cost. Flouro isn't cheap either. The only type of fishing that I use flouro for is vertical jigging in very clear water, and then I use 6 pound test (and have some trouble with it, too).

I am going to make a spinning rod for my grandson and have selected 6 1/2 feet for the length based on his height. I am agonizing over the following blanks, all described as medium fast actions. He will be using it for general plastics fishing and will be casting lures with it also. St Croix: SCIII 3S66MF SCII 2S66MF - Any significant difference between these two? Loomis: GL2 SJ782 - The GL3 version of this rod is getting a little pricey. I would appreciate your input as to your opinons as to which of these blanks is best and why you feel that way. Both the St Croix blanks are advertised to be the same weight, and weight and quality of the actions (sensitivity/smoothness/"feel") are my primary priorities. I expect the Loomis is very close if not the same as the St Croix in weight. Durability is secondary, but I don't want to be getting into a really fragile blank. Is there another blank that you think makes more sense than these, maybe equivalent weight and action, but less expensive? Thanks for your help. Mick

Distance problems with an open face spinning outfit, with a person who knows how to cast (as you state, your zebco does well so you know how to cast) have to be related to the line (I assume your rod is designed specifically for open faced spinning reels-I've seen guys put spinning reels on casting rods and the even fish with the reel on top and reel backwards-that doesn't work-balance is way off and guides are too small). The most common problems are too little line and too heavy line. I know that I just cannot make a line as heavy as 10 pound work well on an open faced spinning reel. Try the Yozuri Ultra Soft Hybrid in 6 pound test-it is a good line for open faced spinning. Other 6 pound monos should work well, also. Make sure you have the spool filled to about 1/8 inch of the lip. If it is not fully filled it will not cast well. If you want the slickest casting I've found put 10 pound Power Pro on it. You just won't belive how slick and trouble free it is. A minor issue is having lures that balance well with the power of the rod. Too heavy overloads the rod and too light doesn't load the rod properly. Both will result in less distance than if balanced properly. If you have a balanced lure/rod setup, when you bring the rod back to start the cast and without pause fire it forward to complete the cast you will notice the rod bend (load) significantly and you will have a smooth, comfortable, cast. If you have too heavy a lure the rod will bend a lot and the timing of the cast will likely make you feel like something is just wrong. If you have too light a lure the rod will bend very little and it too will feel like something is wrong. It will feel like you are casting with a broomstick. Give these ideas some thought and good luck. Practice with the Supreme, assuming you have a decent rod, will result in good casting.

You did say deep water bass, and you have experience with the sensitivity of braid, so I think you will be disappointed with the stretch of anything else, including flouro. I just tried the Yozuri Hybrid Ultra soft 12# on a casting reel, and while it casts very well, and is smoother than braid through the guides, I just cannot get used to the stretch, even when jerking sticKbaits, let alone feeling fish strikes. I guess I am spoiled by the zero stretch of braid. A friend has tried the crystal you mention, and I see it coming off his reel in loops-looks like it has a lot more memory than the Power Pro I normally use and like. For bait casters I find that braid of similar diameter to 12 pound mono performs very well. That puts it into the 40 pound test range. I have used lighter and found some problems with it digging in on the spool. Guides never like braid, and I think it is because they don't want to compromise at all on visibility, they think braid will scare the fish and you will have a disappointing trip with them. I use, as others have described, a flourocarbon leader with braid just to make sure the braid doesn't scare off the fish. I like it, but it has the down side that you should rety the leader fairly often depending on how much you are casting and catching. If I fish all day I usually retie every other day. The Uni-Uni knot is easy with some practice and is reliable. The Albright is smaller, also easy to tie, and reliable. I WOULD NOT GO ON ANY BIG, IMPORTANT, FISHING TRIP WITH A SETUP I HAD NOT ALREADY TRIED OUT.

The "cardboard" rod tubes I've seen are pretty substantial, and if wrapped in visqueen type vinyl sheet for rain protection, should hold up fine for a trip or two. I would make sure the rods are padded inside whatever you put them in to prevent damage from jostling around. If you are going to do this kind of thing a lot, then do it right and make some tubes as others have advised. I wouldn't advise using schedule 40 PVC for fly-in trips because it is so heavy. I have a commercially made telescoping tube that will hold about 5 two piece rods, it is light but tough, has made about 10 fly-in trips and still is in good shape, as are my rods. It isn't nearly as big and bulky as a "Bazooka," and wasn't nearly as expensive. I'll bet it was cheaper than PVC and its fittings. For one piece rods, I don't have a cheap, light, solution. Maybe the sewer/drain PVC is the answer-I think it is thinner walled and lighter than schedule 40.

I forgot to mention, for an all purpose rod for me I would not choose a medium heavy action. I find medium action best for all but the heaviest of lures, and a medium heavy will not load properly with the lighter lures (1/2 oz and down), IMHO. It will not cast as well and will not be as comfortable on the arm when used for long periods of time. I love a medium light for crankbaits in the 1/4-3/8 weight range.

I use 6' 6" baitcasting rods when fishing two fishermen in a short boat, but otherwise I use 7 footers. I like the way they cast, the way they handle fish, and I don't seem to have any trouble working lures the way I want. This may be different if I were fishing from a very low fishing boat-mine is a deep V, so is higher than many bass boats. I am 5-10.

Nicely done, and I'm sure David appreciates such a ringing endorsement. Especially interesting are your comments on the sizing of the guides. Smaller guides contribute to sensitivity, and on at least one of my rods, I went way too big. Still a good rod, but it looks funny and may not be as sensitive as it could have been. thanks!

I think I need an interpreter. Or maybe I don't. I think I know what "fuggin" means. Not sure about "shiznit." But there is no information relative to casting distance, accuracy, sensitivity, or anything else remotely related to the performance of a casting rod. I guess I expect too much.

Re: getting backlashes out. One way that sometimes works pretty well is to scrub back and forth with your finger nail back and forth across the spool/line surface where the "hangups" are. This sometimes gets you out of one or two, then keep repeating the process. If this doesn't work, gently pulling on the loops you find with a small crochet hook is an effective strategy. You don't want to pull hard on anything with a backlash, especially if you are using flouro as it is quite easily damaged if kinked. And pulling hard can tighten up the tangles making them harder to get out. Others have suggested using mono until you get confident, and I agree. 12-14# mono usually casts pretty well, and it's a lot cheaper, and if cutting is necessary, a lot easier to cut than braid.

Does this mean they are really good or really bad? Or did they explode? Details? thanks,

Quantum Tour Edition PT's are a little harder to set up properly and according to RM take more lube more often than some reels, but they are good durable reels. I have used mine on King Salmon up to 20 pounds with runs of 100 yards or more, casting many thousands of casts on everything from small bass to the Kings, and have never had a malfunction. Their drags are bulletproof. I expect most bass fishermen never really see their drags challenged. My Quantum Cabo has taken many barracuda up to about 25 pounds and other salt water fish that make runs of over 200 yards in some cases and it never malf'd either. I think Quantum has making good drags down pat. I expect all manufacturers of reels these days are making some pretty good stuff. Personally, I don't really care how pretty a reel is. Some of the Quantums tend to be gaudy, in my opinion. What's with that iridescent stuff?

I have two spiral wrap casting rods that I made and can find no functional problems with them. Some people look at them and say that there is no way they can cast as far/well as regular rods, but after tons of fishing and testing both ways, they are wrong. They cast just like regular wraps. The advantage of spiral wrap is that it makes the rod more stable under load, especially if the load on the rod is not in line with the guides. If the load is somewhat offset from the guides then the rod can "turn over" or twist, putting the guides on the bottom, and as it turns over you feel the snap. I've heard that it can damage the high modulus graphite rods, although I have never had that happen. Spiral wrap has the guides on the bottom, so is stable under all loading conditions. If you are going to make spiral wrap rods consult Rodbuilder.org's forum on rodbuilding at http://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 before starting. There are a lot of ways to do a spiral wrap, some not so good,and you want to know what you are doing before investing the time and money.

I think the original poster was referring to a loud, screeching squeal, not the normal whirr that these reels and many others make. Loosen the adjustment cap until it no longer contacts the spool and see if the noise stops-I expect it will. If it stops, then the problem may be that you had it too tight (the adjustment is very sensitive) or needs lube. Comments from one of our reel experts indicates that hot sauce is not all it's cracked up to be and the Quantum needs more lube more often than many reels. I cobbled a small spring washer into the cap adjustment to soften the application of force from the disc to the spool and think it helped with the adjustment sensitivity. When my PT's are adjusted properly and lubed they make no unusual noise and cast great.

I have used the uni-uni for years and have had little trouble with it. With practice it is an easy knot to ty. It will get beaten up going through the guides after a while and you should keep track of this issue or you may lose a nice fish. Like I did once. I am experimenting with the Albright because it is smaller. The flouro only gets doubled with the Albright-with uni uni it wraps 5 thicknesses. The issue I have to be sure of is that the flouro doesn't get damaged in the sharp reversal of the Albright. So far so good. It is used in salt water for this application, so should be ok. I will check on the other smaller knot mentioned in previous post.

Regarding Reelmech question, I have put hot sauce oil in the cap and on the ball bearings. If there is a contact point on the side opposite the cap, I have not found it and have not lubed it. Reelmech-encountered the too sensitive and too noisy comments on these reels before? I suggested the spring washer idea, or some other "softer" way of applying the contact to the end of the spool to a rep from Quantum.

I read a posting recently, cannot find it today, in which it was mentioned that the poster's Quantum bait casting reel made so much noise on casting that it attracted attention from other anglers. I have two Quantum PT Tour reels, and while they are very smooth and normally quiet, they do make an inordinate amount of noise if the adjustment at the end of the spool is too tightly adjusted. Just a little turn out will relive the noise problem. However, I found that the spool end adjustment is just done wrong by design. The damping on the spool is very sensitive to the adjustment cap position, too much so. It is either "no effect" or too much effect in just a quarter turn or less. And if you miss by just a little, you get the noise. To fix this I went to the hardware store and bought the softest spring washer I could find that fit under the adjustment cap, and found that it allowed a more "normal" adjustment. Put it in the most outboard position, last thing in under the cap, so that the spool shaft is contacted by the disc that Quantum designed to contact the spool shaft. But it will soften up the application of force to the spool end and allow a little "adjustment" without encountering the noise. I expect the recent Cabela's sale on this reel indicates a redesign coming, and I hope they fix this problem which is, in my opinion, the only thing stopping this reel from being a world class reel.

Oh yes, lots of fun, and effective. I used to use maribou streamers with good success, but now I think the olive wooly buggers are the ticket around here. Just float them down the current and bass eat them readily. I think wet is definitely more effective than dry/poppers, although if you can get a popper bite, it is more fun because you see the strikes.

When spinning reels first came into this country the spools were quite large in diameter and short fore/aft. Remember the Airex? From France, I think. Then, as an improvement in casting, they changed to have smaller diameter spools that were longer fore/aft. Most reels today are of that configuration. But, as an improvement to casting, some makers are now making their spools larger in diameter and shorter fore/aft. The new BPS reels and a couple others look just like the old Airex reels my dad bought back in the late 40's or early 50's. Interestingly, the line he had was braided, as mono didn't exist. I haven't tried the new reels, but I expect they handle flourocarbon and other stiffer lines better.

I have used the uni knot for years on both bait casting (usually 20 # flouro to 30-50 # braid) and spinning (usually 10# flouro to 10-15 # braid) with very little trouble. Due to wear and tear going through the guides, I retie every few days of fishing. With rods with very small guides I sometimes feel that the knot is too big for the guides so have started to experiment with the Albright knot-too early to comment, but theoretically it should be a smaller knot than the Uni since it has fewer diameters of the line in the knot. Another issue can be the length of the leader. Short casts very well, as does long (leader much longer than the length of the rod), but some times when the leader is barely on the reel when the cast is started, it feels like it really hits the guides hard on the cast. When it is the right length, you don't even feel it going through. Obviously, if you can convince yourself that the braid is invisible to the fish, use no leader, but I'm not there yet. And I really like braid. I use the flouro that is designed to be line and not the super expensive leader kind of flouro, and have no indication that the flouro is a problem. There are some flouros that seem to be very sensitive to knot procedures, so if you find a problem you might try a different brand, and be sure to wet the knot and slo o o wly pull it tight. I've never used super glue. Keep in mind that for your surface lure fishing you may not like the way flouro sinks and drags your lure under on the twitches. If that becomes a problem, just use mono.

Maybe new EVA is better, but old EVA, like the old Ugly Sticks, used to deteriorate to the point of crumbling-I think due to reaction to time in the sunlight. I stopped buying rods with it because of my experience with the crumbling, and when I started building rods, would not consider it. Being a sort of traditionalist, I really like the look of cork on my rods, but have given in to technology by using the exotic burl in the natural and brown.