MickD

Fusion may not be braid, but it acts like braid with respect to its stretch, or lack of stretch. It is about twice the diameter of usual braids, about half that of monos. Because it is not as thin as most "braids" is doesn't have the tendency to dig in as much. It has just seemed to handle better on my bait caster than any other I have found. And it seems smoother though the guides. I tried Iron Silk, which is probably another "fused" line, and didn't like it. Too stiff. I couldn't find Fusion on line at any retailer, so it may be "was" instead of "is." I may have to go to a higher pound test of a line like Power Pro to get the diameter I like. I have used 65 pound Power Pro on an in-shore BC reel and liked it. I have noticed that Fusion does deteriorate in time and I will cut off the end a few feet now and then, but I have not felt that it deteriorates any faster than some other "braids" I have tried. Power Pro seems very durable on my spinning rods in heavier pound tests. The 10 pound test, as is logical since it is so thin, is more fragile and needs replacement more often. Since I use a clear leader with all braids/fused lines it is necessary to put on a new knot fairly often with any line/leader combination. The knot going through the guides so often gets beat up.

All these responses to setting the drag properly, and the percentages of line pound test, and all the science, are certainly interesting, but for bass, it's in my opinion much ado about nothing. Bass are just not that challenging on drag setting accuracy. Just set it so you don't break the rod or the line on setting the hook and so that the line doesn't imbed on the spool, and go fishing and have fun. If you want to really get into the importance of proper drag setting, go salt water fishing.

The best braid I've found for baitcasters is 24 pound Fusion. I'm sure there are many that are as good, but I haven't found them. I use a clear mono/fleuro leader of about 6-8 feet connected with a uni knot.

A couple comments: One dimension that I haven't heard mentioned much on spinning rods is the reel post to rod butt dimension. I made a 7 foot spinning rod recently using a 9 inch rear cork and a 4 inch reel seat. This positioned the reel post about 12 inches from the butt. When jigging the butt keeps hitting my body or biceps-the dimension is too long. With that reel seat, I should have used only about a 7 inch rear cork. It may also be possible to cut off the reel seat. I haven't heard of that either, but the reel seats seem to be at least an inch longer than necessary. Having said that, you also have to keep rod balance in mind. My rod feels fine for balance with the reel I plan to use most of the time, so I'm not sure how it would feel with a shorter rear cork. The main point is, consider that dimension when designing your rod. The design of the reel seat will also be a factor in that dimension. I would appreciate comments from some of you expert rod builders on this issue. thanks in advance

I have used factory rods with that type reel seat and have not noticed any problems, but. . . those rods themselves were not top of the line rods. I think that the more sensitive the blank, the more important it is to have the rest of the rod designed for max sensitivity. I think you can dull a great rod with the wrong components, and reel seat would have to be one of the most important. Having said that, the foot of the reel is still going to be in contact with both the rod and your hand, so I doubt if it will dampen sensitivity noticeably. I use woven graphite reel seats on my rod builds. I use masking tape to build the rod blank to the proper diameter. Then epoxy the seat to the rod, which should give a direct path for "feel." People using the rods rave about the sensitivity of the top of the line rods, so I think it does a good job. I expect they are also lighter than the type you mention, but am not sure. Light weight is a very high priority with me. The reel seats cost about $10.00, which is sort of high for reel seats, but I like to use high quality components. They really grip the reels well. One issue I havn't figured out yet is that the reel seats are 4 inches long, which is longer than necessary for my spinning reels. On my next build I think I will shorten the seat about 1/2-3/4 of an inch in order to shorten the butt section of the rod a bit. They seem a little long, sometimes causing the butt end of rod (with 9 inch rear cork-may shorten that to about 8 inches, too) to hang up on my biceps when jigging while seated in a boat. Anyone with comments about this issue?

I gave some bad info yesterday. the 7 foot SC V rod I made weighed 4.2 oz, not 2.4. With the components I used, the rod will weigh about 2.5 ounces more than the weight of the blank. The cork weighs about .9 oz, the reel seat about 1.1, the guides about .3, and the epoxy, masking tape shim, and winding finish about .2. The rod is still a dynomite rod! I weighed a 7 foot old Shakespeare Ugli Stick today, and it weighed 5.4 ounces. Seems like that extra ounce between the St Croix and the Shakespeare means a lot , because I don't think I could go back to the Ugli Stick. Of course there is a lot more to it than weight, the St Croix sensitivity is in another league from the old Ugli Stick. I made a Cabela's XML 7 foot fast action, medium light power, rod recently, using gold Fuji SiC guides, not titanium frame, and the rod weighed 3.7 ounces. Other components same as the St Croix. Looks like the XML blanks are really light, too.

If you haven't yet made your decisions, I may have some info of interest. I made a rod for my son last Christmas, and he absolutely loves it. Friends who have tried it also rave. I am going to make one just like it for me. Blank: St Croix SC V 7 foot medium action # 5S70MF. If you prefer medium light action use #5S70MLF. I think for most spinning work the MF is best. Blank will cost $140 from most places, buy in next few days from Cabelas and they will give $20 off on a special promo. One piece blank will cost + $10 to ship. Use their credit card for "bonus bucks" that may be redeemed for Cabelas stuff. Make sure you ask for the brown, 2006 blank, not the old spruce green one. If they don't know what you are talking about, talk to customer service for fishing and the people there know and can give you the proper number to order. If buying from a local shop, just make sure you and they are talking about the 2006 brown blank. If you don't do this you will get the old 2005 green blank. Guides: Use American tackle titanium frame/nanolite rings available from Cabelas or Jann's Netcraft. Fuji SIC guides with aluminum frames are great also, but more costly. SIC is a little harder, nanolite is much tougher. Will cost about $50 for Am Tackle , but will keep the rod really light. The rod I made only weighed about 2.4 ounces. The blank weighs 1.7. Guides are the most important element in making a really nice rod ,after the blank. Don't put low quality (heavy/soft) guides on a premium blank. Save up and do it right. St Croix blanks have a lifetime warranty, but St Croix doesn't advertise it much, so go to their website to register the blank. I use Cabelas premade 9 inch cork rear grips and 3.5 inch front grips. Will add another $20 to the bill. Put a nice hook keeper on it. I used brown thread without color preservative and the windings take on the color of the blank, almost disappearing. I like the understated look. I have found the Cabelas two part rod finish does a great job on giving nice glossy smooth windings. I have a rotating device to keep the rod turning until the stuff hardens. Prevents droops. Check eBay to buy one if you want one. I bought the motor and shaft connector for about $15 and attached a tuna can to insert the butt into to provide the turning torque. Look at the premade ones and you can see how simple it is to cobble one. For a real seat both Cabelas and Janns have a nice woven graphite seat in brown color, looks really sharp with the brown blank. This rod will cost about $200 to make, retails premade for $310, but the premade one doesn't have titanium frame nanolite guides, so what you build will be better. The two easiest mistakes to make in building a spinning rod are: 1. not locating and setting the blank spline properly to the guides. If in doubt, write me and I'll get you a resource. and 2. Not locating the reel seat properly relative to the guides. Once built, these problems are either impossible or very difficult to fix. Mick Rod making is one of the most rewarding pastimes I have.