MickD

I notice a jointed Rapala in there, they always caught fish. I'll have to dig mine out and try it again. For some reason, it's been years.

I think the red/white one is a South Bend bass oreno, the second one looks like a copy of a river runt. Something doesn't look quite right with it. I searched for bass oreno and found one on E-Bay with an $85 asking price, so I'd check out those lures carefully. You might have some real cash available in there.

Start on top near the inside turn center left, defined by the 15-10-12 depth numbers and work progressively out to the right. Since shallower is easier than deeper, start easy and work deeper at an inside turn. If that doesn't work drop a stick of dynamite into the 90+ depth and see if Nellie comes up.

Canada craw. I just don't understand ned jigs with weed guards. The weeds on mine are almost always at the line tie/head, not on the hook.

You cannot decode it because it does not exist. There is one manufacturer which offers blanks all called "fast" which have CCS AA's from about 50 to 75 degrees if I remember correctly. An incredible difference, all called "fast."

With some manufacturers there seems to be no rational explanation for the variation in the subjective descriptions of their blanks (and rods). A big maker of blanks has recently been giving CCS numbers on their new blank introductions. This did not happen by accident. Builders on forums have been pressing for CCS data much more insistently lately. The only solution is to continue to request CCS numbers, continue to press the manufacturers for the data, which they all actually do have. Rainshadow RX10 spin and cast and Point Blanks are the only ones I know of that provide the data up front. Here is a source of quite a bit of data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r3zv1ygtuUjPBa-c5LT9RTYeDR_pnCDIkVIdDv0YoeQ/edit#gid=1592691333

If you are interested in going lighter with spinnerbaits, cranks, or chatterbaits you probably can do better with the latest Daiwa SV103 TW. Best casting reel I've ever found without breaking the bank. About $200. If worried about excessive speed, get the 6.3:1 ratio.

Sounds more like a leader problem than a knot problem. I just don't have that problem with mono or a number of FC leader materials.

I don't know why an Alberto would break "just in front of the knot." Or any knot. If it's breaking there then it's not a knot problem. How do you know the break is "just in front of the knot" if the knot is gone? It could be an inch or two or more. The leader must be somehow getting damaged if it's truly breaking. Are you sure it's not unraveling? To make the Alberto reliable so that it cannot unravel tie the braid tag end into two tightly set half hitches after setting the Alberto tightly. Bullet proof.

Thanks, will try you method. I love the Fuji KT4'a for spin, but they are so small they are hard to do anything with them. Next rod will be a 4 piece fly with double foot titanium snakes for my son, and he wants to help and learn, so will take a while. At least they aren't hard to handle, hold, and wrap.

I have recently built two MHX Elite Pro blanks into rods and have found them to be truly premium blanks, light for their power, fast response, crisp, smooth actions. Not to worry about NFC; there are plenty of blanks out there that are just as good. And most do not have ridges that complicate wrapping.

I have found that sparsely tied smaller jigs with trailers like Z man trick shotz really work well for smallies. Fish like Neds. As usual, green with green trailer and blue/black with similar trailer.

For the very fine weeds at the bottom of Lake St Clair this does not work. It's the head and tie that collect the weeds which may be dead and are like hair. The only way to keep them off is to keep the jig out of them.

For those of you who dislike Neds, keep it up. The fewer fishermen that use them, the longer the fish will keep eating them. For those with bottom weed problems, I think a solution might be to drop shot a ned. I haven't tried it yet, but after seeing fish chase neds on the retrieve, and starting a slow swim retrieve before they hit bottom (and it works), I don't think they are limited to just bottom fishing. I think a drop shot will keep the weeds on the sinker and the ned will be above and stay relatively clean.

Two inches off will affect it but probably leave it with some good uses, maybe crankbaits. Try it and see. But it is possible to fix it so that its action will be affected so little that you probably would not notice it. If you have the original piece. https://www.rodbuilding.org/library/repair-oquinn.html Before a crowd climbs on and says it will never be the same and won't fish well, I have fixed a number of fly, spin, and baitcasting rods this way and the users have been pleased with how they fish. I have one fly rod that I use as a spare that after repair had the same CCS numbers as when new.

Just took a 5.25 smallie today on a Canada Craw ned. The contention that neds just take small fish is false. Neds take all fish, and most are small . But they also take big ones.

Buy the best lock you can get. Cut-off wheels go through most locks in seconds.

The challenge here also includes the knot going through the guides and tiptop.

Just last week while fishing a shallow canal we had largemouth bass follow caught bass, and we caught the follower a couple times, right below the boat within sight. While the trolling motor was on spot lock and the transducer on. It may not always be that way, might depend on the mood of the fish, but it is clear that the motor and pings do not always inhibit the taking of lures.

Very good point, often the same for me. When you think about it, it's sort of hard to get an uneven coat of epoxy if it's a minimal coating to begin with.

I was fishing Sag Bay just off Charity Island, very clear water, on a drop to about 8 feet. My buddy had a metal leader, a yellow jitterbug, and a couple split shots to take it down. I said something like "that's not going to work," and he promptly took about a 15 inch smallie.

No, must be old. Try nuking it for a few seconds in the microwave. That works for liquid epoxy. Do it in stages, so not to overcook it.

If you want the best, and willing to pay for it, look at the Point Blank lineup to see if they have something that fits. Point Blanks have the highest True Natural Frequency of the blanks I've tested. I don't know what grass has to do with blank selection, but for finesse, I love it every time I pick up my PB701ML. This ML power is higher than most ML's, but the very fast action keeps it from feeling "stiff," and it casts a very wide variety of weights well. They don't have the ridges that many NFC blanks have, so they are easier to build, IMHO. Their constant diameter in the grip area also helps. No taper to worry about .

Interesting that some persons' duds are others fav's. My dud is the Whopper Plopper, and I know many have done well with them. When I was young the F7 silver Flatfish took smallmouth bass and rock bass by the hundreds on float trips down a good river in MI. Larger ones took walleyes trolled through deep water, and I had a U20 knocked right out of the water on a steelhead strike once. I'll have to check my old tackle and see if I still have one. Centipedes (french fry) really catch smallies and largemouth bass when you can find them shallow in the spring. Mostly wacky rigged.

I've not used all braids so cannot claim "The Best," but I have found none better than Hitena Pure Line. Pricey but lasts a long time. Have not noticed the typical "braid noise." I use 19 on spin and it's very trouble free, long lasting, has honest pound test ratings, long casting. I expect any of the 8 strand lines will be quieter than any of the 4's. Hitena Pure Line in the higher pound tests is 12 strand.