MickD

Depends on the definition of power, I believe. I was using the definition used in the CCS testing which measures power as the weight it takes to deflect the blank 1/3 its length. I will do a check on this. All I have to do is to test a rod two times, one as is and one measuring from the first guide down. The rod will be shorter, but I expect it will take more weight to deflect it to 1/3 its new length than it does in its original configuration. I agree that it ruins the blank in most cases. The reason the lower lure weight is affected is because the rod no longer loads as well at that lure weight as it did before. Because it is more powerful. In my opinion. I'll run a CCS on a rod and report back. Maybe in a couple days-going fishing tomorrow, lots to do today. Spoonplugger, I am talking only about power as defined by CCS. I don't dispute that the action slows.

I think you are mistaken. How can it not increase power when you cut off the weakest part of the blank? If the definition of power is the amount of weight it takes to deflect the blank a certain amount, like the 33% used in CCS, then power will increase. it will take more weight after you cut from the tip. Consider if you took two feet off a blank's tip, would it be more powerful or less powerful? It would be way more powerful, much slower in action. For smaller cut lengths, the effect is less but still directionally the same.

You can simulate what will happen by cutting either end before you cut. And yes, most do not cut the tip end, only the butt end. But you can simply use a guide a few inches down from the tip to simulate cutting the tip (guide taped on). You can simulate the butt cut by mounting the reel farther up the blank. Works to a pretty good degree/better than a "blind" cut. Most builders find a Dremel cutter the best for cutting blanks, but the principal no matter what you use is to use the finest teeth/highest speed/slowest feed as you can. Hack saws are not that great. Tape the cut area before hand to reduce splintering. I don't recommend any cutting. With the thousands of blanks available one should be able to find what he wants without cutting. But, it's not a perfect world and cutting will be inevitable, so follow the principals/recommendations by those with experience.

I like the Strike King 5 inch swim baits and the 3.8 fat Keitechs on a size 4/0 Gama worm hook, no weight on the hook. The slim cylindrical worm weights work well and clear in rocks better than the fatter worm weights.

It works much better with a moving lure like a swimbait than trying to swim a swimbait from a drop shot hook, won't get tangled on the cast, more snag resistant (sort of like a bottom bouncer), hook can be fastened to a conventional hook keeper without a length of line below it getting messed up. Trying to retrieve a swimbait at a reasonable speed with a drop shot will end up with the sinker line most likely trailing the lure through the water. I think there is confusion in that I'm talking about using a Tokyo rig not to punch through thick cover and not to work finesse lures, but to swim a 4-5 inch swimbait just off the bottom, or even up off the bottom. At least that 36 inch pike I nailed about 10 days ago liked it. I would not use it for normal finesse fishing lures like worms or tubes.

Bubba shot is nothing more than a heavy duty drop shot, so how it got into the discussion, I don't know. The Jika rig is fine, but it too is different from and has different attributes than the Tokyo rig. How I use the Tokyo is not punching, is not flipping, is not used in heavy weeds. It is used to retrieve swim baits along the bottom in rocks and along edges. Jika will not do this as well. The hook is too close to the bottom. Bubba is irrelevant. And the formed wire products mentioned early on are cheap and make it a piece of cake to make a Tokyo for about 1/5 the price of buying a finished Tokyo rig.

I like the wire in order to get more distance between the sinker (bottom) and the lure. With the sinker linked directly to the hook the lure is more likely to snag or collect weeds/bottom debris. I use it with 4 and 5 inch swim baits with slow steady retrieve and snapping them. Wire about 3 inches long works great.

Cabelas offers inexpensive looped wire, too, and it works fine. I don't like using hard wire because of the trouble I have finishing the loops off without leaving a sharp/hard end that I end up cutting my hands on. The Lure Parts Online and Cabelas are nicely finished, and the cost is really not an issue.

One of the problems on St Clair is the frequent huge wakes from the big cruisers. Mix those with a good chop, and it can get tricky. Just make sure you are not going too fast and missing seeing them coming. If you see them and act appropriately you can deal with them with any boat.

Please elaborate. thanks

I was not commenting on what G2 has or does not have. I just have personal repugnance for the aluminum fancy checks, sort of like too much lipstick on an older woman. I like the understated, but elegant, totally encapsulated, black winding checks. If I decide I need a check.

And when totally encapsulated in epoxy, they are at the same time unobtrusive and classy, while lasting forever.

Those with a high priority on weight should look on line for very small but inexpensive electronic scales so you can weigh the components yourself so you know exactly what you're weighing and how much it weighs. If you use a weight-proportioned epoxy you can get the mix exactly right, too. You can verify blank weights, complete rod weights, fly line weights, lure weights, guide weights (weigh a number of them and divide by the quantity), postage weights, very handy to have. Costs less than a carbon fiber grip.

The braids with the higher "carrier" counts will be quieter than the ones with lower counts. They will be more expensive, but worth it in my opinion. Braids last a long time, can be years depending on how often they are used. Hitena Pure Line is my favorite. I use 21 pound test because I want a stout line for bonefish, then use it for bass/pike/walleyes when I'm home. It is very small diameter so you can get a lot on the reel if you want, and it casts like other 10 pound test braids.

If the question is really about what colors are most effective for bass, then I have an opinion. For LMB, I've found nothing as effective as black and black and blue combinations, like junebug. For SMB, I've found nothing that is as often as effective as combinations of red and green, mostly green with a little red. Watermelon + red flake. Or candy, which has it all. But has to have some green to be in the top tier of colors.

Good strategy, in my opinion. Regarding the flex of composite frames I was fooling around with my Tatula LT and found that if I tried pretty hard I could get enough flex to see, in the hand, by holding the body and trying to bend the foot . I don't think there is any chance of significant flex/problem flex with the reel. I have never noticed any problem with the reel. Smooth, as all my Daiwas have been forever. I like how light it is compared with my old "hardbodyze" or whatever they were called.

The ones I had before the Huk, lasted about 4 years of use, were Glacier Gloves for only about $20. I think the Huk's are lighter/thinner, which is what the poster is looking for. But the Glaciers were very good gloves for the money.

I have some Huk that are very light, nice gloves.

You believe everything you read? The Supreme has a magnesium frame. All plastics are not the same. Everything flexes. Amount depends on its strength relative to the stress. I've never had a Daiwa reel that didn't perform very well, and some are "plastic." Everything you read on internet forums is opinion, and many with opinions don't really know what they are talking about. Or they use terms that are not really specific. Like "it." We have finally found out that "it" referred to reels with plastic bodies. Then someone thought he had been told that the Supreme was "plastic" and therefore it "flexed." This is getting ridiculous.

My question is what reel are you referring to with "it?"

What is "it?"

Pflueger Supreme is an excellent reel for about $100. I've used one for a couple years now and it's a fine reel. There is nothing wrong with "plastic reels." The materials are reinforced plastics that perform very well, in fishing reels, automobiles, and airplanes. And many other products. The advantage is that the reel can be lighter than all metal reels.

How about showing us your data that led to this conclusion.

I'll vote for you, A-Jay.