MickD

That guide set has a first guide that is not the optimum height for casters, according to Fuji. It should be a 10 mm, possibly followed by a KB6, then all the rest of the guides can be one size. I would use 5.5's, but For casters I use a Fuji RV6 for the first guide, then Fuji KB's and KT's all the way to the tip with a Fuji SIC LG tiptop. The specs for the blank tells you which tip top tube size to get. I think building on top in the traditional way is best for a first build, and I use 9 or 10, usually 9, guides + a tiptop for a blank like this. I like 5.5 ring size runners for casters, but you can go smaller, but 4.5's are pretty darned small. I would use 4 or 5 KB's (bigger foot than KT's for the middle of the rod) then KT's to the end. Alconite or SIC are fine, I wouldn't spend the money for Torzites for a first build. The Fuji TRVSG RV guide is a light colored finish that will go well with the light stainless KB's and KT's or the light titanium guides. It's available in a dark finish that will go well with black guides or the dark CC Fuji guides. The running guides are so small that exact finish matches is not a problem. IMO The ACSM seat is a good seat that is not hard to build and Mudhole can tell you which bore size is right for that blank. Mudhole can help with the grips. For most casters used for bass fishing you don't even need a foregrip. Use the Mudhole site to familiarize yourself with the building processes,, tools, materials needed. There are many excellent videos on line, too. Mudhole has some and Flex Coat has many. I'd say your specs are close to right, but I would not buy that set, but would start with the RV 6 or KW 10.

Absolutely right! It is not that difficult to make your own setup to get objective numbers on power and action. If you have a workshop with a vice and a level floor you can do it. Then you'll get a good understanding of the ratings you see, and you can even test a new rod to see if it is what you want. The testing does no damage, leaves no marks, so the rod could be returned if it doesn't fit your needs. CCS was developed for fly rods, but it works for any rod, period. https://www.common-cents.info/

While this suggestion may spoil everything, buy at least one new tech reel, like a Daiwa. For under a hundred dollars you will get a reel that will be like magic to you. But. . . maybe you don't want to know.

I like braid for deep cranking, like the sensitivity, have no trouble getting the lures down. Keep in mind that there are sinking braids available. Also , since braids are so thin compared to other lines the water resistance is less allowing the lure to get down well depending on relative diameters . I use a leader because I'd rather cut leader to replace a snap or lure rather than cutting braid.

I would do that for one situation, but since I don't do it much, nope. The situation is slow rolling a spinnerbait-if I did that a lot I would use my old Calcutta with a 5.2 ratio to make it easier to retrieve slowly. I like higher ratios for most everything, so that rod/reel would be dedicated to slow rolling.

I see no advantage in this knot except that it is easy to tie. But it can be done wrong-i did one today that failed the leader instantly. But if I get it right, it still is not a very slim knot, nothing close to FG or Alberto. More like a double uni, which works well exc when the leader gets too thick and my guides get too small. I did a few more Albertos today, and am getting it down. Looks like it has a good future with me.

6 pound floro can be handled on a spin reel nicely, but what do you have to give up? 15 pound braid will cast as well and isn't fragile like FC is. Get a good size fish that gets into a weed ball, and it's over with 6 pound test. I don't buy FC any more, having tried and tried to find a good one at a reasonable pound test (did'nt), so a really "good" FC will be very expensive, and won't last nearly as long as braid. And it's more fragile on getting tangles resolved. This solution doesn't make sense to me.

It's not clear what he is pulling through. Maybe I'll figure it out when trying the knot, but is it the leader or the line?

If you want to cast lighter lures then get a rod whose lure weight recommendations/specs get pretty close to the weight you want to throw. Being a builder I can probably get more options than buying factory rods, and what works best for having a very large range of weights that cast well is a medium power extra fast action blank, like the Point Blanks. In order to have the power at M or MH the tip AND the action at XF the tip has to be pretty light. Which means that you are essentially using the tip to cast the lighter lures and the backbone to cast the heavier ones. This is an oversimplification , but it's true that XF will give a larger weight range of easy casting. Using this logic, if you can find an XF action rod whose lure range gets close to your lightest, it will probably work well. Might be M or MH power.

I tied an Alberto today, 21 # Hitena Pure Line to 12 # Sunline flouro leader material, and it really went well. Part of it is due to the Hitena not being as limp as previous braids I was tying, so it kept a little away from the leader down and back. It didn't messily clump up as it was wrapped. When I tightened it , it turned into a very neat looking, very small knot. I cannot imagine it unravelling, but will give it a try. While theoretically larger than an FG, it is plenty small enough to go through size 4 micros. Wish me luck.

Use no lighter than about 30 pound test braid on the caster, don't set your drag too tightly, no problems.

I doubt if Yozuri will disappoint. It is one of the most respected companies. The most likely possibility will be the flouro won't work that well. Not because it's a bad spool, but because it is flouro. I've given up using flouro for line, exc for one combo. I use it for leaders a lot, though.

Seems funny that with all the talk I hear on this forum about "bad batches" of line, I've never had one, and I'm old enough to have bought one heck of a lot of line. I think line problems, other than problems with trying to make an inappropriate line work, are problems with loading the line onto the reel, or cracked guides, or twisting it, but it's not about a bad batch of line. IMHO

Hitena PureLine

My problems were clearly unravelling, not a failure of either line. It usually happened when snapping swimbaits off the bottom, a lot like snapping a blade bait aggressively. I'll try the suggestions.

I have the same boat, 2017, great boat exc for the exposed cleats which I find way too many times with hands and clothing. I cobbled some covers for mine, but recessed cleats would be very much appreciated.

I know, but I've had so many failures when I thought I was tying it correctly that I gave up on it. Maybe I'll try again this year. thanks,

Try cutting it off to the length you want. While smallies do hit big baits at times, they also shun big baits at times, and I think the smaller 3.5 and 4 inch swimbaits are more reliable at getting fish to bite. IMO

I know this, but I think at times my knot gets so messy the right way through is not obvious. I've pretty well mastered the FG , so have not spent much time trying to figure out my Albertto problems.

But some knots are easier to reliably tie than others. And the FG is easy to screw up. But I understand what it takes to do a good FG. The double uni is not easy to screw up. It is easy to tie. Its problem is that it can get too big for easy , clean , passage through small guides. The Alberto, for me, is in never never land where I don't understand why it doesn't work reliably. But it doesn't.

I think the trick with the FG is to keep it very tight as you are doing the weaves, then it will draw tight without even adding any half hitches. I'm not saying to eliminate the half hitches , only that if the weaves are kept tight then the knot will draw tight every time, deforming the leader and creating the deformation of the leader that is necessary for the knot to work. Then the half hitches will keep it from loosening and failing. And the best way to ensure that is to NOT to try to tie it with the braid between your teeth. How do you mushroom the leader? It sounds like a way to put something right at the end of the leader that will prevent the knot from slipping. If you keep it tight as you are tying it , it will draw tight along its whole length and not have to depend on an "interference" right at the end of the leader.

I've experienced the same thing with the Alberto and thought it was because I was not going back through the loop the right way. But it always happened during aggressive snapping a 4 in swimbait off the bottom. So that may be it, instead. I gave up on it and use the double uni where line sizes and guides allow it and FG for heavier lines or smaller guides. The FG is a great knot, but it too can fail if you don't do it right. My problem with the Alberto was that it unravelled.

That color works very well on Sag Bay and St Clair. But there is one in the coffee tube line that's even better. From my experience.

Best color tube? If you had to pick one.

Will last a lot longer than a couple years if you used the wrap epoxy on them, which it looks like you did. You might want a second coat on the ones like the upper that show the texture of the threads. Not for longevity, just appearance. If appearance is not an issue, go fishing; they will not fail because the texture is showing. Nice job, A-Jay. I think there is one you need to impress, and keep impressing. IMHO