Lead Head

Shouldn't be too hard then. I'll tell you how I fixed one like that. The more experienced guys probably have a better way, but this is what I did. I cut the blank above the break. I then cut a section of a old blank and glued that in to extend the handle back out. (From here you can remove the old grip and put on a full grip and it will look good as new, but I went with a easier path that kept the grip split.) I then glued a carbon fiber sleeve over the rod and repaired area and installed a new butt grip. Picture of extention before the carbon fiber and butt grip. I lost about 1/2 inch of handle length to perfectly match up to the carbon fiber sleeve i had.

You have a picture? If its below the reel seat it shouldn't be too hard to repair. You could do it yourself most likely. If its into and above the reel seat things get tougher and you will need help from the guys more knowledgeable than me.

I can get 40lb 832 with 25lb sniper through a fuji alconite size 5 KT. I haven't had any problems, but it feels pretty tight. When I know I'll be using bigger leader often, I build with size 6 just for my own peace of mind. This is just my personal preference based on what I know works for me.

For me, a SV spooled Daiwa makes a night and day difference when skipping. They don't instantly make me good, but definitely make skipping a far better option for me than it was previously.

I used basspro, they aren't hurting and the employees will get paid the same regardless. @YoTone I also can't afford to pay $250 for a pair of sunglasses that is available online for $100 no matter who it is supporting.

My suggestion... Go somewhere that sells costa and try on every style they have. Take note of all the styles that fit comfortably and block out the maximum amount of light around the edges. Then shop online for the best price of one of the styles that fit well. If you're only going to have 1 pair, I highly recommend green mirrored (copper based). For me, they are comfortable in bright sun, pretty good in lower light, and amazing for everything in between.

I'm with A-Jay, I hate thick palms and long fingers when it comes to sun gloves. This means my kastking gloves almost never get used. I love the Huk gloves and want to try the open palm simms. Huk is my go-to when it comes to fishing clothes in general. While I definitely haven't tried every brand out there, Huk has outperformed everything that I have tried (with the exception of their shoes... those things are terrible for me).

I usually recommend segar invisx and sunline sniper to someone trying FC starting out. If you can't stomach one of those, FC probably isn't for you. If you like those, you can spend more on the super expensive stuff (tatsu) and get a slightly better experience. I like 14lb sniper for a all around line. KvD line and lure conditioner absolutely makes a difference.

In my experience, that is the best way to get the most out of a single setup. If you're not already super comfortable with braid on a baitcaster I strongly recommend 50lb braid. After you have a good feel for braid on a baitcaster, you can get away with 30lb without much trouble. Don't be afraid to try straight braid for any presentation that don't need some stretch.

I use enough backing that a 150 yard spool of braid fills the spool. After about 2 years I'll pull the braid off and flip it around. After watching my dad lose a nice fish because his braid was slipping on the spool, I always use at least a few feet of mono backing under braid just to be safe.

Most of my waters are dirty enough that any fish that gets close enough to a moving crankbait to see great detail is likely to get snagged. I like the detailed paint jobs and have caught fish with them, but I personally believe I would have caught the same fish with a similar more generic pattern (all of my experience supports this belief). I'm sure water clarity effects how much detail a bass can see, I just don't personally believe a bass has time to appreciate a great paint job before it has to decide if its going to eat a moving crankbait. Just a few thoughts on my experience in my waters. I like the 6th sense bluegill variations.

If you're a fly fisherman, your no stranger to leaders. I would suggest the 2000 or 2500 reel, with 15lb braid to a leader of your choice (something in the 6-8lb range).

Siebert dock or brush jig. I'm not sure one significantly out performs the other for me. I use them both for everything.

I have a 8.1.1 tournament mb that has absolutely been through the ringer. I use it for frogs and have no complaints. It is by far my longest casting reel. I've never measured it but with 50lb braid I can cast at least half the spool, its farther than I can get a reliable hookset with a frog. Its seen over 5 years of hard use (I never even serviced it until 2 years ago) and is still going strong.

If you're just starting out, I would suggest solid black, and solid greenpumpkin. Use trailers for accent colors. Use trailers in colors you know work with soft plastics in your area. As you build confidence and develop preferences you can start expanding on jig colors. Doing this really helped me starting out because it stopped me from constantly changing colors and kept me fishing more. After years of throwing jigs, it is MY OPINION that the days a fish will hit a black blue jig but not a solid black are few and far between (trailers being the same). Same goes for solid greenpumpkin vs. greenpumpkin with color.

@E-rude dude Its back in service... I could have painted it and kept it solid white, but the guy was more interested in functionality than appearance.

I can't count how many fish I've caught that I can't explain why I actually set the hook. Something just wasn't right (or was, depending on how you look at it). To answer your question, I set as soon as I think something "fishy" is going on.

I got into something BIG with a ned rig (ned lockz head) a couple years ago. I fought with it for a few minutes then it just decided to go and sit on the bottom. When I tried to get it up, it moved a few feet and then nothing. I reeled in a ned rig with the hook broken about midway in the bend. I know it is likely the hook failed in a big cat, but I want to believe a massive turtle bit it off.

If things are working just fine there is no NEED to upgrade. "WANT' is a totally different question. If the cost is a non-issue I would suggest upgrading at least a few setups just to get a feel for the modern technology. If cost is a issue... fish it till it breaks!

Without a doubt my favorite is a jig.

I'm coming in around the same price as Kev on X-ray builds (including tax/shipping into the price). Same on immortals. Personal preferences matter greatly when it comes to rods, but you would be hard pressed to sale me on a $200 production rod over a X-ray or Immortal. Especially when my rods have my choice of grips, foregrips, color, and balance. Not saying its impossible, but would definitely be a tough sale. Having said all that, I don't believe I have ever caught a fish on my "custom" rods that I couldn't have caught with a production rod of equal or even lesser value. But I surely do believe I enjoy fishing with my rods more than I would (and did) a production rod. If you are paying someone to build a custom rod for you instead of building one for yourself, that changes the cost significantly. At that point the "bang for your buck" meter probably slides back to production rods. One last thought while I'm rambling on here... The single most satisfying fish I have ever caught was my first one on a rod I built. It was satisfying for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the rod didn't explode on the hookset.

Carbon fiber is growing on me... still haven't decided if I like it better than winn grips, time will tell. Carbon fiber/winn grips are what all my rods have. I'm ok with cork and want no part of eva.

Nothing wrong with the other guys, but there is something about those SV spools that just makes casting (or Flipping) more enjoyable. Sure, they aren't typically the best raw distance reels, but I'm very rarely concerned about max distance. I'll take those effortless, controlled casts all day... even into the wind.

Just keep using the braid you have. In the future when its worn out, go up to 40 if you still want to try it. For me personally, there isn't enough difference between 30 and 40 to justify switching without need. I honestly can't think of any situation that would make me feel like I needed to go up from 30 to 40. Thats all just my opinion, if using the larger line will give you more confidence or make you feel better about your setup in some way, go for it.

The rod has been used heavily for a year. That makes me think if there was a defect of some sort it would have broken long ago. I'm pretty new to rod building though, so I guess its possible.