Michigander

Thanks! My first two areas are on opposites side of the lake, thankfully I can launch at a park or the actual boat launch to get close to the one I'll focus on for the day. This lake has kind of U shaped points that go from 2 ft to 30-50ft. One spot is a U out and the other is a U in, if that makes sense. I'm going to devote a day to each spot initially and just try to cover it at every depth and from every direction. I'm going to work ambush points like timber and docks (if there are any left) until the sun gets high and then I will work shallow to deep, hoping to find the bass trying to silhouette food against the bright surface. In the warm times, I observe the most diversity of species and the highest abundance of bait at these two locations which are both significant lake features. The bigger fish of the tournaments we fish there also often come off of one of these two areas. If those don't pan out, there's a ragged drop off situation with some localized rocky areas at the base (only rocks I know of in the lake). So while less diversity and bait, there are better lake bottom features. If nothing pans out, I will probably repeat the cycle again. If that fails after six trips, it's back to the drawing board because I clearly need to reevaluate myself. Ideally, I will have gained some insight after almost 40hrs in three places.

Went through and did parts inventory as well as inspected the blank, everything is looking good. The MB-784 kit I got has a really cool blank in it, I think it should serve me well on the kayak. However, the components that came with the kit are..... not what I would have picked myself. But I needed to see them and touch them to know that. It was really cool to have everything on my bench. I can tell that rod building and design is going to be a fulfilling hobby for me. I just have to ignore the want to upgrade all the kit parts and just build it for experience. LOL. Also, I found out that my digital scale is missing batteries so I can't weigh any of the components. I wanted to start keeping a log of how much each part weighs. Maybe we should get a community GoogleDoc spreadsheet going...... For handle reaming, how close do you ream out the ID of the handle (EVA or Winn) to the OD of the blank at the position it will be mounted?

If OP has Stella money, a custom rod should be a no-brainer. ?

I only need three more...... Maybe a fourth as an upgrade....

Sounds good thanks! I like the idea of the wire insert. That way you could add them on the water. I think if you took a paperclip in a u shape like a cotter pin and folded the tips back like a double baitkeeper, they would probably hold once inserted into the worm. Want to try this on flukes now too.

Critical thinking skills are a much better indication of intelligence than how many facts you can recite, that's for sure.

I like cool words, impromptu vocabulary is a passion of mine. ? So you're saying the spine doesn't matter for rod building or it doesn't matter for the initial blank inspection?

I had FedEx, UPS, and USPS show up today. Almost had Amazon too. My swimbaits and rod building materials are ready for the weekend!!

I have a few 4000 and a few 3000 reels. I'll always pick the 4000 for bigger lures because they are more comfortable to cast with a wider diameter spool. You'll find a lot of 3000 and 4000 reels are the same frame, just different spools and bails. Or 4000-5000. I would pick the lightest frame with the biggest spool. And go all metal, graphite frames aren't what you want. My heavy cover spinning reels are all Penn because they are metal, strong, and not bank account abusers on the "lower end". Can't speak to inshore rods in that lure rating, but musky rods are meant to deal with a lot of water resistance from the big lures like the ultra mega spinners and 6 oz curly tail baits. Based on your original description of lures, you are most likely going to be disappointed by lure action, presentation control, and sensitivity. I've also punched with my musky rod a few times and yes, it flings the bait out there, but the whole time you're thinking about how this is not the right rod for this technique.

Ok good. I got one of the early Striker 7 models that just had the white screen and it was a mistake. Been collecting dust as a 2d emergency backup for years.

Does that have maps or just the white screen with waypoints?

Ok, so the Mudhole package got here a day early! However, two of the three blanks I ordered are backordered. So boo. That being said, I have all the contents of my kit rod to get my first build under my belt. To those with experience, how do I properly inspect the blank to make sure it is free from damage or defects? I used to be a helicopter mechanic, so detailed inspection is a normal expectation of mine. I've got the easy stuff like a single piece blank being in two or more pieces, but are there distortions, discoloration, or other oddball stuff like delamenating ( not sure a blank could even do that...), or something else? Is it just a visual/tactile inspection?

How did you attach the feathers? I'm supremely interested in modifying tubes in this way.

Maybe I should copy that old timey language for instructions on how to use the features on new cars so people that had cars fifty years ago can stop calling me to ask how to turn their headlights on or work their GPS. We're not smarter than previous generations; just differently knowledgeable. Solid safety tip about the battery juice though. There's stone cold idiots in every age bracket, I just think we have the privilege of better documentation of that stupidity. ?

Braid to FC leader on everything. If I had a dedicated frog rod, I would probably skip the leader there though. I get more bites with a FC leader rather than straight braid. I'm more likely to not get immediately broken off by a pike because the FC leader provides some shock absorption. When my reel birdsnests, I can pick out the braid and still trust that it wasn't compromised, unlike FC.

Can also vary depending if you are viewing the desktop version of the site or one of the mobile versions. My phone is not playing nice with this place lately and has been causing all kinds of user interface strangeness.

I catch way more pike on heavy FC leaders than steel leaders.

Brown box of new toys:

The Reaction Strike suspender is a phenomenal pike lure. I couldn't tell you how many pike I've caught with mine. It's only about 6" long from tip to tip but I've never even had a bass follow it. I think they are discontinued but there's still a few on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/c/1430143835

I catch a lot of pike on light colored jigs too. White, cream, tan colors when working through deeper water.

Sure, but a man can dream. But sometimes the dream is a nightmare....

I recognize the picture but not the name. Never used this stuff, I don't see it very often around here.

They like flashy and hairy lures. They also like your favorite bass lures. Especially when you have a lighter pound test leader attached.

I'll have to watch through some of his videos then, I'm not really familiar with him. I was trying to find a different video on this rig from the early days of YouTube but couldn't locate it so I posted this one instead. Not a lot of content on this rig.

Oh, so this is Fishmas! I've seen people mention it but didn't know what they meant. I'm in!