Michigander

I've seen those and am really interested in your on water review of them.

People put a lot of emphasis on the gear but you don't need anything crazy to just go fishing. I fished with frogs on a spinning 5'6" M Ugly Stik for most of my life and had plenty of success. It was my favorite. However, if your gear is broken, then that's not fun anymore. Good on you for helping those kids enjoy our sport.

Get a pair of jungle boots from a surplus store. They're mesh on the sides and have drain ports to drain as you walk (on land anyway). They spew water as you step. The knockoffs are fairly inexpensive and if you can get ones with gator tread, even better. Here's some cheapies from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Outdoor-Products-Vietnam-12/dp/B00HGYZ0FS/ref=asc_df_B00HGYYQIK/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=314068911321&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17322764694003778426&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017263&hvtargid=pla-524822232903&ref=&adgrpid=62344781957&th=1 Here's one with gator tread, or "ripple sole" as I guess it is also called: https://militaryuniformsupply.com/products/rothco-black-ripple-sole-jungle-boots?variant=35548666298517&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiA48j9BRC-ARIsAMQu3WTbZT3h0zgZuALkdJrdsrpGKhjJ8ZrQmEcirVkIwvSJaY-ZOflkYR4aAprmEALw_wcB

Ok, I'm into trying that. Maybe I can shim up the handles too if I can get them off. One side looks riveted but there's a decorative cap on the exterior side that might be able to be removed.

? Well, thankfully not all my rods are good enough to notice.

Oh... then I will stop wondering about them. Thank you, that's a very helpful comparison. Maybe I should be looking at aftermarket handles....

Legitimate suggestion but I still notice it after a full maintenance session. I do a full disassemble and clean at the beginning of the season and half way through. What I like less than buying a reel in the first place is replacing it due to neglect. Yes, and a little around the knobs.

I have a handful of Daiwa Fuego baitcasters and really like them. However, I'm developing a taste for nicer rods and I can sometimes feel a false positive bite on my most sensitive rod from the subtle tick of the handle/spool on the reel shifting a bit. As my nice rod collection grows, I anticipate this will worsen. I'm also kind of price averse when it comes to reels so I'm wondering: A ) Is there a way to modify a reel to eliminate or greatly reduce play in a reel? B ) What are the least expensive reels in the mid tier that have really tight tolerances on their parts?

Sta-Bil in the bearings and you fog the spool.

Luck comes when it comes, I've never figured out a way to manipulate it in my favor so I quit trying. However, tempting Fate totally works so I try to stay humble and keep my mouth shut out there.

Ok, cool. I could go get denatured if it's better but I had about 2 gallons of isopropyl before the pandemic started and it became impossible to get. Still have about 3/4 gallon left. After the bill I racked up on Mudhole last night, I'm content to not spend any money for a bit.

Ok, when I get my measurements for the skeleton seat I'll ask Mudhole to recommend a size. I'm sure I'll understand what the gap should be after getting the one they say to use. For the mounting epoxy, I got the regular Pro Paste. They had a fast cure version but I went with the slow stuff so I could take my sweet time as I'm a novice and may need extra time for fiddling. Is denatured alcohol the preferred choice for cleaning the excess epoxy? I've got a bunch of 91/99% isopropyl alcohol handy that I use for cleaning my 3D printed parts.

I think custom is probably the way to go. I've had a rough time finding bass compatible heavy spinning gear and your weight range further reduces choices.

Or maybe someone threw a mountain bike into the river 50 yards up and now that's the cool place to be. I've found that rivers change a lot and sometimes suddenly. Just depends what the weather is doing and/or what washed downstream. For all we know, their favorite rock at that spot is buried now and they moved on.

I don't think the cleaning rod for my shotgun will survive a drill, but I can rig something equivalent up. Should I key the skeleton seat to the thinner diameter of the front piece and bore the back piece to ensure the tightest fit then?

Well, I'm building a pair of these with slightly different measurements and components. I think I'll just go the slow route for my first piecemeal custom builds. I think I'll benefit from doing all the measurements myself as I'll understand things better for future builds. Thanks everyone for your help!

I don't know the precise placement yet. So sounds like I need to order the blank tonight to get this show on the road. I'll miss Mudhole's pre Black Friday for some of the parts but I can get the majority ordered. Thanks!

So order winding checks and reel seat after receiving the blank.

Wow, I'm really impressed by that. It's gorgeous.

Casting rod and I'm going with the Bushido LS7/10-20 blank: Item LS7/10-20 Description Bushido 7’0” Light Saltwater 10-20 lb. Length 7’0” Line WT. 10-20 lb. Lure Rating 3/8 - 1 oz. Butt .527” Tip 5.5 Blank WT. 2.41 oz. Action Mod-Fast Power Med-Heavy And I'm going with the MINIMA Ultra-Lite Exposed Blank Casting Reel Seat because I have this on another rod and like it. However, there are thirteen ID size choices on this seat between 9.5mm and 15.5mm. So I have no idea what to pick at this point. Also, not sure how to pick the correct size of aluminum winding checks which suffer from the same problem of lots of ID size choices.

So I am ready to order the parts for my first rod build and have everything picked out but I'm stuck on not knowing what ID sizes to order for some of the components. Is the normal way to order the blank, guides, grip, and butt first and then order the other parts as a second order after getting the measurements?

I avoid micro guides altogether because I use connection knots.

I've never had an issue with knot fraying. The fish tear up the line long before the swivel damages the knot.

If you're in the market for an inexpensive spinning reel that isn't total junk: Finesse and general applications https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Sienna-Spinning-Fishing-Ratio/dp/B07WK5NSN8/ref=asc_df_B07WK5NSN8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=367467590288&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8213163488709625100&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017263&hvtargid=pla-852919841401&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=76073046413&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=367467590288&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8213163488709625100&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017263&hvtargid=pla-852919841401 Heavy and brute force applications https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Pursuit-Spinning-Reel-2500/dp/B07GJYD2VW/ref=asc_df_B07GJYD2VW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312142476371&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10385272313583576428&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017263&hvtargid=pla-570098020223&psc=1