Whatever

That is exactly the problem---you cannot find a 10" Makita saw right now. They are out of stock, unavailable, and no backorder. I have been looking for 4 months. And I really prefer Makita tools! The Milwaukee cordless is only an 8" blade. Milwaukee is made in China now, but so is Bosch. I don't know anyone else who builds a decent, reliable saw, with a solid reputation. I have used Makita and Milwaukee tools for 40 years, on a professional basis, and always been satisfied. Nowadays, who knows? It seems most corporations are cutting their own throat in the constant quest to screw customers out of that one extra dollar by making a cheaper product!

Years ago, Govt entities would at least apologize for their incompetence. Not anymore. Now it is just a take it or leave it, screw off attitude. The "New Normal" incorporates incompetence and indifference as their routine standard, and it is becoming exponentially worse.

I have been trying to purchase a Makita 10" portable table saw for 4 months----and have given up, due to nonexistent availability. I used to favor Milwaukee tools--until they moved to China. Now I am looking at a Bosch . Does anyone know whether these are good, solid, dependable table saws? The one I am looking at runs about $600, with a stand. I don't want the stand, but that is what they offer. I know years ago their portable tools were top notch, but am unsure now. I need one for home projects, not commercial grade, but I absolutely hate working with crap tools. Any input regarding this?

Another thing that never gets mentioned are the conditions you are fishing in---I suspect that 3' of visibility in many southern waters is as good as it gets, while 10 -12' of water clarity in Montana is the norm. How well fish see, and how they interpret that, are mostly unknown quantities, with lighting levels being a key factor.

Good info, gents! You guys are the best! Thank you.

I have been using Bob Smith 30 minute epoxy for cementing rod handles and reel seats. Is there a better epoxy available? Is there a difference in strength or longevity between the 5 minute and 30 minute versions?

Marketing is a bizarre concept. The highly favored Chilean Sea Bass, was formerly the Patagonia Toothfish. The name was changed strictly for marketing, and it worked, once the FDA signed off on this. Maybe "Chicken of the Lake?"

On New Years Eve, the Puget Sound Ferry boats shut down. So my partner wanted to go diving on the local ferry dock, for Ling Cod and Dungeness crab. It was the only night of the year when this was safe, due to ferry traffic. We hit the water at midnight, and dropped down to 60' depth, and started through the submerged pilings. We had picked up a few dungies, when I saw another light coming towards us. My first thought was an alien being stalking us underwater! It turned to be a man and his wife, doing the exact same thing we were. We all met on the beach afterward, and had a good laugh!

Once it makes youtube, I am guessing any "secret" aspects just got thrown out the window?

That is the thing which sparked my original curiosity---Box Turtles are not an aquatic species, are they? Granted, I have only seen one in the wild, and certainly no turtle expert, but it is my understanding they are completely terrestrial. We have Painted turtles locally, which are aquatic, but zero Box Turtles.

My "friend" had four legs, and weighed a hundred pounds. She broke several of my rods. And she was always forgiven!

"I have a bait buying problem. I have two five gallon buckets" Well, shipmate, I believe you might consider this solution! Just get a ten gallon bucket! Then you can say, in all honesty, I only have one bucket of gear!

Good stainless steel is a minimum of 17% Chromium, and is non-magnetic. The cheaper grades use less chromium, sometimes much less. I use a magnet to grade the stainless bolts I use. The cheaper steels will react to magnetic influence, the best grades will not.

Are you familiar with Loctite 420? It is a superglue, with very low viscosity, so it flows into very fine cracks and splintering. It is commonly used for repairing fine cracks on wooden and fiberglass bows. Clean prior with denaturated alcohol, than wrap the broken section with rod guide winding, and coat with an epoxy finish. Assuming it breaks again, you are not really out anything.

Okay, let me just say that I am already getting a headache, as I struggle to adapt and incorporate all this excellent info into my "spring offensive" against the local bass population. But I want to send out a great big Thank You! to you gents, for taking the time and effort to share this excellent insight with your fellow anglers. It is just such discussions as this that make fishing such a fascinating pursuit, and I am grateful for your assistance! You have significantly advanced my understanding of the topic, based on this discussion! Thanks, Guys!

Well said, Sir! As a former State Fisheries Technician, I applaud your insight.

I was browsing (grazing?) another subject on this site, and saw a reference to a box turtle possibly snapping an anglers lure off. Thinking box turtles are terrestrial, I pulled up Wikipedia to confirm that. And found this interesting comment, from one of our esteemed "leaders"-- "In Virginia, bills to honor the eastern box turtle failed in 1999 and then in 2009. In opposition one legislator had asked why Virginia would make an official emblem of an animal that retreats into its shell when frightened." Which led me to reflect on the fact that so many of us, with the government's official recommendation, and in many situations, insistence, have long since retreated into our shells, due to being "frightened". It seems the turtle had it going on, long before the rest of us. Well, hope springs eternal, and hopefully, ice out is within 60 days. More or less. I can leave my shell at that point.

The rod holder is not an issue, he has problems keeping a grip on the rod when it is raining, snowing, or his hands get cold. He wanted me to wrap the handle with cord. I think the KW's are cheaper are cheaper than some of the others. What would you suggest for a decent, inexpensive guide?. Weight is not a problem. One chart I referenced suggested 10 or 11 guides, which seems excessive. 8 sounds about right. Thank you!

I am rebuilding an old Eagle Claw Ocean Granger trolling rod for my brother. The reel seat was loose, so I stripped the butt section and re-epoxied everything, and replaced the fore grip with cork. Now I am replacing the guides (there were only 4 plus tip). The rod is 7'5", but the blank is actually 6'2", as the rest is a solid hardwood handle. How many guides do I need on this rod? I am looking at the Fuji KW's, as I do not wish to dump a lot of money in this rod. He uses it for trolling leadcore line for 14" Kokanee, and might on occasion catch a lake trout up to 20#. The next item---As I mentioned it has a 15" hardwood handle. It is tapered to the mid point, then swells again to the reel seat. Would cork tape work to wrap this handle, with the reduced diameter in the middle? Would Winn tape be a better choice? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Tander, I have no idea what I am looking at on your reply?

Bulldog, They do that in Apra Harbor (Guam) as well, with Jacks up to around 50#. And they tell you to be very careful regarding your fingers! The fish are protected, and habituated to divers, and man, they are fast!

I bought a plug knocker last year, and have yet to use it. Now it occurs to me, which is a preferred line to use with it? I have a "sawed off"( 3') spinning rod, with an old bait caster to mount it on. Do you guys prefer Spectra, braided dacron or what to utilize these things? What pound test? I am avoiding the cheap deals on Amazon, as the line reviews are all over the map. What do most of you guys use?

I should mention the plus or minus factor in fly rods--it is generally accepted you can go up (or down) one line size on a given weight rod, and still get good performance. A 5 weight is plenty big enough for our local bass (a 6 pounder here is huge), but it does not lend itself to casting large bulky flies. You might try a 6 weight line, and see if it works with your rod, for casting larger flies, rather than spend the money to get an 8 weight rod.

I have had my best luck the past several seasons fishing Bunny Leeches, down to about 10 or 12 ft depth. Deeper than that and I go to weighted patterns, either bead heads, or lead wraps. I took a nice SMB a few years ago on a Sculpin pattern, with a weighted "fish skull". I tie large Wooly Buggers in size 2, or various articulated nymphs, for both deep and shallow. And when conditions are good (early am and pm), I can take fish on foam hoppers, I use a sink tip for getting down to 20 or thirty foot depth., but typically just use a floating WF line, and fish the upper 10 foot of the water column.. We have clear water here, but not heavily pressured. And I typically use an 8 or 10 weight rod for heavy or bulky flies. Have you tried fishing at night?

Thank you for that, Sir! Two hours, and I am still laughing!