Chris Catignani

4" Slider worm rigged on 1/8th Slider Head. Motor oil is one of the best colors.

Not only is it a safety precaution for you...but possibly for the other boat that hits you. The rear nav light is so someone doesnt run up the back of your boat (you cant see the red and green lights from behind). In TN...the rear nav light needs to visible for two miles.

This is the Holy Grail of questions. First it takes some knowledge of bass habitat behavior. Then it takes looking at a topo map. Eventually you may get a feel for the lay of the land by looking at a bank. Theres more involved...but this should be a good start.

NFC has a forward facing message board: www.rodbuilding.org Alex is active there and you could post your grievances there and may come away with some satisfaction. For example...here is a thread with some similar issues: Thread with issues and reply

One thing you might consider is dropping a few crappie attractors about 10 - 15 yards from your spot. Here is something else to think about too...If you take a fish thats about to spawn away from its habitat, you have basically delayed that spawn. The fish will spend anywhere from a week to three weeks recovering where its was released. A single crappie can lay 20 - 100 thousand eggs or which the survival rate is 1 - 3 percent.

I would say its just the epoxy on the guide...it should stop. "Breaking in" is a good analogy. But for the most part...this is not really normal. Not unheard of either.

That looks pretty good.

A.K.A. "Dale Humble"...I was up there April 16 and did get a few...I watched a couple weigh ins at Star Point. I been fishing my whole life and come to realize that I still have a lot to learn.

Dont mind it...

^10. Love that Larry Fleet...Hes from White Bluff ... not too far from here. Here are two guys I'm glad to see back in the studio again...

Welcome...Tims is an awesome lake.

Dont hang up the rods just yet. Fishing is not always about catching. It about unwinding and doing a little repair work on the head. When the bite is not on...I always look for new water to fish. Im always amazed on how the time flies by...even not catching much.

You could do the seat and the arbor as one piece....but I would install the grips and seat separate.

I will use the poly urethane arbors when I can...they are by far the lightest and the most sensitive. When the tolerances are really, really thin...I will take and crush a scrap piece of graphite rod and make a shim. I also have used the mesh drywall tape. You wrap in on and then take thread to hold it it place. I dont like the masking tape period. Every reel seat I ever had to repair used masking tape. The tape (basically the adhesive) will break down over time. Plus it weighs more and is a less sensitive material.

Oh...OK...sorry about that. LS Supreme (Duragloss) is a two part epoxy and Permagloss is a urethane. Either one is good. The Permagloss with take several coats to get a thickness that covers the thread completely.

Duragloss is for washing cars...permagloss is for finishing a rod blank. Now ...you can use permagloss as a finish. But epoxy is pretty much the standard today. In the old days BFC (before Flex Coat) people use varnish...and it took about 5 coats to make it look like one coat of FC. If your intent on using the lightest finish humanly possible...then just a coat of something like Carters Crystal Clear Color Preserver and call it done.

^8

The 08 on the pen means its .08mm. They also have 1mm, .06mm and .05mm. Yes you can epoxy over it.

I think a turning motor for letting the epoxy dry is a great tool. Other things that are nice: Some kind of burnishing tool...I have used a BiC lighter. A caliper. Tip Top and guides sizing gauge. Though you can use a white china marker for marking the guide positions...I have fallen in love with a Gelly Roll 08 white pen by Sakura. There are just a few things... I think doing things in Metric also simplifies sizes and measuring.