Bronze12

Yep, its definitely something you can realistically do and make look good. Being a beginner myself, I would highly recommend investing in a class or two if there are any available near you. I tried my first rod solo but really began to understand some important concepts after taking a couple classes. I'm finding that the options available for making rods are almost limitless. Anyway, just thought I would give you that bit of encouragement as another newb but be careful - its very addicting

Wow, after everything I've learned in the last few months and now it seems like I've barely got my feet wet. I'm looking forward to learning all this, though. Thanks again guys.

By the way, that's a hilarious signature animation you have ernel. Cracks me up.

Thanks again you guys. I hope this isn't a stupid question but what do you mean "building micro?" Haha, sorry, I'm new at this.

Thanks bowtech and ej! I checked out the Batson website and the blanks look great with great prices, too. I have a couple other questions I might as well ask, too. I don't know that I like the reel seats recommended to me for my spinning rods. It just feels like I'm holding all graphite where as on the rods I've purchased in the past, I'm holding a good chunk of cork and they feel more comfortable. I don't know if I'm getting what I mean across but do you guys know of where to find some good reel seats that might incorporate more cork rather than all graphite? Also, what kind of guides do you guys like? I'm thinking about buying the titanium frame fuji SiC guides for the next couple rods to compare the weight to what I'm using now. Are there others out there that are light or that I should know about?

Hey, I was wondering if any of you guys out there could help me out with rod blanks. I just started building rods and took a couple classes and I wanted to start working with some higher quality material now. Do any of you know any high quality blanks out there other than the big names or would I be better off going with GLoomis/St. Croix blanks or something along those lines? Or, maybe a better way to ask it, what blanks do you guys prefer when you build rods? Is there any high quality blanks that are cheaper than the big name blanks? My next rod is going to be a medium-heavy, fast if that makes a difference. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks! Oh, and I'm looking for a good rod building book if any of you know of one.

Boundry Waters...oh mamma, get ready for some fun. I love it up there. Rocknfish is right, the mayfly hatch can be a bugger but you should get plenty of action either way. Also, the depth their sitting at will play a huge roll. As soon as you find em though, it's on. I'm guessing you'll be in a canoe so the wind could possibly cause you some problems but you're best bet will be trial and error as far as finding the fish. Find wind swept points off of islands and that drop into deep water. When jigging, I like to start about 20 yards out from the point and work my way to about 40 yards off the point...if I don't get anything, I'm moving. Sand bars/points were killer for us one year too. I like to pound the rocky shores right away but there's going to be a lot of great looking structure/cover so its important to start narrowing down your options right away. Sometimes you will have to get creative with them so remember to keep trying different tactics until you find what is working. If you're jigging off the bottom and not getting anything, try making 3 - 5 cranks off the bottom and jig from there. Seems like a small thing but this has made our trip a time or two. Don't be afraid to try big baits either... Too cool, I wish I could make it up there this summer but I have to sit it out. I could go on and on about the fishing up there but I'll stop there. Most important, keep a good attitude and be safe...best two ways to catch lots of fish up there.

Again, I'm not horribly familiar with river walleye fishing but can share my limited experience. With a strong current, I would start by finding any kind of breaks in the current or depth changes. Target these areas and nearby water with jigs. You may need to upsize on the jig a bit depending on the current. If using live bait, I like to tip the jig with a shiner. If using plastics, try a swimbait, grub or worm (I like the swim baits, personally). Bring along some crankbaits, too. Riprap, clam beds, and sand flats with any kind of depth change present are going to be good spots to look for. Again, I'm not too horribly experienced walleye fishing on rivers but, when I have, I've had great luck with these basics. Just curious, where is your tournament?

Just saw this thread and had to chime in. All the suggestions on here are great and should give you a great idea on where to start. A couple points I picked up on and wanted to elaborate on: livebait vs artificial and the cover/stucture to find. Rocknfish had some very good points. Most walleye anglers are going to suggest live bait and in my experience, live bait will out-fish artificials a majority of the time. But, there are plenty of fish to be had on both live bait and artificials. I like to use the artificials more often because, for me, it is much more fun. For someone just getting into walleye fishing, I would recommend one of many livebait rigs. In most instances, I feel this has a better chance of bringing in fish. I have had seen more quality fish come on artificials though. I would have to put my top 10 walleye on artificials (this could be because I use artificials about 10 times more than I use live bait). Grubs and swimbaits are definately a great place to start and don't be afraid to go big. Structure and cover is a whole other ball game and depends largely on the water you are fishing. On big lakes and reservoirs, walleye relate more to baitfish and changes in contour in my experience. On smaller bodies of water, finding a pair of encouraging structure has been my best bet. My favorite is rock or sand directly adjacent to a large patch of vegetation. I will always start fishing the wind-beaten side of the lake or structure too if I know the wind has been blowing for a solid day or two. And on rivers, well, I have very little experience with walleye on rivers and will leave that to the more experienced anglers. Just my (quick) 2 cents; right or wrong

Boondocks is right about the chartreuse, it is always a good go-to color. I have always been a fan of straight white or black jigs. There colors often have good contrast to the background the fish will be looking into (I don't know if that actually has anything to do with it or not though). I have always had good luck with these two colors. Also, a lot of research shows that walleyes' eyes are best adapted to seeing the color orange. If you are in a river that kicks up a lot of debris or is slightly stained, this might not be a bad color to try. I do not have a lot experience with this color on rivers though. My fall back colors when the white and black aren't doing it; chartreuse and green. A lot of the time, color won't really make a difference but I have seen many instances where one color would produce over another color hands-down. These are all good colors to start with and, as always, don't be afriad to try something different. Also, I find the size and profile of the lure to be the most important factor so make sure to take these into consideration (what will be on the end of the jig?).

I fish for both smallies and LM quite a bit and often use the same gear and, when all is said and done, there is no question in my mind that smallies are the harder fighter. They do have a different fight than a LM but they go hard a don't stop fighting until got your thumb buried under their tongue. I've caught a 3 lb smallie that I swore was 10+ lb pike until I got it up to the boat. I love em. I also agree that the time of year (and a few other factors) might have something to do with the fight in both fish but over all, I say smallies hands down.

I can't say for sure which is the better fighter pound for pound in my experience with both the northern and florida strains. Raul's post did get me thinking though and I do seem to recall the northerns being much more acrobatic.

I totally agree with these guys. A guide is a good idea especially when hitting some of the big reseviors like Rayburn. I don't know what kinda water you are used to fishing but if you're like I was when I first came south, all I had fished was natural lakes and was unfamiliar with the workings of a resevoir. I thought I knew my stuff though and did all the reading so I figured I would be in good shape. Ha, needless to say, I was wrong. I came off of Lake Fork with only one bass. :-/ I even had an old timer laugh at me when I told him. Not the best trip I can remember but I guess it was a good lesson.

flippin: I was in the same boat you were a few years ago. I fished mostly spinners and cranks until one slow day, my dad suggested a soft plastic worm. Couldn't keep em off the hook after that and I was hooked. Learning them has probably been the best thing I've ever done for my fishing. You'll have a lot of fun.

Just got back from northern MN and got a bunch of 20" plus smallies on pretty much any kind of soft plastics but mostly fished YUM 7" curly tails and Houdini worms. That was some FUN. Getting largemouths on deep weed lines with c-rigged woolyhawg tails.