White77

hey guys, if any of you read my other post about how i screwed up all my rods, then you know i was in the market...well the first one i wanted to replace was my rod i use for cranks...i have been throwing these alot this year and have had good success with them...i was using a 6'6" M berkley cherrywood....i went to wally world in search of a berkley bionix rod to replace it....well the only casting rods they had left in stock were the bionix crankbait rod...so i bought it...it is 7' M and it is fiberglass(E-Glass)...it goes 8-25lb line and 1/4 to 3/4 lures...i paired one of my 5501's to it and i think i will like it...feels good in my hand, nice tip for a not so quick hookset(which is ideal for cranks from what i have learned here at BR) and longer for (hopefully) longer casts. also it was marked at $60 but only rang up for $50, bonus for me! does anyone have any experience with this rod, or fiberglass rods for crankin in general? like i said from what i have learned on BR the soft tip is what you want to avoid pulling hooks out and such. it doesent list the action of the rod but i would guess it is moderate, according to the chart in the "rods power defined" thread...anyway...i will let ya know how i like it! oh yeah, would this rod be recommended for something other than cranks? spinnerbaits maybe? thanks Cliff

you got a link for these?

nah, for several reasons, they are expensive, and the fact that two fo my rods got slammed in the car door yesterday, both are fine(it seems)...if that happened to a $150 rod i would be very upset Cliff

update...dont do this if you dont know what your doing!! lol....i am glad i did it to cheap rods....they work fine but it seems i didnt leave enough cork behind reel...very uncomfortable and it fatigued my hands very fast....but i do like not having the foregrip on there, seemed much more sensitive with having my finger directly on the blank.....dont know if i will do it again, i may try it once more and leave more cork so when i am casting i am holding all cork, not half cork and half exposed blank...or i might just remove foregrip and leave it at that...anyway i learned a lesson and now i get to buy new rods!! Cliff

yeah i noticed that, i am sure its epoxy...after i got done and wiped it down it looked good, now it has dried and it appears it needs a bit more claening...i noticed that the $20 cherrywood has far less epoxy then the @50 bionix....are wally world rods bult by hand? seems like if they were all being built in the same place stuff like that would be the same on each rod...or close anyway thanks Cliff

yeah i hear ya, thats the main reason we went early, as soon as the sun got up, we bailed

forgot to post a pic, the one in the center is the bionix rod that has real cork, that one came out pretty good i think, the other came out ok but just look crappy due to not real cork Cliff

well, i did it...first off...FYI...berkley cherrywood rods DO NOT have real cork grips, it is some sort of foam stuff that only looks like cork on the outer layer. what i did to three rods was remove the forgrip and split the rear grip....i used pliers to remove the grip, then a lighter and knife to scrape off the epoxy(came off easier than i expected) then i lightly sanded the new exposed blank...i also mounted the reels and cut the threads of the reel seat to length. on the foregrips i took the little o-ring looking deal that originally finished off the foregrip, and slid it down to finish off the reel seat(super glued in place)...then i sanded the epoxy edge where little o-ring thing was down smooth with the blank on the rear grips it was the same process for removal of the cork, then i sanded the cork down to form a nice tapered grip... the berkley bionix rod DOES have real cork grip so this one came out pretty good, the other cherrywoods kinda look crappy cuz that foam stuff does not sand well, plus you have the original cork look a like layer blended with the foam, so it looks bad....but i planned to replace these rods soon anyway all in all it wasnt a bad deal, didnt take too long and wasnt very difficult....the only downfall was that two of the three rods didnt have real cork...all three rods seem to balence well right at the reel so i dont think i will notice much as far as weight difference, but i hope i DO notice a difference being able to put my finger directly on the blank while palming my reels anyway it was a fun experience and i will probebly do it again as long as i know the rod has real cork grips thanks Cliff

went out early this morning, got to water about 5:45...it was dark, forgot lantern and flashlight, the only light we had to work with was our cell phones...threw the spook jr. to start...had one blow up on it and miss, twitch, twitch....she blows up again...miss....twitch, twitch.....BLAMO!!! she didnt miss this time!! got her in and snapped a pic...cant seem to find my scale but i feel this was my new PB, previous was 3.5lbs...what do you think? caught one more on the spook, then got one on LC Fat BDS, one on a AB trick stick in watermelon....now the sun is up and it is getting hotter, i see some comotion in the back weedy corner of the tank....grab my other rod and set it up with a zoom black horny toad....cast it way back in the slop....BAM!! no misses for this one i got these two plus 3 others that were about a pound or so...so all in all i caught 5 keepers and no dinks, my buddy got about 8-10 dinks on various baits...was a good outing considering the catches i have been having recently....guess the early AM is the time to go..next time i will bring some light thanks Cliff

i normally watch these, but this weekend i am unable to, i am always a couture fan, hope he whoops him good!!

hurry back man!! good luck! Cliff

yeah i tried baitcasting with RH reels, couldnt get it, so now i only buy baitcast reels with LH retrieve...they are out there, some make em some dont, from my experience anyway...i know abu makes alot of them, thats one reason why i started using them, it was the only reel in my price range in gander mountain that had LH...now i only use abu reels, baitcast and spinning Cliff

i went looking at boats with my step dad the other day, andthe one place carried fenwick rods, so while he was talking boats i was checking out the rods...they only had a few, a real nice M/XF and another...it was a nice cranking rods, MH i think...but the section right above the reel seatallowed a section of the rods to telescope back into the butt....what is the purpose of this? i have never seen one like it before... also, the M/XF was a fenwick HMG(HMX cant remember) it was priced at $89.99, anyone know if that would be a good buy? thanks Cliff

i have seen big changes already...of course you all dont know the whole story...but their have been big changes in their behavior(for the better) and using the toilet(for the MUCH better) we got the younger one registered for day care yesterday...kindergarten for the older one as soon as we can get his mother to cooperate and register him, since she legally has custody like i said i dont have any kids of my own, but these two will be treated as if they were, i look forward to this adventure!! dont be suprised if i come asking all you dads(and moms) for more advice thanks all Cliff

yeah they sure were, my nephews that are living with me now are accustomed to sitting and watching cartoons....not under my roof! they went to their grnadmas for the last couple days, they came back last night and already want to go fishing again...i was very suprised Cliff

i was talking with my mom the other day, asked her if i was kinda scared of stuff growing up and we got talking about"kids these days" and stuff....she said in the morning, she opened the door, and said see ya at lunch...and i was gone, playing in the creek, catchin craws, and minnows and snakes and crap....then all the moms in the neighborhood would be screaming for their rugrats at lunch time...and again for supper...she was tellin me how my other neice and nephew(16 and 13) watch TV like it going out of style! and video games and stuff....its crazy...i would kill to be 9 again and catchin stuff in the creek....was good times Cliff

just remember fish chris...it is not a bass....DONT LIP EM!!!

would removing a foregrip on a rod mess it up much? i am talking cheapo berkley rods....i would like to do it so when i am palming my reel my index finger is on the blank....would this small amount of weight be noticible? and is it recommended to have no foregrip on a rod with a full(not split) handle? thanks Cliff

thanks guys, all good stuff, i will use these tips for sure and let you know how the next trip goes Cliff

here is the pics i did manage to get taylor 3 yrs bishop 5 yrs

first let me start by saying i do not have any kids of my own, my wife and i have decided to take my two nephews in to live with us, the main reason is... their parents are as useless as on a bull...but thats another story... they are 3 and 5 years old anyway i took them fishing tonight to try to catch some gills and maybe a bass....i knew it was very hot and that we wouldnt be there long...so we packed up the worms, bottled water, two scoooby doo rods and headed out...we got there and i picked a spot that didnt have alot of tall grass around so they would have room to stand....i bait each hook and toss em out(they dont know how to cast yet)...fish on right away on the three year olds rod...he reels it in and i have him lip the gill and snap a pic...great...something to show grandma....so far so good....in the meantime the 5 year old is scared of everything!!! the grass, the hook, and mainly the fish! he gets one on and reels it in, he wont touch it for nothin, just started crying when i held the fish up to have him touch it...all i wanted to have was a pic of each of them holding their catch...even after seeing his younger brother do it he would not touch it....so next i decided to have him just hold the line with the fish on it and get the pic...that was better but he was still scared....i got really frusterated.... anyway, it was hot so we decided to go to the other tank where there was shade...got there, baited hooks, toss em out....same scenario...scared of everything...when are we leaving? so we left....we left my house, got to the tanks, and back to my house in less than an hour, and its about 15-20 minute drive each way...i knew we wouldnt be there long but i did not expect it to be that short anyway, what can i do to help them(and me) enjoy a trip like this more? they didnt seem to have much fun other than after that first fish(the 5year old didnt have fun at all)....i want to create some good times for them to remember...especialy since they have had a pretty tough life so far...additionally, what can i do for myself to not get so dang aggrivated? the three year old told me hes ready to go again when its not so hot, the 5 year old said he never wants to go fishing ever again...that made me kinda sad...i know that me getting frusterated with them did not help the situation, and now looking back i will try harder to be more patient next time, if there is a next time so any help yall can give will be MUCH appreciated.....i am sure LBH will have some tips cuz i know he does alot with the kids thanks guys Cliff

tell her you have a nine inch tounge and can breath through your ears!

ya know, i have an ultra light rod, and i just got my cardinal back from the reel guy, my luck tho, i would use that and catch a 10lber and it would snap my rod ;D Cliff

i saw some on there, 5 LC sammy's for like 15 bucks or something.....but read the title again, it says "lucky craft ACTION" they are knock offs i suppose, i almost went for it, anyone else seen these? Cliff

oh yeah i forgot to add, i caught this ugly mother on a LC Fat BDS, american shad Cliff