rezbass

There is no reason you couldn't use one for bass fishing. Before low profile baitcasters came out, they were the only option for bait casting reels.

I have fished with Daiwas since the td hi/pi frames came out in teh early 90's. They are a much lower profile than the newer TDX/ TDS (not the greenish ones). The Tierra frame and Advantage frames are lower and wider than the tdx frames. I like all of them not only for feel, but performance and durability. I have a few TD1 Hi and TD2 Hi that are still going strong after 15+ years with a little upkeep here and there. Great reels in my oipinion. I have not used a Quantum, so I have no input on comparisons of the brands.

Are you using an airbrush to get the splatter back or "flicking" a regular paint brush to get it? Regardless, it looks good.

http://swamplandtackle.com/products.asp?cat=33&pg=2 There are a couple blanks here that may fit your needs...

Another point for future reference and builds, the spine of a blank (some have more than one) has no effect on the functionality of a completed rod. It is better to build on the straightest axis of the blank to insure that your guides will align properly allowing for the smoothest path for the line to follow from your reel. Once there is a load applied to the rod (a lure or fish applying resistance) the blank will inherently bend towards that force being applied regardless of spine location.

Castaway blanks are a good value and nice blanks for the money also. swamplandtackle.com

The added weight will lessen the efficiency of the blank actually. The lighter the build, the more the blank will retain its designed properties and characteristics.

I tried a search and came up empty on trying to find a link to the sponge trailers I was talking about. I can't remember where I got them, but they were shaped like a pork trailer. Didn't hurt to let them dry out as they were easily rehydrated. I haven't seen them around for 10+ years... not much help i know...

DVT- Foam core would be lighter I agree. However in this case when adding the rope/string and that much epoxy it would be heavier than cork, eva, hypalon or the afore mentioned foam core. Less slippery than what, cork or eva?

Awesome looking jig! Have you seen those old trailers that were made of a tough sponge? Those might be the ticket for the claws... Or feathers maybe?

Seems to me like it would add a lot of extra weight to the rod, and maybe be a little slippery when its wet... That said, it looks pretty good.

For future reference, sanding a blank is an extremely easy way to ruin a blank. I would strongly recommend not sanding, especially with coarse grit paper at that. Use a heat gun and razor blade and back drag to remove glue or epoxy. This is a much safer mehtod than sanding as you are less likely to remove part of the blank. It's up to you, but I would not sand a blank that I want to fish with...

zoom ultra vibe speed craw any color

depends on the size of the bait, but anywhere from 6'6" mmf to an 8' mhmf for the rods, reels are 6.3 to 1 and line varies from 12-20 lb flouro

mass produced = dt 10 bluegill or a baby 1 minus in shad colors depending upon depth one of my own creations for non mass produced in Black back chrome sides white belly

get an avid or legend tournament St. Croix...

I would still build my own rods and keep using team daiwa reels. I would however, like to start a hunting/ fishing club for the youth in my local area where they are given the chance to experience the outdoors in a positive manner.

what kind of plywood is that?

With a little work adn patience you can easily do this yourself. You will need a pliers, a straight edge, a heat gun/ hair dryer, masking tape and various grit sandpapers.... Start by taping of the sections of cork you want to keep to avoid cutting/sanding them. Allow yourself 1 or 2 rings to work with in the sanding process. For the rings that you want to remove, slice them parallel to the blank as deep as you can without touching the blank. Do this on at least two sides of the cork, 3 or 4 cuts is better/easier for the next step. After the cork has been cut, use the pliers to grip the cork and twit it off in chunks, again be careful not to touch the blank itself while removing the cork. Once the cork is removed, there will/ should be epoxy on the blank still. Use the heat gun/ hair dryer to warm the epoxy to soften it up and again use the straight edge to back drag the epoxy to remove it from the blank, or you may be able to use a thumbnail to scrape it off as well. Some finish/paint might be removed during this step, but that is normal. Once all of the epoxy is removed form the blank, tape off the newly uncovered part of the blank to avoid sanding/scratching it while sanding the edges of the remaining rings to the taper that you desire. If you want you can paint the area of the blank that you uncovered or add some "bling" to the area to cover any scratches/scuffs that may have happened in the cork/epoxy removal steps. It won't make the rod fish any better by painting or adding bling, but may make it look nicer... Hopefully this helps.

I have built a few swimbait rods with the fuji alconite micros and love them. The weight reduction is a major advantage as far as I am concerned. BLAG model. Double foot guides are overkill in my opinion near the tip of a rod and even close to the reel for that matter on a bass rod. I have built musky rods spiral wrapped with single foot guides that are still in good shape and have landed fish up to 53 inches. Don't be afraid of using the micro guides...

I like the shape of the bait, as mentioned before it looks a lot like the old poe's super cedar baits. Where did you get your pvc from? I have never tried to make a bait form it, as I have only used cedar.

In the right hands it could be repaired and used. It could also be made into a much shorter rod, but would need to be re-built. Not too difficult really. If you are just going to toss it I would put it to use...

I use both the spider slider and the Owner ultra head which sports a bigger and stronger hook than the slider version. Both have their palce and catch fish with a variety of baits, like straight tail worms, spidergrubs, small brush hogs, and tubes.

Gangreene colored tube. It is a light colored watermelon with black and red flake and smoke colored tails. It is a dead on baitfish color.

I have done this with senko type baits, slugo's, power slug's, ribbon tail worms, and even jigs. They all will work if they are used in the right place at the right time. It is similar to throwing a horny toad or old mister twister jerk rat and dragging across the pads, only the profile is different, which often times on heavily pressured water can make a big difference.