Jrob78

If you are new to baitcasters I would start with mono. That way you're not out much money if you have to cut out a backlash.

I don't have any of their jerkbaits but I do have a couple of their other baits. The finishes are great and the components are good too. I didn't feel the need to change out the hooks, which says a lot for me. TT just did a review of one of the suspending jerkbaits and gave it high marks. I will definitely be buying more Duo baits.

I agree with you, I think the Ch E will be around at full price at least until a 50 size Curado I comes out.

I store mine hanging. I rigged a big Rubbermade box with snaps in the top so the baits can hang freely. I think this is especially important with soft baits.

That's a great option too, especially if you bank fish.

I would suggest getting some 3700 boxes and start keeping your tackle somewhat organized in those. Get a bag that holds a few 3700 boxes and you can pick and choose what boxes you want to take and swap them in and out of your tackle bag.

Yep, it usually takes most of the bubbles out. That's where not applying too thick of a coat comes in to play also. Since I bought a Pac Bay epoxy mixer I've had much cleaner finishes. When you hand mix you introduce a lot of bubbles into the finish, some of which end up on the rod. Your wrap looks tight and I don't see finish smeared everywhere or a big football shaped glob of finish, so I'd say you did a great job for your first build. It gets easier

I would probably look at the Okuma MH swimbait rod. I seem to remember Skeet saying he used his c-rig rod to throw those baits.

Nice job man! It looks great, especially for your 1st build. You will feel like an expert when you start your next one. It's always exciting when you catch that 1st fish on a rod you've built.

This is what I do too. I consider it sort of a baseline for how the reel will perform. After I've fished it hard for a few trips I will break it down and give it a good cleaning/delubing in the ultra sonic cleaner.

It's really easy to route for most of these guys. My personal favorites are Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Todd Faircloth, Ish Monroe, Jeff Kriet, KVD and Brent Chapman. I'll stop there but I could easily name 10 more guys that I really enjoy watching and like to see to do well.

Bummer, I was hoping you had a lead on a sale. The baits are well made and have great finishes but I can't speak to their effectiveness.

Did you find them on sale somewhere? I have one but I haven't fished it much.

They have live blogs, bass trakk and the war room during regular Elite events so I'm sure they will during the Classic.

Get a pair of Texas Tackle Split Ring Pliers, they handle small rings very well. Best split ring pliers on the market, bar none.

You have to align everything with your eyeballs. I use dental rubberbands to hold the guides on while I wrap them. You can adjust them until you get them where you want them. You can also tweak them a little bit after they're wrapped and before you apply finish. As far as how hard it is, it depends on how good you are at doing stuff with your hands. I should say, building a fishable rod isn't hard at all but getting a "perfect" rod with "perfect" elaborate wraps and finish is quite difficult. It just takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience. Go to Rodbuilding.org and read everything you can. There is a lot of good info out there, you just have to look for it. Once you get a good base of knowledge and have more specific questions, we can help you. Rod building is a lot of fun and very rewarding, it isn't for everybody though. Don't expect to save money doing this, you won't. Also, you should probably post in the tackle making section.

This is very true.

If you say so. I've always heard parabolic action described as flexing from tip to butt, usually associated with fiberglass rods. It's like so many other things, people repeat what they've heard without really understanding what it means. I may be guilty of that as well so I won't argue something I can't prove one way or the other.

He used to be sponsored by Megabass but isn't anymore. I don't know anything about Luck-E Strike but if you saw him doing videos for them, I would say he is sponsored by them now.

Simple definitions Power = how much weight it takes to flex the blank. A light rod flexes with very little weight, a heavy rod flexes with more weight. Action = where along the blank the flex occurs. An extra fast action flexes at the very tip. A moderate action flexes deeply into the blank. A parabolic action means the entire blank flexes. Normally fiberglass rods are the only true parabolic actions.

She's a beautiful puppy! Kudos to you for giving her a good home.

Huh? Figure out the depths you want to fish and buy crankbaits to cover those depths. You've already been given good advice. Strike King, Rapala, Bandit, Bomber, XCalibur and H20 Xpress at Academy all make good baits that don't cost a fortune. Buy a few you like and start fishing. You will figure out what works for you and what doesn't.

That's a really good idea. If you can get good hook ups from a stationary, seated position, you should be in good shape while on your kayak.

SI in the biggest screen you can afford, whatever that may be.

You need to pay careful attention to how much slack is in your line. When you're standing up on the bank you probably back up when you hook a fish, even if you don't realize you do it. In a kayak the opposite happens, you are pulled toward the fish. Make sure your line is tight enough when you set the hook and then reel to keep pressure on the fish after you set the hook. With open hook finesse techniques, I would reel until the line is tight before sweeping the rod. Your hook size is fine.