BobP

Good to know Simple Green isn't right for EVERYTHING. I dump reels parts in a jar of naphtha as I remove them. Cleans quick, evaporates fast and won't hurt plastics. For bearings, I want something more volatile and faster acting, so I soak them in starting fluid. If I want to scrub a bare reel frame, I use dish detergent and a toothbrush in the kitchen sink.

Simple Green won't hurt reel parts. Soak them a couple of hours and use a toothbrush to remove any caked on grease, dry thoroughly and lube the right parts with the right lube. An experienced amateur who knows how will take a couple of hours to service a reel in detail. Be sure you have a schematic on hand, take your time, and it also helps to take digital photos after you take off the side plate. It's not rocket science but reels are precision tools and parts have to be reinstalled exactly where they came from to run properly. And you need to be careful of E clips and retainer springs that have a bad habit of shooting off into oblivion if you aren't careful. You can do it. Many of us do. But if you have doubts, the charge for a pro to do it is also very reasonable and the results are guaranteed.

I've use any brand 6 or 8 lb fluoro on spinning reels with no problem. A couple of tips help a lot: Close the bail by hand after the cast and give the line a little tug to make sure it is tight on the reel spool. Do it for awhile and it becomes a good habit you don't need to think about. Second, under-fill the spool slightly when you use fluoro, leaving about a 1/8" free lip on the spool. That helps prevent line from jumping off the spool.

I've never had the problem with used reels lubed with Superlube with PTFE grease. When I've had problems with new gear sets making noise and feeling rough, I've solved it by applying a THICKER grease than normal (the opposite of Raul). Applying a thick drag grease like Shimano Ace-2, Penn Muscle Grease, etc, will quiet them down until they have a chance to 'wear in'. Don't over-grease gears (or anything else!). And use a small brush to get the grease down into the gear teeth where it's needed, not just on the gear tips.

I tried the ones offered by fishing gear companies and have always been disappointed. Most of them are built in Pakistan or China and, ahem, just won't cut it! The best I found are Gerber scissors. A 5" (LOA) pair I got at Walmart have worked great for years and are inexpensive. If the braid is unraveling after cutting, you might want to consider one of the battery powered line burners.

No need - and it would be Snag City.

Most crankbait painters shoot water based acrylic paints though an airbrush, then clear coat the bait with a waterproof durable topcoat like epoxy, a moisture cured polyurethane, or an auto clear coat. If you are "just messing around" and adding a few accents, a colored Sharpie pen gets the job done quick, easy, and cheap - but will eventually fade. Glitter is sold as a powder to mix into a clear topcoat or ready-mixed as paint-on glitter in a water based acrylic clear. You can mix powdered glitter into a clear nail polish for a "fast fix". Nail polish will also protect sb blades but be aware that it also makes them heavier and harder to get spinning. Anything water based you put on a bait has to be coated with a waterproof topcoat for it to last, and there aren't many good "go to the store" choices - none I know that are anywhere near as durable or waterproof as the special topcoats used by bait makers. Try the Valspar but don't expect it to last as forever. Don't try shooting an enamel product over a different type of fresh solvent based paint. That's often a recipe for bubbling and extreme failure of the finish. If you want to use aerosol rattle cans, stick with enamel over enamel, etc. Regarding performance, a new finish adds .02-.03 oz to the weight of a bass crankbait and it's distributed uniformly over the bait's surface so that the impact is negligible. That said, ANYTHING you do to a crankbait will change its performance to SOME degree. JMHO, if it catches fish great now, leave well enough alone and thank the tackle gods for bestowing that gift on you, however temporary the gift will be.

X3 for the Shimano Crucial. I've used a 6'8" version for the last 2 yrs. They have a light fast tip section with plenty of backbone down the blank to handle bigger fish - just what I want in a dropshot rod. Works nice for shaky heads too, has a good warranty and the price is fair.

Nice work Marty. Those resemble WEC E-1's to me.

Sort of depends on what baitcaster you're talking about. All of them can be disassembled, of course, but some have small precision fitted parts that can be a chore to get back together. On later model Shimanos, for instance, you have to assemble the levelwind tube with the parts inside and its plastic gear in place, stick it through the hole in the frame, through the levelwind pawl, through the other side of the frame, and secure the whole thing with a small brass washer and a small E-clip while keeping tension on the assembly so it doesn't slip out of alignment. Doesn't take a rocket scientist but it's sort of finicky to do without practice. I like naphtha to clean parts because it works fast, won't harm plastics, evaporates fast, and then you can lube and put the parts back together without waiting for the soaking/drying time needed if you use a detergent like Simple Green, etc. Water based alcohols won't dissolve petroleum based oils and grease very well.

For me, the less expensive Daiwa spinning reels seem smoother than their Shimano counterparts when new. When I eventually disassembled Daiwas for cleaning and lube, they had shim washers in various locations. If you can't get each one back in in exactly the same place, you're screwed. It looked to me like Daiwa hand fitted the reels at the factory, adding shims to get a smooth running reel. The Shimanos didn't, and were easier to service and get back together so they worked again. Since those days, I've used mid to high end Shimanos and service those without much drama. If you like Daiwas and want to do your own service, you better meticulously record where those shims come from and sort them out so you can get them back in the right places!

I dropshot 2.5 and 3" Gulp minnows and they work great both up north in clear water and here on lakes in the SE. On both smallies and largemouths. The ONLY dropshot bait? Nope, but Watermelon/Pearl Gulp minnows have become a real confidence dropshot bait for me. The occasional catfish if you leave the bait sitting 10 mins in one spot? Yeah. And that's OK too, IMO.

The only way to test balance is to clamp the one reel you use on it and hold it the same way you fish it. Practically speaking a rig for moving baits will always be tip heavy so balancing it is not especially useful. E.g., your perfectly balanced crankbait rod will always be tip heavy while retrieving a crankbait. Where balance really matters is with static "touchy-feely" presentations like worms, jigs, C-rigs. If you use a balanced rod/reel for those, you will feel less hand fatigue and more sensitivity.

Re wood choice, I think balsa requires more ballast but that lets you play more with the position and amount of weight in the body. Comparing a balsa vs a hardwood deep diver, you can lower the center of gravity more in the balsa body, providing more stability while maintaining a reasonable amount of balsa's liveliness in a slightly lighter bait. After seeing balsa DT20's and Sisson P20's, gotta wonder what your nay-saying friend was thinking!

Marty, x2 on your comment about balance on super deep crankbaits. When I started building them, what I knew about shallow crankbait design suddenly became insufficient because deep crank physics are much more demanding. But hey, doing harder stuff with crankbaits is part of why garage builders do it.

I spiral clockwise for no reason at all. The only time I think it matters is on a flipping stick, where you want the spiral to go in the direction of your free hand, so you can banjo the line without the line crossing the rod blank.

I hear those are dynamite from a friend who should know .... Stringjam ;D Anybody who has the guts to put a lip that long on a crankbait deserves kudos! Nice work, Marty.

I fish 6-7 spiral wrapped rods. Started out with Forhan, moved to Roberts, then to a bumper wrap which is the latest (and I think best). Having the guides on the bottom seems to give me a bit more sensitivity on a worm rod and you typically use one less guide on a spiral rod, which saves a little weight. There's no difference in casting distance for me. Standard guides-on-top is better for a jerkbait rod where you hold the rod down on the water, but for any other presentation, a spiral works fine. Day and night difference? Nope, but every little bit counts.

If you google crawfish colors for your state, you often get a state university website that has pics of the species common to your area. Most craws in most areas are a shade of brown most of the time. But lots of them also have accent colors (orange, red, bright blue, etc) during certain times of year. Surest method? Turn over a few rocks before you put the boat in.

Bait colors and patterns are coined by the originator and, if they are successful and copied by others, can filter into general usage by fishermen. Lots of them don't really make any literal sense but are commonly understood. In hard baits, there's Firetiger, Citrus Shad, Clark Gable, Rayburn Red, Table Rock Shad, and many others that have become classics.

You always have some distinctive designs. Keep'em coming!

Yeah, that 3rd one will be a great springtime bait. But I've caught tons of fish on Citrus Shad too. Very nice Marty!

X2 Norman Speed Clips. They seem the most like split rings to me. I'd just tie direct to a split ring but am too lazy!

Finished this batch yesterday, basswood, .37 oz. They'd been sitting in the garage for 6 weeks without paint. Too cold to work in the garage this winter!

I have a SX with mag brakes and like it. All my other reels are Shimano but the Abu has measured up so far. Personally, I favor the more 'normal' 6.4:1 gear set. The High Speed is just too fast for some applications, IMO.