BobP

I think braid will backlash a little more than other lines. All lines are pulled off the spool as the lure is cast, but on mono and fluoro, the line is also pushed through the rod guides by line coming off the spool. That doesn't happen as well with braid because woven braids have less "body" or linear density. You might try a fused superline like Berkley Fireline if woven braid is giving you problems. It casts very much like mono.

Leader material is denser, stiffer, and tougher than fluoro line, which has added chemistry to make it "reel friendly". Leader started in the saltwater environment. Why the cost difference? Good question! I bet it has more to do with marketing history than cost of manufacture. Most guys use regular fluoro line for freshwater leader material.

Ship it in a 2 1/2" PVC pipe. You might call Quantum and see if they actually require all or part of the rod to be returned for warranty replacement. Some companies don't, some others require only a part of the rod, like 12" from the butt, to be returned.

One of the best finesse rods I've used at any price is the Shimano Crucial 6'8" dropshot rod. Really light tip but strong enough down the blank to handle any bass, sometimes referred to as a "hinged" action. I pair mine with a Japanese market Shimano Biomaster 2500.

I use more of the Createx transparent colors than the opaques. Of course, they aren't transparent, they're translucent. You can layer colors with them, or shoot them a little heavier for opaque colors.

X2 on texas rigged 4" Zoom lizards. Watermelon, green pumpkin, brown pumpkin on a 1/0 Gamy offset hook. The 6" lizards are good for large smallies when you can fish deeper holes. I've floated the Shenandoah and northern Potomac many times in summer using many different baits (crankbaits, in-line spinners, worms, craws, etc) and the small lizards outfished everything. They also spend less time hung up in rocks and grass.

I'd silver foil it, do a light gray/green back and give the head and tail a few minor brownish yellow accents. Just a pearl white belly. Pretty mundane, but also pretty much like shad. The trend is to put lots of colors on crankbaits but IMO it's often best to limit color and contrast if you want a natural look. Color will get you noticed, yes, but it can also give off negative vibes.

My first car was a '48 Studebaker. Great car, built like a tank and weighed about the same. When I got the chance to move into a '65 Corvette, I didn't hesitate. I feel the same way about heavy Abu round reels for bass fishing. Sure, you can learn to use them for anything - if that "anything" weighs 3/8 oz or more. But that doesn't mean they're a good choice compared to the lighter, more refined reels that cast light lures better and have better cast controls. JMHO, I'd rather own 1 Revo S or Shimano Citica than the 2 Abu's mentioned. I'm not into nostalgia reels.

I've gotten batches from several sources including National Balsa, all seemed OK. Balsa density can be 6 to 18 lbs/cu ft. The least dense is "competition balsa" which is super light stuff for model airplane builders. While you can use any density if you reinforce it adequately, experienced builders often prefer using "hard balsa" 12-18 lbs/cu ft density because it is more durable. You may have to pay more to specify the balsa density you want but in the long run it will pay dividends. IMO, don't skimp on the raw materials because, compared to the work you put into a bait, the cost is inconsequential.

It's nice to see a different body shape. Nice bait!

In a fish-catching sense, I don't mind sharp stencil lines in many patterns. But an alternative way to soften the effect is to overspray sharply outlined features with a lighter color shade. I often use Smith Wildlife pearl chrome for that. It softens the color contrasts and gives the bait an overall sheen like a bait fish. Just another alternative. You can also use scale netting to make the lines less distinct.

I think the SX is a nice reel (mine casts great!) but not my first choice for pitching light lures. The spool is fairly large and holds lots of line so has more mass and doesn't spin up as easily as some other reels. I also have to give it a demerit for having the opening to the level wind worm gear facing forward where it can gather grit slung off the incoming line. Duh! JMHO, I like a small frame reel with a light spool holding limited line for pitching. I'm using a Chronarch 50MG.

Power Medium to Medium Heavy, Action Moderate to Fast. You want something with a somewhat soft tip section but decent backbone. Length, brand and model is player's choice. I vary length depending on the cover - shorter rods for close-in situations where accuracy is prime, long rods for long casts in open water. You also have to decide on graphite versus fiberglass versus composite. A friend of mine who can afford any stick he likes loves inexpensive BassPro Crankin's Sticks. I favor a 6 1/2' graphite Rogue MB664 custom. There are lots of choices and price points available.

Whittler, thanks for the tip. I've had a heck of a time getting a smooth surface on the few PVC baits I tried. My reservation is using an auto primer because I HATE the smell of the stuff after it dries - stinks up the whole tackle box.

If you fish for smallies on large flats and open water, a long 7 1/2' rod pays dividends because it casts farther so your crankbaits can run at their max depth longer. It's more efficient. A long rod also casts better in wind. I like a medium action medium power graphite rod because it's lighter and easier to cast than a fiberglass rod. I think reel ratio is mostly about comfort. Used to be high ratio (6.2:1) reels didn't have the gear strength to pull deep divers without almost binding up. But the last generation of reels from the major brands have larger diameter gears that can horse hard pulling cranks without much strain. I use standard 6.2:1 reels for shallow and medium cranks because sometimes I want to burn them back for reaction bites. For big deep divers that run >15 ft, a lower geared 5:1 reel is still more comfortable.

I think it's player's choice. Both boats are purpose-designed. Deep V's are multi-species boats ideally suited to rough northern waters. Bass boats excel for bass fishing of any kind. You can take either boat and use it in the other's environment but it will be a compromise. If you mostly bass fish, a bass boat is fast, has low sides so gets blown around less, elevated casting decks for easy pitching/flipping, and lots of storage for rods and lures. Glass or aluminum your choice. If trolling is your thing, a deep V aluminum boat is the way to go. My bass boat won't idle slow enough to troll! But my buddy's deep V is a pain in the neck if you want to pitch jigs or worm fish on a windy day.

Shop!? If you mean that workbench piled with fishing stuff in the garage, come ahead! I do baits with hand tools (mostly a Dremel) sitting in a lawn chair! That's why it's a hobby, not a business. I religiously avoid business ;D

I've tried various unpainted blanks. Unless you are willing to weed through a bunch of Chinese duds to find the occasional OK crankbait, don't waste your time. That it LOOKS like a $20 high end Japanese bait means absolutely zero. The internal ballasting and chambering, mold quality, etc are going to be different - and not in a good way! That said, there are a few unpainted bodies that I've tried and like. But like Marty says - if you want a great crankbait, you have to make it all yourself. Or at least buy a high quality bait and repaint it.

If you're learning to use a baitcaster, use enough braking and cast control so that you're comfortable. I set 3 brakes on, 3 off and never change. Practice with heavy line/heavy lures and develop a consistent smooth casting motion that loads the rod tip gradually. If you are a 'spinning rod guy' and used to whipping that rod tip so fast it whistles, forget that or it will be Backlash City. Sidearm casting is often easiest to learn because it is naturally smoother but if you fish from the back of the boat, better get used to overhand.

I use 6" Roboworms, Magic Worms, or Zoom finesse worms. This is where thin soft hand poured worms shine with minimal if any shaking. Distance between the weight and the worm is important. I start 6" from the weight and rarely go longer. I'm fishing 15 ft and deeper and keeping the presentation vertical. If they're shallower, I use a shaky head or T-rig. Color - whatever fish bite on your lake. For me green pumpkin or watermelon are reliable. If I fish a couple of hours with no bites and am getting desperate, I know a dropshot will work if there are fish down there, even if they are neutral to negative. Maybe they're dinks. Maybe not. Personally, it's not my favorite thing but it can sure save the day when nothing else will.

WITH PRACTICE, an airbrush job looks better than hand painted. When I say "better", I mean better to humans that fish the lures. Whether fine shading and other airbrush effects matter to the fish is a different question. And there's the other important question - regardless of what the fish think, will you fish the lure better and with more confidence if you think it's prettier painted with an airbrush?

The least fuss is to seal the wood with Devcon Two Ton epoxy thinned with some denatured alcohol, paint the bait with water based acrylic paints (get them in 2 oz bottles at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, craft shops) and then topcoat the bait with Devcon Two Ton epoxy, this time unthinned. Give the baits a white color base coat before you apply the colors so the wood grain will not show through.

Speed Traps have been classics here in the SE for decades, and still going strong. I think some of their pain patterns are sort of funky but they are reliable producers and very durable plastic baits.

Really good paint work and I like the variety, CCP.

You want to underfill the spool when using fluoro so it will be less likely to jump off the spool. There are lots of good brands. One of the better brands I've used is Bass Pro Shops XPS fluoro - which is on sale right now for less than any fluoro brand you're likely to find elsewhere.