.ghoti.

I would call that one a knucklehead

Dang it, Harold. You put tears in my eyes, again.

May I suggest you get bibs and parka, instead of pants and jacket. No rain will run down the back of your britches wearing bibs and parka. It will run down your britches wearing pants and jacket

Since I started building rods, I have either sold or given away a bunch of my factory rods. i had to look at the rack to see what I had left. Five Daiwa(two Steez, two Tatula, one TD-X). seven St Croix(one LE, three LTB, three Avid). Five Setyr rods. Seems I still like St Croix and Daiwa. Setyr is out of business. My personal builds are on Rainshadow Immortal, St Croix SCV and SCIII, and MHX gen1 HM blanks. I have used several other blanks for customer rods, but those three are what I build for myself.

Very nice to see some of your work again.

A tube. Doesn’t matter what brand. You can catch fish anywhere and any time on a tube

We are sliding off into politics folks. I realize it will be difficult, but let’s not go there, please.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because he thought the other side held the answer to the age old question, which came first, the chicken or the egg

Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama this year. Not as many trips this year. Or last year either. In previous years the list would often include Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

I fish when I can. My fishing schedule is erratic enough it would require a ouija board to tell the fish I’m on the way.

Replacing the reel seat will require removing the guides. I have removed several old seats using a dremel tool with a cutoff disc. Slice down both sides of the seat. Then use a screwdriver to pry the seat apart. Be very careful, cutting as shallow as you can, making multiple passes. You do not want the cut into the blank. I also removed one seat using a teapot. Rotate the seat in the steam whistling from the teapot. Water boils at 212°F. The steam temperature will be less than that(venturi effect). It takes 160-180°F to loosen the epoxy bonding the seat to the blank. It takes more than that harm the resin which holds the blank together. I tried this after having a conversation about epoxy at a seminar. Tried if first on a broken rod. When that worked I tried on one of mine I wanted to rebuild. It took longer than cutting the seat off with a dremel, but I deemed it less likely to damage the blank.

cgolf, building your own rods will not be cost effective. If you are thinking to save money building your own rods, please think again. In some cases, you may come close, and in others you will not. However, there is a certain satisfaction to be had catching fish on a rod you’ve built yourself. And, you can build something you can not buy. You can make it to suit you. Want a longer or shorter hanlde?. No problem. Need a fatter grip? No problem. Want a particular rod length? Buy a blank a little longer and trim a few inches off the butt end. See where this is going? You can build exactly what you want. As far as initial costs go, you do not need to spend much at all. I built my first rods using a setup I built from scrap wood left over from a remodel project. In reality, that setup cost me nothing but some time. And it worked well enough to convince me that rod building is something I truly enjoy. I have since spent some money. A nice power wrapper, wood lathe with all the chucks mandrels and accessories required, compound miter saw, benchtop band saw, home made dust collection system, whole house hepa filter for dust, etc, etc, etc,,, The shop monkey is every bit as needy as the bait monkey.

A ZMan tube, 4/0 EWG hook and no weight is as good a topwater bait you can get for throwing into heavy vegetation.

Rig the tube on a keel weighted hook. Get the right combination of tube size, hook weight and line diameter, and you can make the tube walk the dog underwater.

Line?

It’s not just the rod. The rod, reel line and lure have to all work together.

I use Invizx, Abrazx, and Finesse Fluoro. I like then all for different applications. I don’t use any other brand.

As a mod, I have received several reels from our sponsors over the years. I try them out for a while, and then pass them on to somebody who needs one. Mostly kids, but have now decided to send them along with the rods I build for our ongoing Warrior Project. The only exception is the Helios. I’m keeping that little jewel.

I would contact Mudhole. I’ve never had to deal with them on a warranty issue, but their reputation on warranty issues is stellar.

Opinions

The list comes out every year. Every year the List is soundly ridiculed here. Life goes on.

How in the world did a picture of me get stuck in with that article?

Not all that long ago, I would have given a different answer to this question. I rarely fish alone. I have a regular group of old friends i fish with. A few new friends have become part of the circle. We all travel to get together. The older I get, the more precious these trips become. For me, fishing is secondary to seeing old friends. Fishing is the excuse for the gathering. Catching some fish is the icing on the cake. I am not as fanatic about fishing as I once was. It’s all about the get together, getting out on the water, relaxing and taking what the day gives me. If I miss a bite, lose a fish, or get skunked, it ain’t the end of the world. And, I really don’t like fishing with anybody who gets all bent out of shape by any of those things. Life is too short. “Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after,” Thoreau got that right.

That is how to introduce yourself!!!! Welcome aboard.

I keep two. Swim Senko and Rage Swimmer. Jighead, keel weighted hook, bare hook, T-rigged; there is no wrong way to fish them.