Tim Kelly

I have a Lee production pot which I use for my jig making. It drips pretty much constantly. Does anyone know a way of cleaning it so that it doesn't drip anymore?

A Tatula or Tat CT would be the way I'd go, and the reel will outlast your first few rods. Nothing more frustrating than a cheap baitcaster when you're learning, and still pretty horrible once you have learnt! The Tats, or a Citica /Curado would be a no brainer.

You need a mechanic then.

Sounds like you need a mechanic. Might be that it's in safe mode, which limits the motor to 3000 rpm. Check to see if the motor's peeing OK. Does the motor have a built in oil tank? My old Yamaha had a sensor that put it in safe mode if the oil level went too low in the tank, which was about 1/4 full.

I believe they're only designed to about 7lb of drag, so if you're getting that or more, then I would say you are fortunate. No problem for finesse techniques, but if you're using it in weed and have to drag a weed ball back with your fish, it's a pain in the backside!

I've built my own rod since I was about 12, and I turn 50 tomorrow. It really isn't hard at all if you're moderately dexterous. The most difficult thing is the epoxy finish on the whippings, but if you're building it for yourself the appearance isn't as important as the function. If you're nervous about doing it ask some of the guys on the tackle making section of this board for a quote. I expect you can get the whole thing done for less than you imagine and have a decent fishing rod that suits your needs well.

A-Jay Is that water color usual on the lake, or was it cloudier because of the wind?

I have an SS SV and a SV 105. They're both excellent for trouble free casting. I would use the SS SV more if the drag wasn't so weak on it though. I think a Tat SV or Zillion SV would be pretty much perfect for most things. The TWS is great if you're fishing thick line, and not detrimental at any other time. The Zillion has the classic style of Daiwa spool without a full axle, where the tatula has a full axle. Not sure if there's much practical difference, but it's maybe a thing to consider?

Make, or have made a rod on the 7 ft 2 piece MHX mag bass blank MH or H power. I have to fly for my bass fishing, so have travelling issues too. This makes a very reasonable rod for not too much money. If you want to spend a fortune, Japanese rods are often available in 2 piece.

Well said A-Jay. I thought the coverage was great. Sanders Hite and Zona did a fantastic job keeping the commentary entertaining throughout the marathon, quite an achievement. I couldn't stay awake to watch the final weigh in (6 hour time difference) so I don't know how that went, but previous Sunday weigh ins have given very little coverage to the guy who came second, as once he's been weighed and lost it's all about the guy who won. Understandable, but seems harsh when the guy who comes 12th can often spend more time promoting his sponsors!

I like the MLF Exclusives they have on the myoutdoortv.com site. It's virtually real time with one angler during a significant period of their day. Very interesting to watch and you see a more real side of the anglers. It's surprising how chatty some of them are, which you'd never imagine from watching the edited shows. There's one with Brent Ehrler, he's doing well and guess who turns up following the bent rod pattern. Pretty obvious that Ike isn't the most popular angler in professional bass fishing as far as the other competitors are concerned!

Bit of a shame there wasn't a camera with Jordan Lee. We'll see how good his marshal is at estimating weighs at the weigh in....

KVD hasn't had a single big bite, the others have all caught a biggun. I hope KVD gets his turn today and smashes it to win.

I can't see it there either, if that's any comfort.

That looks very smart! For a person who holds a spinning rod in front of the reel stem, that would be nice. I like to hold two fingers either side of the reel stem, so the heel of my hand would be on the threads and get none of the benefit of building a rod that way.

The thread is just cosmetic. The tip guide is just a metal tube which is glued on.

It is, but with the screw part from a fuji seat.

I bought a current model 2 piece medium legend elite spinning rod from a friend recently. Love the rod, but I just detest most spinning rod builds, including this one. After using it for two sessions I couldn't get past the horrible handle. Too thin and the only part of the handle I hold is the reel seat, as I have two fingers either side of the reel stem and the heel of my hand is on the threads and the hump where it joins the cork. Just uncomfortable and no real control of the rod. What else would you do on a rainy Sunday than go and look in your rod building box and see if you had enough bits to remedy the situation? Turns out I had, and I'm much happier with the rod as a result.

Either will be fine, though the Tatula CT might be slightly better. Pretty much the same spool capacity in a slightly smaller frame.

Absolutely spot on. One caveat to think about though is that if you use braid for slow slack line presentation it's tendency to float will give a very different direction of pull to a flurocarbon line in the same situation. Sometimes this is a disadvantage, sometimes an advantage. The fluoro will be a much more direct or possibly even downwards movement where the braid will tend to lift a bait off the bottom more.

Interesting. I didn't realise TDZ spools would fit.

Would that work? I thought it was a non standard sized spool?

Micro guides make every blank feel better. The lack of weight of the traditional guides lets the blank perform better. The Avid X range is the only standard factory build St Croix I like. I have issues with the handles on the spinning rods on all their other lines. Building your own rod on St Croix blanks gives the best results, for me anyway. I might be a bit fussy!

If you really like the rod, get the guides replaced and keep it. Hard to imagine there's nobody local to you who would do it, it's not rocket science. If you're in a local bass club there might be someone there who builds their own rods who could do it for you.

I think the 7x is the European version, presumably with metric depths and a few language options.