Fish Chris

I've been contemplating building a rod (or 9 ) But 'I'm not' considering building my own rods, because I want to put together all of the greatest, most expensive parts, for some super-duper custom rod to brag about.... Instead, it's because the rods I need, are so hard to find, leastwise, in the less expensive lines..... I need some heavy action, 7 1/2 ft (7' 9" to be picky... longest possible to go in my truck bed diagonally, without being bent ) 1 piece. Blanks like this should be quite easy to find, because "bait casters" like this are really common. Unfortunately, spinning rods are not. Any suggestions for somebody considering building there first rod ? I know I would need one of those little machines to spin the blank.... epoxies, line wrapping thread, guides, handle, etc. Kind of daunting. Where do I even start ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And before we get into it, back to my original question.... Using mid-grade parts, on a not-so-high modulas blank (remember, I'm a braid guy, so sensitivity is never an issue ) how cheaply could I build a rod (if I already had the rod building machine, and the minimal equipment required) ? Would $75 be possible ? If I went much over $100, it would not make sense for me to build my own rods. I know I can buy St Croix or a couple other inland saltwater rods to fit the bill for like $150 Any advice will be appreciated. Oh hey, if somebody here wants to build a decent rod for me, for cheap, I might be open to that too. Much thanks, Fish

Thanks Paul Here's a shot of a rigged Split Tail. Basically, we use a threader (just a long needle) and tie our hook to one end of a 30" leader, and the threading needle to the other. We then stick it just under the skin, and push it all the way through until it pops out by the tail. Two things I do nowadays though; 1) I cut two of the hook points off, right in the middle of the curve, and then debarb the single, remaining hook. {so, even on those ocassions when a Striper really swallows the bait, to where I can't easily remove it, I am very confident it won't be too hard for the fish to get rid of later} 2) I crimp a split shot on the leader, right where it exits the bait, to keep it from pulling forward, and doing anything goofy. This has worked VERY well.... until these couple X's lately. Hmmm. Fish

Thanks guys Oh, and I forgot to say, but I caught that 14 and one of the 8's on the micro-light, with my new Shimano Sahara 1000.... Which, BTW, is working great now, with the addition of that carbontex drag washer The 14 fought great on that gear, as you might expect. The 8lb'er, on the other hand, fought like a 20 ! It just flat didn't want to give up ! .....and kept trying to wrap the line on my other pole ! Urgg ! I swear it took twice as long to land that 8lb'er, as it did the 14 ! Those were great.... but I think after that little drag test, I'm going to stick to the heavy rods for the Stripers (easier to handle the big baits), and I'll break out the micro-lights again, whenever I get into a good Sturgeon bite. Freaking rain today Forcing me to get my chores done I guess.... Peace, Fish

Had a pretty good trip yesterday... in spite of the fact that it rained on me about 4 of my 11 hours on the water Not heavy.... just enough to keep everything soaked. What a PITA. Oh, and the one other downside.... My first fish, which quickly inhaled a large, 13" Split Tail (can't say it was a HUGE fish, but probably at least a high teener) the same lame arse thing happened, that caused me to lose that giant last week ....The hooked got fouled up, and snagged back around the line That's only happened twice now, since I modified my rigging, but once is too much ! Urggg. Anyway, I ended up catching 4 Stripers... two about 8 lbs, one in the 14 lb range, and one very beautiful, strong, 20.0 lb'er Yes, exactly 20.0 lbs .....which reminds of the old joke about a 10 lb Largemouth... I've caught two Largemouth's that were exactly 10.0 lbs, and I have a buddy who caught one 10.0 lb'er... So of course, we ribbed the heck out of each other about those catches with.... "Are you sure it was 10 lbs ? Couldn't have been 9.9 lbs could it ? You know, scales can very.... You were not on a rocking boat when you weighed it were you" ? LOL And then, you know why so many 10 lb Largemouth's get caught right ? It's because so many guys go fishing without a scale Anyway, here's the 20.0 lb'er... What a beauty, huh ? Peace, Fish

Much thanks guys. I think I will go with the Big Game. CXX is probably great stuff.... But one time about 10 years ago, I had a bad experience with P-Line for leaders. Granted, that was their old Flouo Clear (not CXX), which might have improved since then, or, I might have just gotten a bad / old spool to begin with (shelf life is one thing I don't have to worry about much anymore, except for my leader material of course). If I find any significant difference between Big Game and Maxima Ultra Green, I'll post my findings here. Thanks, Fish

Remember me saying that gas prices were killing me !?!? Okay, well check this out; For years and years, I've listened to some of the BIG Striper pro's in my area, talk about how the BIG ones really start to pour in for the Spring run in late March and April..... Uhhhh... just about the time the green and brown ones start busting loose ? Ya' think that might explain why I never fished for Stripers in maybe the best months in my area, for BIG Striper's ? So now, you KNOW I'm going to break the bank and make a few long trips for my green ones this year. I just have to. But if it comes right down to it, I'd sure rather go fishing in my back yard for Stripers, (and maybe Sturgeon) than to not fish at all ! And what's more, if these high gas prices force me to fish for Stripers in late March and April, then maybe I'll finally get a BIG Striper or two.... or a new PB (my PB is a dink, for the big Striper pro's in my area... only 32.1) I should at least be able to get a high 30... if not a 40. Anyhow, I'm fixing to go Striper fishing right now ! Whooo Hooo ! Not trying to be over confident... but I really think I will stick a few Will post a report. Peace, Fish

Right on I've been fishing my whole life (I'm 46) and still can't cast a bait caster to save my life ! So your 1 up on me Peace, Fish

.....for leader of course. What else do you think I'd use mono for ? Seriously though, I've been using Maxima Mean Green, and Seaguar Carbon Pro, for several years, and it works fine, but it's pricey. Honestly, I'm starting to think any premium mono, might work fine.... even some that are not neccesarily premium LOL Oh, and I NEVER buy leader material on those stupid little 25 or 30 yard spools. I buy 250 to 300 yard spools, normally intended as a main line, as I tie a lot of leaders. One other thing, I'm not going to make a special internet order, for a spool or two of mono, so I need to find some thing that is readily available in most decent walk-in tackle stores. Suggestions please, Thank you, Fish

Well imagine this.... I drive for a living, and gas prices come straight out of my profits. So, while gas goes up $1 per gallon for most of you, It goes up $1 for me + my pay goes down that much more, at the same time ! It is getting hard for me to buy groceries and pay the bills..... asside from trying to put $100 worth of gas in my truck tank ! I might just end up fishing for Stripers and Sturgeon all Spring and Summer ! Sure, I'd like to switch it up and fish for some Green and Brown Bass..... But I'd rather fish for Stripers / Sturgeon, than to not fish AT ALL ! Fish

Well now, this is an interesting subject. I think George was pretty close..... although, I think they can sometimes lose more than that. Now WRB, you said I agree with this too..... But the thing that a LOT of people fail to recognize, is that while a bass (lets just say a little 10 lb'er for example ) might dump 12 oz of eggs, she also might lose 20 ounces of body mass, because of all of the energy expended on spawning, in conjunction with the fact, that for a certain time period, she will be spending all of her time and effort, making babies (eggs) instead of eating ....not to say that she won't eat at all, during the spawn.... just to say that eating is not her primary concern. So to recap, that fish that weighed 10.0 lbs at her peak right before spawning, could easily drop down to 8.0 lbs, immediatly after the spawn, but of that 2 lb loss, maybe 1/3 of it would be from actual egg weight. Peace, Fish

And I guess for Big-O also. But ever since I was a kid, I was into numbers, and statistics. If I heard something was really fast, I wanted to know, How fast ? If I heard it was really strong, I wanted to know How Strong ? Really heavy.... How Heavy ? And then, seeing how I'm always trying to outdo myself, obviously I need a number that I'm shooting to beat. Of course it's more important for me to know the weight of my own catches. Never cared to do better than anyone else anyway..... being possibly the least competitive guy on the planet. Peace, Fish

Absolutely, confidence is very important.... even for normal people. But then, for myself, with my AADD, I had better believe I'm going to get bit on every cast or else, my mind will be on some completely other subject, in a whole different time and place, and then, when I finally do get bit, I'll be most likely to miss it. Fortunately, as was mentioned, confidence is gained through experience. I know what it feels like to get slammed, using pretty much all the lures, baits, and techniques that I use.... So it's very easy for me to imagine getting slammed, on every single cast Peace, Fish

Darn nice fish ! It would just kill me to catch fish like that, and not know how much they weighed though.... Anyway, continued success to you Peace, Fish

To tell you the truth, I really don't want anyone else fishing with me. Whether it's a girl or a guy, wouldn't make much difference. Actually, having anybody with me, distracts me to the point that I might as well have left my poles at home. Having a good looking female with me would just be 10 X's worse ! Peace, Fish

Much thanks again guys Yea, that fish looked a lot bigger than 20 lbs in person too. It was just one of those fish with the big, but empty belly, so it sagged down quite a bit giving the apearance of being a fat one. I've caught Largemoughts like that to, and they always make for impressive photos. What's really cool though, is when you can catch a big, fat pre-spawn fish (Largemouth's, Striper's or whatever) who's bellies not only bulge downward, but also, out on the sides ! You know, the ones with the stretched tight bellies Peace, Fish

I've been into aquariums most of my life. Worked in 4 tropical fish stores, and on a fish farm in Arkansas. I've kept just about everything in aquariums you could imagine. One of my coolest aquarium pets, was an Octopus He would watch me walk to the fridge to get his food... and he would run up to the front glass, colors changes like every 1 second, from pale, to dark, purple, to brown, striped to spotted ! Crazy to watch ! As I reached up to the top edge of the tank, holding a little pink cocktail shrimp in my fingers, he would literally climb up to the edge of the tank, shoot out a few tentacles to grab my hand and fingers (freaked me out the first time he did it) but it was just to "secure his meal" .....then he would use another tentacle to wrap around the shrimp, and pull it back to his mouth. Once he was sure it was his, he would let go of my hand, and run back down the glass, and over to his favorite piece of coral, where his colors would now just go totally neutral, and he would blend right in with the gravel, and coral I had a really cool aquarium / terrarium with Mud skippers too. {fish out of water } They would eat tubifex worms, right out of the end of an eye dropper, with you holding it. In fact, they would spring several inches off the ground, with their tail, to get to it The only time they would actually stay in the water end of the terrarium, was if one got it's but kicked by another. Then they would sit down their straight and stiff, and act like they were hating it Otherwise, they would just hop (on their front fins) over the edge of the water, jump in, and basically spin right back out, all in one motion, just to get wet, and get a mouthful of oxygenated water, once in a while. Reef tanks are great too. I never kept them at home, but took care of plenty of them at my work. Peace, Fish

Thanks guys Hey Grundle, how funny you should mention that.... I actually caught an IGFA World record Striper (at the time) of 16lb 12 oz on 4 lb test mono. Got my name in the IGFA record book, and a nice certificate... and that was WAAAY back in 1981. Nowadays, I don't / won't use mono for anything ! I have grown to absolutely despise the stuff. I'm just a braid guy all the way. I do still do a ton of micro-light gear fishing, however, I use a micro-braided line, which tests at about 10 or 12 lbs, but is about 2 or 3 lb test mono equivalent diameter. Now, on that gear, I have caught 4 Sturgeon in the 100 lb range. That is a total challenge, and I love it ! As for Stripers, the hardest part is just connecting with a really big one in the first place. Once I do however, I feel like I can (without much trouble) land any Striper that swims, on the micro-light. Heck, once you land a 100 lb Sturgeon on a setup, it kind of makes you feel invincible .....oh, not to mention, big old Sturgeon, will often try to get lazy on you during a fight, and try to lay down on the bottom. Their are ways to get them going again, but that can be a PITA. Whereas, a big Striper will just flat turn itself into butter, and let you drift it right in. Don't get me wrong, they can be really strong, and are a blast to catch..... but compared to Sturgeon, they are relatively easy to land. Peace, Fish

...besides the wind Geeez ! I thought that would all be blown out by today, but it was anywhere from very breezy, to downright windy all day Anyway, as I pulled into the parking lot, a little Asian guy was launching right behind me. I asked what he was fishing for, and he said Sturgeon and Stripers. So, I asked if he had caught any Sturgeon lately, and he said, yes, two this year already. Man, that's a lot better than me... I can't find them to save my life. He actually told me where he caught them, and it really doesn't surprise me... farther out toward the bay. So he heads West, and I head East. After catching my bait (Split Tails.... about 9"... a little smaller than I prefer, but....) I started fishing at my spot. After about 30 minutes, I get blasted, and my bait runner starts singing. I let it take it for about 8 or 10 seconds (30 feet ?) then engaged the reel, and let the fish clothesline itself... and when it did, it instantly came to the surface, and made the biggest explosion, like somebody dropped a bath tub in the water ! Once it got back under the surface, it started a freight train run, just burning drag, at a high rate of speed ! This fish felt bigger, and stronger, than any of the 20+ fish I've caught this year ! I mean, it really wasn't slowing down, and I was looking at my anchor line, thinking about throwing the slack and float buoy over.... when "thunk" it comes unbuttoned :'( :'( :'( When I reeled it in to inspect my bait, I found that the hook had gotten turned around, and hooked back into the Split Tail The Striper never felt a hook After regrouping for minute, I straighten out that rig, and go set it out again. Didn't take long, and I stuck a scrappy little 10 lb'er. The next fish was nice, strong, 20.4 lb'er After that, I ended up catching 3 more, from 12 to 16 lb's lbs or so. Oh, and I missed 1 other while fishing a Split Tail under a bobber, on my micro-light. I think it must have felt the bobber dragging, and dropped it. Split Tail was ripped up though. No doubt what happened to it. Oh, so just out of pure coincidence, as I arrive back to the ramp, the same little Asian guy pulls up behind me. He asks how I did, so I told him I whacked them pretty good.... 5 fish from 10 to 20.4 lb's. {thinking I was kind of cool } ......and he says, "That's awesome ! Well I got 1"..... "Striper or Sturgeon", I ask ? Sturgeon ! I got it right here.... check it out.... and darnit... if that guy hadn't stuck the fish I've been wanting SOOO bad ! A thick, solid 62" keeper ! I told him, "Well, I'll never complain about catching 5 nice Stripers.... But I'd trade every one of them for a 62" Sturgeon ! He just laughed, and agreed with me Oh, so here's the 20.4.... photographed big, didn't it ? All in all, another fun day on the water Peace, Fish

But hey rboat, no pun intended, but we are definately in the same boat on this one ! Apparently, a lot of otherr members here live right nerxt to there favorite bass waters, or make a TON of $$$...... as it seems the majority on that other thread didn't think it would effect them much ! Well, I'm sorry to say, buit it's going to effect $#%& out of me ! And whats worse, is that I drive for a living, and have to pay for my own fuel So, not only will I have to pay a lot more for my fishing, but I'm earning less take home pay at the same freaking time !!!! :'( :'( :'( :'( Really just sucks Fish

Yes, both are excellent. I have a couple replicas. The one on the right here, was for my 16.5, and was done by Lake Fork. The one on the left, was for my 18.4, and was done by Robert Munoz, from So Cal. I love the natural, closed mouth pose. He does absolutely fantastic work..... but is next to impossible to get a job set up with Over booked. No secretary... which he needs. But anyway.... Peace, Fish

Well exactly ! That's why I feel like the wind really steals a day of it from me ! But yea.... I'm starting to come up with a few things that I can mess around with on the truck. And the really nice thing, is that tomorrow is supposed to be just beautful, and NOT windy.... and I already have most of the gear loaded (I have an alarmed fiberglass bed cover). So anyway..... Peace, Fish

Thank you Vinny I really love my truck too. But I have to tell you, while maybe 1 in 20 people will come up to me and just freak the heck out about how "they just love my truck.... and they never saw one done like that... that color, and blacked out too"..... about another 15 out of 20 will just look at it from the corner of their eye, with this look that says; "OMG ! It's not white ! It's not a Super Crew cab ! How could a guy possibly blend in with the crowd in that oddball thing" ?!?! .... LOL Which is quite alright. As when I see a white, Supercrew, with chrome rims, I always think.... "Yawn. Geeez, I'm sure getting sleepy" LOL Really though, wouldn't it be a ***** to walk out of the grocery store, looking for your white super crew cab.... among like 20 other white supercrew cabs ? One things for sure, I've walked out to some really big, slam full parking lots, and I've never seen not even one blacked out, Stone Green truck ! It is certainly about as oddball as I am Just a perfect match Peace, Fish

I wouldn't know. I never clean mine Why would you clean a fishing boat anyway ? Fish

Got up at 3am this morning. Loaded the gear. Heck, I was even out in the backyard digging earthworms (bait for my bait)in my sweats, at 3:30am. Walked out to the truck at about 5am..... and I start hearing this low pitched growl Look up at the top of the palm trees across from my house, and they are starting to sway @#%^^ %%^& &%^% ! Oh sure, I could go out anyway, and fight the freaking hurricane all day, whining and cussing, and having a generally crappy time...... Or, I can just throw this one day of my life in the trash can ......because it doesn't matter how nice it is tomorrow, today will be gone forever ! Freaking nuclear fallout wouldn't be so bothersome ! > > > > > >

So, your going from monofilament, to monofilament ? Not much of a switch. Use braid, or leave me with the advantage. Who me opinionated ? : Peace, Fish PS, Fluorocarbon is fine for leaders.... but then again, so is a good regular mono.