MickD

Pretty overwhelming for a forum to handle. I'd hook up (good pun, right?) with an experienced fisherman and go over your stuff with him. Generally the longer the rod the longer it will cast. Short ultra lights are notorious for trouble with casting distance and hook sets. I started my young grandkids with 7 foot rods instead of the short "toys." You mention lending, that first rod is the only one I'd lend until I sorted out the keepers from the slugs. Then lend the slugs only. Many have been disappointed in how their "friends" have handled their rods/reels. Without being able to handle the sets it's hard to recommend anything, at least for me.

I've considered drones, but I would use them to fly over hundreds of acres of a bonefish flat so I don't have to walk it to find there are no bonefish there.

??? If you're asking about taking a handle off one rod and putting it onto another, I think it is impractical. I don't know how to remove a handle (grip?) in one piece so it could be put onto another rod. If you try I think you'll have two "broken" rods. Pick a new rod that meets your expectations.

But you have no objective data on action and power, right? Just feel. If you are right then it is a phenom I've never encountered with any of the usual name blank makers, like Loomis, St. Croix, Rainshadow, Point Blank, American Tackle. I'm curious as to how I'm going to be able to inspect and buy a rod that is not "visibly more likely to break?"

Both processes mentioned above will work, but the most reliable one is the Dremel. It is so easy to snag a fiber on these blanks that going with the system which operates at very high speed with very low feed rate will be the best chance of getting a clean cut. I've used both, and highly recommend the Dremel.

ONLY the butt, not the tip. She and you will not like it if you cut off the tip.

If you're not going warranty this can be repaired by doing an external sleeve, preferably from a scrap glass rod piece. https://www.rodbuilding.org/library/repair-oquinn.html Follow the directions-don't add an internal sleeve, just the external sleeve. Rods fixed in this way are very close to the action/power that they were before repair. Just replacing the tiptop, as mentioned above, is not an acceptable option. You will not like the results.

Seems like this video on preventing line twist is more about fixing than preventing.

I respectfully believe you are not really understanding what is going on. If you start from putting the line on the reel, and let the line off the source spool by taking it off the edge, with the source spool turning to let out line, you will be putting one "twist" onto the line for every bail rotation. If you then tie the line to something, then walk away, letting out line with the bail open, when you have let all the line off the reel, the line will have no twist. All the "twists" put on by reeling it on will be relieved by taking line off with the bail open. If you take the line off the reel by "taking drag," then you will be removing no "twists." You can see what is going on by taking a long electrical cord, laying it out on the lawn, no twists, make sure the twists are gone, and then start looping it into coils by just laying them onto your hand. This is what a spinning reel does. What is the condition of the long electrical cord by the time you get it all into coils? Same for garden hoses.

Yes, but for every loop of line that goes out with the cast, or by letting the bail move as in letting line out while trolling or back reeling when fighting a fish, a full twist will be taken out. If you reel while the spool is moving, as with a fish taking drag, that will put lots of twist on fast. Even if you don't reel while a fish it taking drag, it will put twist on because the bail is not moving but the spool is. My first example is the worst, of course. Using spinners like in-line spinners will twist the line , even if swivels are used. Regular swivels, IMHO, do not prevent line twist. I even doubt if ball bearing swivels, except for the very finest (and really expensive), will prevent line twist from aggressive spinning lures like in-line spinners. I do believe that how the line is put onto the reel affects initial twist. I put it on so that it comes off the end of the source spool opposite of how it goes onto the reel spool. i.e. if the bail is putting it on clockwise (looking at the end of the reel spool) it should come off the source spool counterclockwise. But. . . some twist is inevitable, and as reported above, braid is less affected by it, the heavier monos and FC's are affected the most by it, dragging the line will get rid of it. Bottom line is there is a lot going on that can affect twist, and if you do most of it right, twist should not be a horror.

I didn't detail why two coats makes sense for a lot of us. If you get a dust bump, or leave a thread nubbin on the pull thru, those can be carefully cut off with a sharp tool-the epoxy captures the imperfection making it rigid enough to cut it cleanly- and the next coat covers the tiny scar perfectly.

I keep the plug in the drain hole unless I'm using the live well. Sometimes use the live well for dry storage when not planning to use it. My Lund stays dry in the bilge unless I'm visually taking water on. A little leakage is only a problem if you plan on leaving your boat in the water when not fishing. Then you need an auto bilge pump.

Finding spine is fine, but not necessary. Just build so that any visible bend in the blank is the least noticeable. If no visible bend, and you like the spine idea, then that's the way to go. Not all wrap epoxies are the same for curing time. I suggest that until you get a "dryer" (epoxy doesn't "dry," it is a chemical reaction, so it cures) you avoid Pro Coat as it takes a very long time to cure. It's a fine finish, but you'll be turning your rod a lot longer than you want. I would use flex coat lite at least at first. Don't try to get a finished job with one coat since a second will cover any imperfections, which are likely on a first rod. I still do two coats every time.

What torques the rod are the guides, not the spine. The higher the guides the more the torque, which is why micros don't do it as much. Most builders don't even find the spine any more, they find the straightest axis and build either with the bend of the rod, if there is one, either up or down so it's not noticed.

You say you've bought nothing, right? You can buy a kit and have everything you need, or the parts and tools separately. I would only buy a couple spools of thread until you know you'll be staying in the hobby. Mudhole has kits which include all the necessary tools and materials, which can be a good idea to start with decent stuff and yet not spend a fortune. And there are just the rod blank and components kits. And you can buy it all separately. A reamer is a very valuable tool that greatly simplifies opening the diameters of cork and EVA components to the right diameter for the components, but they are a little pricey and I can't think of another use for them if you don't continue building. One common mistake is to not make the hole in cork large enough, the cork gets stretched, and it breaks. You want the bore to be a fit that does not stress the cork when the blank is slid into it. I use paste epoxy. I would buy a book, Mudhole lists some. What else? Sharp razor blades or exacto knives, masking tape, stirring tools for epoxy, small good quality (no shedding of bristles) brushes, epoxy cleaner (to clean brushes), denatured alcohol for clean up of uncured epoxy, syringes to make exact proportions of wrap and other liquid epoxy, etc. What I forgot you'll find in the book. Lots of good videos on U tube and at suppliers like Flex Coat, Mudhole, Getbitoutdoors (they have kits, too).

Fish can be very finicky, especially in cold water. I fished a reliable spit about a week ago a basically fished a two acre area for about an hour before I found the fish. they would ONLY take a slow-worded tube. Nothing else worked. I tried other stuff just to see what would happen, since I knew the fish (LMB) were there, and only the tube worked. Watermelon green with red specks. In MI go green. Not the school, the lures. Many fishermen have told me that they only fish green, a dark green, watermelon. I like JUnebug for LMB, too, but I always have green ready. This spot is a little pond off a BIG water bay, is only about 3-4 feet deep, and in summer, weed choked and no good (slimy weeds/algae). It has a silty bottom, and I think its appeal is that it warms faster than most other water, although last week it was about the same temp as the bay , about 53. Can you think of a spot in your water that sounds like this? Good luck, stick to it. Keep a journal of every fishing day with notes about weather and water conditions for the few days before you went and the day you went, the results, what you tried, what worked, etc. You will learn from it even if you strike out. As time goes on you will get successful and you'll have the dates and conditions so you can more likely repeat the success.

There is no set price on a first rod, so do what you want. the only reason many of us caution first time builders about spending major money on a first build blank is that we screwed our first builds up and better to screw up on a cheaper blank. But I've seen some very nice first builds, just not mine. I think that the book may be a better tension device. Regular thread may be damaged by the trap, and I think it very likely that metallic thread will have the metallic peeled off. But if it works, fine. If you start seeing thread that looks scuffed, or encounter breaks, try the book. Thread does not normally look scuffed and it doesn't normally break. A book will allow you to modulate the tension too. I built my first outfit from wood, and built on it for many years. I finally replaced it with what amounts to a power wrapper without a motor, and I really like it. A lot of stuff is a lot easier with it, like doing the last few tip guides and tip trim. i don't think i'm steady enough to keep up with a power wrapper. Good luck with your building! I'm so glad I got into it, about 60 years ago.

Yes, one coat only, will stay cleaner and will clean up easier.

How do you know they are different? Unless you are using objective measurements like CCS, you are just guessing. You mention length. That can be measured, and you did, and found a difference. What did you do to measure power and action? I don't deal in rods; I deal in blanks, and build them into rods. And I assure you that blanks of the same model from a single manufacturer do not vary significantly. If rod manufacturers are mixing different blanks into their rod builds, I don't know about that.

The original question concerned blank consistency between blanks of the same model and manufacturer, and they are very consistent from all manufacturers that I'm familiar with. When considering blanks between different manufacturers one has to consider that the terms describing them are subjective, not objective unless one has the CCS data on the blanks. If the CCS data are the same, then the blanks will feel somewhat alike for power and action, but unless the frequency data (which is a lot harder to measure) is known, the blanks can feel different due to weight and frequency differences that come with different materials. Sensitivity can be different on blanks with exactly the same power and action numbers. Higher sensitivity is what one usually is paying for in premium blanks. Since the action, power, line weight, and lure weight descriptions are subjective then it is possible for a LOT of variation between manufacturers. St. Croix, for example, usually provides blanks with more power than their description would indicate vs most other manufacturers. For example, their med light power is often about the same as others' med power. CCS power and action numbers are pretty easy to measure if one wants to do it. http://www.common-cents.info/ The rig shown in the site above takes up a lot of space, but it is possible to make a rig that takes up a lot less space.

Of course they are, and they do. Not only for that season, but for as many seasons as they offer that model. If you take a St Croix SCV 7 foot medium power fast action rod from 10 years ago it will feel very much like one made this year. I have made rods out of this particular model blank for about that long for me and family members, and they are so close to each other in feel that they are essentially identical. Additionally, the CCS power/action numbers are within a few percentage points from blank to blank. I have experience with a few other blank models that indicate that St Croix is not the only manufacturer with this capability. The only reason that rods made from the same blank model will feel different from each other is if the rods were built with different guide trains and/or grip configurations.

You said "diaphragm pump?" If you have a 1991 with its original diaphragm pump, that is where I would start to look. A diaphragm pump for anything that is critical is a design mistake, iMHO. They fail from use. They fail from age. They just fail. You may not be getting enough fuel.

My Yamaha only had one stat and I removed nothing. I have never seen that engine or my newer Merc run on the water without peeing, regardless of temperature. I always assumed that there was a stat bypass that ran a healthy stream of water whether the stat was open or closed. Obviously, I'm no expert.

On my old Yamaha I had to tape shut part of the water intakes when using the "earmuffs" to provide cooling water because with them open the water didn't rise to the water pump. It just went out those vents, which were low. Any chance of something similar being a factor here?

Regarding how to tell the quality of a blank. Keep in mind that quality is a subjective term that may be defined in many ways. What is "quality" for a downrigging rod won't be "quality" for a finesse rod. Think of quality in terms of what you want the rod to do and how its characteristics fit that. I'll talk general spin and cast blanks for the "normal" bass techniques and assume you are interested in the usual attributes like light weight, sensitivity, consistency from blank to blank, reliably meeting the description given for power, lure weights, and action, and reasonably durability and toughness. Although many times when the first two attributes are met they come with a sacrifice of the last two. High mod graphite rods can be fragile. I should add that the last attribute most of us consider is reasonable cost for the "quality" delivered. To elaborate a little, a great finesse rod will not be a great cranking rod. A great cranking rod for little squarebills will not be a great rod for deep cranking. A great flippin rod will not be a great drop shot rod. No rod will perform at the great level if the lure weight is not matched fairly closely to its power. Blanks are blanks. What are called spinning blanks can make great casting rods and vice versa. First I would say that you get about what you pay for. Stick with well-known, popular brands at least at first, until you get a feel for the different brands. Keep in mind that after a certain price, like almost everything else, added dollars don't give as much of an improvement as they did lower in the price scale. I think there is a sweet spot that starts at about $60-70 for most regular blanks and ends at about $100 depending on the length and characteristics. Over that you're getting into the really high quality. Whether that makes sense to you depends on you. I have many rods made from the sweet spot range that are what I would call great rods for their intended uses. What can make a great rod from a "sweet spot" blank is the quality of the workmanship and design (meaning all the components and their placement) that you provide. What can make a mediochre rod from a great blank is the failure to provide the above. Brands that provide a wide spectrum of blank "quality" are American Tackle, Rainshadow, Rodgeeks (where you get St Croix now, also), MHX and its derivatives from Mudhole.com, and I'm sure others will add their advice here. There are more, but the above are probably the most popular right now. I would not build my first rod on an expensive blank. I did that and had to rebuild it later to fix it. Some do better on than I did on their first, but I think it wise to stick to the sweet spot for at least a couple rods. As I said, do it right and they can be great rods. Buy one of the books on rodbuilding and search the web sites of the manufacturers for build instructions. Some are very good. (Mudhole.com, Getbitoutdoors.com, the Flex Coat youtube videos, and probably many more) Read this forum and others (rodbuilding.org for one) regularly to get a good sense of what blanks other builders respect.