MickD

Good idea on the used Lund, but they are rare. I sold my 2000 Monark 16 foot single console deep V earlier this year for $6K. 50 HP Suzuki 4 stroke, a bullet-proof engine. A boat like that would do you nicely. Buying used has the risk of getting a leaker or a less-than-perfect engine, so be careful. Check the service records, if none, beware. Check for hull damage.

It looks like you have plenty of power to go to 3500, cooling in your area is probably not a problem, the braking comments are very good. One way to check is to require that your purchase contract for the rig include your 1. Trying it on the water, and 2. Towing it to the water with your vehicle. I did this once with a dealer around here and he had no problem with it.

I strongly disagree with this statement. I have removed a few glued tiptops that were a real struggle, always on the edge of too much heat. If you want it to "pop right off," use some sort of hot melt, preferably the type called "ferrule cement." The fact is that super glues do not melt. They degrade with enough heat and time, and those conditions are very close to what it takes to degrade a blank. Yes, it can be done, but the margin for error is very small.

What is included in the tow package this car doesn't have? Most likely a trans cooler and a higher capacity cooling system. You live in WI, so it's level, not that hot even in the summer, a BIG difference from someone from AZ asking this question. I think that if the car WITH the towing package goes above 3500 pounds, then you can tow anything up to at least 3500 pounds. If the limitation is the engine power, it's a different story. If you try to tow a 3500 pound rig with less than about 200 HP, then it's going to be a grind. I don't think you will damage the vehicle, but it will be underpowered.

Look on Ebay for a Tatula SV103 , won't have 5:1, but other ratios will work and there will be no damage no matter what you're fishing.

You don't use that much leader material, so its cost isn't much of an issue. With your experience and priority for abrasion resistance, I think leader material is the right choice. One thing that stiffer leader material provides is tangle resistance, especially with lures like blades. Since it is stiff it tends to stay straight instead of bending into the hooks.

Travel is not an issue to smallmouths. Studies have shown they travel many miles in big water. I would not consider it a factor when looking for spawning areas.

I agree almost totally with Steveo. My only difference is that I will start with about 5-6 feet of leader. But the reason is not visibility or line stretch, it is to give me more cut and ties without having to retie the line/leader knot. I use the FG, and it's sort of a pain to tie a good one, so I try not to have to tie many. The FG is a great knot, the smallest and strongest (according to most tests) of the line to leader knots, and since it is so small, it will go through micros and all other guides without getting beaten up. So it can last a long, long, time. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

No. 'the differences are very small and the best bet is to match the action and the power with what you want it to do.

Putting rods into the back of a car is really risky. It helps to bundle them so that instead of one tip getting jammed, if you jam them, there might be more taking the load, so you sense the force and back off before breaking anything. Here is a plan for you, Further North: Have your fishing partner sit at the other end of the boat and play with his phone while YOU and YOU alone take the rods out and put them away. :-)

I stand corrected, the difference between mono and braid fibers being greater than I remembered. Significant to casting performance? I doubt it, but if one thinks it's better, it's better.

I really think that there is nothing to worry about here. I would use the rods and return them only if some functional or major appearance problem shows up. As others have reported, cracks at the feet are common, but these don't even appear to be cracks. Having them "repaired" by a rodbuilder will be expensive, and probably will solve nothing. If you are really worried about the new rods, take them back. If you have them altered there will be no warranty.

I have two Rainshadow RX8 blanks built into one spinning and one casting rod explicitly for casting for king salmon as they enter Pere Marquette Lake in MI, and have used the heck out of them. If using spoons I use the casting rod, and it casts a Little Cleo a mile, wonderful rod and not fatiguing. If using Deep Thunderstick Jr's, I use the spinning rod, and it does very well, also not fatiguing. I think that the weight of the rods may be an issue. With the RX8 blanks, these rods are not that heavy, so not fatiguing. I expect if these rods were glass, they would be fatiguing to use for long periods.

Regardless of whether the water is absorbed or adhering to tiny spaces in the weave, it is still weight, which is added to the weight of the the line itself, and making filled spool heavier. Making braid less advantageous because it is "lighter than mono." I am interested in your data that states that the density of braid and mono are different, or I should say, significantly different. Could be rounding, but if it is rounding, the difference is very slight. But I'm open to being corrected.

i have a number of the regular Stradics, different models, size 4000. I like them, but I also have a Partiarch and like it also. As above, both are very smooth, both have been reliable. If I were to buy again, price within $30, and the Patriarch an oz lighter, I'd buy it.

The last time I checked, braid was the same density as mono. If it's a smaller diameter, and packs more closely than larger mono, you might have more weight on the spool than with mono. It also can absorb water (weight) more than mono. So I'm not so sure that it will be lighter than mono. I sure can see the logic of using it when you want a lot of line on the spool.

Using super glue for tiptops makes them very difficult to remove, with real risk of damaging the blank. Hot melt "ferrule cement" is a much better choice, in my opinion. I use U40 Rod Bond quick bond paste epoxy for cork rings and reel seats, etc, and have had no problems. Seems to work perfectly for all structural uses. I have an acquaintance who uses an adhesive designed for wood for his cork rings, swears by it, but I don't know exactly what it is. I can find out if you want. Gorilla glue is too messy, expands all over everything. I see no reason to change from Rod Bond. It does come in a slow cure version.

I considered those cleats, thought they were unreasonably priced, and I was reluctant to mess up my boat with new holes in the gunnel. I had zig zag cleats on my last boat, and they do work fairly well, but not as reliable, IMHO, as a regular cleat design. They also are more sensitive to rope diameter.

Ah, good to know. I haven't tested these things for scrotum deflection. I'll leave that for someone else. The problems with open cleats are bigger than I ever dreamed.

You mention the power but not the action. Unless that rod is an extra fast action, I would go medium power. Yes, St. Croix power ratings yield rods with slightly more power than most other brands, but for your all around rod, while ML extra fast will work OK, I think M fast will work better as an all around rod.

The reels are too big if you think they are too big. You can use smaller reels with braid, especially braid below about 20 # test. I've never heard of that test for rod/reel match before. I don't think I have ever seen a combination where the line goes through the first guide without touching the guide either on the cast or the retrieve. I have three Stradic 4000's and use them on a variety of rods, all with braid. Yes, since I have been moving to lighter braids I've been buying smaller reels when I need one. They work well with the lighter braids.

Never tried it. How far into the sleeve do you want to pass the guide? That depth will have to be stretched. I found some Chinese sleeves on Ebay that come in two sizes; the larger working OK with my spin outfits. For the taller Fuji KLH first guides I have to untuck the bell shape to get it easily over the guide.

My dad had an Airex spinning reel (from France?) in the early 50's, I think. The only line I ever saw on it was a very thin green braid. The favorites I remember were the Hula Dancer in red/white, a River Runt in black/white, black Jitterbugs, and hammered brass spoons for river smallmouths. About 1955. I had a crazy lure called the Crazy Crawler, a surface lure with pivoting "wings" to catch the water, but never did very well on it. Just noticed the post of Scott F, he had one too and did better than I on it. Neat!

That Frabill looks very good. If you decide to go with a rubber net, be aware that most of them are so shallow that the fish are not reliably kept in the net. Look for net depth before buying. Thumb and finger work pretty well, but be sure you know how to get an embed hook out; sooner or later. . . :-)

Mine are similarly located. The statement directly above is valid for me and my boat (. . .easy to place a rod. . .) I may be very careful of where I place my rods, but cannot completely control others. But those who don't recognize or have an issue, forget it. If it's not an issue, never mind.