MickD

I like 5:1 for spinnerbaits, too. I have trouble slowing down, and many times spinnerbaits are more effective "slow rolled," or at least retrieved fairly slowly.

That piece, the foregrip, is epoxied to the blank. There is no way that I can see to make it screw down. To remove it is possible, but the mess left will be a problem to dress up nicely. If it were removed then a cork piece could be turned to fit over the nut, split in half, then be epoxied to the nut, and would move with the nut. Final sanding can hide the glue seam necessary to put it back together to some extent. But that's not easy, even for a good builder. I think the right way to handle this is to simply accept it the way it is, sell it if you cannot, and buy a rod that meets your expectations. The fact is that there are designs that are possible to execute by builders when building new rods that are not available in "production" rods.

DVT, when you say razor blade perpendicular to the blank, don't you mean that the cuts should be made parallel to the blank? Along the blank on top of the keeper? I still think the lowest risk, less disruptive answer is to carefully use the Dremel and finish with a drop of finish as stated above. It will not be noticeable unless one is already aware of the past presence of the keeper. And the decorative wraps will be undisturbed. Keep in mind a little nick in error will be on the finish, not the blank, and it will disappear with the drop of finish that will cover the metal.

For future builds consider the methods recommended for this rebuild, and also consider the Fuji sleeves that cover the lock nuts and threads. I think Alps has them also in similar designs. You won't see the threads at all and will have a nice smooth surface there. For most of the rods that bass fishermen use there is no need for a foregrip. I built with foregrips for a long time until I asked myself what is there function, and found there wasn't much if any function.

I always favor going at these things with the least disruptive strategy first, then if it doesn't work, go on from there with another strategy. So I would try to salvage the current windings by trying to remove the finish, then refinish. If that doesn't work, remove windings and rewrap. When you remove the old finish you may find the surface irregular and rough. Do the best you can to make it look good, then apply rod wrap epoxy, not structural/hardware epoxy. You may find that the new coat of wrap epoxy will smooth out the surface quite nicely.

Then touch up the exposed wire with a drop of Sally Hensen's fingernail hard finish or epoxy to prevent any corrosion or exposed sharp edges.

Don't beat me up, purists, but they all are so darned small that if you're off a little , you will never notice it. Either visually or functionally.

You don't have to watch them if you don't go that far. It is, IMHO, not necessary to go that far. The risk/reward relationship is not in our favor. Let DVT worry about them itty bitty springs when your reel is really raunchy.

Keeping in mind that the grub material won't go over a cast-in grub "keeper", and that the success of the rig depends on retaining the buoyancy of the grub/jig, the jig wire has to be light. And the keeper has to be wire. And the wire may break off. Sounds to me like dockskipper has the solution for either starting from new or using the jigs that have had the keeper break off. Great solution.

I've tried the blank in the split area, too. Did it to keep a lure farther away from a rod sock, but I don't care for it on the water. It's unnatural to find and use. I still think the right place ergonomically is right in front of the seat/ramp/fore-end at 180 degrees, both casting and spin.

Anything will work on a kayak. If you jerk too hard the kayak moves. :-) Seriously, I really like braid + FC leader with a moderate action rod, or any action rod for that matter. The comment on using hard mono is right on, also because it is tougher than mono designed to be line. I use leader grade FC, too , on outfits not likely to cast surface lures.

Pretty cool! Functional, unobtrusive, no epoxy problems, works well with rod socks. Why didn't I think of that? The only thing it might not handle well is a small treble?

I don't disagree with your major points, Logan. But the poster sounds new to the game and may not be ready for FC. I was only pointing out that the quickest and cheapest way out of his frustration might be to, at least for a while, give up the FC. For me personally, I've practiced and practiced with many brands of FC and simply don't find that there is an advantage in it that justifies the problems.

For rods, wash the grips to remove dirt/scum, clean the blank and guides with a soapy paper towel. Check for broken/cracked ceramic guide/tiptop rings by wiping the ID with a Q-tip. If one is cracked it will snag the Q-tip. Store straight in a not hot room. Hanging from tip or a guide works fine. Reels: Wipe clean with a damp soapy paper towel, followed when dry with a slightly oily rag like you would for a firearm. Oil all external moving joints, like grips, bails, level wind pawl. Not a bad idea to brush the pawl and worm gear clean with mineral spirits or other cleaner, then oil it. (I like reel butter, but any good oil like 3 in 1 or sewing machine oil will do fine). For the inside I don't recommend taking the reel apart beyond what you see when you open it up. Reels are too complicated for me these days, and unless it has been dunked, you don't need to go further. If it's sort of gunky, brush to clean with mineral spirits, blow it out with compressed air if you have it, and relube. Pivots, sliding contacts, etc with oil, gears with reel grease. Look at your reel schematic to be sure you have found all the bearings. Don't overdo it, just a drop is usually sufficient. If the reel has been dunked, send it to a good repair person for a pro job. DVT is good and discounts forum members. I don't recommend servicing the drag unless it's not working smoothly. If you do service it use drag grease, not regular grease. Be sure to lay out the parts in order so you can get it back together properly. Loosen the drag before storing. There are many good tutorials on line, both pics and UTubes. Do a search and you will find many.

Thanks, DVT, much appreciated.

Fishing with a more forgiving line will provide lots of practice. I've been fishing with baitcasters for 60 years, have had plenty of practice, and still find mono a much more forgiving line than FC.

No one said nylon floats like a cork. Since its specific gravity is the same as water it has neutral buoyancy. That is nothing like a cork.

I suggest braid, about 20 pound test to retain really good casting characteristics with a 20 pound test hard saltwater mono leader for toughness, abrasion resistance. Learning the FG knot will have the knot going through the guides very smoothly.

What is the solution for someone without your ability and experience? Keep being frustrated by FC, going through lots of money and time and still getting backlashes? Or moving to a more forgiving line until the ability and experience is gained? Just stating that there is no FC problem solves nothing.

Hovanec, geat epoxy work there.

The Kigan looks very functional, ". One thing I like about the REC single foot fly guides and their keepers is that they almost disappear on the rod. I favor function first, but if I can get the same function with better "style," I'll go that way every time. Thanks for all the posts on this-much appreciated.

This is the keeper I was referring to when I mentioned they are hard to epoxy without clogging them with epoxy. You have to get epoxy under them. They are a little small, too, IMHO. I like this keeper for function, but put it at 90 degrees and you may have the line catch on it. Also, in black, the finish came off of mine. That location is my favorite unless I plan to use a rod sock on the rod. It is easy for the builder since the foot is well away from the loop.

I would like your opinions on hook keepers, the style and location you prefer and why. I've built rods for many years and have tried all kinds of keepers and put them in a number of positons and have finally settled on what I think is the best option, a REC RHK-M keeper, ID 1/8 inch.. If I want to keep a lure on the rod while using a rod sock, I'll put it right behind the grip/reel seat on the blank at 180 degrees (I do split grips exclusively), if not I'll put it at 180 degrees right in front of the reel seat/grip. Why the REC? Essentially corrosion proof, very tough, easy to put a hook into, unobtrusive, works for drop shot to hold the line at the sinker (install it sloping to the rear). I've tried the 90 degree location, and occasionally the line will snag it (spin). I've tried the folding keepers and I have to fart around with them to get a hook into them, and they sooner or later break. I've tried the little drop shot keepers, the "U" shaped ones and it's hard to keep wrap epoxy from clogging them, and they really don't work well with lure hooks. I've tried ceramic ring single foot fly guides at 180 degrees and found them very satisfactory, easy to use, but few have the corrosion resistance of the REC. They can be bent to work with drop shots. They work very well in fresh water, however. I've tried the big drop shot keepers and while they work well, the finish comes off. If put on at 90 degrees, they snag the line now and then. On fly rods I don't use keepers, preferring to keep the area below the first guide completely clean. I use the frame of the first guide. What do you prefer and why? thanks,

The fastest, cheapest, way to solve the FC problem is to switch to mono or braid. You can search for better FC's, and each try will cost time and $$; many will recommend premium FC's, more money and time. As stated , the ONLY true and significant advantage of FC is that it sinks faster than mono or braid. If that's what you want, OK, but I find a little lead makes a lure sink pretty well without the other problems of FC. I only use it for leaders, and I use the hard FC designed for leaders because it is much less fragile than FC designed to be a line. I think the best casting (baitcasters) line of all is mono, but I do like the lack of stretch of braid so use a lot of braid with FC leaders. For spinning I am almost exclusively with 15 # braid with an FC leader. (mostly open water or only slightly weedy fishing) As a line I think FC is highly overrated and not worth the cost and problems.

Ditch the spincasters for a decent conventional spinning outfit, then progress from that to baitcasting. But baitcasting will not replace spinning; it will give you more flexibility to do more different techniques. Spinning for finesse, lighter lures, casting for heavier lures, more power. This is a progression that most kids ultimately do if they are serious about getting skilled at fishing. Nothing wrong with spincasters as a starting point, but don't be limited by them. Go on beyond them.