MickD

I think bass react instinctively to cues which need not look very much like "the hatch," I've never seen a chartreuse "hatch," but chartreuse is one of the best colors in any type of water, sometimes just the tail of a swimbait, sometimes just a few strands in a skirt, but it is, I believe, a very good unatural color. I've never seen a natural marine creature that looks much like a tube, but you know how they work. The littlest details often make a big difference in success, but they are hard to predict, so changing often is a good strategy, and using colors that are visible in current water conditions can be important. For example, a glass minnow may work great in clear water where too big a visual impact might spook the fish, but probably will not work in dirty water. Unless it has a sound component that the fish may react to. I think tubes and other things work because the combination of color, motion/action, and possibly shape strikes something in the instincts of the bass to make them bite/strike. Sometimes it's easy to find that combination, other times more difficult. I find that "matching the successful fishermen" is more important than matching the hatch.

Like Max says, but the reason it may be jammed is that because the cap is loose the pawl jammed. Be sure the pawl is engaged in the worm slot before tightening.

Check out Mudhole.com and go to their instructional videos. I think Getbitoutdoors.com has some too.

Have not fished them yet, but there are a number of patterns that I'm sure will do fine in mid MI. To the response that advocated just two colors, I have two comments. First, there is a lot more to enticing bass to bite than can be handled by two colors. Especially when one considers that this forum covers the country, not just a county. Second, all the planning and agonizing about colors and size and whatever else is a lot of fun. I love catching fish, but almost as much fun is the planning and prep, selecting what to take (sorry, I cannot take it all), and predicting which pattern of Siebert's jigs, or whatever else I'm considering, will be effective that day. Bass fishing is not a black and white world.

Have the builder show you some of his stuff. Pay attention to how solid the cork/other material and reel seat feels and the workmanship in general (wraps, epoxy where it doesn't belong, guide alignment and spacing, quality of the cork). Ask what guides he uses. This may clear some things up to make your decision easier. A good builder will most likely deliver a rod with better structure than a factory rod since custom builders usually use better quality seat shims, cork, and don't skimp on the epoxy. The $120 price point for a custom rod seems quite low, but you should be able to tell a lot from seeing some of his rods.

If it's brushy, and one is packing into a stream or lake, tie the rods together with velcro strips or similar and carry the one unit of rods about at the balance point with the tips facing back. The rods tied together will be less prone to breakage and snagging, and tips back reduces snagging by an order of magnitude.

I think the best gifts are things that the receiver would not buy for themselves. So in that vein, I think the digital scales proposed by others are good, but there is another that I think is great. Ceramix braid scissors. I wouldn't pay $20 for braid scissors for me, but I did for my son.

Agree with Xcalibur fans as the # 1, red eye shads, #2. But give the new Rapala Rippin Raps a try. A friend had one on this fall and it really seemed to work well for smallmouths. Reviews indicate they even work well through the ice, vertically jigged. I have found that even within a brand set of lipless cranks, some sizes work much better than others. I've never had much luck on the smaller ones, about 1/4 oz or less, and the bigger ones, those larger than about 5/8 or 3/4 oz. Seems like a sweet spot for most brands (at least for bass) in the 1/2-5/8 range.

Johnson Silver Minnow with pork rind NOT PLASTIC. With the weed guard adjusted right, you just cannot get any type of weed to get hung on it.

I have no hard data, just perception. I wonder if YH has changed in the last few years as mine was from about 4 years ago. I m going to have to try a new spool.

It is one of the best casting lines I've found (12# test), knot strength is fine, but I would not characterize it as having particularly little stretch. I think it's about like mono for stretch. I've used it for surface with no problems, but fc does present problems for me, so the buoyancy ov YZ Hybrid seems to be fine for everything.

Thanks to all the sponsors for keeping this forum up and running, and particular thanks to Siebert Jigs for the variety they offer (weights, head design, skirt colors, rattles or not, etc), the quality of the jigs they offer, and their performance in shipping. I recently ordered 6 jigs to see what Siebert was all about, and I'm very pleased with every aspect of the transaction. You really cannot appreciate the jigs on line, but get them in hand and you'll find high quality hooks and really great "skirts," great color combinations. You can get wire tied skirts, rattles, all kinds of variety, and lots of skirt colors. I just know I'm going to do well with them next spring and summer. To me the blue craw, Missouri craw, the alimony, and the bluegill skirts are almost guaranteed to work well here in central MI. Be sure to patronize your sponsors whenever you can. You most likely will get better product at a fair price, and you'll help support this forum.

I think I would prefer a medium power over med/light, but your proposal will certainly work.

I've struggled with this for years. Then I finally figured out that I seldom needed it all on any outing, whether in my boat or in another's boat, or wading, etc, you get the idea. So I bought a fairly big soft-sided bag that will take the 3600 size boxes. I also bought a bunch of plastic storage boxes. I put all the soft stuff into the storage boxes, all the hard stuff in the 3600's, and have a few spare 3600's. I take the big soft-sided bag whether I'm fishing my boat or another, and it has the hooks, leader mat'l, spare spools, all the stuff that would be handy when fishing for anything. Then, depending on whose boat, what we'll be fishing for, how tight the packing has to be, I fill the soft-sided bag with what I'll need. The plastics will be separated by type and in gallon plastic bags, taking only the ones appropriate for the fishing for that trip. The hard stuff will be in the plastic 3600's, appropriate for the trip. There may be a better system, and I'm all ears to hear about it.

For boat fishing, the individual tools designed for specific functions are better than the mulit-tools. I think the real value of a multi-tool is to carry on a trip or in your car/truck so you can handle the unexpected stuff that comes up. For wading, maybe they make more sense.

Looks like you cut the hook. Don't do that. Do this instead. I removed a big spinnerbait trailer hook from a buddy, no problem. I've removed a few hooks from myself. It works, you just have to keep the two keys he mentions in mind, keep the eye down so the hook will move straight in response to the jerk, and second, you have to commit to the jerk. One two three jerk quickly and decively. Do not cut the hook off.

I think the advice to put parafin on the ferrules is bad advice. Wipe them clean to be sure no grit has gotten onto them, and don't leave them tightly together all winter, but don't put anything on them. Just asking for trouble. Put them together properly and take them apart properly and they will work fine. This is the advice of a rodbuilder of many years experience who knows more about the design and use of rods than most any of us will ever know. If in doubt, just e-mail the blank maker and see what they say. Before you put any lube on the ferrule.

I think the reason you are not getting responses is twofold. 1, cork quality is so subjective that what's good for me may not be for you, and people may be reluctant thinking they might give "bad" info. 2. There are not many cork sources reading these posts. Try this site and see if you get more: http://rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 By the way, I don't use much burl cork any more, but it's not about machining it, my drill press cobbled lathe rig does fine with coarse sandpaper. It's that it weighs almost twice what natural cork weighs. I use natural cork with rubberize butt ring ( 1/4 or 1/2 in) for durability, and then use cork seal or gunstock oil on it to make it easier to clean when it gets ratty. A split grip casting rod from a 1.8 oz blank comes in about 3.6 oz. with a graphite reel seat.

The site below is a very well run site with many experts viewing it every day, and it specializes in rodbuilding, no lures, jigs, spinnerbait building. It has a list of sponsors along the left who can provide whatever you need, like the sponsors on the right at this site do so well with mostly lures. http://rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 You can ask the simplest of questions on it without any abuse or condescension. Everyone starts at the beginning, and most all the builders on this and that site understand and respect that.

There are a ton of great blanks out there, and you've been told a lot of good names, but not much about the power and action you should be using. I concur that for first few builds, use a reasonably priced blank and guides. All guides will handle all lines; it's more about what you want for finish, and it's about using the smallest, lightest guides you can use for max sensitivity (important in all fishing, but really important for drop shot). Your running guides should be the smallest you can use that will pass the knots you intend to go through the guides. I suggest using Minima guides, light, handsome, not expensive. Use a SIC tiptop-that is where the wear from braid will take place. For a blank you want one with med or med light power, IMHO, and extra fast action. A good blank that gets high reviews is the Revelation line from Rainshadow/Batson, specifically this one: REVS610MXF-SBDrop Shot/Shaky head 6'10" 6-14 3/16-1/2 0.425 4.5 X-Fast 1.78 M $58.22 This was copied from Getbitoutdoors web site, but many carry them. This can built into a rod of about 3.6 - 3.8 oz (split grip) and will work wonderfully for drop shot. Go to the Batson and PacBay websites to get tips on guide placement if you're not sure of that. Mudhole.com has good instructions on rodbuilding techniques. Keep it simple for your first build. One advantage custom rods of any price have over commercial rods is that you can do a much better job on the structural integrity of the grip and reel seat. You don't want to skimp on epoxy like they do.

Be sure to use enough of the working line to fully bury the line to line knot so it doesn't interfere with the casting. Double unis, if that's what you use, can leave a significant lump. The double slave reel is the best way to get it right, and it's nice to find a use for some of the old reels we used to use. I think casting reels are the best because you can do the middle transfers without worrying about inducing twist. Reel the lines on normally, take it to the first reel by taking it off normally, with the bail open, move it to the second caster, then reel it normally back onto the original spin spool. That gives one off, one on with the same spinning reel and should be the most reliable way to avoid twisting. I don't know that using spin reels for the temporary storage would induce twist, but not all of my spinning reels recommend spooling the same way. And it seems like they could induce twist.

I've been thinking. . . I know, dangerous. Since you are leaving an old glass rod and transitioning to a modern glass or blend rod, which should, if you pick the right glass, be much lighter in the tip than the old rod and should not present a balance problem at any butt length. I still would try it before I cut it.

Good explanation above, in my opinion. One thing about St Croix is that their power ratings are usually a little conservative, meaning that their medium power will most likely be a little more powerful than most other rod ratings that are called medium power. I think their action descriptions are pretty accurate and consistent with most people's expectations.

My late great reel service person would charge extra if the reel had hot sauce in it. My experience is that it won't migrate because it goes solid. You can do a lot better.

First, are you sure you want to cut it off? If you want to use two handed casting, you may not want to. I wouldn't want a grip/handle so short I couldn't easily and comfortably do two handed casts. The only reason I've cut off grips is when I screwed up early in my building of rods and I used too long a grip and it got caught on my clothing. What's going on behind your hand doesn't really matter, does it? Until you want leverage in fighting a fish, and it becomes advantageous to have some length back there. Be sure before you cut. You cannot uncut. If you are just cutting the blank, then the Dremel will be your best bet. High speed and fine teeth will prevent splintering. Taping will provide some added insurance. If cutting cork + blank at one time, I have found the best bet is a fine toothed carbide tipped blade on my table saw works very well. Cobble a rig to hold the rod securely as it is slid through the blade. If using a radial arm saw, just get it aligned properly on a cobbled jig and slowly cut it it. Slow is good. I suggest before worrying about balancing systems, just try it as it is. Keep in mind, by shortening it your reel and hand positions are not changing and the weight you're taking off is minimal. It just may be fine. I have found that many times the weight required to achieve balance makes the whole rod/reel assembly pretty clunky and unwieldy. Most fishing is done with the tip down, which minimizes balance issues. Fish with it, don't just "feel" it in the house and make your decision based on that. I have finished the end by simply gluing a rubberized cork ring with the rear rounded off onto the butt of the rod, then putting a coat of wrap epoxy over the ring and up over the next ring about 3/8 inch. Sounds fragile, but it works quite well.