MickD

Alberto with the braid tag tied into two half hitches pulled tight. Be sure to trim the leader tag very close.

I do think that the thinner the leader the more likely the FG will fail. It was developed for salt with really heavy leaders of fairly large diameter. I cut some FG knots apart a couple years ago and found that the leader was being plastically deformed by the cinching of the knot, with grooves being formed in the leader by the braid. It is reasonable to expect that thinner leaders don't allow the kind of deformation that I saw. I'm sure some will argure that they do it all the time and no problem, and I expect it is true. But something about how they are doing it or what materials they are using is making it work for them. But big picture, I believe that the thinner the leader the more likely the failure. I am not arguing that all will fail. It is my opinion that using FG's with leaders below about 15 pound test is a crap shoot. One might ask why an FG is required by the thinner leaders anyway since many other knots will go through size 4 micros just fine anyway.

I've not tried that particular hook, but am wary of almost any weedless hook thinking that if they keep the weeds off, they will keep some fish bites off, too.

I believe the only reason for a size 17 is if the blank is too large in diameter for the size 16 seat. I like the ACSM, slightly different from the ECS. But both are available in different ID sizes so they are simple to build, no arbor required and the hand is on the blank at the window. Yes, there are other manufacturers making similar seats, but I like the consistent Fuji quality.

Maybe, but in my experience I've twisted some rods 180 degrees with a significant bend without damaging. I don't prefer the spiral designs, so all of mine are built with the guides on top, so if this were generally true one would think I would have failed at least one by now.

Yup, put some force onto a 5 foot length of mono or FC and you'll see this effect. Compare to applying the same force to braid.

I think you need the 9-6 to 10 foot 4 piece model. But I would call. https://www.reelflyrod.com/tfo-triangle-rod-tube.html?variant_id=16452&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3fTXj5CX-AIV-UFHAR2_4AMbEAEYASABEgIidPD_BwE

Mine measures 4 inches on a side, 33 inches long. I carried a 7 foot 3 piece spin rod + a spin rod made from an 8 1/2 foot 4 piece fly blank + 2 8 wt fly rods, 9 foot 4 piece. It's too bad they don't just give the dimensions. I would call a source that carries the different sizes and get the length you know you need and verify it has about 4 inch sides. My spin rods have the tall Fuji guides. 3 piece 7 foot rods are about 30 inches long, I think. 84 / 3 = 28 + the ferrule overlap would give about 30 inches. I know that some of the suggestions you're getting will not carry the spin rods with tall guides, even one of them.

I like the Temple Fork Triangular case, not too expensive and has worked for many trips. It will hold multiple rods, even when some have tall spin guides like Fuji KLH. Make sure you pack the rods so they don't shift and don't contact each other. https://www.southernreeloutfitters.com/products/triangle-rod-case?variant=13495222632483&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqPGUBhDwARIsANNwjV6Esavp9PjHcuIh_ZPVFXn29_ttidgdRdjWSJo5vD0ay9mS6-xNzxcaAnlsEALw_wcB While this source doesn't give its length, the case is available in different lengths, check around to find the one that will work for your rods.

I think my expert was wrong.

You evidently have found some braid that is unlike anything I have ever used. Different in just about everything you describe.

The braid I just took off was old, probably not coated. I think I'll stick with my Suffix mono, not ready to spend over $40 + $18 shipping on X wire. I only find it on E-Bay.

Hard to believe so many have trouble cutting braid. My biggest issue with braid is something I don't really understand, that of having trouble casting with baitcasters. I cast just fine in the yard, but on the water I think the braid gets heavier when wet and spins off the spool and contacts the posts on the casting reel and screws up the cast. That's the only thing I can figure out. Maybe I have too much on the spool. But I recently solved it by replacing it with Suffix Elite camo braid in 14 pound test, and it works great. Any others experience this with braid? I love braids on spinning, but even there, there are some braids that work well and some do not. There is more difference between different brand braids than most people think.

I have read elsewhere, posted by an expert in CCS, that all pennies post 1986 weigh 2.5 grams. Of course you don't even need pennies, they are handy, but all you need is to know the weight. For heavier power rods I have bags of .30 caliber bullets that weigh 300 grams. Whatever one uses, I suggest writing the weight, verified by actual weighing, on the bags. Small scales are available on Amazon for less than $15. Cell phones with a level app and electronic levels are really handy and accurate for measuring the AA, much better than trying to use the CCS angle chart.

Can't find my chart, what ERN is 355? thanks

If you have a drill press you can easily and cheaply make a rig to turn it into what amounts to a vertical lathe to safely and accurately turn softer materials like cork and EVA. If you need details email me. There are many proposals to turn a drill-driver into a makeshift lathe, but that is very crude compared to what a drill press can do. Just noticed the "doggoned apartment" part of the post. Probably no drill press.

The SB841-3 is a very nice blank. I use mine for all kinds of things, from light bonefish jigs to small cranks to finesse. It does a good job an all. It happens to be a surprisingly fast recovery blank having a true natural frequency close to "premium" blanks even though it is RX6. I think your worries are well founded. The RS would be better. I think what you have is a decent drop shot or Ned rig rod (talking the AT ERN 12). A recent drop shot blank from NFC was called "medium" power, and it's ERN is about 12, too. No way would I call a 12 "medium" power.

I think you did the right process and got the right answer. I expect that the blank did not weigh 2.2 oz. I got 20 ERN and 82 AA on that blank.

Something is funny about the CCS measurments or the blank itself- 12 is very light power and 73 is moderate action, not what most would call "mag bass." ?? The CCS numbers are static numbers and the addition of guides and grips/etc will not affect them. You can sand down any blank to make it matte, but it will probably end up a blacker color. You have to be careful not to go too far with the sanding. I would leave it alone and build another rod with matte blank. One can never have too many rods. Like women's shoes and purses. Each has its place and reason for being. Regarding gluing seats, this is the exact wrong place to worry about weight. Most factory rod failures, in my experience, are due to insufficient epoxy between the seat or grip and the blank. I never skimp and have never had a failure. The weight here will be very minor and will not affect the power or action or recovery time of the rod. Weight is important out on the blank, but not much at the butt. My way of locking is to wrap the last 3 wraps aroung the eye of the guide, then do a pull through. At times I do use wraps on the other side of the junction of the eye and foot, depends on whether I can make them cleanly with no gaps or not. Depends somewhat on the design of the guide and whether the blocking wraps can be done without gapping. Hard to explain. To make a 2.2 ounce blank into a 3 oz rod is certainly surprising. I think the skeleton seat must be very light. The guides are probably about .15, cork about .5. Doesn't leave much room for the seat and wraps/epoxy/ (but that will be minor, probably .15 or less, I think) I doubt if that light a power blank actually weighs 2.2. The Rainshadow blank is much more powerful and weighs 2.2 if I remember right. Welcome to the club!

We are on the same page. I started adding the half hitches after a few mystery failures, unravelling, based on my experience of never being able to untangle a tight knot on my braid line. I figured if I cannot get one loose, maybe Mother Nature cannot either.

but the danger is more from coming untied than breaking. That is the problem I was now and then having, but didn't understand it. Adding the two tightly set half hitches solves it and doesn't make the knot any bigger.

I have had trouble with the Alberto when I don't really tighten it hard. I now tighten it very tightly, both pulling on the working lines and especially the leader tag end to tightly close its loop. I've added two half hitches of the braid tag end to prevent unravelling, which occasionally happened even though I was sure I was tying correctly. But I use quality FC, and have never had a failure like the OP describes. It could be our different definitions of what is "tight," but I think recommending not setting the knot very tightly is inviting unravelling.

If you are wetting the knot and tying it well then I suspect fragile FC is the issue. Change to mono or a leader grade FC. I use Hitena fly tippet material and have never had what you describe happen. I believe leader grade FC is tougher and it usually is stiffer, so tangles less with some lures like blades.

Does a duck have webbed feet?

Make sure the rods cannot move in the tubes. If a rod moves and jams the tip into the end of the tube, it likely will break.