MickD

Yes, not pitting or more commonly called spalling. I would call it scoring as Way2slow mentioned from bearing inner races spinning on the spindle. I'm not sure how this can happen without the bearings being "locked up" with there being less torque needed to spin the inner races than it takes for the bearings to turn naturally as designed. It could be that the bearing would lock periodically due to lube failure or inadequate lube causing the race to spin relative to the spindle. If this is true, you are very lucky to have not had a catastrophic failure already. Regardless of the cause, it is definitely wrong; there is a serious problem. I would take it to a trailer specialist and have it fixed right.

I don't have any true St. Croix SC4. I have a method of measuring the true natural frequency of blanks and rods, no weight added like in CCF by Hanneman. Interestingly the Rodgeeks Carbon 4 70MF natural frequency is well below that of the St Croix SCV 70MF, both one piece rods. The SCV's are towards the upper range of rods tested, but not quite the highest. BUT, the SCV 70MF remains one of my favorites. The others that are a little higher in natural frequency are in the top group of favorites, also.

Big water smallies are not as sensitive to the "mid day slump" as largemouths, in my opinion, and some of my best fishing for numbers and size has come around noon. It's more about the wind than time of day. If I had to pick one short time period, though, I would pick late afternoon, but well before dusk. 3:30-5:30.

https://anglersresource.net/static-load-tutorial/ Don't worry about a tool to align the guides, just use your eyes. Point the rod towards a light source that gives a good view of the guides and keep tweaking them based on your observations of them until they look right. They will be right.

Use the two line method at anglersresource.net and the guides don't load the rod so they stay on easier and they don't move on you. Sounds like you need to go up on thread tension a little. You should be able to move them after wrapping/before finishing, but it should take a bit of force, and they shouldn't be on the verge of unravelling or moving easily Yes, you can cut off thread nibs with a sharp razor/craft knife,then just a thin coat over them. You'll never see the evidence. I've never built a size 17 cast. When I recommended a 17 I was assuming spin. Bad assumption. I think overall the build came out very well. If the keeper is a problem with catching line just take it off and put it at 180 degrees. With it on the bottom any line that falls against the rod will not get caught on it. I have tried them on spin at 270 degrees and on both rods the fishermen have commented on occasional line getting hung up on them. Nice job, welcome to the club.

Christmas tinsel has nowhere close to the strength/durability of flashabou. Crystal flash is much smaller in diameter and is not the same product. Buy them at JStockard, Lurepartsonline, or Barlows. Barlows especially has tons of skirt and skirt making products.

It might be all in my head, but my Rodgeeks Carbon 4 doesn't seem to be as good as my St Croix SCV. Not the same power even though the same specs (measured CCS + subjective feel). Seems a little heavier. Not bad, but not quite an SCV. I think if you want an SCV you have to buy an SCV. Rodgeeks sells the SCV St Croix blanks.

I agree on having a partner, but I'm going fishing with or without one. Not ideal, but staying home isn't either.

The cleats on my boat are mounted on a horizontal surface about 2 inches wide. As I was reaching into the trailered boat I moved my arm against the open cleat, tearing the arm open.

My son keeps making sure I am wearing my PFD. He says he doesn't want to waste any fishing time searching for my body. Thinking about this string of posts, and fishing big water like Saginaw Bay and Lake St Clair much of the time, and being a little on the old side, $99 a year for a BoatUS towing membership might not be a bad idea.

If you are within a phone cell you can use one of many SOS apps which will on your command send an emergency message to a number or numbers of your choice. I have my son and wife set up and the message is for them to call me.

My fav is the 3.5 SK coffee, watermelon-candy most of the time. I had one occasion when they preferred a smaller tube, but I've tried the smaller ones many times since without much success. I vary the retrieve-sometimes they are on enough to hit on the fall, which is neat. Other times drag, short hops. I've not had much success on long agressive hops. If I do that it's usually with a swim bait, snapping it off the bottom.

"Bunch less expensive." Only if you build them yourself. High end factory rods have gotten better over the years, in my opinion. Very good looking, high quality guides and seats. I still like to build my own to get the design the way I like it (no factory spin rods use a similar design, and no builder components are available) . There are two areas of factory rods that are consistently deficient, the inferior cork quality and suspect bonding of seats and grips to the blanks (they tend to skimp on using the epoxy) .

U40 sealed cork is not slippery when wet.

If A-Jay uses an uni/uni knot then the Alberto will work since it is smaller. I suggest after tying the Alberto according to the accepted method you pull it VERY tight, then apply two overhand knots with the braid tag end, and pull them tightly too. Then it will never unravel and the overhand knots don't make the knot any larger.

My boat came with non-folding/receding cleats that had the potential of breaking rods if one got under the end of one of them. I also tore a couple shirts on them when working on the boat while it was on the trailer. Tearing my arm open was the last straw and I replaced the open cleats with a set of folding ones. Many problems solved. Folding cleats, unlike receding or dropping cleats, can be installed on any surface and they work just fine.

In the lower section. Which would seem to me to be the least important, easiest to handle without exotic materials, section. I wonder how much of an improvement it is. Could be significant, but I don't see how. Yes, I know, always the skeptic. But willing to learn.

Everything Suffix does seems to be fine quality.

I don't know the rod specs, but choose the rod that has the recommended lure weight as close to what you plan to use as possible.

I keep seeing these "bad batch" posts about line. I have never had a "bad batch." I really don't think there are very many "bad batches." I think there are variables in the use of the products that are being called "bad batch." Different lines have different characteristics. Like "Vanish." It makes your lure vanish. But bad batch? Unless it's changed recently, it's not a bad batch. It's just Vanish. Every FC I've tried so far (not all, admittedly), unsuitable. Bad batch? No, it's just FC. It has no significant advantage over mono. And it has many disadvantages. But it has a lot of "believers."

I have been using braid for many years and have always found the higher the number of strands (yes, Hitena calls them strands, Daiwa calls them carriers, Power Pro calls them fibers, but we all know what we are talking about regardless what we call them) the better the performance, smoother, longer casts, fewer wind knots. Hitena Pureline is my favorite now and has 12 strands in the pound tests above 14. Pricey, but a great line that lasts many years for me. Hitena silky has 16 strands in pound tests above 14.

Yup, not all about action, it's about the combination of power and action that best fits the technique, cover, lure weights, and probably more.

Your question implies that the rod has something to do with what reel to get. Not so, get the best reel you can afford, and it will work with any rod. It is my opinion that the more you pay , the better the reel., but I'm sure I will get objectors. I love my Daiwa Tatulas SC3 TC.

But is it "soulful?" Yes, unfortunately we have a long way to go to talk mostly about objectives rather than subjectives, the latter meaning whatever the writer means and not necessarily what anyone else thinks it means. I was told by an industry person that one reason they avoid objectives is that inevitably they get into discussions/arguments with those builders/users who don't get the same numbers, and it gets messy. Better to stay with subjectives. I can understand taking this position having seen the stuff I've seen on forums.

I well know the power and action descriptors that have been traditionally used for many years, but when I read posts I'm not sure that everyone else does. Rods have "fast actions," or "extra fast actions," etc, and we fish with rods, not tips. The more we can use CCS numbers the more accurately we will discuss rod power and action. I've often said that the same people who write wine labels write advertising content for fly rods.