MickD

The tension I use allows tweaking the alignment a little with firm pressure. Before wrapping I check alignment by running down the blank back and forth between guides feeling with my first finger and thumb. Believe it or not, you can detect some out of alignment by feel and have them very close when you are done winding. I have never found anything that's better for final alignment than the human eye. I don't think I have ever had to "unwrap" a guide to fix alignment. I have never noticed a guide changing alignment during the wrap. Make sure you are not bumping it with fingers or by other means. There are many methods used, and you will with experience find the one you work best with. But tension should be such that they can be moved, but not easily, and if done right, you won't be moving them much. Often when I move them I don't even feel any movement, but when I look, they moved a little.

I use 20, and it's probably overkill. I see an image for 13, and that might be a better solution. Lighter/thinner for less disruption of the lures. And unless it's really weedy, should allow the fish to be properly controlled.

There is no functional reason why a 4000 size is inappropriate for any kind of fishing unless you find its size/balance/weight unpleasant. I use two Stradic 4000's for bass fishing all the time. By using them regularly I know they will be OK to take to salt for my annual trip, and they fish just fine for everything I do.

That should work fairly well but knots and having it affect the action of some lures may be an issue. 20 pound test tyable metal leaders will affect some lures, too. I don't know of anything that is not a compromise of some sort, so just try some of the ideas being presented and see what works for you and your fishing techniques.

You asked about the best way to prevent pike from biting you off, I believe. I'm giving you my opinion on how to do that with the least influence on the bass you're fishing for. The light wire leaders are, in my opinion, the best bet if you don't want to get bitten off. The other option is to just accept a few losses, and don't use expensive lures. I agree with a previous post that stated that he didn't think a steel leader would be very off-putting of the bass. This also is a good compromise, although I might go 30.

I personally would not buy a $150 lure. For $150 I can buy a very nice spinning reel or a top of the line rod blank. And pike are really not that selective. Muskies are more selective, but the ones I've caught were on $7 cranks and spinnerbaits. When pike are around I use 20 pound test steel leader that can be tied. (can't seem to spell tieable right 🙂 ). They are very unobtrusive and work just fine. Can be any length I want. And very cost effective for us cheapskates hall of famers.

If you finesse fish, I suggest you start with the PB701MLF. Somehow it fishes both quite light and quite powerful, with CCS numbers most would consider medium power.

Not that I have a LOT of experience abusing Point Blanks, but I have one incident where my 731MXF built as a casting rod got wrapped around my trolling motor at so sharp a curve/angle that looking down on it made me instantly believe "That rod is a goner." But, it did not break and I'm still using it about 4 years later. Only a couple bent guides. Point Blanks not only are very high performance blanks, they appear to be pretty tough, too.

Not so. I use size 4's on all my spin, usually a 15 pound test leader with 15 braid, Alberto, no problems.

I use the Alberto, but finish it with a couple tightly pulled half hitches of the tag end of the braid. Makes it bulletproof for unravelling and doesn't affect its size. So many want the "strongest knot possible," but I want my terminal knot to fail before the leader to line knot, so Alberto makes a strong knot that passes this requirement while using an appropriately sized leader and an improved clinch knot at the lure.

I'm not sure with the same line and rod (length means a lot) the spincast would outcast the spinner, but I've always noticed that they handle heavier line surprisingly well. When you stop and think about it, the American Tackle double guide (Microwave) works a lot like a hooded spool (spincast).

Tarpon, cuda, other flats stuff, good rod to have in the boat for the stuff flies can't reach.

thanks.

Why would you use a leader on 4 # mono, and if using one, why so long? TIA Braid doesn't eliminate line twist, it just doesn't react as poorly as mono and FC when it gets twisted.

The only time I've heard braid noise is fighting a fish, and then it's too late for the fish to be spooked. I once read that motoring over a flat at high speed "wakes up" the smallies. I've tried it a couple times and have no data that indicates it works. I did read recently about using popping corks for smallies, which to me makes a lot of sense. I've never tried it because they are a PIA to cast, but might change my mind. It's a lot like trailing a fly or small jig behind a surface lure, so why not?

Good advice. If building your own there are a number of fine travel blanks available, but I know nothing of finished rods. But go 3 piece. They fish just fine and travel better.

I have long considered Bushidos to be very fine blanks for the money. I think they are about at the price point where adding $$ doesn't gain much advantage. Spoonplugger, do you know the CCS numbers on that blank?

Very interesting. Especially considering my experience in about 6 feet of water on spot lock with one depth finder on with the stern transducer, and I took a 4+ pound smallie and told my cousin to drop a tube because others were following, and he took one about the same size right under the boat. I am not doubting the testing, only stating that depth finder noise might and maybe might not make a difference. I think when the fish want to feed, they will feed. If they are sort of off, it might make the difference between feeding and not. Thanks, good stuff.

I have never heard line noise on a retrieve. I don't think mono or FC make enough noise to matter. If braid noise concerns you, premium braids with higher strand counts are quieter than 4 strand braids.

I'm confused by all the offerings, thinking of a new BFS Daiwa-Tacklewarehouse has the BF70, don't see that at Digitaka. What would you BFS experts recommend? thanks

One of the mistakes many of my friends over the years have made without knowing it is dropping the rod too much as they "pump/reel." This gives some slack line as the rod goes down. One aspect of longer rods is the tip moves farther for the same imparted motion, so maybe you are losing tension in the line partially because of the longer rod. Action and power could get into it with respect to this issue. One thing I would recommend is to not pump at all, just keep steady pressure with the rod always bent. If the rod ever goes straight, you have lost tension on the line.

One would think a professional lab wouldn't misuse the term "strain." It's not breaking "strain," it's breaking strength. Strain is the deformation of a material from stress. It is simply a ratio of the change in length to the original length. Optically measuring the diameter makes a lot of sense, IMO.

Watch the video to see if you're missing something, like lowering the rod, taking up the slack. If you do have slack line then it won't matter how hard you "hit them."

Regardless of the problems with measuring braid it has been my experience that the braids with the higher strand counts are better performing and thinner than the 4 strand braids. Of course I have not used them all. I just received a new one that claims very small diameter, and it surely looks and feels like it is smaller than most. Since braid lasts so long, I have no problem paying the premium price for premium braid.

Color doesn't matter. Sometimes. But at times it matters a great deal. And the best colors for LMB are not the same colors that are best for SMB. Plus, water clarity gets into it. Color is simply one of the many factors that determine whether a fish will eat the lure or not. If one believes that color doesn't matter, ever, then they'd better have only one color in their box. Otherwise they are not being honest with themselves.