kemper

Headin out wit ha buddy in 5 minuts, were gonna give the speed a run for its money. Hopefully some bigger pike this time and im searching for a 4 lb smallie, I know they are in there! Will have a report soon!

Thanks MJL, another thing that I was thinking was that it seems close because most of the off the shelf float rods skimp on guides and actually have one less than they should. Ill let a chromer take me for a rip, see how it feels and go from there.

Oh I wasnt fishing FOR musky with the 30 LB...So far I have not had a problem with 30 and the bass, used to use 50 PP on my heavy stick but went down to 30 because I found that it cast easier and was plenty strong enough. Like I said I crank the drag right down. On the contrary, I have a buddy who says that he wont use 30 because it breaks too easy, maybe a bad batch or two?

After building my float rod up, although it is beautiful I just feel like the first guide is WAY too close to the grip. I followed a guide spacing chart, and thought nothing of it at the time but now that I look at it and hold it completely finished it juts feels like that first guide is too close to where my reel is going to sit. I guess my question is this... A) Is this a really bad thing? I dont know why but I have this vision of the rod snapping between the first guide and the reel.. and I know it would throw off the spacing but is there a thinner I could use to remove the guides from the first section of the rod and re-space them? (this option only applies if its bad that the first guide is too close) For reference the first guide is 30" from the butt of the rod, which now that I think of it does seem way too close. Damn spacing guide.

There is a musky on Buckhorn that I have been chasing for quite some time now. I have watched it follow me three times and hooked up once only to have it break me off three seconds after the hookset. (was fishing bass, had the drag cranked right down and 30 lb PP, really hope that it shook that spinnerbait)

Ice fishing? The hell you say!? Winter is a time for beer and wings! DANG! oh, and busting the ice out of my favourite run to slam steelies...

I would be VERY surprised if you could find a lake in ontario, back water or not, that had a 6 lb average. Actually, I would call it impossible.

I take apart all my reels over the winter and degrease/clean then regrease everything. Keeps them running smooth! Just a tip, DONT DO THIS UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER! there is a lot of little parts in there, alot more than you might imagine. Also my centerpin gets taken apart almost after every time I use it, picks up dirt and crap and makes a grinding noise I cant stand!

Oh if you are fishing chinnys DEFINATLY be careful with the fly rod they eat rods

Try the fly rod out how its supposed to be used, the trout here will take nymphs, egg immatations, and almost anything that is red pink or orange. Give it a go, you dont have to be great with a fly rod most of the tribs around here only have room for roll casts anyways

Talked about that in politics class today, not only will it not happen but it is no different than someone shouting that out at a streetcorner and the street corner being closed down. Just wont happen.

if all else fails they can be repaired, just like a busted hockey stick... but why not try to get a new one!

amen

I believe you do alot of shore fishing, correct? Best system in the world is hard plastic boxes (the kind that come inside the plano soft bags) in a backpack. This way you can store all your baits in the bag, and also have a second rod in the bag. When I fish the harbour I will often use my float rod and wear my vest but also have a backpack with all the hardware and my spoon chucking rod in it. works great and its cheap

Think BIG in dirty water. When the water gets 'too muddy to fish' I bring out my hand tied goliath jigs, they somewhat resemble a drowned bright pink or orange mouse in size. BRIGHT colours and BIG size, you have to remember that the fish in these river systems are big predatory fish and will not hesitate to eat other fish that are 6 inches or more in length while in the lake, so they are not scared of a 3 inch jig or a huge roe sack. Fish the slower water at the inside turn of big pools or toss at the side of the strong current at the top of a pool and let it float down the seamline, the fish will stage right on the current break waiting for food to come to them. I rarely go home because of 'blown' conditions, in fact I have had much more success at blown then at gin-clear.

A 10' medium heavy will do the job, Ive landed them with a 9' medium heavy before I got into the float gear. Also, your pin will definatly do the job, just learn how to apply drag smoothly with a fingertip instead of grabbing or palming with the reeling hand, this is probably why you are getting so many break offs because a quick sprint when you are locked down will snap the line before you have the time to react and loosen off on the pressure. It does not take much pressure on a pin to get a good amount of resistance going, and your finger can react faster and more precisely than your entire hand can.

Thanks guys, A couple more touches here and a few there and she will be complete. Its going to take a little longer now because I have a marketing midterm to study for...(3 classes in and 13 chapters worth on the test hmmmm...) and a whole bunch of other stuff to catch up on. They werent kidding when they told me that this isnt my average business course! Probably finish the rod completely by the start of october, PRIME steely season! It is fishable as of now but I want everything done 100% before I slime it up because I know ill never get back to the detailing that I want if I stop now. I will try to get some better pics when t he sun aims itself in my room because thats about the only way I get any light... watch your floats! kemper

UPDATE: a little teaser of whats to come... Im really enjoying this hobby, and I have a feeling that by sometime next year I will have 5 or 45 more custom rods. Its coming along nicely... Sorry about the lame picture quality and strange reflections, the lighting in my dorm room is almost non existant. I think it is really shaping up!

ouch, Ive often played chinnys with my 13' Okuma Aventa and wondered when that was going to happen... I wont be doing that anymore! Nor will my 11'6" custom be going near any fat ugly chinooks!

Genetic mutation, it happens all the time in nature. I think I read somewhere that it is not at all a different strain just simply a difference in appearance.

I am semi withdrawing my comments about Okuma, citing that I have recieved helpful contact as of right now. but still took too long I have to say shimano rocks, nothing I own from them has ever busted

Dark green with red flake...might be watermelon or something? SLAYS smallies

You have to be realistic about what you are trying to do, think about it.. -VERY large, VERY angry and VERY strong fish in shallow water, this means that they will move horizontally instead of vertically and guess what, they CAN and DO pull harder than your line can handle. In most cases, unless perfectly equipted the angler is outmatched by a salmon in our small water systems because the fish can run only a short distance and wrap you around a tree stump, shopping cart, oil drum, old car bumper, or WHATEVER else might be in the river. I tend to walk past pools that I know have a very small landing success rate, and focus on areas of a river where I know I have 200m up and downstream to walk with the fish, because they sure as hell will swim that far! Dont beat yourself up over losing salmon, they are big and strong. That said I only target salmon a few times each fall to scratch the itch while I wait for the trout and I run a 12 lb mainline to a 8 lb lead (sometimes as low as 6) on a 13'6" medium power rod and I also use a center pin. The only downfall about the pin is that the guys with spinning gear can pick up line faster, possibly keeping more tension on the fish that turns towards them. That said, I will never fish the river without my pin, its more fun and more natural.

Thats what I was thinking... and about the spining, what exactly is the purpose because I came across so many different opinions that I really have no clue. I did spine the rod, but I do not know what exactly I accomplished by doing so

no, there isn't. lol