Randy, I always enjoy your insight and thoughtful comments.

Ranger, I am unable to post pictures on here but if you want to PM me your email or cell number I can send them to you. I tried to PM you but the messages are hung up in my outbox. I really doubt that all this is worth the effort but I am not sure when the newest Daiwa catalog will be available. Lik...

If you would buy instead of build the 9ft Expride meets what you want.

I can not add much as to the what the handles or guides will be. When we ordered our rods the first part of August we were not given a delivery date. We were just told it would be a limited run. My best "guess" is that they were waiting to see how many orders they got and then gear up for X many rod...

I guess in true TT fashion the fact that there is a new high quality ultralight "spinning" rod is lost by the first post.

I also would love to see more ultra light casting rods in the US market. That would mean some kind of warranty with a company here and not the expense of importing rods from Japan. I certainly have no problem with the JDM rods but I really like being able to handle a rod before buying.

Just because this is TT and we are always in search of new "stuff". I thought some maybe interested in the new Kage ultralight spinning rods that Daiwa is releasing in the states. I have been unable to find them on their site but they are in the new Daiwa print catalog. 5'6" to 7'1" and what I found...

I refuse to count what I have. I want plausible deniability. Honestly i have a bunch but I fish lakes, small rivers and creeks and for me each requires different equipment. So in short how many I use depends on what I am fishing. Anything from UL-SUL to a 9 foot XXH for swimbaits and A-rigs.

Some of the combinations do not appeal to me. At the same time the SLX is not appealing and I am not at all sure about the Antares while the Tranx just looks cheap to my eyes. Of course we could all have "Ike" reels.

I have ordered some for the store I work at but have not received them as yet. I will let you know what I think when we get them.

Charlie Brewer Slider brand, makes a very close one in their minnow. 2 1/8" long. The cuts appear to be a little different.

So the two blanks I ordered arrived today. I will inspect tomorrow under good light but they appear undamaged. The tube they were in is undamaged and seems to be a much stronger tube than previous ones. So that was about two weeks from order to delivery which is a vast improvement to past experience...

In the past I, as well as numerous others, have criticized NFC for their delivery times, which could reach months. I had continued to order blanks from them whenever they had a sale knowing that it would take forever to receive the product. I continued ordering because I felt the blanks were good va...

Very interesting post. As a builder I always try to make the lightest rod I can and that usually comes down to components. Your modifications point this out. You can't make a great rod out of a poor blank, but you can make a good blank absolutely come alive with a wise choice of components. Love the...

You both have stuff I have not even heard of, much less seen. Maverick, your photography is always breath taking. My question is do the two of you fish those lures? If I went to the time and trouble to acquire them I don't think I could bring myself to fish them.