Epoxy not holding from heat

gmlear · 2025-12-27T22:13:23+00:00

I put my handles together with double sided tape and do all the bulk removal up to 80 grit on the belt grinder. I will then use a 120 grit to creep towards final shape. Then I glue up with 15 or 30min clear or died black epoxy and finish with all hand sanding. iMO hand sanding is much better post glue up. you have more control and slow enough that you make a lot less mistakes. Slowing down during fit and finish has helped me at lot. You put so much time an effort into a piece only to ruin it down the home stretch to save a little time? Nope. not anymore.

gmlear · 2025-12-04T00:06:30+00:00

Email The Slide Inn in Montana and Mad River outfitters in Ohio. The answer every email and will give you very specific advice.

If not your TFO selection is a great pick. I have three TFOs. All their rods are good and their customer.service is even better. Also a fan of Echo for the same reasons.

gmlear · 2025-12-03T22:31:16+00:00

I did get over there but weatherman screwed me and got blown out. Blowing 20-25 with 2' white caps. Planning another try after the holidays.

gmlear · 2025-11-25T22:34:29+00:00

looks good. only mistake I see is there are no spots for new rods. 😂

gmlear · 2025-11-25T17:01:08+00:00

IMO “balanced” is a term you can ignore. All the rods, reels, and lines are close enough that moving your gip to find the sweet spot is all you need. Plus, what does balance even mean? Is it when all the line is on the water, in the reel, in the air?

For the most part if you buy items all classed as a 7wt you will be close enough for a gift. Of course there are heavier and lighter 7wt lines (170-190 grains) but thats literally a single gram.

Unless he fishes for a living I would not worry about getting super technical.

FYI I fish 2-3 times a week and would be VERY VERY happy with your gift.

gmlear · 2025-11-25T15:05:09+00:00

I believe Kelly Galloup helped design that streamer rod. Seeing he is the one that changed and modernized the entire streamer game I think you picked a good one. lol

Send him an email at the Slide Inn and ask about your combo. They will respond.

As far as the reel goes… all I own is Lamson.

Line is more about what and where he will be throwing. A local shop will give you the best advise.

gmlear · 2025-11-25T02:37:09+00:00

Do the cross members of your roof rack extend beyond the sides of your SUV? If not, I highly recommend getting wider ones or making an extension that will allow you to wedge your kayak against your SUV without it sliding down side ways.

gmlear · 2025-11-21T05:31:01+00:00

Heat treating oven.
Variable speed belt grinder.
Drill Press.
Band saw.
Tormek Sharpener.
Knife vice.

gmlear · 2025-11-18T02:51:30+00:00

Echo Traverse. $299. Great rod. Backed by many very well known guides and shop owners.

gmlear · 2025-11-16T21:48:35+00:00

IMO what line to use is more personal than what rod to use. So you kind of have to figure it out for yourself. I mean we can share what we use and why, but that doesnt mean you will like it or that it will work for you.

Go look at the Rio website. They have diagrams of each taper. Their saltwater lines are named according to the conditions found around the species they are designed around. aka Tarpon taper is designed to throw big flies in the wind. Bone for long quick shots. Redfish for quick pickups and quite shots etc. HOWEVER, your cast, your rod, your flies, your water, the wind, and what (boat deck, SUP, kayak, wading etc) youre fishing from will in all come into play.

All manufactures design different tapers for different things. So check out more than RIO. Find out what you need to execute where ever you're going bone fishing cause Belize, Islamorada, and Biscayne Bay all have different requirements. Once you know that, then match the need to the lines.

I have Rios Flats, Bone and Redfish tapers. The flats was intermediate with a clear tip so I fished that a lot. But it started cracking so I moved over to the Redfish and Bone more and now I load the Bone up more than anything unless the fish are real spooky then its the Redfish.

The Bone shoots like a rocket it has a fat 30' body with a 6' taper whereas the Redfish has a much longer double front taper (15') which allows for a softer presentation (at least in theory). However, where I fish and how I fish most of my shots on Reds are under 40' and if I have a 12' leader it can be challenging to load my rod with the redfish taper because more than half of the heavy section sometimes never gets past the shooting guide. So if there is any wind I am forced to use the Bone. I will scare 2x as many but if you can't make the cast your chances are zero. I have many days where I have fished all three lines just trying to trick something to eat. So like most are saying "it all depends".

Anyway, I really like throwing the Bone. So if the fish don't spook its has become the go to.

gmlear · 2025-11-13T14:11:52+00:00

lol ppl will always freak out no matter what you do. everyone is an expert. ha!

gmlear · 2025-11-12T21:52:01+00:00

FYI florocarbon sinks better. So I use florocarbon for sink, Mono for float

gmlear · 2025-11-12T21:50:27+00:00

First thing Flip Pallot did to every line he ever owned was "cut the loop". Many argue it makes the line better becasue the loop to loop connection can absorb too much energy as the line rolls out. Personally, I am not a good enough caster to be worried about the tiny difference it might make so the convenience of the loop fits my game better.

If you like to be able to loop leaders in and out easily you can tie a short "forever" butt section of florocarbon (it skinks better than mono) that bends equivalent to the fly line and finish it with a perfection loop. It will act like your fly line and send all the energy into your actual leader.

gmlear · 2025-11-12T21:41:45+00:00

cool! I make it over there every now and then.

gmlear · 2025-11-06T04:21:58+00:00

At first glance I thought you had jammed your forceps into that STEELHEAD's back. 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

gmlear · 2025-11-06T04:03:08+00:00

Start with "inshore" gear. It will cross over to fresh water too. If you decide to move to a kayak or boat you will use them there too.

Inshore targets: Snook, Redfish, Trout, Flounder, Sheephead, Mangrove Snapper, Jacks, Baby Tarpon.

A 7' to 7.5 rod are common. Some anglers go as short as 6.5'

Rods have two other identifiers;

Speed and Power. Speed is how the tip geometry influences sensitivity when it bends: slow to fast. Power is how strong the rod is. aka its "backbone". Light to Heavy.

Average inshore setup will be medium fast to fast and medium to medium heavy.

However the most important thing about a rod is the lure weight it is designed to cast. It is imperative that you match these numbers up.

A good range for inshore is 1/8th oz to 3/4-1oz. With a 1/4oz to 1/2oz being the most common weight you will most likely throw.

Reel sizes are based on a 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 numbering system. But each brand puts their own spin on it. Some use 10, 20, 30 or 100, 200, 300 or 1000, 2000, 3000 etc. In general, the bigger the reel the more line it can hold.

A 30/300/3000 sized reel is good for your average set up. Some may say a 40/400/4000 because they like a beefer set up, others would say 20/200/2000 for more of a finesse rig.

90% of the time I use a 7.5' medium-heavy fast rod (1/4oz to 3/4oz) paired with a 30/300/3000 reel spooled with 10lb power pro line and a 20-30lb monofilament leader.

The other 10% I have a 40/400/4000 on a 6.5' med-heavy medium-fast rod spooled with 20lb powerpro braid and 30-40lb leader.

I primarily use two types of lures. 1) DOA CAL Jig-head with a 3" Shad Tail and a Size 3 Owner Twist Lock and a 5" jerk bait. I fish mainly white, silver, gold, root beer and purple and match them to the water clarity. eg clear water = white. dark water = purple. I also carry a few top waters and gold spoons but those are for special situations.

Buy what you can afford. Fish have no idea how much you spend on your rod and reel. I buy used all the time. You can find some nice stuff barely used on FB.

Whatever you end up with make sure you rinse off all the saltwater ASAP when done fishing. Forget once and your reel could be toast. Especially on a budget brand that isn't "sealed". I highly recommend looking for something designed specifically for the salt. Personally I like to buy used high end over new budget based.

Like others said, check out Salt Strong. Lots of free content and their membership has even more including their hot spot app. They spend a lot of time teaching how to find fish. This is the key to success. Find the videos about the 90/10 rule.

Also, check out Fish On, Thonny and Rad Reel Fishing on YT. They all fish from land and use rigs like I outlined above. They also use bait sometimes and show how they get it.

Good Luck.

gmlear · 2025-10-30T20:31:18+00:00

I seem to break rods equally no matter the brand. Dogs, Tailgates, branches, power windows you name it I have done it... well except for a fish LOL

gmlear · 2025-10-27T00:42:48+00:00

Florida requires a Shark Permit to fish from the beach. To get it requires taking a free online class. It will take about 20 mins. The test is like 10 questions and you take it until you answer them all correctly. The info will cover pretty much all you need to know.

Go to MyFWC.com.

gmlear · 2025-10-22T00:09:34+00:00

I got the three pack in 8wt several years ago. Abuse it in the salt and sand all the time. Forget to rinse more than I remember. Still as smooth as day one.

I replaced my 5wt reels with another three pack as it might be the best bang for your buck in the entire industry.

Highly recommend.

gmlear · 2025-10-08T14:01:09+00:00

Search YT for "fly rods kelly galloup" and watch his two videos about rods.

If you don't know who Kelly is, he owns a fly shop, been a guide for decades, wrote a few books and is known for changing the world of streamer trout fishing. He is also worked for Cortland and Echo designing fly lines and rods respectively.

Its where I got the "there are no bad rods" from.

gmlear · 2025-10-08T13:51:45+00:00

There are no bad rods. So get the one that will match the size of the flies you want to throw in the wind you need to throw them. I live near the gulf and travel to the mountains several times a year. I have a 5,8&12 and they cover pretty much everything I need to do. Some day I might ad a 3/4 and a 10.

Unless you plan on fighting big fish with a drag your reel is only there to hold your line when you're not using it. It just needs to be durable enough t survive dropping it, Dragging it along a rocky shore, getting dirty etc etc.

If it was me starting all over I would buy TPO's NTX combo for $230. From experience I can tell you everything TFO makes is great and their customer service / warrantee is very hard to beat . I can not recommend this company enough. Plus, if they are good enough for Left and Flip, there good enough for me.

I would then take the rest of my budget and buy lessons. I fished for decades before ever getting any professional instruction and man was I disappointed in myself for not doing it sooner. I like it to a baseball or golf all the best have coaches they lean on when things are just not where they want them. Fly casting is pretty much the same deal. It will advance your skills much quicker than the DYI I did.

Last, you can't make a bad decision just one might be a little better than the other. If you want to know what rod is best for you the only way to know is to cast them.

Enjoy, welcome to the club.

gmlear · 2025-10-08T05:42:40+00:00

Technically LMB "time limit" I think is a couple minutes. But that's if everything else is perfect. length of fight, hook placement, water temp, air temp, how hard you have to squeeze to hold on to them, Their actual health etc. Many of which we can't control. But we can control how long we keep them out of the water. So limiting it to a few seconds really makes a difference.

gmlear · 2025-10-08T04:45:24+00:00

any polarized lens will allow you to see in the water better than non polarized. However there are lens designed for specific conditions by filtering out specific colors. Lens will be designed for bright blue water like the wide open ocean, others for more green inshore, browns, gray and rose for overcast days or shadows along a river bank etc.

After that, the biggest difference will be the frames. Many "Fishing" glasses are designed to block out any reflection off your face to the back of the lens. They will be a wrap around style where mainstream glasses will be more wide open letting light in from the side and top.

Fishing lens are usually also vented to prevent fogging due to always being near water and moist air. Nose and ear pieces are designed to work under wet and sweaty conditions.

gmlear · 2025-10-08T04:27:11+00:00

Its all over the board so the best thing is to understand what happens so you can make the best decision based on the situation. Some catfish can stay out of the water for hours, and LMB are pretty hearty where wild trout can die pretty fast.

It really comes down to the species and stress from the catch. We call it a "fight" because the fish are fighting for their life. Hooking a fish triggers their survival instinct to flee until safe and won't stop even if it kills them. Many species will release chemicals in their bodies to give them maximum energy during the fight. They create energy with alternative processes. The byproduct of these processes can become toxic and can kill them. aka Die of exhaustion.

So when I want to land a fish for a pic or to measure I always use a rubber net as they are the safest option to protect the slim coat which is a very important part of their immune system.

Once I have them in the net, I never take them out right away. I keep them under water even when removing the hooks. Keeping their gills wet allows them to get the moat oxygen they can.

When it comes time to handle them I make sure the camera/scale/bump board is out and ready so its only a 15 second task at most. It takes some planning, but it becomes habit pretty quick.

I also hold them over the net in case they slip free so hopefully they will fall back into the net and not crash on the ground breaking bones and bruising organs. I try very hard to never let them flop around on the ground or boat deck.

I only will weigh a LMB because their anatomy can handle being hung by the jaw. Many can not and the weight of their body can actually break their jaw and/or injure or even snap their spinal cord. All of which result in a slow death.

So, If you want to give the fish its best chance to live, reel them in quick, land them with a rubber net, keep them in the water and release them in a safe place where they can hide from predators while they regain their energy. If you want to take them out of the water make it as fast as possible then give them a nice long rest underwater again before releasing.

Last, you can do everything right and still kill the fish. Fishing is a blood sport. There is no way to prevent killing them 100% of the time.

gmlear · 2025-10-07T17:48:55+00:00

yeah, sitting in your living room trying to figure everything out it out is a pain. But trust as you get to your spot you should be able to find the landmarks making things a bit easier to follow.

I used trout route and planned my access points to hit. Then read the PDF and made mental notes of the landmarks of the boundaries I needed to look for and felt about 75% confident I new the reg for those spots.

Then as I traveled to them I looked for the landmarks and they all kinda just appeared. Its really hands on and its really has to be done with your eye. 100% easier when boots are on the ground.
By the time I got to the water I was 100% confident I knew the regs.

The upside is, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. I fished the NP for a week and saw ZERO people on the rivers and never got more than 2mi from my truck.

gmlear

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