Forum: rodboard

<p>Diagram showing effects of trimming SC 5S60MF rod blank</p>
Forum: rodboard

This has been copied/pasted from an unknown author. I can't speak to its accuracy, but its safe to assume there's considerable rejections. Here's how the math works from a real factory that produces both blanks and rods for sale. They build 1000 blanks. Fifty random blanks are put aside for testing. If less than 5 of the 50 fail, the others are cleared for the next step. If a 10% of the 50 don
Forum: rodboard

Roger, That's a response I'd expect from Cliff Claven on the Cheers sit-com. My take-away from all that (I think) is that you think the rod power is irrelavant.....if so, I diagree. Spencer, Agreed, although adding more guide weight is not the issue. I was initially referring to the relatively large/heavy guides on "factory" crappie rods and their affect on casting light lures.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks for your thoughts. I think it's a situation of “is” vs. “what could/should be”. Most factory crappie (panfish) rods I’ve seen tend to be buggy whips with relatively large guides. I’m sure there’s a faction within custom rod makers that build “ultra-light” rods for trout, crappie and bluegill that are capable of throwing 1/32 ounce lures. It’s not my forte, but if I were to pursue it, I’d
Forum: rodboard

I’ve heard crappie fishermen claim that the weight of guides on a light powered rod will help propel very light jigs. I.E., A light lure will not load a rod, whereas the additional guide weight would assist in rod-loading, thus catapulting the lure. It does kinda make sense, but I’d guess speed/recovery would suffer, which could mitigate some advantage. Any thoughts?
Forum: rodboard

Ben, No argument there. I sometimes use more powerful rods to allow pulling fish (bass) from heavy cover. The rods don’t load well for casting, but sometimes we need a little more of one thing at the expense of another (trade-offs).
Forum: rodboard

Ben, Sometimes there are trade-offs in rod characteristics when considering casting vs fish-fighting attributes. For many of us, we make far more casts than we spend fighting fish, so casting “performance” of the rod becomes more relevant.
Forum: rodboard

I think casting 2 rods, 1 "fast", 1 "slow" (same power/AA), with the same effort (same rod length, same blank rotation speed provided by the caster), the faster speed rod will perform better….as I stated in my previous post. The advantage/disadvantage may be subjective. The dynamics or physics might be irrelevant to most anglers, but it’d be nice to have a basic understanding.
Forum: rodboard

Tom, how do you see a higher rod speed being advantageous to an angler.
Forum: rodboard

I seldom build rods anymore, but when I do, I buy top-of-the-line blanks (SC5s, NFC HMs), which generally gets me comparable blanks within a given power/action. I’ve always found it frustrating to compare the material composition/construction of mid-level blanks. Example: SC3 vs. NFC IMs. I think Tom has eloquently stated the meaning of “speed” (reacts and recovers) and I’d like to hear more of
Forum: rodboard

Us old guys are fading away.
Forum: rodboard

I haven't seen or heard anything from Emory Harry in a while. Is he still around. Great guy.
Forum: rodboard

Although I no longer build to sell, I recently sold a couple of bass rods that were made to my preferences. I advised the buyer that the rods really wouldn’t suit his two-hand casting, but he prevailed (snicker). The rods (SC5 blanks) were short (under 6’) with short grips of about 9”. He's happy, and I'm happy for him.
Forum: rodboard

I’m left-handed, so normal “right-hand” casting reels work well for me. I’ve always been puzzled why bait-casters have a right-hand crank which require a right-handed person to switch hands when casting/retrieving. Spinning reels are opposite (another puzzle) and since they have a crank on the left side, I have the convert to the opposite side…..a convenient feature on today’s spinning reels.
Forum: rodboard

Single-hand casting still has it's place....where "distance" is not a factor, but "agility" is....especially with shorter rods and shorter grips. Longer rods with long grips can be, and often are, awkward to cast single-handed. There are times when long distance casts are advantageous, but shorter casts can work a lure better and fight fish more efficiently. I guess....whateve
Forum: rodboard

Ron, tumbling would be a challenge since these are completed rods.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks, guys. Btw, the reel seats are plastic (polymer).
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Spenser. I don't anything about glass beading, but I'll look into it.
Forum: rodboard

I do quite a bit of sculpting (skeletonizing) on my casting reel seats and thinking about sand-blasting them to get a better finish than I get by sanding/buffing. Any suggestions on what gun I need and type of grit?
Forum: rodboard

I had several NFC HM blanks that were significantly higher in power than some I previously purchased of the same model numbers. We’re all aware that blank power specs are likely to fluctuate somewhat within a given model, but these were dramatically different. Because the blanks in question were also much heavier, I suspected that they were not sufficiently sanded by NFC. Being unhappy with them,
Forum: rodboard

I’ve also been notified of my order placed last Nov is being shipped….long wait. I like their blanks and my only complaint is their significant inconsistencies (weight, Power, Action) for a given model.
Forum: rodboard

Did that this AM, same conclusions…..although the longer rod did offer more resistance at 90 degrees to lure retrieve . If I had two rods that varied more than 18 to 24” in length, it’d be easier to say objectively that one was much more sensitive than the other. I can only suggest to anyone that they try test casting with different rod orientations as I have stated. It’s pretty easy to make
Forum: rodboard

I considered using the 2nd or 3rd guide from the rod (same rod) as the tip-top to replicate a “short rod”, but my “test” results enabled me to draw my own conclusions without any further testing or theories or mathematical calculations. I’m pretty well convinced that the rod inhibits rather than enhances sensitivity, so the lightest (least mass), stiffest rod is the lesser of the evils. Btw, I ha
Forum: rodboard

In spite of my reluctance to believe leverage plays much of a role in “my” version of “sensitivity”, and in an effort to keep an open mind, I conducted the test Tom suggested…..or at least similar. I figured that rather than using two different rod lengths, I could replicate length differences by simply changing the angle of the rod….the rod at 90 degrees to the retrieve obviously representing th
Forum: rodboard

Yes, leverage with longer rod gives a fish an indisputable mechanical advantage, and it is apparent when fighting a fish. But, I don’t think “leverage” is much of an issue regarding sensitivity with bite detection or lure activity. I think in terms of a “bite” (or lure movement) transmitting a “signal” up the line to the angler’s hand. Any rod (regardless of length) and the reel only acts to degr
Forum: rodboard

Tom, I agree, some do have different interpretations of sensitivity. I guess where I disagree is where you stated “ I’ve long known that longer rods allow you feel a fish strike better, precisely because you’re handing the fish a longer lever to use against you”. In regards to line or rod movement …..if a “bite” occurs resulting in a line movement of 1 ½” and assuming the tip of a 7 ½’ rod
Forum: rodboard

I guess we can agree to disagree. Maybe my interpretation of “sensitivity” is not quite the same as Tom’s. I subscribe to Mike Naylor’s and Emory Harry’s positions on the subject in this thread this thread from 2007
Forum: rodboard

Well said, Steve.
Forum: rodboard

Adam, I'd look for a Fuji Speed Stick handle (and/or rod). Some are glue-ins and others use a collet system. There are still some floating around. Try Google search. Just about any blank can be adapted. Btw, one advantage of these old grips over modern blank-thru grips is that they allowed the reel to sit much lower on the rod, making for a shallow angle of the line from the reel to first guide.
Forum: rodboard