Looking to build a rod for lake trout jigging (mostly 1/2 - 3/4oz. jigs) and eyeing either the Batson SP844 or Revelation RevIP70MH-SB blank. Other than price, the specs look fairly close between the two, just wondered if anyone had experience with them and might recommend one vs. the other. Many thanks - appreciated!
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Hey guys, I'm getting ready to start building a new walleye jigging rod and I'm trying to find some info on a couple blanks. This rod will be used strictly for vertical jigging. Jigs in 1/4 to 3/8s range for the most part but might get pushed up to 1/2oz in the spring when the current is moving. Most common technique will be a jig and minnow or leach. Hoping some of the real experts can provide s
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Interested in building a 7' (or near) mag taper medium/light power, fast-action spinning rod for lake trout jigging. Having trouble finding a blank with those specs. Thank you for the help, appreciated!
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Hi all. I just received an order of 18 spools of ProWrap threads to build my fly rod with only to find it's a lot finer than I thought it would be and with my tired old eyes almost impossible to work with. I have a lighted magnifying lamp that is about 3x and wear reading glasses but it's still very hard to see what I'm doing. When I need to get both hands in to do things it's in the way so
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I'm about to re-wrap single leg guides on my lovely 45yo Fenwick SP-783 light spinning blank. I'll be using an A weight under-thread to protect this delicate blank, and an A weight top thread. I'm after inspiration for a colour scheme to go well with this old yellow fibreglass. Anyone care to share some examples?
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Before anyone jumps to conclusions about an absolute method or solution to this repeatedly debated question, please read further. I have read countless forum posts here and on other forums about the same old question of rod butt extension. I have read Tom K’s article on extensions half a dozen times. I understand that an over sleeve is vastly superior to an inner sleeve extension. Everyone has th
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Hi guys. I bought a GLoomis 982c HSR after talking to a retailer. They told me it was fine to cast with, that it wasn’t just a trolling rod. Well I got the rod in the mail today and the guides are real small like a trolling rod. It’s rated for 1/2-5oz. I normally cast 3-4oz. If I get the guides taken off and have new ones put on, will that make it more cast friendly or am I screwed?
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New member, new builder Thinking about putting a spinning reel seat on a lake trout dead stick. What is a good handle front and butt to use? Or, am I off base with the spinning reel seat? Thank you, Mark
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I'm relatively new to fly fishing and I would like to build a 3wt fly rod I can bring with me on hikes and camping trips to fish smaller creeks/bodies of water I may come by. I already have 5wt and 8wt rods and I think a 3wt over a 2wt would be the most versatile to add to my portfolio? I hope with the help of you guys to build a respectable small creek rod that is a good balance of cost vs pe
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I’m looking for north fork composites recipe for guide sizing on the st-902 salmon steelhead blank 9ft 2in total of 9 guides including tip. any help would be appreciated.
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When I was into bike building and metal fabrication I spent so much time cruising forums and blogs of various builders and fabricators and I always fell hardest down the rabbit hole for chronicles of builds. To watch the build progress and read the conversations that happened along the way was amazing. To watch someone's vision unfold over time was a great experience and basically represented fue
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I've been obsessing over a couple of projects and the current step includes trying to get the epoxy on this switch rod to lay flat over the base wrap. I've been to a point where I was calling it a done deal but knowing the base wrap, when viewed in certain lighting, had waves in the epoxy, well, it bothered me.. I had posted this pic the other day but it will serve here as my example of wha
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Hi, I am looking for a solid 11' - 11'6" #3 Trout Spey blank manufacturer. Does anyone have a suggestion or one that they have built and like? Thanks in advance. Dan
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Hello Everyone, I just purchased a couple Delta Ice blanks(HYbrid IP 2101-1 Zentron and a Hybrid IP 330-1 Zentron) from North Fork Composites. Has anyone had any experience with these blanks and have any guide placement starting points they would like to share with me? NFC does not have these blanks listed in their guide spacing table. I called NFC and they referred me to this site. Thanks
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For you hardwater anglers and rod builders, I have a question. I've been building several rods lately and everyone has requested the REC ice guides, even though they are more costly. I have two I'm building right now and the customer wants one with REC guides and is contemplating using CRB guides on the second one. I've been using REC Ice guides on my builds for myself the last couple of years ju
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Fond memories with cheap rods were to be had where I grew up. I used a cheap Shakespeare pole, with a Zebco 202 reel and pulled many a trout from the streams, and more perchthan I can count from the river, and bays of the St; Mary's river. Lake Huron offered bass, and pike, which I could also fish for off of our front yard {We lived right at the river's edge). Several rods hung in the workshop
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Can someone recommend a blank designed for vertically jigging spoons that weigh 1-3oz? This rod is intended for jigging Lake Trout and Whitefish in freshwater (along with salmon in the Great Lakes or other inland bodies of water). Good examples of spoons that we use can be seen here In order of most commonly used weights, it is majority 2oz with some 1 oz and rarely 3oz. I would pref
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Recently broke my Walleye jig rod and looking to build a new one. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations/experience with a build on an NFC X-ray blank that is cut down to 6’3” or 6’4” but hoping to end up with a ML XF or M XF type action. I will use the rod almost entirely for vertical jigging walleye with 1/8-3/8 oz jigs. I use this on our Canada trip, so it will frequently tangle with wal
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I'm going to build a bait finesse rod for stream trout just because curiosity is killing me. I plan to use an NFC 601 (IM) or an NFC 602 (Delta) paired with a KastKing BFS Zepher reel and PowerPro 3 LBS braid. Would like to be able to throw 1/32 oz jigs. I have a Fuji rv6 I can use for a stripper and minima 5's or 4's for running guides. I am thinking about a simple spiral. Can I use single foo
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Received some more rods, some of which have the labels on still while others seem to have worn off. The fly rods need some TLC while the spinning rods look to be in decent shape. I dont think any of them are worth anything. One of the fly rods looks to be a 6' 1wt which I cant wait to fix up and try some wild trout with it
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What builds have all of you done that you consider most difficult to achieve in regards to functionality related to difficult fishing parameters? Most of my builds over about thirty years have been aimed at fulfilling very specific fishing functions better than anything available from factory offerings. I’ve honestly hit and missed at doing this. I’ve built everything from halibut and salmon shar
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My first fly rod was fiberglass. It had a relatively slow action compared to the modern day graphite offerings. I got used to casting with that rod and now really don't care for any rod with a moderate or fast action. Seems I have to force a fast rod to get a decent loop/presentation. So now I own a few slow action graphite rods. I bought these rods based on the the measurement of the butt diam
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Bo rod blnaks.th CTS, and Epic are renowned for their rod blank quality. I have a friend hwo is an avid fly fisher, and swears by Winston, and Epic. I love my Winston, and CTS gear, but have never used Epic. Why would you choose CTS over the Epic,, besides the fact that Herb is so great to work with?
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In a recent topic of mine seeking info of Sabre rods, Russell Brunt replied with an observation / question “There were a lot of great rod blanks from the past. I find it interesting as to which ones were prized the most by time period and area of the country” and “I'd love to hear what were your "go to" blanks from the past and for what waters/fish. Also how you feel they stack up to cu
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I'm going to be building several jaw jacker type rods for walleye. I'm a little concerned about the action and length. A typical walleye blank just seems a little too stiff. For any of you who have built some and have suggestions, I would be extremely grateful. Thanks in advance!! Chuck
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I was playing with the Elliott Evolution ES44L-F rod at the ice show and want to make one for myself. It is a 44” solid carbon fiber blank, fast action. Elliott doesn’t sell their hard water blanks and was wondering what might match up to this rod? I am having trouble finding something that might work. I understand I may have to do some shaping on the lathe to get the right action.
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Hello, I’ve done some wrapping in the past with a book etc and decided about 6 months ago to buy a crb power wrapped and also bought the fancy crb pro stands too. The problem I have is with the chuck. I really don’t like it as it’s not smooth and doesn’t really grip the project. As I’m working, if I forget to go back and readjust, the end of the rod falls out of the chuck (usually right when I’m
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I just bought a Bushido BU-SWB3K8-2/30-50 Musky/Pike spinning rod blank and am looking for advice on what guide set I should use as well as the tip top. I intend to use it from a canoe or shore in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota this Spring. My primary targets are Lake Trout and Northern Pike. The rod blank is 8', two piece, Extra Heavy, Fast, and is rated for 30 to 50 lbs. How many, an
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Hello rod builders ???? I´m a novice and hope i can get some advice here. It´s going to be a baitcasting rod, lure weight 1-5g if possible and it will be used on a larger lake with perch, rainbow salmon, trout and some pikes. Not really interested in finding pikes but sometimes they bite. I would appreciate feedback on my choices or other recommendations. Also if you have any recommendations for
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I posted something similar to this many moons back. Since solid fiberglass ice rod blanks are so inexpensive, and can be purchased strong enough to land pike, musky, and big lake trout, use AT microwave guides and a solid casting reel on the blank. You'll be amazed at how far it will cast. It is a ton of fun fighting a big smallie, or pike on this rig. And talk about a compact rod for kayak,
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