Good morning,

I am building a surf rod for a friend's son who lives in the Orlando area, and i need to call him today to find out what kind of rod to build for him. What am i missing on my list of questions?

1) rod length, 1 or 2 piece?
2) rod action and power?
3) line rating used and type?
4) lure weight and what type?
5) type of reel preferred?
6) Spiral wrap if conventional reel?
7) what species do you fish for?
8) where will you fish?
9) grip material preferred?

Thanks for your help!

Carrington Tate

Sand, Jetty, or Pier
What specific reel
Mono or Braided line
Length of butt grip
length of foregrip
If material is not Cork tape - how thick to make the grip(s)

You left out a really important item, in fact I'd consider it THE most important item: length of butt preferred.
This varies greatly from angler to angler. It depends on several factors, including but not limited to arm length, reel type, casting style, and is affected also by some of the factors you mentioned above such as rod length and lure weight range. There are various ways to determine the optimum butt length, but the way I do it is to have the angler hold the rod, with hands positioned exactly as they will be in the FINISHING position of the cast, with the rod at a 45 degree angle relative to the ground, with the leading arm just very slightly bent at the elbow (avoids hyperextension), and with the end of the butt just touching the body, usually at the lower gut (so gut size is a factor also, the beer drinkers among us note!) a bit off center on the other side from the leading arm. This is the ideal finishing position for a proper surf cast that incorporates a push-pull lever action. With short rods intended for lighter weights, this is not critical and you may chose a butt length optimized for holding and working the lure/bait after the cast. If you're lucky, your friends son knows what he wants or has a favorite rod that he can measure (though it may not be optimum, you can maybe do better, this is custom-building). Sorry for the long post, but this is not a simple topic or decision.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2005 02:36PM by Tom Doyle.

Surf rod interview :
- Guide Ring size on the tip-top may need to be large enough to pass a leader knot, or to let a leader swivel be reeled in, for transport.
(Maybe a nice Fuji PST or BPST.)
- Is a folding guide for the butt guide something to consider, for transport?
(Summer Moon Rod Works has them, page 26 of Catalog:
Fuji BPWFLG-40mm $14.) -Cliff Hall +++

Thanks for your input fellas, i appreciate it.

Cliff,

I feel cheated, what's up with the short post? LOL!

Carrington Tate




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2005 04:47PM by Carrington Tate.

if Conventional might think about down locking the reel seat( no threads under fingers)

Q: Will he use a sand spike a lot? That area of contact where the lip of the pipe and the grip meet would get more abrasion. I wouldn't put checkerboard cork in that area, which is usually somewhere in the upper 8 inches of the grip below the reel seat. -Cliff Hall+++

I would also think the rod he uses now if you can have him tell you what he likes about it - or what he does not like about it If he can give you the numbers of that one you can then make one with the proper custom changes.