A customer wants me to build him a rod for fishing Mangrove Snapper. He says he is hard on his equipment, and he fishes shallow under oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico for these fish, and has to horse them out quickly to keep from getting broke off by the rig legs.
He gave me a Falcon 7' 20-40 LB rod to go by, but he wants it a little heavier, say 50 LBs.
He said they used to use G Loomis rods but they kept breaking them.
He uses a Penn 975 reel on it, and casts maybe 40 feet to the target.

Can some of you suggest a 7' blank to do what I have described? Would E Glass be a better choice than graphite in this situation?

Thanks,
Larry

If they're abusing their rods, and I have no doubt that they really don't know how to apply pressure with a fishing rod (you don't break rods by pressuring a fish), then yes, something like Eglass will be easier on you in the long run. Of course, they'll pay a price too - in a heavier rod that is less efficient. But if it's the only way they can keep them in one piece, you have little choice.

Lamiglas still makes some great glass blanks. So does Seeker. Those are the two that come to mind. I'd visit the websites (Lamiglas' link is to the left) and see what they have to offer. I would think any of the light to medium saltwater models would do well. I'd stick with a fast action model if at all possible.

..........

Larry,
Maybe look at the Calstar E Glass blanks as well. One of my favorite blanks to build on is the 870 and the 870H.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2005 10:10AM by Randy Search.

Hi Larry you might also take a look at the following CalStars 670H, 270H and GF 700M. All pretty formitable rods. I agree Glass is probably the safer bet but Graphiters are pretty bullet proof. Are they using braided line?

James(Doc) Labanowski Wrote:
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> Hi Larry you might also take a look at the
> following CalStars 670H, 270H and GF 700M. All
> pretty formitable rods. I agree Glass is probably
> the safer bet but Graphiters are pretty bullet
> proof. Are they using braided line?

Yes, Doc, they are using braided line.
Can you suggest a graphite blank to try?

Maybe look at solid glass blanks.

GUSA are made for this fishing. I've used a 80 Monster Mag for Muttons/Groupers the past 2 years in the Tortuga's (2 trips only). Other GUSA blanks which would be great are the SW70H-Plus & 70 Monster (I'm building both for myself for next years trip to Nicuragua)

Larry,
Glass has two advantages over graphite in your customers application. It is harder than graphite so it is less likely to be damaged by hitting it on something and it is about four times as tough (four times the strain energy) of even the low modulus graphites so it is much less likely to be broken from hard use. However, as Tom points out glass has about four times lower modulus so it is heavier, less efficient and less responsive.
In my judgement glass is often a better choice in heavy boat rods that get rough use. You might also want to consider some of the graphite blanks that have a higher glass content that are designed for these same type of applications.

Just curious, why is he using a 975 for 50#? He should bump that up a bit if he really wants to yank fish away from the rigs. If he sticks with the 975, it's really not a good match for the heavier solid glass rods. How big are the Grover's he's catching?

Larry - dont know if you will get this but a stand up rod for the gulf is pretty much the thing to use. I have used the Calstar 670H and it works great! It is a little short, but it works. And the tip is light enough to help set the hook better - also, I saw no one recommeneded the 6 - 7 foot solid glass blanks from Shakespere. Those work so well, and they dont break - they are throw in the corner , use 'em and use 'em

take care

Thanks for all the responses. I gave him a price on a Calstar GF700H and he decided to order one from Bass Pro.
He can get one from there for much less than he can get a custom one from me. (and I don't have to worry about the warranty)

You don't have to worry about the Warranty on a Calstar, because they are virtually indestructable. Unless he intentionally breaks it using a saw, a door frame, a ceiling fan, or drives into the overhanging sign at a Burger King (Steve Parks, lol!)