I am trying to understand exactly how to follow this article. Specifically, how to create the flex menitioned in the rod. Do you induce the flex in the rod by placing your hand a set distance from the tip and trying to flex the tip? Or do you fix the rod handle to something and gradually add weight to the tip to force a flex in the rod? The later would seem like the most likely because that would seem to best represent the real world situations. Please let me know your thoughts on how to flex the rod!! Thanks!!!

Dan

Dan,
You need to attach a reel to the rod (preferably the one that will be used on the rod), run the line throough the guides and flex the rod by pulling on the line. This will allow you to adjust the guides to get a proper line path. I have a rrod holder attached to the end of my rod table

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

No, not quite. If you apply the load with the line on the reel you won't get the natural bend of the rod. Instead, the load must be applied by a separate line attached to the tip-top. The line from the reel is only lightly loaded - just enough to keep it taut. It is only there so you can see how that line flows through your guide placement along the blank.

So fasten the butt down and glue on your tip-top. Securely affix a line and load to the tip-top. String the line from reel up and out through the guides and hand just a little weight on it to keep that line taut.

.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2006 07:10PM by Tom Kirkman.

Oops!! I've been doing it wrong!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

If you use the line coming from the reel, through the guides, the line pulling between pairs of guides will change the way the blank flexes. You want to get the natural flex of the blank, unhampered by what could be poor guide placement to start with,and then space the guides so the line coming from the reel somewhat mimics the curve of the blank.

........

That makes sense!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

So! I too have been doing it wrong all these years as well! I thought I read the article correctly
but sometimes its hard teaching an old dog new tricks!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I came up with a pretty good arrangement to do this. I took a strong cord and tied it to a big 6/0 or so hook, and cut the barb off the hook. Then, tied that cord to a stationary object on the floor. I just put the hook through the two "wings" on the tip, run a line from the reel through the guides, and tie on a practice plug. This makes it pretty easy to do it the right way.
Steve Broadwell

With the cord tied to a stationary object dont you loose the ability to vary
the bend in the rod?


Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

No, sorry Steve
I guess you could vary the angle of the butt in relation to the load

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

i made a rod holder out of abs with and a hose clamp to attach it to a fixed location.like the top rail of my kids bunkbed.. with slotts for the triger so the reel stays up,casting or the reel foot down spinning,to place my rod in.with the tip and reel on.i tie a seperate line to the tip and load it up.like tie it to their toy box or a boot.with the guides fastened with rubber bands where i think they should be.then adjust them to the natural curve location it shows me running the line from the reel.it works for what i have..

Raymond
Yep, you can hold it at any angle, and put as much load as you want. I have been thinking about making a rodholder out of some of the 2" PVC I am accumulating from blank shipments, with the rod at about a 45 degree angle, like the pre-made one some sponsors sell. But, I am too busy, and my way seems to work great.
Actually, the weight on the floor is a Troy tiller bulldozer blade. Finally getting some use out of it!
Steve Broadwell

Dan,

There are a lot of ways to do it, here's one that works for me.

I put a four or five inch loop of 30 lb. mono through the tiptop and attach a length of white fly line backing (any light, flexible, highly visible line will work, even wrapping thread) to the reel seat and run it through the guides and top. I don't use a reel. Several feet beyond the top I tie a small bolt to the backing, enough weight to keep light tension on it. I use a foot-long piece of heavy copper wire, wrapping one end aroung the neck of an empty plastic Coke bottle and making a small hook in the other end of the wire. I put the rod in a holder at about a 45 degree angle and hang the plactic bottle from the mono loop. I add water to the bottle as necessary to increase rod flex as I adjust my guide placements. I use a 12 oz. bottle for very light rods, a 2-liter for the heavier stuff.

I hope you find this useful. Cheers, Bill Beall

Here's what I have mounted on my bench [cabelas.com] Works great and is completely adjustable.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Tom,

Why would pulling from the tip give you a more "natural" bend? After all the rod won't bend without a force making it bend.When you have a fish on the force on the guides will effect the bend wouldn't this be the one you want to use? Just trying to rationalize this.

I kind of do a hybrid of both.....I set up based on the chart....then weight a line with a couple split shot coming off the reel intended for the rod or the closest model I can find thru the guides....then apply force to the tip top to flex the rod...reposition guides as needed....then I apply force using the line off the reel through the guides to check that it still bends the way I want...make subtle adjustments if needed..check it again til I am satisfied.

Do you see anything wrong with doing it this way?

Just a humble newbie but I'll add a thought... For the rod I'm just wrapping now I suspended a plastic pail (2 gal) from the tiptop and filled it 3/4 full with water to "simulate" what I believe will be the average/high end of the fish I'll be targeting (Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay Stripers) which should come in at 12 to 15 lbs on a good day. Using water makes it easy to determine approx weight and using what I think is the "target" weight gives the bend that I want to adjust guides to. Just a thought from a newbie.



Clyde Thomas