So I'm getting ready to build 4 SKA tournament kingfish rods. These are going to be mine and are 7" fast action live bait composite rods (Rainshadow). I've built spiral rods for tarpon and they work very well, will I see the same advantages with the king rods? These are fast running, taking a ton of line fish. I have never seen any spiral rods on the circuit, so I'll be breaking into new territory here. My team members are highly skeptical of spiral rods, knowing what has always worked for the winners. The fast retrieve of the kingfish is a very important part of the process, and the letting of the fish run at breakneck speeds for a couple of hundred yards is also part of the game. Where do you all stand on the ability of the spiral wrap to perform in these conditions, I'm willing to break the mold here!

Smitty

Of course you will. Just because the fish is different doesn't mean anything else is going to change. Your team members might be reminded that hickory rods were once the norm for what they're doing. I'm sure they were skeptical of those newfangled glass and eventually graphite rods, too. But they changed. So what's the big deal with a spiral wrapped rod?

The speed or size of the fish makes no difference. Why would it? You haven't changed anything as far as your tackle is concerned. The same reel, the same drag, the same line, etc. You've just dropped the line by about 1/2 to 1/4 inch. What's the big deal? You put it under the rod, where it wants to be and eliminated the fisherman from having to fight both the rod and the fish. Now he can just fight the fish.

If your team members are even halfway open minded, once they battle a few kings and wahoo on a spiral wrapped rod they won't go back to rods with the guides on top. I've built hundreds of spiral wrapped rods for this specific type fishing, and even forced a spiral rod into the mix to see what the reaction would be. Most often, guys who had ordered conventional rods would come back and pay me to rewrap their almost new rods in spiral fashion once they saw how much it easier it was to fight fish on them.

I still can't understand why so many object to even trying a spiral wrapped rod. It's not any sort of radical design, it simply allows the line to go where it has wanted to go all along - to the bottom of the rod.

............

Walt, Tom is right on. I have built quit a few boat rods in the 30-50 lb class for shark fishing. Although, a 6' black tip is not a king or a wahoo, they (in their own right) can strip a drag. My buddies were as yours. They just could not get passed the look of one of my spiral wrapped rods... That is until they used a couple of them. Now as Tom said, they want their conventional wrapped rods converted. ( I have as yet gave in )

Once a year, we have friends come down from Fredericksburg TX. for a private shark tournament. Half are women. You should see them fight a conventional setup. They all want to fish on my boat, because of the spiral rods.

Off shore they can't be beat! IMHO of course.

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

Walter -- By the way, your Batson blanks shipped today, model RCLB 70L. These are really nice blanks!! Spiral wrap these jewels and you'll never regret it.

Bob McKamey -- Custom Tackle Supply

Spiral it will be, I've always done the transition method on my tarpon rods. I'm thinking of the bumper method this time. I'm having surgery on both of my shoulder rotator cuffs, and the easier I can get the rods to perform the better the shoulders should be. The rest of the team will just have to put up with them until they fish with them, (my boat, my rods, my equipment!)!

Smitty

I've built some 6 1/2' live baits for tournament king guys with a bumper wrap. So far the reports are good. Don't hessitate...do the spiral.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Jay