I've got someone wanting a rod with "backbone" to set the hook on a jig n pig.

He felt the 4C66MHF didn't have enough "backbone". We're talking about someone who needs something strong enough to handle those hook jarring sets without breaking as well. (I know the debate about hooksets on bass)

Suggestions on something in the 7' range with good sensitivity and a fast tip are appreciated.

I thought about the 3C70HF, but wondering if there is something a little lighter out there.

Is he an Elite, Tour, Weekender or Wanna Bee? Is he on camera for hook set? Line wt and lure wt please. How many rods has he broken in the last three months? How many free warranty builds do you include in your price to him?

There are some blanks lighter but for the technique and style you describe you and him may be better off with another approach to getting the best rod in his hands.

Gon Fishn

Agreed. Local circuits and BFL. 15 - 17# test, 1/2oz jig.

He complained about breaking Loomis GLXs and he likes the Kistler helium, but he's broken one of those as well. He understands he breaks rods with the way he sets the hook, he's just decided he doesn't want to pay high dollar for another. He isn't expecting a bulletproof rod. Just something that if he breaks it, he doesn't feels as bad about paying for another.

Alex

If one of my customers down here in Deep East Texas had his issue, I would recommend a Rogue MB 705 or an MBH 705.

Light, sensitive and great value.

Bobby Feazel

[www.shockwaverods.com]

Conventional wisdom will not open the box.

GUSA DHX704 they are pretty stout and tough.

I noticed your Carolina email tag - there will be over 1,000 blanks at the Show that he could wiggle and jiggle. Consider bringing him with you. I will even have one such rod built that we will tie to a chair leg so he can put on his sunglasses and show us his rod breaking technique. If he don't break it on the first yank he will have to purchase the rod at list!

Ha ha funny!

I figure I'll check them out this weekend. Interested in that GUSA.

You know how hard it is go this weekend when I just bought a new Skeeter and haven't gotten to take it out yet? Ugh!

I would take a look at the ATC FS674 or that Batson IFS904. The blanks are supposed to be similar and are designed for fishing a JIg N Pig. I would recommend something 7'6" for this technique unless your customer has some reason for a shorter rod. Building these blanks custom you can build them plently light and sensitive for this technique. Both of these blanks are VERY durable and should be able to handle that style hookset. (BTW, thats how I set the hook on a jig to, just cant help it, so I build my flippin sticks NOT to break).

Alex,I think that I would suggest not only getting him into a blank with more power but also a blank with lower modulus of elasticity.  The higher modulus blanks are lighter and therefore more sensitive but the price we pay for that is they have lower strain energy or will absorb less energy before they break plus a high modulus blank will not deflect as far before breaking as will a lower modulus blank.  In other words a lower modulus blank will be tougher and more difficult to break.

Alex while we are going toe to toe I have a request to make of you. Send an email to Kilgore and tell them your are a custom rodbuilder and wish to place a Skeeter Logo on a custom rod you built to match your new boat.

Here is what it could look like if you got their approval.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Needless to say my request for prior approval was denied to use for owners of Skeeter Boats. You may have to use more Kistlers to display the boat logo of your choice.

Kistler beat us all to the punch and has that logo tied up.

Make me want to barf!

Gon Fishn

Alex;
I agree with Emory on the Modulus of the blank.
But also if you can convince him to go with a spiral wrap, it will lesson that chances of him breaking the blank on the hook set.

I know a few instances were that was done for some people snapping blanks and it has cured the problem.

I think the sudden shock on the hard hook set causes the blank to twist really quickly, and that action is a major contributor to the problem.

Good advise here, I second the GUSA DHX 704, haven't had a GUSA rod break yet.

I have a rod built on the IFS904, and am building 2 more right now. It is a very powerful and tough blank, but I believe that it would be a little unwieldy for pitching. We use them for fishing heavy Carolina Rigs or Football Head Jigs deep. You really need a minimum of ¾ oz to load them, but they will throw a 1 oz Carolina Rig almost out of sight.

Mike,
My recommendation of the IFS904 comes from talking Bob at Custom Tackle. I am a big fan of the Shikari FS764, I am just building my last two blanks I was able to get my hands on. In looking for a replacement Bob said the IFS904 is basically the same blank. I am planning to order one soon to find out. If so I use my FS764 for pitching jigs as light as 1/4 oz. It is not the best rod for them, but a 1/2 oz jig is easily w/in this blanks range.

Steve,
In all of the years that I have been building rods I have seen a lot of broken rods and many that were boken on the set but I do not believe that I have ever seen a rod that broke on the set because the guides were wrapped conventionally as opposed to spiral wrapped.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say that a spiral wrap will prevent rod breakage on the hook set. Yes, with a conventional set up, you may get some sudden twist in the tip upon the set, but rod blanks are designed to withstand a certain amount of torsional forces. If you were to take any rod blank much over 5 feet long, and fasten the butt down and then twist the tip a full 180 degrees, it's doubtful you'd break it. The amount of twist over the total area wouldn't be as much as you might think. Also, the power in the hookset comes from down low in the mid and butt areas of the rod, not the tip. I'm not saying this can't or hasn't happened, but I know plenty of guys who have broken their spinning rods on the hook set as well, and there's really no significant twist on those rods.

I suspect if the rods are breaking on the hookset it's because the fisherman is effectively high sticking the rod on the hook set and needs to be taught the proper way to set a hook.


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

Tom Kirkman Wrote:

>
> I suspect if the rods are breaking on the hookset
> it's because the fisherman is effectively high
> sticking the rod on the hook set and needs to be
> taught the proper way to set a hook.
>

Tom, While I agree with you as to why we break flipping sticks with this technique I really don't think it is an issue of the angler needing to learn to set the hook. I think it is more the custom builder learning to select the proper blank for this technique. The style hook, the short line, and the thickness of the roof of the mouth of a Largemouth require a fairly heavy hookset. The hooks on these jigs are heavy wire hooks designed to not straighten out when you are horsing a fish out of cover. The light wire hooks used for finesse fishing using lighter hooksets just do not keep bass hooked up when you are trying to move them out and away from cover. The better option for this technique is a lower modulus blank designed for Flipping. You WILL reduce breakage for most all tournament bass guys this way, and if you explain to them the reasoning for lower modulus they will go for it. We always seem to blame Bass fishermans hooksets around here, and for some techniques you are right, they need to learn to set the hook properly for the bait. But for fishing a jig, Bassmaster style hooksets are indeed correct.

I'm a bass fisherman myself and in some 40 years of fishing for and catching them with all manner of tackle, I've yet to break the first rod. Knock on wood. I also lose very few fish due to not getting a good hook set and this includes pig 'n jigs.

But... many of the guys I fish with do break rods on the hook set. For them, it's mostly unncessary if only they would acquire better fish fighting habits.

I know that many tournament fishermen are not really concerned with proper fish fighting techiques or caring for their tackle - to them a fish means money so using the reel as a winch and the rod as something to lift fish into the boat with is more important than worrying over whether or not something breaks. In those instances I agree with you that backing down to a lower modulus rod is the way to go. It all depends on what the fisherman needs for what he's doing or what his priority might be.

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

No matter which way you tend to cut it if the rod is too short, the modulus too high, the camera is on, sunglasses are in place, the pearly white teeth are shinning, his bicepts are in focus, the stump is solid or fish is too big and he is wearing his official shirt with all the patches the rod blank is doomed!

If you would care to take a close look at one solution to this problem visit the Swampland Booth at the ICRBE this weekend - As we like to say down de bayou -

We gotcha covered on dis one!

"Come See Sha"

Gon Fishn



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2008 04:23PM by Bill Stevens.

Tom;
While one hook set on a flipping stick that is conventionally wrapped may not twist a blank enough to cause a problem. It may be that hundreds or even thousands of them may take enough tolls to cause the problem. I'm also not saying it is the only reason rods break. But that it has helped a few people that were having a problem snapping flipping sticks with conventional wrap rods. IT could just be coincidence but the results have been the same.

I am not putting this out there as some type of scientific method to cure the problem. Just as something I've done and the results based on doing it.

I actually got this tip From Rich Forhan a few years ago. He said he had cured the problem that one of the Pro's he built for was having with breaking flipping sticks by going to the spiral wrap.

Personally I have only ever seen two spiral wrapped flipping sticks break.

Emory; How would you even be able to tell?
How many conventional wrapped flipping sticks have you repaired compared to spiral wrapped?