im gonna build my first spiral wrap casting pole and was curious about the spine. im sure other people align the spine in different but for me i align the spine with the trigger on casting poles. do i do the same with the spiral wrap or should it be reversed? thanks

Greg

It won't make any difference. Spine has nothing to do with rod twist.

All rods with the guides on top will attempt to turn towards the direction the load is being applied from (the fish in the water). Rods with the guides on the bottom (spiral wrap) are already in that configuration and thus they don't attempt to spin or twist.

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Hi Greg. I don't know if you're new to the art (like me) or just new to spiral guides. Either way, your question piqued my curiosity. I have a "Fishin Stick" that was built by the late Bud Erhardt and I tested it for spine. It appears that around 1990, Bud was building spirals in the "conventional" baitcasting manner with the spine on top. Not that that's the 'correct' way. It's a Ford vs Chevy kinda thing, ya know? :-)
As I said, I'm new but soaking up info like a sponge. I gather that the location of the spine affects the characteristics of the rod. For instance - spine on top would sacrifice distance for hookset power. Spine on bottom would soften the action but increase casting distance. That leads me to believe that any given rod might be built as a Crankbait or as a Worm rig via choice of spine orientation. Of course, I could be Way off base in my understanding... if so, I hope someone Stops me!
I look forward to building my first spiral, too.

What Tom says is correct. I have built a few spirals. I do like to find the spine, just because I have always tried to. However, I now always look for the straightest line, or plane of the blank, and use that. Usually it is on the spine. Some of the newer blanks do not seem to have as defined a spine.
I also try to listen to what goes on here, what the more experienced builders say. Seems that more emphasis is on the straightest possible plane. Makes sense. Some of these newer blanks do not seem to have as a defined spine. I have a couple that are tougher to tell. There seems to be some debate on this, so I look for the straightest edge now. Seems to work. But, I am still learning also.
Kyle Robinson

Spine orientation will not automatically increase casting distance. Distance is affected by the load you place on the rod and the amount of power in the casting axis. Putting the spine in a particular orientation might increase distance with say, 1/2 ounce, and decrease distance with 3/4 ounce. And even then, you'd have to cast on the same axis each time for it make any constant difference.

If you want the most power available for hooksetting and fish fighting, then you want to build on the straightest axis - flexing against the natural concave curve or warp of the blank is where you have the most power and responsiveness. But, that's also assuming that you're hooksetting and fish fighting on the same axis all the time, which isn't really going to happen for most of us.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> Spine orientation will not...
> But, that's also assuming that you're hooksetting
> and fish fighting on the same axis all the time,
> which isn't really going to happen for most of
> us.
>
> .............

Very true, Tom. It seems that rod building has had a serious impact on my fishing time. (cry)
I think I know what you meant, though. This is an awesome site!