There has been discussion on this forum about taking an MHX MB941, I think, and cutting 6" off it to make it a 7'6" rod. I mentioned this on a thread not long ago and someone said that to take the entire 6" off the butt end would leave the rod unbalanced. At first, I did not understand the comment, but now that it has been explained, I think I understand. I have been thinking about this and I guess the issue is whether you want to take something away from the backbone of the rod or the fastness of tip. Right? It would seem to me that it would be best to take 3" off each end, just to keep within the design of the rod (maybe), but perhaps that is just too simple of a way of looking at it. Is this a topic worthy of discussion, as it would help me out with my current work? As always, thanks.

Clinton

It really won't keep the rod similar to what you had before. There will be a marked change no matter if you take the length off the butt, tip or both.

Any length you remove will slow the action of the rod. A full 6 inches will make a large difference. Taking 3 and 3 will result in a less drastic power and action change, but it will still be a completely different animal than what you started with.

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Sometimes change is good. I have done just that with a Shikari 8 ft and made it into a 7'6" rod and I like it a lot better. I do not like to take off the tip, though. Try choking up on the blank and give it a try before cutting.

Good idea. Thanks.

Since I was the one to suggest shortening ... look at this (Mud Hole has them)


I think you can take 6" off the butt section of this blank and not have an issue with losing power.

SCII Graphite Musky & Saltwater
2M70HF2

2M70MHF2


Length sections line lure "action" type butt tip listed price
7' 2 20-50 3/4-3 FAST Musky-All Purpose/SW .6 8 $69.00



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2010 09:46PM by Ken Preston.

Clinton,
I have chopped many rods down by a few inches or even a foot.
As one of the other posters have suggested, I almost never take anything off the tip of the rod.

For so many rods, the heart of the rod is in the 12 inches of tip. Lose even 1/2 inch on many rods can almost make the rod useless.

For you, if you took 4-6 inches off of the tip, I would think you would now have an extra heavy rod with a very large diameter tip that could be used to anchor your boat. If that is what you want for your rod, go for it.

As one of the other posters suggested. Just choke up on the blank and try some test casting.

If you want to take something off of the tip, just tape on a guide at the location where you are thinking about chopping the tip, do some test casting, as well as power flexing from the end of the line to get a feel for the action of the rod.

You can do the same thing, if you want to take 6 inches off of the butt of the rod. Simply tape the reel 6 inches further up the blank and move your guides up the blank by the same ratio. Then, do some test casting, as well as power flexing of the blank before ever doing any tip or butt cutting.

You can do virtually all of your testing, without trimming either end of the blank to get a pretty good feel for the final expected action of the rod.

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Summary -

Custom rod builder means that you can do anythng you want with your blank and other components to create the special rod that you want for your special or your clients special needs.

But, if you do blank trimming, do tests on the blank with guides and reels in the appropriate locations to reflect the desired trimming and come to the conclusion to make the blank do the best job to meed yours and your clients needs.

Roger

Roger...outstanding, now I have methodology for doing this....great!!!! Thanks so much. Clinton

Also if you have a place to set up The CCS system you can use it to measure the power and lure weigh of the rod before you do any cutting. Plus check blanks for there true lure and line ratings.

Bill - willierods.com

I always cut off 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the tip of the blank or cut enough off the tip to fit the closest size tip snugly. Also by cuting off some of the tip it insures that the blank tip is sound and free from any flaws from the manufacturing termination process. Cutting the butt end is preferred because it has less of an effect on the action of the blank. The only time the tip should be cut is if the blank is too fast (flexible).

Theory is true any time the blank is altered the action is effected, but how far does one go with theory. Just think when one is fishing, the water that gets on the blank can change the damping qualities of the blank, as the line gets more limp over time it can affect the blank's action. The point I am trying to make is, do not go to extremes and do not stay awake at night worring about cutting off a section of rod to suit your needs.

Mel,s suggestion of testing the action by chocking up on the blank before you do any cutting.

Also Roger said it best and I quote "Custom rod builder means that you can do anythng you want with your blank and other components to create the special rod that you want for your special or your clients special needs."


John