ok. im am starting to get into rod building and want to give my first rod a try. i got the gsb1221mh because i want something heavy for fishing in storms for chunking. after other advice ive been told building this as a conventional would be best. i dont have much experience with conventional reels,so... im just trying to find anyone who either has this rod and can give some advice as far as guides,spacing or any general tips, as well as opionions on the reel setup.

I'd also try another source such as NERBs to the left, and take a look in StriperOnline Surftalk for some excellent suggestions to go with that blank.

For the reel seat. It is difficult to get the proper handle length. Although there are several methods of establishing it, what really counts is using the rod. Learn what coasters are and then buy a set to fit your blank. They are similar to hose clamps and you will be able to change their position. Remember to use tape under them and do NOT over tighten. You can find self bonding (to itself) tape in the plumbing dept of box stores such as Lowes & Home Depot. It may be under the name Stretch & Seal. It can be bought on the internet under the name Tommy tape. After you have used the rod for a while, you will know what suits you best. At that time you can then add a permanent reel seat.

Since I do not know what reel or line sizes you will be using, I can not recommend guide sizes. The stripper guide will be determined by your reel height and the running guides will be determined by your shock leader knot.

If you can wait until March, SportCast USA will be having a tournament in Marlton NJ. They are always helpful and informative. I suggest you attend and possibly participate. There is a spinning rod classification.
March 25th – 27th:- NE Regional's, Marlton NJ.

In the meantime, you can review some guide spacing used for GSB blanks. Unfortunately, none match your blank. Go to the Lamiglas website, select Blanks, then Public Guide Spacing Chart. Go down the page until you reach the XS series. Although the XS 12 MHC may be long, it may give you an idea as to the required sizes. I would expect you to use either size 12 or 16 running guides.

Don

It's too late tonight to run out to the garage, but I have two GSB1221MH. I'll get you the guide setup in the morning.

I use Abu 7500CT3 on one and an Abu 7500C3CT on the other. Don't use either rod much anymore. I find myself grabbing the GSB1502MH more often than not.

Unless you needed something that short for a particular reason, another option for "storm" chunking would be the GSB1361MH.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2011 11:25PM by Clyde Hunt.

Clyde Hunt Wrote:
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> Unless you needed something that short for a
> particular reason, another option for "storm"
> chunking would be the GSB1361MH.

Clyde,

Just FYI, there is a stretch version of the GSB1361MH being designed. It is the GSB1561MH. It was requested several times from the guys on Kauai and Maui.

Don



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2011 12:50AM by Donald Becker.

if you have the guides/spacing that would be great. do you know what tip you used and where you got it? im having trouble finding a tip with a 17 tube

Nick,

First, you will need to measure the tip and validate the size as being a 17. The 17 listed is a more general measurement and your tip could be either slightly larger or smaller. If it measures as 16, you will have a greater variety of tip tops for selection.

Fuji makes a BPLT 20-18 and Pac Bay has CXBT 16-18 & XBT 16-18. Both companies have a variety of 12-18 tip tops. Angler's resource & Pacific Bay are board sponsors. There may be other models available to choose from.

Don

Donald Becker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Clyde,
>
> Just FYI, there is a stretch version of the
> GSB1361MH being designed. It is the GSB1561MH. It
> was requested several times from the guys on Kauai
> and Maui.
>
> Don

Don,
Thanks for the info but my days of throwing bricks is just about over. Anymore, if I need to throw more than 10&bait I'm heading to the local estabishment to wait out the storm.

Ok, finally went out to get one of the rods.

I used NSG guides with a hardloy tip

25-20-20-20 with BPLT 20s-18 tip

Guide spacing from tip of blank 8"-21"-38"-59.5"

FPS-D22 reel seat = 29"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2011 08:54PM by Clyde Hunt.

thats great i really appreciate it. and opinion or advice on this blank since you have 2 of them? are the rating correct?

nick gabrielski Wrote:
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> thats great i really appreciate it. and opinion or
> advice on this blank since you have 2 of them? are
> the rating correct?

I built the rods specifically to fish "The Point" at Cape Hatteras where it’s common to stand waist deep in water while casting and distance isn't my primary goal. Under the conditions, its short stature makes it much easier to handle than your typical 12-13' heaver and it’s a great rod to fight large fish in cramped quarters.

The 1221MH is at home throwing bait & 8 and bait &10. It’s hard to load very well with bait & 6 and bait &12 is pushing the envelope very hard. I use my strictly for 8 and 10 oz only under the conditions noted above.