So I got my White MHX blank in the mail, and I plan on doing a Fuji Skeleton reel seat setup on it. Going to have it completely minimalistic with just black thread and some black/silver marlbing,and I think it's going to look amazing. Anyways--And to the point! I have never done a skeleton reel seat before, and I was wondering if there is anything that I should do different with this setup? Do I lay the epoxy on differently, or is it just the same thing as a regular reel seat? I have a redfish tournament coming up, and I need this rod for tossing jigs. Thanks for your help!

-Mike

Is this a spinning rod or casting rod and if spinning is there a cork insert to go with the skeletal components?
If spinning I glue the skeletal components to the cork insert MAKING SURE that the hoods line up so that the reel will fit into the hoods.
After it dries I bore out the insert and glue it on the rod.


Thanks,

Dan Grulke

someone posted awhile back and it is a great idea for skeleton seats getting aligned..find an old reel and cut off the foot..use it when gluing and aligning the sleleton seats...otherwise just glue it up as normal and clean off the glue well...i sometimes tint my epoxy for this application to have it match the reel seat if i don't use some type of insert or winding check

Nothing special at all with the Fuji split seats. You'll have to arbor up each side of the seat, like tubular seats, and use the Fuji winding checks to make cover the ends. You'll have to either size them yourself or ask the supplier to size them when you order them.
Those seats look pretty cool and will look great on the white MHX rod. Good luck with the build.

I would add that if you're going truly minimalist, you may want to saw off any threaded barrel that's not needed, assuming you'll always be using the same reel. You can use temporary masking tape arbors to hold everything in place while you fit it up.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

It's a spinning rod that is going to be matched with my penn battle 3000. I was thinking about adding in 2 1/2 in. cork fore/rear grips...Will this change the presentation too much? I got some extra cork laying around, so I guess I can toy with it. What do you guys think will look best? I just want to have the blank at my palm when jigging, so I can feel the extra sensitivity in it. If all else fails, I got an extra size 16 fuji reel seat laying around!

Michael,
I have a suggestion for you.
Take a piece of blank. Slip on your 2 1/2 inch rear grip, your rear skeletal reel seat, your front skeletal reel seat, and the your 2 1/2 inch fore grip.
Use tape to hold things in place. Put on your reel and check the feel.

Then, add a three cork ring or 1 1/2 inch piece of cork between the front and back reel seat.

My guess is that you will far prefer the feel of the rod, reel and reel seat, if the center cork is in place- rather than the bare blank.

The problem is that with no cork between the front and back reel seat, you have a void in the middle of the palm of your hand which gets very uncomforatble very quickly.
Now, especially if you make the fore grip short - like 1 half inch ring, your fingers will easily be able to contact the blank for a sensitive feel.

I personally will not build a rod with no center support between the back and front of the reel because it is simply too uncomfortable to use.

REW

That sounds pretty accurate, Roger. Especially when I'm doing hundreds of casts, I'm sure that would kill my palm!

I use just the skeletons on all my rods and absolutely love the feel of it. I would mock it up and try it, see if its comfortable for you.

Rufus
Port Saint Lucie, FL

Michael,
If you are considering a skeletal reel seat, you might also consider the American Tackle Aero reel seat from the perspective of ultimate hand comfort. Also, if you don't install a fore grip, you have excellent access to the blank for your finger to feel any minute vibrations in the blank.

[www.mudhole.com]

Use about 3 rings behind the reel seat, two rings for a butt cap and no fore grip. The shape of this reel seat is one of the most comfortable reel seats on the market today. The bulge in the reel seat nicely fills your hand and leaves your hand fresh after many many casts in a given day.

When I have clients in the shop and give them a choice of a dozen different reel seats to choose from, the majority of clients today choose the Aero for their rod build. I have several personal rods that I have built in the last couple of years using this seat and they are also my personal comfort reel seat in my arsenal.

For the front of the reel seat, I made a 1/4 inch thick cork arbor that fits in front of the foam arbors. Then, I put a winding check in front of that for a nice clean look and finish the rod. Simple, easy and the total cork ring count on a rod like this is about 5 rings.

Take care
Roger