I am working on an Okuma casting rod repair. I am not a casting rod guy, so this is the first rod I have had in my hands with a trigger style reel seat with the exposed blank. When I first talked to the guy, he said the reel seat was loose and spinning on the blank. I told him that to fix this the right way, everything from the rear grip forward would have to be removed, and then be re-glued, and rewrapped. There is a gap between the reel seat and the front and back cork grips. I am wondering if the cork might have shrunk, or if the rear grip might be loose? I can’t get it to move. What color thread best matches the Okuma Purple? What is the best way to support this reel seat. I know that I will us a foam arbor for the front, but the back is huge, and I can’t see a tenon from the cork to the reel seat?

Any thoughts or ideas that might make this repair go smoothly would be greatly appreciated.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

Mike, what you have there is a manufacturers defect. Tell him to send it back go Okuma's customer service center for repairs. They will more than likely replace the defective rod with a new one. Sometimes it's best to tell the customer to send it in than to try to tackle a job that you're not sure how to go about making the repairs.

Lance

Lance: This an older rod, and I have already removed the stripper guide, and hook keeper. I am not familiar with Okuma. Had this been a St. Croix, Sage, etc. I would have sent him to the factory. I was told that this rod was a Wally World special, and he only bought it for the reel that was on it. This is also one of those deals where a friend that I owe Big time refered the owner to me, and the friend owes the owner Big time.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

Understood Mike. I was thinking that it was one of the newer Okuma's models with the high tech JDM type reel seats.

Mike,
If you can talk him out of the exposed blank, you can go at it from the butt end without removing the guides. It's a job but you'll have to get off the rear grip and the seat without marring the blank. You can turn the butt grip down or scrape it off and if the reel seat is loose enough, it may slide right off the bottom end. If not, cut it off with a dremel tool using lenghtwise cuts. DON'T CUT INTO THE BLANK. Once you've got them removed, you can use some fiberglass drywall tape to take out the taper and slide over a new regular trigger reel seat (no exposed blank as it won't fit/expose right) and butt grip. I usually buy the 2" wide tape and cut it down the middle. Wrap it around the rod a few times until the reel seat slides over it snug. Move 2 or 3 inches toward the butt and make another wrap, this time with fewer turns. Not too hard, just takes a little time. He may be willing to sacrifice the exposed blank if he knows he'll save some money on a complete rewrap.

O.K., I messed up by not checking to see if this rod might have a long term warrantee, I tore into the rod that sells for $50 some odd dollars on the retail market. I am doing this for a friend and it is his favorite rod. He called me to ask if it would work to just drill holes in the reel seat, and shove some epoxy in the holes. I could have told him "Go for it", but told him I would fix it for my cost (He is a very old friend). Once I got this rod torn down, there were no arbors, or cork tenons to support the front and back of the reel seat. I know how to fix this. Do any of you know what the factory used for thread on this rod? I think it is a Gudbrod Garnet (206) without CP.

The friendship is worth more than the rod, cost of the parts, or my time. It would have been cheaper to just go buy him a new rod, but then it wouldn't be his old favorite rod.

I appreciate all of the replies to this message, and hope this quick reply does not offend anyone.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

I would go the same route as Greg suggests.
i.e. use a conventional reel seat, cut off the rear grip, ream out an arbor to fit the rear of the rod, and build up the reel seat portion as necessary with masking tape. Then, glue the new reel seat in place.
Finally ream a rear grip to fit over the rear of the rod. Build up the front of where the grip will be installed to be the same diameter as the very butt section of the rod.
Glue in place and you will be good to go with a rock solid installation.

The entire job should take about an hour and the cost of the reel seat rear grip.

Roger

At this point since it is for a friend the best way to go would be to completely strip it down and build it back better than it was before. I have done many rods that way for friends, and when I build them back with modern techniques like split grip and microguides they end up amazed at the difference it makes on a blank that they already knew the characteristics of. You could get an inexpensive split grip kit, a new reel seat and a set of microguides for less than $25, then the only extra would be your labor to strip and rebuild the rod. This is also a great marketing technique since the next time he is in the market for a rod he will remember how much better the rod you fixed for him was than the original.

I called the number for Okuma today. talked to a guy in the customer service and repair department, I asked him what thread the factory used to wrap the Celilo rod? The answer to my question was: "Oh yea, that is the green rod. Looks like purple to me". Good enough, Gudebrod Maroon without CP, unless someone actually knows what thread Okuma wrapped this rod in.

I am sorry if the last couple of emails sound like I am miffed. I really appreciate all of the help and suggestions to my question. The owner is an OLD friend. He made sure that I knew that he only paid $25.00 for the rod on sale. He is on a limited budget. I just didn't want him to "drill holes in the reel seat, and shove some epoxy in", or "drill through the reel seat, and blank, and stick a piece of dowel in the hole". It would be cheaper and less time consuming to go out and buy him a new "Pole", but then it wouldn't be "his" pole.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

if you can Look underneath the thread and you should get a good idea of color Then try to match it to a spool

Bill - willierods.com