i wanna experiment with a really light flukin rod for myself. i ve built @ 15 rods now and i kinda know what i want. i really like cork tape on surf rods and lookin to use it for a fluke rod. im gonna use a 7 - 7 1/2 ft casting with a spiral wrap. anybody try this? i wanna see how light i can make it. also.... any suggestionsa on reels? i used a abu 5500 and i liked it. i saw the 5601 and its similar. also i have a diawa viento that i used and its pretty strong and a ahimano thats similar size. any help would be appreciated.

TRY A 7 ' FAST ACTION LIGHT POWER BLANK THE CORK TAPE A PLATE REELSEAT SPIRAL IT UP WITH CLOSE SINGLE FOOT GUIDES ALONG WITH ABU 5500 10 # RED POWER -PRO 10 ' CAJUN RED 10 # LEADER A 5 / 0 CIRCLE HOOK BAITED WITH BERKLEY GULP BAIT I PITY THE FLOUNDER LARRY

Having done a fair bit of fluking myself, I'll chime in. I will assume that since you mention light fluking, you are back bay fishing and not over open ocean. In that case it will all depend on the required sinker or jig weight. If you are drifting from a small boat and using sinkers lighter than 4 oz. you might want to consider a hot shot blank. You want a light tip to distinguish the bite from the sinker dragging and you need some beef in the butt to break mr. fluke away from the bottom. You don't need much line, so I would even go as light as a bass reel loaded with braid to reduce drag, which will allow the use of a lighter sinker. regarding the reel, I would use a left hand retrieve, so I don't need to take my thumb off the spool. You will be fishing in free spool so you could drop back immediately. I assume you know about the drop back.

My favorite fluke rod was an old honey yellow lamiglass steelhead rod rated to 2 oz. that would still cast 3 oz off a pier with ease. Caught many fluke off the Long Island South Shore piers with it. Unfortunately, the tip got tangled and the top half of the rod got pulled in by a boat propeller

If you are using bucktails, you could go even lighter.

If you are planning to fish deeper water, then its all about the sinker weight. You would need a light tip with enough beef to handle 6-10 oz. Get in touch with Billy V. for further info.

I just built one like you are discribing on a PacBay blank TRMBC845 its afast action blank great for bucktailing in the bays will handle 1 1/2oz. bucktails. I built it as a spinner I like it so much I am doing one as a bait caster will use with a Shimano Cardiff 300A reel and use it for dragging bait it will handle up to 4 ozs. of lead with no problem.

You might give the MHX L842 a try. I also think everyone should try a hot shot blank at some point. If I thought I was going to be fishing on the heavy side of your range I might consider a 3 or 4 power mag bass blank too. I'd look at a curado if using braid or an older calcutta B series for mono.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Hi,

Right in my wheel house!

Ultra light fluke rod means this to me, skinny water (5-20'depth), teasers/bucktails, 1/2-2 oz sinker/lure weights (usually the lighter weights). I usually build on Batson blanks for this operation, SB 822.5, XSB 822.5, IP 904 and IP845 for starters.

If I am building them for me they are built for maximum sensitivity/minimum weight. Butt has a light weight butt cap (eva), no butt grip (sometimes X shrink wrap, a reel seat with a 1/2 wide piece of eva on each side of the reel seat, no fore grip, the lightest guides usually starting with double foot #16 - 10 (spiral wrap) 12 - 10 - 10 - 8 - now single foots - 8 - 7- 7 - 6 - 6 - etc all the way to the tip top. By designing the rod this way I saved 30% of the weight when weighed against a rod I build the more normal way. How much sensitivity did I save/gain? I do not have the knowledge to answer that, I wish I did. I do use a trigger seat as I fish one handed when bucktailing and the reel seat starts about 8" from the butt end of the rod. There is only the guide wrap and the wrap starts 2 or 3 turns in front of the guide foot.

I would build a spinner in the same manner.

Some customers need a butt and fore grip but leave the rest alone. I give them this and I feel that some weight back by the reel seat will not change the sensitivity that much. Once again I do not have the knowledge to prove this.

Oh how I love catching fluke (to me) maybe (summer flounder to you) in this manner. I use a Curado 200 E5 for the reel.

I hope this helps.

Capt Neil Faulkner



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2013 07:05AM by Capt Neil Faulkner.

Capt Neal
Got one I am going to build Just ordered a United Composites 70 M
[www.charkbait.com]
Was thinking of double foots then singles as runners
Think the singles will hold up Blank is mod-fast 1-3 oz
Less weight on the tip Like a heavy bass rod

Bill - willierods.com

Hi Bill,

The blanks I listed have tips that are in the 4.5 to 5.5 range. This is why I have to go to single foot guides and #7 and #6 rings. 20 years ago I said I would never wrap any guide smaller than a #8. Should not use the word NEVER, ha, ha. Any thing heavier would deaden the tip action.

I am not familiar with the UC blanks. What size tip top barrel would you need? If the barrel is an 7 or bigger you could use double foot #6 ring guides. If it is a spiral wrapped rod the single foots will be fine as there is very little pressure on the guides when they are located under the blank.

Back in the day my father used rod varnish to hold the guide thread in place. Almost every year the varnish had to be redone or the threads would loosen up due to the salt water and sun.

Today the 2 part epoxy finish is strong and lasting. Done properly the guides are sealed to the blank. Sure a big fast fish might rip a guide or two off a rod but rarely, except of course for that guy down in Florida catching those hugh grouper, hundreds of pounds. Ha, he could not keep guides on his rods. Quite a video he put up.

Capt Neil Faulkner

it is mod-fast with a 6 tip Thinking of at least a 7 maybe 8 double foot never know what is going to bite the bait Ha Ha

Bill - willierods.com