Hey gang ,I am building my first saltwater spinning rod. The butt diameter is .828 and of course it tapers from there. Should I size up the reel seat and arbor it or get fairly close and then epoxy fill.I guess a small arbor would keep the seat centered. I may have answered my own question. Also I will be using a short eva foregrip. Should I make that snug to the rod ? I know these are rookie questions but I want to do it right the first time. I am also going to use a slightly modified NGC system with recoil guides for the durability aspect. I live in Oklahoma so the rod will be travelling to the Florida panhandle for king mackeral on the Pensacola pier. It is a 9ft lami. Should be a fun build. I hope I didn't raise too many hackles with the recoil thing! Regards , Stevereno- oh yea - it's a 2 piece rod

I use RECoil guides on some builds, but I sure wouldn't test them on a rod built for kings. I would suggest considering ceramic inserts.

heres a video that should answer most of your questions


[www.mudhole.com]

I guess a small arbor would keep the seat centered.

Correct you want it centered on the blank either a small bit of tape around the blank or if a large space - arbor
will the reel fit the seat
Will the seat be comfortable in your hand

Your supplier can help you match things up

Bill - willierods.com

The only thing I'll say (ask) about the Recoil guides is what type of durability issues are you concerned with?

Get a handle in a size that fits comfortable in your hand. You can arbor it to fit the blank. There is no reason to fill the seat tube with epoxy. Wasted weight. The best arbors for me are the Flex Coat polyurethane type. The pilot bits get you close to the proper size in seconds, and they ream easily.

Your EVA grip should be slightly smaller than the blank where you want it to sit. If you slide it on the blank, it should fit tight a few inches above where you actually want it. Apply epoxy (Rod Bond in my case) well up the blank so that you can swirl it on the inside of the grip. Then you can push it right down into place. The epoxy acts as a lubricant and the EVA will expand when pushed down to it's resting spot.

Good luck!

Recoil guides on a saltwater rod Does not sound like a good match
I would only use them on a freshwater rod

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks all , hey Jay , my intention was that if the rod hit the deck it would not take out one of the guide inserts. I am also considering some of the titanium guides for the weight aspect. Either way I want single foot guides past my choker. I appreciate the feedback. Keep em coming. Regards ,Steve Leslie

Steven, my brother lives in Pensacola and I have caught my fair share of kingfish. IMHO the guys in Pensacola are stuck in the past with their huge old school spinning reels, fiberglass rod banks, and huge foulproof style guides. It sounds like you are moving forward but are trying to strike a middle ground.

If you want guide durability I'd stay clear of titanum. It isn't the end of the world to have to replace a guide but if you are concerned....you might look at the ring lock guides. Personally I find alconites a reasonable compromise. Yes they don't have the most durable frames, and aren't the cheapest, but they get the job done for me. On more rugged casting rods I use the virtus lites.

By all means pick a reel seat based on your hand size and comfort. Arbor/shim as needed to fit the blank. The foam arbors are great but good old masking tape is proven and drywall mesh is even better. So no lack of good choices there. Bottom line, just about any name brand reel seat and guide is going to be more than capable. The fuji ergonomic spin seat would be an ideal choice IMHO. As far as centered...it is easier with masking tape at the ends and foam arbors in the middle (to keep weight/epoxy down).

I'd spend my money on a reel that held enough line and had a great drag. Kingfish are capable of a long and fast first run but shouldn't be fished with a ton of drag. I have had smoker kings run off with 300 yards of 25# mono from 6500 baitrunners and never slow down. If I was after the big boys I'd be looking at something like a big Saragosa with 300 to 400 yards of braid and a mono top shot of 25 to 30# copolymer equal to the longest cast I could make. Just to be clear.....yes I'm saying 300 to 400 yards of 50 to 65# braid plus a 100 yards of 25 to 30# mono if I wanted a pier rod for targeting kingfish in the 60# and up range. I'd wanna let him run and run in the open water and be way too tired to even think about looking at the pilings when I get him near the pier. Ditto on them cobia....which is the fish I'd tell you to target if you like to eat what you catch.

EVA will stretch a good bit. Just follow the advice in the article in the library. Where you put the epoxy and how you hold the grip as you push it are key. I would want a fairly long foregrip on a serious kingfish rod but each to their own.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

bill boettcher Wrote:
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> Recoil guides on a saltwater rod Does not sound
> like a good match
> I would only use them on a freshwater rod


They are just fine on inshore rods, I have a few myself. I would question just how much they can handle ... kings aren't little fish AND the runs are dynamic. I would stick to something that I am positive will work long term, ceramic inserts.