You may remember a question i posted a week or so ago about the guides for my newest 8wt. (btw, I went with 9x size 3 snakes from Snake brand as all the runners. May use one 4 right after the stripper, or 2 strippers) Well the blank came in today. Feels like a great blank, Rainshadow RX7. It's a two piece and I've gotten the spine on the top section which is the obviously the more flexible, but for the lower section, its a bit more stiff- which i like considering I'll be using it mostly for pike, tiger muskie, and big big bass (hypothetically), but due to the stiffness, I've found it hard to determine the spine. I'm pretty sure I've gotten it so no worries, but a question of curiosity is, on a blank like this, with a really stiff butt section that barely bends, is it really necessary to get as close to the spine as you normally do? Or is there a little less concern seeing as it doesn't flex much anyhow?

Thanks,
Cam

Given that the spine has never been proven to do anything for or against you, why worry about it. I'd just sight down it and select the straightest axis and build on that. Works great for me.

Thanks for the input Ken, and i may do that for the butt, but for the tip section i definitely like to find the spine. Another question though, I'm considering using a Pac Bay minima seat like for a spinning reel as my seat. Thinkk that would be fine? I don't know why i wanted to try it, experimentation I guess. If anyone has anything to weigh in on that I'd appreciate it.

Cam

All the seat has to do is hold the reel securely. If it will do that, no reason why it won't work just fine for you.

Yeah, see that's what i thought, but I didn't know if there was anyhting i was missing

I have never really worried about it. If mine are on the spine it is purly by accident. The lower section is almost always strait to build it however it lands on the bench, aliign the upper sections to be as strait as possible, if the is a slight bent I always place it so it curves up and allow the wieght of the rod to "pull it back down"
You will be fine.

Eric

Like Many rod builders who have been building rods for nearly fifty years, I had a hard time eliminating spine as an important factor in how I build my rods. When I discovered this rod forum in 2002, I was introduced to well thought out arguments about spine. For example, some times a spine will spiral the length of the rod. In this case you can't place the spine in any position that will matter. I no longer worry about spine. Spine does exist, but the effect it has on performance is simply too small for you to notice.

Given the type of fish you are going to be fishing for, you should be sure that the reel seat will hold the fly reel very securely. Before using the minima seat, I would really test it to be sure the reel does not wobble in any manner. If you are using the minima seat for weight considerations, you might consider how little weight matters at the butt of the rod compared to the weight of the reel and the grip. Foe my own personal rods I use metal reel seats for heavier fly rods. However, Fuji, Batson, Pac Bay, and American Tackle all make graphite reel seats for fly rods that will handle the kind of fishing you are going to be doing. Good luck with your project.

Mike Blomme

X10 on Michael's comment about the reel seat.
For a fly rod with the reel behind the grip - I wonder if using the Minima reel seat is the best choice for this rod.

I expect that it will work all right - I just wonder??

Can't see why the minima wouldn't hold fine. But I'll test it and see. I just wanted to try something different