Hey guys,
have been asking around about the seeker hercules specifically the 6' H and XH and most of everything I had run across had been very positive, that they were durable, sensitive, light, and could handle a whole lot of drag. In my search I went on 360 tuna and have found threads upon threads bashing the blanks claiming breakages etc. Most of these threads seem to be stirred up by one guy thats calling them junk with a few others chiming in here or there, is this just a case of a few guys with sour grapes or is there really any kind of issues with breakages on these blanks? thanks for helping me clear this up, was really getting sold on these blanks then I hit a speed bump finding those reviews! guess I just need some reassurance lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2014 06:04AM by James Zimmerman.

CAptain Richie bashes me every chance he can get, to his customers, many are my friends that he doesn't know are my friends. It's been goin on for several years. Most of the guys who chime in are friends of his.

When the HErcules came out there were some that broke, this was due to the graphite being layed up outside of the S Glass. THe blanks were redesigned 3-4 years ago once they figured out the problem, and there hasn't been any breakages due to the material lay up since. THey put the S Glass outside of the graphite, and the issue went away. I'm sure that some of them have broken, that's true of any blank when there are hundreds/thousands of them being fished. IT happens. IT's not a widespread problem or I wouldn't be building hundreds of custom rods which cost between $300-$800 on them or I'd be dealing with a ton of arantee issues on rods which have a TON of labor in them with dec wraps and dec grips. I had to rebuild 4 HErcules rods that I built due to breakage since they came out, and I pretty much exclusively build on HErcules blanks since they came out.

I am with Billy on this one. I have built on several of these blanks and have never had one break. Great strong blanks.

John

I also agree with Billy, I have built over a dozen of the Hercules series rods and never had a problem ( these rods are fished just about everyday) very pleased with SEEKER

Billy Vivona Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CAptain Richie bashes me every chance he can get,
> to his customers, many are my friends that he
> doesn't know are my friends. It's been goin on for
> several years. Most of the guys who chime in are
> friends of his.
>
> When the HErcules came out there were some that
> broke, this was due to the graphite being layed up
> outside of the S Glass. THe blanks were redesigned
> 3-4 years ago once they figured out the problem,
> and there hasn't been any breakages due to the
> material lay up since. THey put the S Glass
> outside of the graphite, and the issue went away.
> I'm sure that some of them have broken, that's
> true of any blank when there are
> hundreds/thousands of them being fished. IT
> happens. IT's not a widespread problem or I
> wouldn't be building hundreds of custom rods which
> cost between $300-$800 on them or I'd be dealing
> with a ton of arantee issues on rods which have a
> TON of labor in them with dec wraps and dec grips.
> I had to rebuild 4 HErcules rods that I built due
> to breakage since they came out, and I pretty much
> exclusively build on HErcules blanks since they
> came out.

Probably the guys on 360 tuna and that other forum site where all they do is pat each other on the back. I've seen his wraps BTW. Not impressed.

I`ve built a couple for myself and last season on took the test when the drag got bumped up somehow and a 85 pd YFT hit it close. I could not get it out of the holder due to the pressure of the boat and the fish. Most i have seen that rod bend ever. Took it in stride . Backed off the drag and landed the fish. Never once thought the rod was in jeopardy of breaking.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

It is a shame that some feel that bringing down other's advances them. It is a bigger shame that people buy gossip to the point where they assume the source would lie; so the real source/truth can't be trusted/known.

A competitive edge is nice. Given that Billy helped develope those blanks it is natural he would promote them. But Billy isn't an exclusive source for these blanks. There are other builders who try to offer exclusive blanks, going to a company and ordering special runs. It is only natural they would want to promote them.

Nothing wrong with a builder saying, "I had these blanks built to my specs, by (IMHO) the best company in the biz,, and they are tailor made for my waters and fishermen". Hinting that other well know offerings are inferior and/or defective is where some tarnish their reputation without knowing they are doing so.

You might hear Billy say he thinks a hercules blank is the best for a certain job but you won't hear him saying lamiglas, CTS, phenix, etc. are junk that break. And then we have the fact that Billy helps others to elevate their game through meetings, seminars, software, and books. He doesn't feel making others better makes him worse.

Only you can decide which sort of individual you want to trust and do business with.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Hi,

I have been building on Seeker blanks for many years for my customers. Very happy customers. When the Hercules came out they shifted their allegiance to them. Most of them chose the Hercules Inshore Series and love them. These blanks are used to catch everything and anything that swims around Long Island, NY. A couple of my customers have accidentally hooked and successfully boated 125 lb makos using the CSW 658 which I make as a very good 6-8 oz sinker load when fishing the inshore reef in 70' depths. Disclaimer. Yes, Billy is a good friend of mine and I do listen very carefully to the info he shares with me and others.

Captneilf

Capt Neil Faulkner

awesome guys thanks for clearing this up, I figured from his attitude on the threads that he had a personal problem but wanted to double check before making the investment. I just always try to leave no stone unturned before making an investment and figured something was fishy since that was literally the only source of negative press I could find on the blanks!

Russell Brunt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You might hear Billy say he thinks a hercules blank is the best for a certain job but you won't
> hear him saying lamiglas, CTS, phenix, etc. are junk that break. And then we have the fact that
> Billy helps others to elevate their game through meetings, seminars, software, and books. He
> doesn't feel making others better makes him worse.
>
> Only you can decide which sort of individual you
> want to trust and do business with.

THanks Russ. THEre is no need for me to lie abotu the other companies. THey ALL make good blanks, and each fishermen has to decide which one of them is the one that suits their style. HEre's how I do things, someone was asking me abotu cutting teh 60H/XH to 5'2 and if I had an opinion on it, HEre is how I answerred. I dont' have to make stuff up, or hype it up - this is what it is. I'd love to say I've built hundreds the way he wanted and they've caught 2000# GReat Whites, but that's not the case.
> Bob, there are a number of people in Europe fishing with the 60H & XH cut to 5'2-5'4, and I ahve not heard any negative coomments or
> problems with teh rods breaking. I have not cut any that short myself, the shortest I've gone is 5'6 and I haven't' heard anything
> (negative or positive, I build aot of rods for people and never hear back from them unless something goes wrong.

Hello James.

I've had zero breaks on Seeker Hercules or other seeker blanks!

Tight Wraps.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Billy Vivona Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Russell Brunt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You might hear Billy say he thinks a hercules
> blank is the best for a certain job but you won't
> > hear him saying lamiglas, CTS, phenix, etc. are
> junk that break. And then we have the fact that
> > Billy helps others to elevate their game through
> meetings, seminars, software, and books. He
> > doesn't feel making others better makes him
> worse.
> >
> > Only you can decide which sort of individual
> you
> > want to trust and do business with.
>
> THanks Russ. THEre is no need for me to lie abotu
> the other companies. THey ALL make good blanks,
> and each fishermen has to decide which one of them
> is the one that suits their style. HEre's how I do
> things, someone was asking me abotu cutting teh
> 60H/XH to 5'2 and if I had an opinion on it, HEre
> is how I answerred. I dont' have to make stuff up,
> or hype it up - this is what it is. I'd love to
> say I've built hundreds the way he wanted and
> they've caught 2000# GReat Whites, but that's not
> the case.
> > Bob, there are a number of people in Europe
> fishing with the 60H & XH cut to 5'2-5'4, and I
> ahve not heard any negative coomments or
> > problems with teh rods breaking. I have not cut
> any that short myself, the shortest I've gone is
> 5'6 and I haven't' heard anything
> > (negative or positive, I build aot of rods for
> people and never hear back from them unless
> something goes wrong.

Billy,

That was me that asked you that question. Wow! How funny is that? I just joined this site the other day and came across this thread today. BTW, I appreciated the quick an honest advice.

Anyway, I've wrapped a few rods and fixed a bunch of guides over the years, but I haven't built a new rod from scratch in about 10 years. I'm going to get back into it this winter. All my work has been basic stuff. Nothing fancy. My knowledge of blank selection, guide spacing, etc. is pretty basic as well.

Getting back to the Seeker Hercules. I have been reading that these rods are better suited for yo-yo style jigging than butterfly style jigging. I'm looking to do mostly butterfly jigging with this rod (that's kind of why I prefer the shorter length). Have many of you either built this rod with its primary purpose to be for butterfly jigging? Have any of you used it for this purpose? Would you say this is a good blank for that purpose or would you suggest others?

Thanks,
Bob

Hey bob, while obviously I can't say anything from personal experience because I started the thread and haven't purchased the blank yet, I truly believe that butterfly jigging comes down to personal preference as far as parabolic vs a more fast action. I like a stiffer tip while I'm working the jig and more lifting power for the fight rather than the weight distribution of the parabolic blanks, and thats why i'm so interested in the seeker. biggest thing I think is deciding which of the two actions work best for you



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2014 07:36PM by James Zimmerman.

Bob, lmao!! I'm always going to give honest advice, even when it means it's goign to cost me sales now. I hope, tha tin the future the advice I give now is remembered and when tehr eis something that I sell which fits what you are looking to do, and I tell you so - you'll get it from me since you know I'm not @#$%&.

Most guys who butterfly/speed jig like a more moderate/parabolic rod, it seems to work teh jig properly. TEH HErcules is not like that, it's mod-fast which is why it's good for yo-yoing. Cuttign a foot off the butt will do 2 things - slow the action down, so MAYBE it will work well for speed jigging, and it will reduce teh power of the blank.

YOu seem to know what you are looking for, specifically. I can bring stuff to teh SOmerset show next month if you want to play with it befor emaking the purchase. Kil Song will also be there, so I'm sure he's "steal" you from me as a customer, lol (He & I are good buddys, I hang at his booth all teh time and am kidding abotu him stealing). YOu shoudl do as much research as you can for yourself before purchasing this, once the fishing heats up you're not goign to have time to go back and get a different rod, by the time you rebuild the fishing might be over for the season.

Hello Billy.

Billy you know you are @#$%&, just not when it comes to fishing or rod building(lmao!!!).


Hope I see you at the show!!

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Some wicked terrible things have been done to my personal Hercules rod and it has endured time after time. Ask the massive Mako that decided to eat my snapper. I set the hook really hard and cranked him up instead. A very prolific local guide is fishing a couple of builds and hasn't been able to do a thing to hurt them either ... and he constantly breaks anything else he is given. Trust me, they ARE tough as nails blanks. Anything can be broken with enough effort and time. However, I would put the Hercules series up against anything built.

you always know if a guide cant get em to break they're somethin special lol! at this point trying to decide between conventional guide set up or attempting a first acid wrap.. and if i do go spiral whether to try simple or revolver.. three more weeks until I have it in my hands at the expo!!

Billy Vivona Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------
>
> YOu seem to know what you are looking for,
> specifically. I can bring stuff to teh SOmerset
> show next month if you want to play with it befor
> emaking the purchase. Kil Song will also be there,
> so I'm sure he's "steal" you from me as a
> customer, lol (He & I are good buddys, I hang at
> his booth all teh time and am kidding abotu him
> stealing). YOu shoudl do as much research as you
> can for yourself before purchasing this, once the
> fishing heats up you're not goign to have time to
> go back and get a different rod, by the time you
> rebuild the fishing might be over for the season.

Actually, I really don't know what I'm looking for. I started out using Trevalas which were OK, but my current rods are Star Plasmas which I like a lot. I'm hoping to build a rod to fish fairly light jigs (100-250 grams) effectively and can handle about 18-20 lbs. of drag and 60-65 lb line. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also would like to keep the cost under $150 (under $100 would be awesome!).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2014 03:45PM by Bob Maehrlein.

I have built a heavy 7'2 for a customer he loved it had a friend of his have one built A little heaver
Then he let a couple of others fish with it
I am now building three rods In a spiral Another for That Customer and one for each of his friends

They Speek for themselves They love them

Bill - willierods.com