Aloha everyone.
I am about to make my 1st custom rods. I have been practicing thread wrapping, inlays, applying finish ext on some older broken rods i had for about a week.

The reason i have decided to build a custom rod is because no main stream rod company makes a rod for what i do. I fish for pelagic from my kayak in hawaii, targeting 100+ pound fish, YFT, Wahoo, Mahimahi, Marlin, GT's ext... All these fish are fought sitting down of corse with my legs strait out in front of me. On a kayak you have to do everything yourself, and pretty much at the mercy of the fish once hooked up, and hand lining in the leader is not a option so all the fish are pulled in close with the rod and gaffed. High stacking is a issue because of the reduced range of motion from setting flat on my butt. To switch the line from one side of the kayak to the other it has to be passed in front of the bow of the kayak rod needs to be at least 6ft to do this. Most fish are caught trolling live bait, no out riggers on kayak so need the rod to to have enough play to be easy on the bait but still enough back bone to boost big fish.
I have chosen the supper seeker hercules 50-100 blanks but have a few questions before i start the build.

Im thinking of doing a spiral wrap, because i have no motor i often find myself fighting the fish sideways and even behind me at times, and i think a spiral wrap will make this easer to do. 20-30 mins into the fight of a large fish like a big YFT i often like to rest my rod on the kayak, i land my fish on the starboard side so i fight them off the starboard side. The issue is i'm worried about the guides getting pressed agents the kayak. How ever if i spiral the guides around to the right side of the rod i think i'd still be able to rest the rod on the kayak safely. I've been told that most rods spiral to the left to help with the line going on the reel. Is there any way to make a right spiral work? Not really sure on guide spacing either.

I would like to marble finish the rods, Ive been playing around with this and got the hang of it. Question: dose marbling effect the performance of the blank? sense these are trolling rods i'm not to worried about the extra weight.

Any input appreciated, i'll probably have more questions as this project progresses.

Aloha

You can spiral the line to either side of the rod. It won't matter. You aren't having to contend with reel handles lying flat on a deck so there's even less reason to lock into one side or the other. Spiral to whichever side you want.

............

Fishing for Marlin from a kayak, I'd like to see a video of that. Who's really in control.

As Tom said either side works for the spiral, build it the way that makes sense for you.
The marbling shouldn't make a difference for the size of you are using either.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

Jessse,

I am NOT a kayak fisherman, so my comments will be basic.

"To switch the line from one side of the kayak to the other it has to be passed in front of the bow of the kayak rod needs to be at least 6ft to do this."
It should be possible to pass the rod under the kayak.

"no out riggers on kayak"
I assisted Danford (Pacific Ocean Producers AKA POP) in designing outriggers for kayaks.
They were built by Lamiglas and are being used very effectively by the Uyeda brothers.

Roy's Fishing Supply built a couple of sets of the outriggers and is knowledgeable in their construction.

It would be good to talk with the Uyeda brothers before going much further.
The Hawaii Ocean Expo is scheduled fo April 11 & 12 of 2015. The Uyeda Brothers usually participate in the expos and have their kayak on display. I recommend that you contact them and verify their participation in the 2015 expos. They are a wealth of information, friendly and easy to talk with. Additionally, they have several youtube videos.

Don

Don Becker

Thank you for the advice guys.
Glade to hear i can spiral to the right.

I hooked into a Marlin last year but did not last long. Hope to get another chance at one soon. here is a video of a 65lb sailfish i got [www.youtube.com]

Donald, I know Kev and Garrath. They fish from a TI witch is a large two man sailing kayak and have the room for out riggers. I made some outriggers for my AI out of cheap ulua poles and they worked ok. but now i prefer to fish my Trident witch is a smaller paddle kayak. I feel its more pure and i enjoy it more. Not a option to pass under kayak as everything is tied or strapped down, would be to risky to undo rod leash to pass under kayak.

Thanks for the responses. Anyone know of a good reference for guide placement (spacing) on a 6ft spiral wrapped rod?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2015 09:03PM by Jesse Wright.

Jesse,

The Uyeda brothers had their outriggers before getting the sailing kayak. They adapted the outriggers to the newer kayak.

Don Becker

Amazing video, I didn't know people did this.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

Aloha Jesse -

I am a devoted kayak fisherman on the Gulf Coat. My personal best from the yak is a 9'2" Great Hammerhead caught and released from the yak off the beach in Fort Morgan, AL. There is no thrill like it anywhere. You are gonna love it. I'm going to try to answer the questions you asked and maybe throw in a few things you haven't thought about yet in the hopes it will help you. It is a different game. Apologies if I am telling you stuff you already know but this is what I have learned the hard way in the last 10 years.

First, conventional wisdom says a shorter rod is better when fighting big game - it gives you the leverage advantage. And that is true in a stable platform when standing up or out of a proper chair. The reality in the kayak is that it can work against you. Fighting big fish out of the kayak demands vigilance and requires you keep the boat situated properly in relation to the fish. In simple terms, you want to use the pressure of the fish pulling to keep your boat pointed towards the fish as you go on the 'sleigh ride'. If the fish gets beside you or behind you it can be trouble.

Depending on how long your boat is, it is generally very helpful - especially with fish like YFT that tend to sound and pull directly beneath you - to be able to clear the nose of your kayak with your rod tip while under full tension. A longer rod is also a more effective lever when the fish changes directions and you need to use your hips and feet to 'steer' or pivot the boat on axis to get it pointed back toward the fish so your sleigh ride can continue. This is easily done with low pressure from a longer rod.

Finally, a short, stout stubbie rod is great under load but can create a lot of slack all of a sudden. This is especially true when you get the fish near the boat and have to land or release it. You get all kinds of weird angles and may have to pull high, low, sideways, backwards, etc. You may also be tired at this point and your balance may be off. A longer rod with a softer tip gives you more room for error, better geometry, and helps you keep tension on the fish without letting him dump you or drag you out of the boat. You will also end up landing / leaderingt the fish by hand and it is difficult with a really short, stiff rod. You get zero transition from the rod tension to the leader tension. Hard to describe but you will get it IMMEDIATELY the first time you hook a big fish. So, the Super Seekers are great blanks but in my experience what you want is a rod with a stout butt which also has two or three feet of tip so you can clear the bow, turn/pivot the boat against rod pressure, and keep some tension on the line at all times. I like 7 or even 8 foot composite rods with a soft tip and a stout butt. The Batson RCLB Series are basically purpose built for this and I love them. MHX also has some 7' and 8' saltwater sticks in the 20#/30#/40# class that work very well.

At risk of overstepping your questions, you might also seriously rethink your tackle class. You can't possibly pull more than about 25 lbs. of drag max out of a kayak. The reason is that after you put some heat on the fish, he will simply start pulling you and the boat. Either that or roll you over if he is pulling straight down. I'm 185 pounds and fish out of a Jackson Kayak Big Tuna that weighs about 200 lbs. rigged. I have that whole boat moving against the surf and wind on probably 12 lbs of drag. For the same reason, you don't need 1,000 yards of 80# spectra. You can generally reel yourself up onto the fish and fight it on a relatively short line the whole time while it drags you around. So, having 80# class gear is total overkill, a waste of money, and incredibly clunky in the tight confines of the kayak. As a frame of reference, I landed that 9' Hammer on a Penn Baja Special and a GUSA spiral wrapped 70H. That is basically a souped-up 4/0 reel.

Now the disclaimer is I was fishing in 50 - 60 feet of water. You may need more capacity in deeper water off the islands, but it is an incredible balancing act to pull 30 pounds of drag and stay in an upright boat. Not a matter of strength - you have to avoid getting yanked out of the boat when the fish surges. I also don't advise a harness or strapping into the rod. By all means keep the rod tethered meaningfully to the boat, but don't tie it to yourself or you may set a free diving record. So keep that stuff in mind. Sounds like if you are resting the rod on the yak you may be fishing out of a heavy duty boat. If you are fishing out of a much larger / heavier boat - like some of the Hobies - maybe that changes. But think about it.

YOU MUST SPIRAL WRAP THIS ROD IMHO. I prefer an O'Quinn style spiral that will stack line to one side if you don't manage it. I design the rod to stack line toward my rod hand (left hand for a right handed retrieve) so that I can simply 'push' line across to the right and simply leave it alone to let it return to the left. Much, much simpler to manage line 'one way' rather than back and forth all the time. Also, the spiral wrap rod means you DON'T NEED A GIMBAL. In fact, you can't really use one when the fish runs sideways to you. Use a rubber gimbal if you like, but I would warn you that a metal gimbal in this kind of combat fishing can hurt you when it gets popped out of your belt or harness.

Finally, your gear takes a beating in the kayak. Part of that is coming in and out of the surf in harsh conditions. Some of that is big fish, tough angles, high sticking, etc. Part of it is that the rod gets bounced around the kayak all the time. For that reason, I have gone to all double foot guides for all of my heavy duty kayak rods. Not because single foot guides are not strong enough to fight the fish, but because they get the @#$%& beat out of them at times. So, I'd advise diligent guide prep, underwraps on all guides, and double foot guides all the way to the tip. I have yet to tear one up that was built this way.

There are a bunch of guys who pursue this stuff hard core around the islands. If you can hook up with one of them who has had success with what you are wanting to do you can learn a lot in a short time.

Marbling, etc. won't make any difference so go crazy.

Hopefully this was helpful. As always, this is my opinion based on my personal experience. Your mileage may vary. Be safe and have fun - good luck!

Wow that was a read haha :)
Thanks for taking the time to type all that.
I've been kayak fishing for 14-15 years and 4 years in Hawaii. Took 3rd in the AquaHunters Pro division last year.
Waters are deep. Usually fish around the 200ft mark but not uncommon to be in over 1000ft
We have a lot of sharks here. And always run the risk of getting taxed so sometimes I have to lock down the drag on 50lb plus wahoo and Tuna I order to get them in before they become shark food. Sharks also eat the baits and I don't like to spend all day fighting them so I just lock it down, put my international In 2nd gear and crank them to leader and cut.
Also we have big Ulua aka Giant Travele and they hit and run strait for the rocks on the bottom. Need to but the brakes on those guys before they make it down to the rocks and brake off.
these are the reasons I fish 80lb gear.
Totally agree about needing the rod length for all the same reasons. But found there is a balance. The shorter rod offers the back bone I need to boost. IMHO I think 6.5 foot is the best balance for my style.
I fish a 2010 Trident 15.
All around very good advice, Mahalo bro, keep those legs bloody :)

Shoot...you don't need any help from me, than. Let us know how it turns out and post some pics! Shaka Brah!