Hi.
This is my first post on this forum; I've been lurking in the corner for a while and figure its about time I sign up.
I'm building a couple bunker spoon rods on Seeker BA 1153M 9' blanks.
I will be using All American Spiral Roller guides, ATC aluminum seat and gimbal, slick butt grip and a EVA foam foregrip.
OK. I have the components that I feel will do the job the best.
I have spined and marked the blanks and this weekend I intend to get the gimbals, grips, reel seats and foregrips on the rods.
I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination. I built my son a fly rod last year, before that I restored a boat rod about 5 years ago...
So I'll pass this question to those who know better than I.

The generally accepted premise is that the spine always goes on the top of the rod, facilitating flex toward the direction that you are casting and towards the fish... which is pulling from down below in the water.
Fly rod, spinning rod, jigging rod, boat rod... this all makes sense. Spine on top, opposing force down below.
But a bunker spoon rod is different.

Let me point out that I will be running monel off of a couple Penn 113HSP's on the rods. So these rods are being built for running wire line with bunker spoons.

My feeling, and that of my son who's degree is in physics, is that I should spine the rods about 75 degrees from the reel seat, not 180 degrees as would be done on all other rods. This way the rod flexes toward the lure while trolling.
After all, I've selected this blank to best impart a pulsing action to the lure.
I feel that the spine should be oriented such that it also imparts action to the lure; fighting the fish being a secondary consideration.

Put more clearly, for a rod that will be fished off the port side, the spine of the rod will be about 75 degrees to the RIGHT of the reel seat to accommodate the angle of the wire off the rod.
For a rod that will be fished on the starboard side of the boat, the spine will be 75 degrees to the LEFT of the reel seat.
This way the spine will be in line with the wire AS IT IS BEING TROLLED, not after the rod comes out of the rod holder.
I am concerned about after the hookup, when the rod comes out of the holder and now you're standing up, facing the fish and cranking. Now you're off spine.
Anybody have any thoughts or experience with such a setup?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2015 11:16PM by Bob Swanson.

Bob, I know your gonna put gymbols on those rods so, while their in the holders just turn them to the trolling position.Build on the spine in the normal position.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Bob,
I don't like to have a rod that has an upward curve. It is very common to have a spine follow the straightest line of the rod. In spite of advice to contrary, I prefer to have any curve in the rod point down rather than up.

As much as anything else, when any curve is pointing down, the curve is not visible to the user of the rod.

Also, since you want the spine - if you choose to spine a rod in the direction of force, I would certainly put the spine on the bottom of the rod to simply keep the strongest direction of the rod, in the direction that the rod will be having its maximum bend.

The fight at the boat is normally the hardest portion of the bend in the rod and I want the maximum strength there.

But, for the last many years, most folks including myself no longer check for the spine of the rod. Rather, we simply build on the straightest axis of the rod. i.e. a pronounced spine is often caused be a significant bend in the blank. I do not want to sight down the blank as I am using the rod and be able to see any curve in the blank.

Good luck

Bob, Your overthinking a simple solution. You wont be holding that rod when the fish hits. Its a search bait rod. You'll be looking at your fish finder and marking fish. Thats as technecial as it gets. Boat speed and spoon action is the main concern. Just make sure you don't have any kinks in you wire.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

The spine won't matter. If you want the most power and best reaction and recovery possible, build on the straightest axis with any curve set so the belly is low and the butt and tip high.

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

Spine the rod whichever way you like: with a spine finder, with your bare hands, with some kind of fancy apparatus, or, if you're so inclined, with black magic or voodoo.

How you do find the spine, or even whether you do it right, won't matter, because spine is irrelevant, especially on this kind of rod. Just align the reel seat, guides, etc., whichever way you fancy, and go fishing.

"All American Spiral Roller guides" is what you wrote ... spiral wrapped rod. Spine is immaterial. Direction of the spiral (left or right) is also immaterial vis-a-vis starboard or port side of the boat. On heavy rods I like to set the spiral on the opposite side of the reel handle. On lighter rods that may be left on boat decks I prefer to spiral on the same side as the handle.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2015 08:36AM by Ken Preston.