Hey Kent

How about sharing that pop corn.

John

John DeMartini Wrote:
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> Hey Kent
>
> How about sharing that pop corn.
>
> John

You got it! [i.pinimg.com]

I've learned to not mention the "S" word around here! lol

No amount of words will change some of us old dogs set in our ways! But the word wars over it are interesting to read...

I follow physics and use to my advantage. So for me physics settled this issue long ago...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2020 11:17AM by Kent Griffith.

You can take all the advice we give you to the bank..lol

That guide wraps have to be saturated with epoxy or they will not be strong enough to fish with..

Fact: Rod building and craft beer brewing out of the same shack is a satisfying endeavor. Picking that next blank is as interesting as building that next recipe.

Fiction: Neither addiction was meant to save $$.

Good, fast, cheap.....Pick two!

Berk.

Robert Flowers Wrote:
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> I'm not sure I agree with the cost observation. I
> built a 7 weight BX3 fly rod for %450.00 a few
> years back. To purchase that rod from Winston
> would have cost me close to $10000.00. I can
> build any number of high quality rods for half the
> price of purchasing from from the manufacturer,
> and that includes CTS, NFC, RodGeeks, Winston,
> etc.
>
> That being said, I can purchase an Ugly Stick with
> reel combo for around $45 that will catch fish
> nicely.
>
> Tight lines and frisky fish
>
> RJF

In my case,I became hopelessly addicted to rod building,and have spent gangs of money!

Also I like to use the absolute best components I money can buy. That's what I was getting at anyway. You can certainly build rods on the cheap.

What I was getting at., my Winston BX3 7 wt. cost 900 to over 1000 dollars from the Winston factory, or a good store that sold high end fly rods.. It cost me 450 to purchase the blanks, and really good hardware. The only thing that was less expensive on my Winston build, compared to a factory built, was the reel seat. I didn't get the nickel-chrome.

My other builds have been similar, with my builds costing significantly less than what you got froan if i purchased the same rods from the manufacturer, including CTS, RodGeeks, It. did take some shopping around to find the best prices on cork handles, and hardware though,

So whether building a starter kit, or a premium, rod, you will generally save money compared to getting the same value rod fro th factory. And of coarse, i'm not talking WalMart factory rods. I'm tal,ing Sage, Winston, Ross, Epic, NFC, CTS, etc. I like premium rods, but would much rather spend $350.00 vs $1000 for the same quality.

Tight lines and frisky fish.

RJF

Your friends will also say to you "dude how many freaking rods do you need??" My reply "all of them"

My personal favorite is putting the right guides in exactly the right place on your fly rod will make you a competent - maybe an accomplished - fly caster. Good luck.

Spine matters, spine doesn't matter, if it's in the catalog, you probably need it.

Depends on what kind of rod and how it's used: the rod as artwork, or to sit in a rod holder or forked stick, or to drag umbrella rigs, or to cast for out into the surf, or to cast #22 midges? Undoubtedly the guide train exerts some influence in each of these rod uses, but it's silly to judge a tool without revealing its specific use.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2020 01:33PM by Phil Ewanicki.

I'm certainly no expert rod builder, nor am I a novice. I built my first rod 35 years ago and have built several dozen since. I cannot really think of fact vs fiction examples, but I can say that this is one of the most rewarding as well as the most frustrating hobbies you could have picked. I cannot tell you how many hours worth of thread art I have razor-bladed off due to the following:
- not being happy with the wrap/weave
- mistakes made with color preserver or epoxy
- mistakes made by burnishing (damaged threads)
- mistakes when tying off the wrap

I also cannot explain how nice it is when everything comes together perfectly and you build one of those rods that just looks and fishes almost perfectly.

Having said that, I will now weigh in on the Spine discussion:

I remember several years ago when Star Rods first came out with their Plasma series. A customer (also a fishing guide) at one of the local fishing tackle stores purchased a set of 4 of these to use for redfish and bonefish charters. After about 6 months of use he came back and mentioned how two of them casted more accurate than the other two. After analyzing the four rods, the guys at the shop quickly realized that the two which did not cast as accurate were built way-off spine. Maybe this is a coincidence, maybe not. Maybe this shop made up the story to promote custom rods over production rods? I'm not sure, but ever since then, every rod I've ever built has been built on spine with the natural bend going the same way as if I were pulling on a fish.

This goes back to what Phil mentioned above. I think it all depends upon what the rod is being used for. I personally do believe it makes a difference with certain rods, and is probably meaningless on others. The truth of the matter is that it only takes an extra minute or two to spine the rod, so why not do it?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2020 08:46AM by Matt Dyer.

Because i don,t think as i look down at my rod and see the natural bend to the left or right as a help to my accuracy..lol.

ben belote Wrote:
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> Because i don,t think as i look down at my rod and
> see the natural bend to the left or right as a
> help to my accuracy..lol.

I do. That's why I use it to my advantage, but use in a way that is less likely to skew off to the side which is why soft side goes up so it stays straighter on the backswing and bends naturally into the backswing of my choice. If this were reversed, then the rod would tend to skew off to one side or the other and throw off my casts causing me to have to work harder to compensate. One way contributes to my casting accuracy with less muscle effort, while the other way works against me and causes more fatigue from the continuous compensating. So yes, I still use the spine and see no reason to change.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2020 10:12AM by Kent Griffith.

Hi Kent, i probably got this wrong, but to build the most accurate rod possible i should look for a blank with the strongest spine i can find and build it with the soft side up..right?

All rods have at least one side they bend to more easily than others. Once you find this spot, it should be up when in my hand because when I swing that rod backwards I am counting on the rod bending in the spot it wants to bend easiest so when i come forward on the cast the rod will respond back towards straight on the same path or close. I align my backswing for that soft bend spot in the rod.

If I reverse this and put the soft bend side down, then when i swing back with the rod, it is trying to bend at a point where it is hardest to bend and so the natural bend nature of the rod is to try to bend towards an easier bend spot which can only mean the rod in the backswing is wanting to skew off to one side or the other and I, and my muscles, have to try and compensate for this rod skewing and it may not always be to the same side on the backswing.

But if you put the soft side up, then your backswing will usually line up with that easier to bend spot and the rod will want to follow it rather than skew off to the side.

So this is how I have always done it and will continue to do it because it works for me. I do not adhere to this idea of doing it on the straightest side of the rod, because honestly, I don't have an issue with bent rods to the point where this would matter to me at all.

I try and let physics call the shots and tell me how it works for me or against me. And soft side up calculated into my backswing alignment is what I want. And, when I have a fish on the line, now the rod is bending against the side it does not want to bend towards giving the fight more backbone and strongest ability of the rod when I need it.

In my world, I use the soft side up to assist in my casting accuracy.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2020 03:05PM by Kent Griffith.

While Kent builds soft side up, I build soft side down. I think either of these are going to work better than having the soft side pointed off to the right or left. Few people have a perfect backswing when casting. When casting a 1/8 oz lure or something like a small live shrimp, I don't want the soft side anywhere other than up or down.

I doubt anyone will spend the time or money to scientifically prove rod spine effects on cast-ability. Until anyone can come up with a legitimate theory that would suggest a spine being better off somewhere other than the top or bottom, I will take the extra two minutes it takes to spine it to one of these two axes.

It sounds like what your saying is that the so called soft side position is most important for your casting accuracy..hence if not built by a custom rod maker, who knows all about this stuff, it,s probably not bullt for accuracy..lol.

Oh my, what should I do with a baitcaster where I'm turning the reel sideways during part of the cast and then right side up during the remainder of the cast. I suppose I;m doomed to be an inaccurate caster.

Funny because I "thought" I was more accurate with my baitcasters than my spinning reel outfits. Clearly another sign of my increasing dementia.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russell
That is a perfect point which I have brought up many times.

Myths
1. Conventional rods will out cast spiral wrapped rods,

2. Those little micro guides will never work