I finally started building up the NFC SJ 736. I had an AT G2 seat with the trimmings on the shelf so I decided I would use that. When fitting I found out the taper of the rod had the real seat unable to get as far down as I needed it. After measuring the OD of the desired location and the wall thickness of the carbon insert I decided to try to ream the insert until it was able to fit the rod. This worked well only there was zero room for arbors. Since the seat was snug and concentric on both ends I decided to install it without arbors.

Is this a mistake?

Is this ideal?

The build is NFC SJ 736-1, AT G2 seat with 3k insert and 3k silver trim uni-lock, Fuji cork split grip, CRB Elite 8,6,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 #5 tip top.

Intended use is 3/8-1/2oz jig for Alabama Spotted Bass

It sounds like you are going to have an awesome outfit. Those spotted bass are tough as nails. I sometimes fish for them in western Ga. I am a beginner at best so I am not offering any advise, but I would like to give a guess to see if I was right when I was faced with this situation. I am not afraid to be wrong so feel free to rip me a new one if I am off base. I would think it would be ideal for the seat to fit snuggly and not need an arbor. Good adhesion to the blank is the goal and the arbor just makes that more difficult. That is what I thought when I did one of my few builds when face with this situation.

Fishing is not a sport, it is an art.

Danny,

I was thinking the same things as you. The contact will be direct and less weight due to less filler epoxy/arbor material. I just have not researched a build that did not have an arbor.

The first bass I caught was an Alabama spot. You fight it and expect a 7lb beast. When you land it you weigh a 3.5lb fish. Very powerful pound for pound.

You did it right. I prefer to attach the reel seat directly to the blank, and use the older exposed blank seats for the majority of my casting rods. Arbors are only used when required to take up the extra space. I just wish we could get some of the newer exposed seat design in models designed to fit the blank instead of an insert.

personally never use arbors,
If the real seat has a carbon insert, I will use them to fit to blank (if needed), But will eliminate them if not.