B&M had a warehouse center in Starkville Mississippi when I lived there but that was 15 yrs. ago. I used to visit it and bought several rods that I converted. You are correct about the components being cheap but the blanks were pretty good. I still have one rod that I built on their blank and it has handled every thing from stream trout to smallmouth and also one 16 lb. channel cat.

Mark - Like I said people don’t want to spend a lot more of money on a jig pole. Sound like those jig pole are as bare boned and no frill as they come. Hope you can find a source for the blanks.

Sam - I live in MS about 100 miles from B’n’M. As you know crappie fishing is a big deal down here, and B’n’M sells a lot of crappie rods. You are correct the blanks they use are pretty nice, but the components are very inexpensive. That’s how they can sell a rod so inexpensively, and the blank is what sells these rods.
Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2021 09:12AM by Norman Miller.

Bill asked how to modify his pole to achieve longer casts but has received no suggestions at all on this subject. How DO you increase a rod's casting performance by altering its guide train, and approximately how far, in feet, will such a modification increase casting distance? I would welcome such information myself - if it included numbers.

Bill, I have not read through other posts but here are a few quick thoughts:

1. With 1/64, I presume you are using around 2 lbs test or some other fine diameter line? If so, I am not sure if 9 feet is optimal length. It may be that a shorter rod - say 8 feet may actually cast further. I'm not sure. I do wonder if the added number of guides may reduce casting length.

2. In my experience, unless your 1st guide is very small, I don't think that using a larger guide will help. In fact, it may be that your guides are so heavy (assuming a lower cost rod with heavy guides), going micro guides with the lightest guides you can find will allow the blank to recover more quickly and thus, cast further. I have not found even size 3 Fuji Torzites to reduce casting distance. Those are tiny little guides.

Just some thoughts.


Bill Pittman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a 9 ft jig pole that I like the action
> because of the fantastic way it handles catching a
> fish but it's a jig pole and I am using it as a
> casting rod but need more cast length of very
> light jigs. The jig pole has jig pole line guides.
> The lowest line guides (butt guides and up) on a
> spinning rod are much larger than the other guides
> but on a jig pole, they don’t vary as much in
> size. I assume that a spinning rod is like this
> due to the fact that line is flying off the reel
> and the larger guides nearer the butt makes the
> whirling line have an easier entry through the
> other guides, that it doesn't choke speed as much,
> equating to longer casts?
>
> If I simply replaced the butt guide to a much
> bigger one, do you think cast length would
> improve? Or, what else could one do? Replace
> several or all? With a certain type? If I chose
> not to tackle it (no experience), I would try to
> find someone to do it.
>
> Related question… take this jig pole that I
> really like… if I can't get a good mod done, is
> there any way to measure its bend (and any other
> parameters) and figure out why it behaves so well
> bringing in a fish… and have a rod maker
> (hopefully) duplicate this action with a custom
> build?
>
> So, the two biggies are... the feel that the rod
> provides bringing in fish... and the length of
> cast of light jigs, such as 1/64 oz.
>
> Granted, these two might not be attainable
> together... I don't know! TIA!