Tom,

Thanks, great summary and makes it easy to pass on to my class what we know and what we think.

Brian,
You can build a rod with spiral wraps if you prefer.

However, there are millions of folks who use and prefer to use a casting rod with the guides on top.

I have never heard of a casting rod with the guides on top losing a fish because it was not wrapped with a spiral wrap.

I have built casting rods for clients in the past and about 1/2 of them came back asking that they asked that the rod be rewrapped with the guides on top as in a conventional casting rod. '

When I asked why they wanted the rod rewrapper, they never gave me a good reason. They simply wanted the guides wrapped on top of the blank as in a conventional wrap.

So, how and when you wrap a rod is up to you and or the final user of the rod who specifies their needs and wishes to the builder.

This forum is for Custom Rod Builders.

So, as far as rod building is concerned, anything goes. Some folks like it one way and some folks like it a different way.

Any way is fine as long as the final user of the rod is happy and satisfied with the final product.

Take care.

I like to think the spine is the “stiffest” side of the blank. When you roll it and it “pops” in position the spine would be the backside of the bend… like the way a human spine works.

I like the way Gary places the guides to counteract the “wobble” effect, increasing the blanks recovery to straight allowing the line less interruption on its travels through the guides.

IMO, the “spine” matters when the rod is under constant load from the lure. I prefer the blank to bend into its natural position during the retrieve. I primarily fish freshwater bass and prefer a spiral wrap for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, really any lure that puts constant pressure on my wrist, I can definitely feel a difference. Stop-and-go lures (jigs, jerbaits, worms, etc.) I like to build on straightest axis or tip up. The guides on top for casting or on bottom for spinning level the blank out a bit.

To have accurate casting it’s all about practice not where the guides are located. I can accurately cast any of my rods no matter where the guides are attached to the blank, what material the blank is made from, or how much the blank cost. A few warm up cast and you should be able to dial in the accuracy.

For saltwater inshore or beach rods I follow my freshwater thought process and offshore rods would be spiral wrapped.

Michael Tarr Wrote:
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...
> To have accurate casting it’s all about practice
> not where the guides are located. I can accurately
> cast any of my rods no matter where the guides are
> attached to the blank, what material the blank is
> made from, or how much the blank cost. A few warm
> up cast and you should be able to dial in the
> accuracy.
...

Exactly...accuracy is an angling skill...not a rod property.

The spine of a rod provides structural integrity, essential for support and flexibility in fishing. It's the backbone of the rod, ensuring durability and performance during angling adventures.

hery brock Wrote:
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> The spine of a rod provides structural integrity,
> essential for support and flexibility in fishing.
> It's the backbone of the rod, ensuring durability
> and performance during angling adventures.

Actually it's just the opposite. Rod spine is not a physical thing. You may wish to read this:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

.........



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2024 04:16PM by Tom Kirkman.

I really appreciate this discussion and especially the Q&A video. Thanks Aleks...

Being new to rodbuilding, I did an extensive amount of research and decided straightest axis would be the best way to go for me. I didn't even bother to spine the first two rods I built, I was so confident in my research.
In hindsight, I should have found the spine if for nothing else other than data of knowing where it may land in relation to the straightest axis of an individual blank...

The NFC FANY1102-4 I built had a fairly curved tip; maybe even two curves if I remember correctly. Being new to rodbuilding and wanting to fish the rod, I taped guides on the straightest axis I could find and didn't notice the bends anymore, so I finished the rod. I am very happy with the way the rod fishes and pleasantly surprised how light it is compared to many factory rods in that category. It did take me a couple of sessions for my accuracy to be where I expect it. It wasn't so much a matter of not hitting my target, but having a wild cast every so often that I normally don't get switching between rods...

I do notice the rod doesn't have the same casting stroke depending on which direction I rotate my cast. This is easily seen when wiggling the rod to mimic the oval/constant tension casts common to this style of fishing. In hindsight, I wonder if it oscilates differently in each direction because I didn't find/build on the spine. This may very well be from the crooked tip as well, but I won't know because I didn't spine the rod...

For me moving forward, I will continue building on the straightest axis because I wouldn't be able to fish a crooked rod I built without cursing myself with every glance.
In the future, I will spine the rods and pay attention to how various blank curves and spine effect the rotational oscillations in relation to casting stroke consistency on different axis, not so much single shot accuracy...

I think my approach is going to be what we did yesterday in class. We found the spine on all 4 sections of the rod. Then all the section spines. Once that was done we found the "straightest axis" and that's where we put our guides. I have been an "On the Spine" builder for over 40 years, but you can teach an old dog new tricks. I look forward to testing the new rods this spring after ice out.
Thanks, everyone for your discussion and analysis. This has been a great thread for me and for my class.

I think we might gain some perspective on spine by considering that two of the most respected rodbuilding people have diverging opinions. One saying he will always build with the spine oriented "properly" and the other saying it doesn't make any difference. Do what you believe in.

I’m really glad I found this post and link. I’ve been building rods since the late 80s. I have no fancy equipment always used a Dictionary, cup and weight for my tension. I don’t use a rotating device for my rod finish. I usually thin with acetone and apply multiple thin coats rotating for one hour every 10 minutes 90°

So I’m gearing up to build a couple rods, and as I review all my information (Dale Clemens’s is advance rod building). I now realize that I misinterpreted his guidelines for finding the spine (i’ve always done it by hand) i’m realizing now that I’ve been using the stiffest spline. Not the so-called effective spline. I can tell you that I’ve been happy with each and every rod I’ve ever built. I build, spinning ultralight and casting rods.

After reading the article, I feel compelled to continue on the way I have been? Questions comments? Concerns? I also do not recall any scenarios where the rod would twist on me or behave in a way that made me think I didn’t build the rod properly.

I always put the guides on for a casting rod on the stiffest side and opposite for spinning. Last year I broke my 25 year old St Croix, fiberglass, casting rod. Honestly, I wanted to cry
I’d be curious any comments or concerns?
Phil

phil sweeney Wrote:
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> I’d be curious any comments or concerns?

Phil...the only thing I would consider is this: Is the blank straight?
If its not straight...then I would build it on the straightest axis.

Thanks!