Just figured I'd post a couple of pictures of the rods I've been talking about in the threads lately. All the blanks are NFC. All the thread is Pro Wrap regular nylon, or metallic, except for the metallic red on the one rod. It's Sulky

The rods in the picture with the spinning rods are, from top to bottom:

SB 724 X ray, OG finish that I sanded smooth. Size 17 Am Tack Apex reel seat, using a Fuji insert for Fuji size 17 TVS reel seat, in the gold color option. Rear grips is an 8.75" CFX grip. Guide train is a KR concept guide train using the high choke guide option, and Fuji T2, black titanium guides with SIC rings. The reel is a Shimano Sustain FJ 2500HG. Guide wraps are size A black, with gold metallic trim bands.

MB 733 X ray, black mirror finish. NFC XO skeleton grip / reel seat. Same guides as the rod above, but with a standard KR concept guide train. The reel is a Shimano Vanford 2500HGF. Guide wraps are size A black, with red metallic trim bands and and a silver metallic 2 wrap inlay in the middle of each wrap.

IS 694 X ray OG finish that I left OG. Size 17 AM Tack Apex reel seat using the Am Tack insert meant for the seat, in the gloss 3K color option. Grips are CFX. A tapered fore grip turned backwards for the grip behind the reel seat, and their standard butt grip. Guide train is a KR concept with the high choke guide option, using Am Tack TiForged guides, in black titanium with Pentalite rings. The reel is a Shimano Saros 3000. Guide wraps are size A black.

In the picture of the casting rods, the top two rods are built on MB 725 C6O2 blanks. Both using NFC XO skeleton grip / reel seats. Guide trains are KR concept casting using the same size guides on each. The upper rod uses Fuji T2 black titanium with SIC rings. The middle one, Fuji titanium guides with Torzite rings. Both rods have Shimano Chronarch 150 MGLs on them. Guide wraps are size A in Ghost Grey on the upper rod. And size A in Forged Steel, on the middle rod.

The bottom rod is built on an SW 764 Delta blank, sanded smooth. Reel seat is a size 16 Fuji TCSSD. I made the rear grip.I love building cork grips. The guide train uses Fuji BC grey with Alconite ring, guides. Reel is a Shimano Curado 200 I. but I will be switching to a Curado 200 K in the 8:1 gear ratio. It's the glide bait rod I've been talking about, and working the baits by chopping the reel handle is supposed to be better than with the 6.2 : 1 ratio I have on it now. We'll see. Guide wraps are size A Desert Sand, with brass metallic trim bands.

So that's it ..... not that anyone cares what I've been doing rod building wise. lol I'm just real happy with the rods, and wanted to show them off a bit. Comments are welcome, but silence is ok too. lol Like I said, just wanted to show the new rods off. Pretty much done building for myself now. Unless of course NFC comes out with a C6O2 version of the MB 733 blank. If they do, I'll be all over it.


Links to pictures of the rods. [www.rodbuilding.org] [www.rodbuilding.org]

Looks awesome!

Thanks for posting, David. Looks great! Did you find that the ghost grey blended into the NFC C6O2 blank? I have an MB 725 to build and I am contemplating going all black (dark grey).

Very nice work, and nice work keeping us posted along the way.

Denham, thank you. I appreciate it.

Will, thank you as well. Much appreciated as well. And yes, the Ghost grey blends pretty much perfectly with the C6O2 blank, which is what I was shooting for. No CP, just finish. I knew I was going to be putting the Chronarch reels on the rods, so my trim and thread colors were chosen based on the reels. I do that with pretty much every rod I build. Which is why I put red trim bands and the silver metallic inlays in the wraps on the MB 733 rod. I should have done the same thing on the SB 724 rod, and added a sliver metallic inlay in the middle of the wraps on that one. But I wasn't planning on putting a Sustain on it. I went with the Sustain because it would match the black and gold in the rod, but like the Vanford, the Sustain has chrome accents on it as well. I almost want to strip and re wrap the guides to add the silver inlay. But I know I won't. lol

Lynn ..... thank you brother. Very much appreciated. Haven't gotten to fish most of the rods too much because I've been fishing those dang glide baits. lol I've only had the glide bait rod out once so far, and I'm really happy with it. It's a bit heavy, but not too bad for what I'm using it for, and the way it gets used. Out of the other rods, I've fished the rods built on MB 725 blanks, the most. I thought my X rays and the RX10 rod I have are sensitive. These C6O2 blanks, at least the MB 725 blank is nuts !!!

And I've only fished that IS 694 for a half an hour or so, but it is a sweet little blank. Haven't fished a drop shot on it yet, which is what I built it for. But I fished that bait you see on it in the picture, which is that 3.5" Spunk Shad in the sexy shad color you asked about, lol on a 1/16 oz jig head, and stuck two fish with it. One barely keeper largemouth, and one pretty nice smallmouth. Fun rod.

Anyhow ..... thanks a lot guys. I appreciate the kind words.

FWIW David, I have found if you do the inlay over the existing wrap, using the nail knot method, and refinish you can't tell the difference afterwards. Beats cutting off all the wraps for me.

What is OG finish?

Never knew the "IS" blanks were inshore. Do they make anything in a heavier power, like 15-30#?

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Classy stuff David, great looking builds, I would gladly fish any of those myself. Really liking the cork work on the SW 764, you're setting new goals for me on that handle.

Hi Guys,
I'm thrilled with the latest fishing rods I've crafted! Each one reflects my dedication to precision and performance. From selecting the perfect materials to fine-tuning every detail, these rods represent my passion for the craft. Whether I'm casting in freshwater streams or tackling deep-sea challenges sso id, these custom creations enhance my fishing experience like never before. Can't wait to reel in more memorable catches with them.

Hi Guys,
I'm thrilled with the latest fishing rods I've crafted! Each one reflects my dedication to precision and performance. From selecting the perfect materials to fine-tuning every detail, these rods represent my passion for the craft. Whether I'm casting in freshwater streams or tackling deep-sea challenges sso id, these custom creations enhance my fishing experience like never before. Can't wait to reel in more memorable catches with them.

To say that I am impressed is an understatement, beautiful work David.

beautiful rods David - well done! Can I ask the simplest/silliest of questions? What are the EVA foregrip pieces and the decorative trim pieces you used on the top and bottom spinning rods? I love the AmTack Apex reel seat - always looking for new trim pieces to change up my designs a bit. If you had a part number for them - I'd greatly appreciate it. Also love how you matched up the Fuji insert to the Amtack seat.

Hey there Russell. I appreciate the tip about adding the inlay over the existing wrap. I hadn't thought about that. I will say though, that I have tried doing trim bands using the nail knot method, and have not been successful with it. But your idea may have be revisiting trying them on a test wrap rod I have, to see if I can make it work. Great idea, and I appreciate you sharing it. As far as OG.......it means original, or original gangster lol It's just the finish that X rays had when they first came out. The highest power I see in the X ray IS line up is probably the IS 705, or 764. Nothing in the X ray line up in the kind of power you're asking about. Maybe in other series though?

Ken, thank you very much for the kind words. They are truly appreciated. Building cork grips is for me, the most fun I have in rod building. I love doing it. And it gets a lot of "who makes that rod" questions when I'm at the ramp, or out on the water.

Pat, thank you as well sir. I appreciate the more than kind words.

Rick, thank you very much for the kind words as well. Very much appreciated. As far as the EVA fore grip pieces, I make those myself out of a straight 7" EVA rear grip that I bought just for the purpose. I just turn them to the size I need (sand them actually) using my power wrapper, then ream to fit the blank. As far as the trim pieces on the two spinning rods go. They're Alps pieces. The piece between the rear grips and thread barrel on the reel seat, is a TRS. I get them from Get Bit. They're listed under winding checks. They're available in sizes 16, 17, and 18, and are available in 10 different colors. The trim rings between the grips and the butt caps are also Alps pieces. They're called TRB's, and are available in 11 different colors. Their OD is 1.06" so they match the OD of all of the pre made grips I've used thus far, and their ID is .78" so they fit a 3/4" tenon just the slightest bit loose. I always wrap a piece of blue painters masking tape around them, the grip, and the butt cap so they're nice and even all the way around. The gold winding check at the front of the one rod is just a winding check I got from Mud Hole. Not sure who makes it.

The Fuji insert was just a tad loose in the Apex, so I did one single wrap using 1/8" wide masking tape around the ends to snug up the fit, then slathered on the rod bond. One nice thing about the Fuji insert versus the Am Tack insert made for the seat, is the Fuji is longer and will go end to end, while the Am Tack insert, won't. Not a big deal that the Am Tack insert isn't full length, I just think it's nice that the Fuji one will. I had to trim the Fuji insert down in length, but I had already trimmed the length of my thread barrel down, so it may be just the right length of a full length Apex.

And you didn't ask about it. but the red locking ring on the front of the rod with the XO skeleton grip, is an Alps piece as well. It comes for reel seats in sizes 16, 17, 18, 20, and 22. And comes in 6 different colors. I personally don't feel like a locking ring is needed, but they're a nice way to add some color around the reel seat.

Thanks David - very helpful! I make my fore grip pieces out of cork or burl cork typically -same method you use for the EVA ones, except I use my woodturning lathe so I can turn outdoors and not trash my rod shop even more than it already is! I was hoping you had sourced an EVA short foregip already sized to the G2, but no such luck I guess :-)

Thanks for the part numbers and into on the trim pieces. I haven't used those in my builds because for some reason I'm never quite sure what's going to fit what, and I hate ordering extras of things I'll possibly never use.