I use the Nano-x and the Bushido Fluoro on everything.. I fish mostly saltwater, and the nano-x does very well around oyster shells, docks, etc. I am using 30lb on my spinning, and 20lb on my casting. I have been using the 50lb and 65lb on my offshore rods as well. I also use the Bushido Fluoro as my main line when the water clears up. I use 10lb and 14lb in the Fluoro depending on t
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The only ones I have had break are due to abuse. You can not bend them flush with the blank and straighten them but so many times. The Artus HD micros are beasts! I have yet to have anyone bend one of them.
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Thin wire hook keepers just do not last for me. I figure they are a different compound that guides. I am working on getting some tion coated to see if that will help.
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I am the same as Trahan, I fish mostly saltwater. I have a set of the MicroWave guides I have been fishing since July of 2012. The hook keeper is gone, but the guides still look great.
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I have bought some from The Rod Room. If I remember correctly they call them medium and large cork rings.
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I have played with different epoxies with carbon grips. I have used 321 from Riley, ProKote, Threadmaster, Flexcoat and urethane. Each one will give you a little different result, but they all will work.
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Last time I spoke with him he was doing 2 charter trips a day and trying to keep up with orders. Try calling him and leaving him a voice mail.
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I use ProKote a good bit. I let mine dry overnight, around 8 hrs. If I am in a hurry, I will crank the heat up in my finish room. When I do that I can take them off the drier in 4-5 hrs. It is not rock hard in that time, but they are not tacky either.
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I second the Bushido blanks, I love the ones I have.
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Jack, be on the lookout for the AirWave guides. American Tackle is currently working on them. They had prototypes at iCast. They are MicroWaves with metal inserts instead of ceramic. They are lighter and should be priced lower. I do not know when they will hit the market, but they might be the answer to your problem. Don, could your shed some light on where they are in the prototype stage?
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I have built a few on American Tackle's Bushido SWB710/15-30. They are great for cobia and snapper.
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I use the Aero for all of my spinnig rods. Size 16 for reels up to 3000 size, and size 17 for larger reels. I have yet to have a customer that does not like them. Even on budget builds, I just use the non-comfort fit aero seats.
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The MicroWave Guides are no harder to setup than any other micro guide setup, at least to me. Each set includes guide layout by rod length. The guide gives you the layout by distance from the tip-top for each guide. One thing you need to take into account is the rod length. The MicroWave guides are sold in sets of 9. This is good for rods up to 7' in length. If you are building a lo
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If the testor's color is what you want, use it. For the grip you can use foam core, eva, cork, anything. Seal the grip with epoxy, this might take a few coats. Once it is sealed, prime grip white and paint with the testor's paint. Once painted, seal the grip with a few coats epoxy. It will take some time from start to finish due to dry times, but you would have a grip the exact color you wan
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I have the same problem. I would love to build a MSU rod, but I cannot get it done by Christmas.
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Several of the sponsors for this forum have closeouts on their websites. Now most of them are last years blanks, or discontinued blanks, but they still make nice rods. Sign up for newsletters and emails, and visit websites from time to time. I have picked up several nice blanks doing this.
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The line touching the blank is going to happen when using micros. Unless you use a lot of them. Just make sure the line does not go under the blank when static testing.
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Lam, Check out American Tackle's mircos. That is what I use for micro guides. They offer micros in black, stainless, and titanium. For titanium I use the NIRLMG Artus Solid Titanium micros. They come in a size 3 and 4. I use the Titan Solid Titanium single foot guides NIRLF to transition to the micros. They come in sizes 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10. They do not have the half sizes, but they als
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I do use abu garcias a good bit. I like the rounds reels, but the low pros are just more comfortable to me. I still use the old round abu garcia, they are hard to beat as far as durability. If you want a nice updated round reel, check out the abu garcia record reels. That is what I use for wade fishing. Another good round reel is the 5600ws. Those two reels are some of the best casting roun
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I have used Prowrap on most of my rods. I have used other brands, I just keep coming back to Prowrap.
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I have received that same blank. It did have the 2 marked out and a 3 wrote in. Figured they ran out of labels with the 3 on it. But never had one with china marks on it. As long as the blank is in good shape, I would not worry about it. If it does bother you, just give the vendor a call. Most of the vendors on this site will make it right for you.
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I have used elastic material in a pinch. That might work. You can get it from anyplace that sells clothing material. Just cut the length needed and sew the ends together.
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I use an old reel frame. You just have to be careful when you tighten it, not to over do it and push the two halves apart.
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Andrew, I myself attended a rodbuilding class not long ago. I am still learning myself, but I would be glad to help you with any issues you are having. I am located in Gautier, MS. In fact I am finishing an inshore rod for myself this weekend. Send me an email and I will send you my phone number.
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