Didn't know I was hidden... Good choice Stan. Halibut fishing is a lot better there. If you're coming in on one of the cruise ships, take a tour of the DIPAC hatchery. You'll be amazed, especially if your coming up in August!
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Bob is right about SE AK...No birch. Best bet would be around Skankorage...I mean Anchorage. You might be able to find some around Skagway if you head up White Pass towards Whitehorse BC, but not sure. Has anyone tried anything w/ cottonwood bark? Got lots of those, and the bark down by the roots looks a lot like birch. I want to give it a try, but have to wait for all this darned snow t
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What I do, which works well for me, is to apply the feathers how you want them w/ CP. Let dry for an hour or two. Then I wrap over the feathers with flat waxed nylon fly tying thread, then let dry for another few hours and then unwrap. Flattens the feathers right down to the blank, and the thread doesn't ever stick to the feathers. It does leave wrap marks on the dried feathers, but they will
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I fish braid all summer long for halibut, and a weaker mono leader is a must. Halibut are in no way leader shy, but when you get hung up on the bottom with 80 pound braid for a leader....no fun at all. If you have to break it off, you can end up losing hundreds of feet of expensive line.
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I would agree with Chris. I've built an ultralight steelhead rod with recoil guides, spin style to SF fly out to the tip, and it casts just fine using the New Concept idea. I also built a Raishadow float blank as a surf perch rod for my dad down in WA with titan guides and it was tip heavy. If I could do it again, I would probably use a couple alconite butt guides and tip top with recoil SF's i
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I use a graphite arrow shaft and a hand drill. I glue up the grip, ream to fit the shaft, chuck it into the drill and turn. Works great. I found that the shaft I have fits perfectly inside one of those removable fighting butt insert for fly reel seats (where you screw in the butt) which chucks into the drill much better (won't split), and turns perfectly straight. Found the arrow in the woods.
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Have you looked at REC components? Sponsor on the left column. They have some very nice spinning seats. Ray Vinzant Juneau, Alaska
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Where are you headed on Kodiak? Karluk steelhead? I just got back from 6 weeks at field camp on the upper Karluk river running a smolt trap for Fish & Game. Awesome river, LOTS of steelies. Can't say anything of the Beulah blanks, but I gave my 4wt and 8wt FT switch rods a good workout. If I go again next year, I would bring both the FT's for fishing the pocket holes and dollies, and a
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I built the DanCraft FT1004-4 as a light switch rod. I love the rod, its really fun to fish. However, it is a pretty stout 4wt IMHO. I throw a 6wt overhead with it, and the rod just eats it up. Landed probably 30 steelhead with it this spring on the Karluk River on Kodiak Island this spring at field camp while working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Held up great. If he's lookin
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I would mount the intended reel(s) on the seat and slide it up and down the butt of the blank to look for a good balance spot first, then figure out what to do from there. The reel has much more influence on balance than does the weight of the components, especially on a split grip. I don't build a lot of spinning rods, but thats usually the approach I take. Ray Vinzant Juneau, AK
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I went to school here in Juneau with a guy from Sequim......Weird guy! I think all of the moutains, wild steelhead and rodbuilding components really mess with people down there! LOL. Ray Vinzant Juneau, AK
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Awesome Dan! Do they still have the "exploded ferrules?" I think they look cool. Ditto on the Matte Clear...very nice, but I am still partial to my spiral finish Sig V 10 wt! I'm probably a little biased though b/c it's sooo fun to cast. I wish my wife would let me build them all. I'm getting ready to head up to the Karluk River river camp on Kodiak Island for a couple of mo
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What kind of salmon and where/how are they going to be fishing? Kenai? You might want to look at hotshot blanks, I think some are shorter, and they are best for plugging off a skiff. If he's going to be drifting or casting I would try to have him consider something longer (8'6" is the "norm"). If he isn't fishing for kings something rated 15-20 lbs would be a lot funner, but it
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I just find some thin rubber bands around the house and cut them into 2" pieces. Then I just tie the pieces tightly on the blank where I want a guide, cut off the tag ends short and slip the guide underneath. If the guide still slips around, tie on another band. Cut the knot with scissors when you get a little ways up the foot. Works good for me...easier than cutting thin strips of tape
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I wish I could drive an hour to get parts!!! Slight downfall of living in Alaska! Oh Well. Seriously though, both Dan Craft and Anglers Workshop are now my go-to companies. Both offer above average service with great prices and low shipping costs (even to AK), and can get you anything from Batson. Save on shippng by using USPS mail. Just as fast usually. It would be nice to see things in
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Has anyone ever tried a laboratory-style heat plate / magnetic stirrer? I use these all the time at the lab I work at, and always wondered how they would do on epoxy. I would think it would be great with a small stir bar. Not that I need one, just wondering...They're probably expensive. Ray Vinzant Juneau, AK
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I bet the Dan Craft FT 10 foot 10 wt would be an excellent choice! The 10 footers have a very stout butt that can handle large fish and huge flies. I dont have the 10 weight, but I've fought plenty of heafty king salmon up to 30 lbs on the 10 foot 8 weight...........Check the CCS #'s on the FT's for a better idea of their power. You can also build these blanks in a short two-hand (switch) conf
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Check out Angler's Workshop! The have had some incredible deals on some sale Lamiglas blanks recently. Can't go wrong with the Rainshadows either! I would go with something between 8 and 9 feet in the 8-17, 10-20, or 12-25 line ratings depending on tackle weight, and/or river size. Ray Juneau, AK
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I've inlayed some gold flakes I panned from our local historic Gold Creek here in Juneau, Alaska, below the ruins of the A-J mine, once the largest producer of gold in the world. The city of Juneau is built on the mine's tailings. I think its kinda cool, but my wife thinks I'm weird... Ray Vinzant Juneau, AK
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Thanks to everyone who responded. That Don Morton rod sounds very nice indeed! Will be fishing for halibut near Juneau in Southeast Alaska. I think the fish here average at around 40lbs or so, but 80 pounders are pretty common. Sounds like that Tough Stick is the way to go. Any comments/hints etc on building such a heavy rod would be nice, as I''ve never done so. I've seen a lot of rods arou
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Well, I finally saved up enough $$ to get a skiff, and now need to build a new halibut stick. Looking for any suggestions on blanks/guides etc. Looking for a good stout blank for heavy bait and jigging, and I'm thinking 6.5 ft or less. I've never built such a large rod (mostly fly), so any tips would be great! I figure I'll go with a bumper spiral with possibly turbo guides. So far leaning t
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I just used a bottle that is a year or more old and it worked fine. I actually had to break thru a top layer that had hardend, but underneath was like new. The grip I turned looks awesome! Ray, Juneau, AK
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I picked up the hardware for one at Mudhole I believe. I think it was Amtak, but not sure. Ray, Juneau, AK
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I think it is 3/8", so the grips need some slight reaming before they'll fit on the shaft. I just chuck a 3/8" dia. rattail file and bore thru at both ends, which makes a nice tight, but not too tight fit. I also plugged the ends with rod bond so they wouldn't split. Ray Juneau, AK
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I used to use the treaded rod, and it worked well until they got bent (seemingly unpreventable). Now I use a graphite arrow shaft I found in the woods recently and it works excellent. Just lop off the feathered end and chuck the drill to the head. Nice and straight. Ray Juneau, AK
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Hey guys, hoping you can help me decide on this! I'm going to build an 8wt salmon/steelhead rod for a good pal of mine down south for fishing the SW Washington coast. Due to budget constraints and the great deals offered at Hook and Hackle, I'm trying to decide between these two blanks. Just looking for an opinion or two to help me decide, as I have no experience with either, although I'm
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Dan sells extra sections for $18, and I'm sure an FT would make a sweet spinning rod. Do a search on them and you'll find many reviews (all good from what I remember). There is also good info on the CCS site w/ data for dropped sections on various FTs (top of column on left). Ray, Juneau, AK
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I built a 14 footer with one of their kits, and it was OK, but if I could do it again I would not get a kit. I don't really like the straight foregrip that came with it, and the stripper guides seemed very cheap. I love H&H for their great deals, but I would advise you to pick out the components yourself. You'll love the blanks! Very nice for the price IMHO. Ray, Juneau, AK
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Jeez....I started with a cardboard box w/ notches cut in the sides, and an old textbook for thread tension. Worked pretty darn good if you ask me! Built a nice wrapper with rollerblade wheel rollers based on pics from the photo pages for about $30 and I'm tickled pink. Wrapping by hand is pretty easy and quick, even with the cardboard box!! I've even turned cork grips with "the box."
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Yeah, your probably right Shawn. I was just dissapointed that I never got the new issues in the mail. Great magazine, no complaints. Just got a little post-happy. I was just hoping somebody would say what the topic of the last issue was and when they recieved it was. Regrets, Ray, Juneau, AK
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