A book is a great idea, Tom. All the info in one place for easy reference. I'd buy one!
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Me, too. I use about 4-inches per decal. Douglas may have generational amounts of tape on hand at the rate I go through it!
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Thank you, Tom! My first instinct was that something like you describe happened. (The older I get, the closer 2014 and 2024 seem like "just the other day...") If the information from, "The Big Picture" is available in Rod Maker (volume and issue noted above) then that is where it is accessible now. Is this back issue still available?
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Jeremy, I'm glad you are a fan of CCS! I wish I could have learned about CCS when I first started building rods! There is so much useful knowledge and experience in this forum that has improved my fishing experience over the years. My simple CCS rig involves: 1. A small/medium bench vice (inexpensive one from local hardware store), and three or four lag bolts to lock it down to a solid
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David, Hey there my friend! You have my email and I would benefit from your shared PDF's of CCS related articles. Thanks for your generosity in sharing with me and on this forum....again and again. I have a couple other questions I want to get your feedback on which we can discuss off-forum.....which will likely become forum topics later on (Like building my own NFC 725 X-Ray C6O2 blank with t
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Factory rods are wrapped in cellophane tape after rolling and before they go into the over. The cellophane is removed once the rods have been baked. These blanks are either left raw (with the cellophane/epoxy ridges) or buffed or sanded to remove the ridges. Maybe you wanted to roll your own blanks? You have a lot of Christmas packages to wrap? You wanted to corner the cellophane tape ma
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I recall another article showing how Dr. Hanneman showed how to measure each SECTION of a fly rod to get a more detailed understanding of the blank from tip to butt. Some rods have fast or slow tips and different mid or butt section AA's. It was fascinating and informative. (Maybe I saved it to a document file - I'll have to look and see.) In another topic on jerk bait rods, it was mentioned t
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Claus, Just to get the party started: How long a leader are you planning to use? Some Euro Nymph techniques have very long leaders (25 ft. or more) and there is no 'fly line' in the guides during the cast or presentation. Though I am not 100% certain about this, but I think some use backing as the 'fly line'; that's what I would do. Short drifts with heavy flies bouncing bottom, and pinpoin
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I can't blame the tape measure if I cut a board short, that's for sure. Either I measured inaccurately, and/or I need to brush up on how to accurately interpret all those little lines. I can improve my skills and accuracy in measuring by understanding the tool I am using.... and using it the way it was intended. I can also develop a set of useful practices and habits, a failsafe of sorts, to c
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True, Will. Mistakes happen in manufacturing. Was the mis-labeled blank, if correctly labeled, still within specs for that blank? The way I think about it is like this: Do mislabels happen? YES. Is mislabeling a common occurance for this manufacturer? I don't think so, IME. If the correct label were provided for that rod, would it still demonstrate consistency in manufacturing? YES (The
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Austin, Do some study on the Fuji K-R Concept for the line ranges this system covers (basically #4 to #14 pound test mono or fluorocarbon and a variety of braided line sizes up to #30). Braided lines and micro guides (under size #6 ring) changed the game, and is part of the reason Fuji developed the K-R Concept. (The K-R is not a cure-all for all lines and all situations; sometimes an NGC buil
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Let me begin by stating that I think the CCS system of measuring one rod blank's power (IP) and action (AA), relative to another rod blank's IP and AA, is an excellent system that is accessible to all rod-builders. The word "Relative" is the operative word for me. CCS is a Comparative System, not a Prescriptive System. I bought into the CCS the first time I read about it, and I have
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John, Isn't this a fun hobby?! Off-Topic: For Lake Trout, dropping the jig to the bottom and then reeling straight up at a fairly rapid rate, don't stop, until the jig is about a forth of the way from the surface triggers strikes, too. Triggers the chasing instinct, IMO. (I also like to tip my jig or spoon with a piece of fish belly for scent - which seemed to make a difference at times and
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John, You WILL need an arbor to glue to the blank and grip at the butt end. How you do this may vary, however, you need to support the seat at the front and butt end. Did your rear grip come with a butt cap that has a tenon?? Leaving the seat hollow between points is fine - carbon tubes are super strong. I'm thinking back to when I installed the 9-inch+/- soft touch rear grip on a rod. I t
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Handsome rods, Patrick! I also notice that you have spiral-wrapped them! Excellent! (As an off-topic discussion extender, any tips to share on your spiral layout?) IMO, Slow Pitch is given short shrift for freshwater applications. Having done a lot of jigging for lake trout with 1 to 2 oz. jigs and spoons at 70-100 feet, this technique works on the fresh side, too. Same goes for Striper/Wi
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I've had a couple blanks that are the same as you show (including one with the SJ703 I built this March). I apply the tip top the same way, and am mindful to make sure the splinter(s) is INSIDE the tube when I glue it.
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There are differences in CCS measurements of the same blank as a matter of the blank's production variables. (This is a separate issue from the fact that no two people do CCS testing the exact same way.) Hand-made products are less likely to be robot-like copies piece to piece. (Thankfully, a person can have a job rather than a machine, IMO. As I fish that rod, I can imagine the people who made i
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Chris, Please extrapolate on your spacing ideas. Are you saying place the first guide AFTER the tip top at 1-2 inches AWAY FROM the tip top? I'd love to know what rod you are placing your guides on - probably a surf rod? Placing the first guide 10-12 inches from the tip top guide would not work so well on my NFC SJ 725. (I know you are a surf casting maven, and I am a grasshopper.) I
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Wow! This thread is useful to build an Archive of Favorites by the great builders out there with fishing experience. Future builders will benefit from the input here. I get a sheet of paper and pen out when I read a list like this! Thank you all for sharing your favorites so freely! And I especially appreciate the details you include. The details matter.
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I try to get the guides as straight as I can by eye, sighting down the blank many times during guide layout. I have a great eye - and not a perfect eye. (I usually temp align the Butt guide and the tip top, and then align all the other guides between those points. Make adjustments as I go - I've re-aligned the tip top a few times, too.) "Perfect" is different from "Works for Me
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I would say this.... I try to get the guides as straight as I can by eye, sighting down the blank many times during guide layout. I have a great eye - and not a perfect eye. (I usually temp align the Butt guide and the tip top, and then align all the other guides between those points. Make adjustments as I go - I've re-aligned the tip top a few times, too.) "Perfect" is different
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Jeremy, Yeah, brother, you can't go wrong with St. Croix blanks. The Rod Geeks Carbon 3 series have terrific quality for the money if you want to save a couple bucks, OR get two blanks +/- for the price of one if you are wondering about whether to invest in (1) high end blank, or (2) a tad lower end . I built many SCIII blanks (from Karen Hapka and Bingham Enterprises back in the day) and they
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Jeremy, This is a great question with a variety of quality answers. Of course, I have different favorites for different purposes....but I like your general question to snag a variety of responses! I am going to answer with a couple of my best All-Rounders I am very familiar with. Since there are many coming on the forum for the first time, or expanding their caddy into other techniques, I valu
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Tom, Have you ever considered an article or Library "How-To" with the KR Concept?
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As I understand it, when you buy from NFC for a rod blank or components, you are buying directly from the factory. This is great, IMO. That same factory is producing blanks for Edge Rods, a separate company. Raw blanks and component sales are another company for direct sale to the custom market. These two separate companies compete for product. Since NFC is world wide with multiple companie
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Will, The outcome I want determines my process and tool choices. Do you want a glass finish, or merely make your CF grip a little more smooth than raw texture? Reading your description of tools currently on-hand, you are most of the way there, IMO. * I have found the mandrels that have are very useful: 1.) an adjustable collet "stop"; 2.) are threaded on one end for tightening
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Thank you Patrick and John! You are correct that NFC has a coding system for their mandrels/models that is informative about a particular blank. Great reminder! Your posts make me excited about modifying the 703 C6O2 to see if it fits my needs for the techniques I use. I am happy to hear the 764 and 703 are two different blanks and look forward to experiencing their unique qualities.
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Down lock for sure for me.....for ME. Maybe not YOU. And it's all about what you like...unless you are building for someone else. The advantage you have right now is that you can hold it in your hand either way before glue-up. Take some time. No rush. What feels good to you? No one can argue against what YOU think is the most comfortable.. I've done this many times with reel seats - feel t
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I ask this question because I am thinking about extending a 703 to a 764 in the C6O2 line. If the 703 is the exact SAME blank as the 764 that is trimmed to 7-feet, then I want to buy the 764 and not have to spend the extra time and $ to buy and fit extension tubes. (BTW, I think extending a rod is an under-valued way to enhance rod-blank performance. There is lots of talk about shortening bla
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Ed, Guide foot prep as described above is good advice - and I'll add another little trick or two I use below.... When I file the guide foot of larger guides, I also take some fine grit sand paper (I use 600 to 800 wet/dry paper) and "dull" the edges, bottom, and tip of the guide. It doesn't take much sanding, just enough to literally take the edge off. I've had my thread fray befo
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