Thanks, those blanks are not budget busters either. Looks like I have a new project!
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With the time I have lately I thought I would build a new 7 weight fly rod for fishing streamers. I have used one of the new G Loomis IMX Pro's in 7 wt and loved it for this application especially with sink tip lines, and throwing bass bugs too. It has been a while since I have made a rod up and discovered my favorite St Croix SCV blanks are not available anymore. I thought the saltwater version
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I have 8, 9 and 10 wt rods built on SCV blanks, using Fuji titanium/ ceramic guides. If my experience translates to you, you will really enjoy fishing this rod. You can use info offered here to tweak guide sizes and location but I would not change your basic concept. Its quite sound and your component choices well balanced as to quality and value.
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Thanks, otherwise is there a difference of any consequence?
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Hello all, been a while since I have been here for some help as I am a very occasional builder for my own needs. I am considering a new 6 wt on a St Croix scv blank. What might be the biggest differences between the Recoil titanium wire single foots and the newer minima guides? A few years ago I built an 8 wt for a friend for saltwater use. The recoil guides seemed a bit noisey compared to cerami
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Can anyone tell me the color thread/brand St Croix uses with their blue green saltwater Elite (SCV) rods? Thanks all
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Hi, I am a fan of the St Croix blanks, cant say why they are better than others but I really like the rods I have, and know what to expect from them. To me, you get something and lose something too, staying within products lines over time. My recollection is a little different. I have two St Croix rods using the SCiV blanks, one is a factory build, one is built off a blank by me. Those ar
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Hello everyone, Can anyone advise me as to what color thread St Croix uses for the blue (saltwater style) SCV fly rods? Thanks in advance!
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I sent a rod back to Batson along with a check for replacement of two sections broken through my own negligence. I just got the replacement materials back from Batson, plus more than I expected. I am very happy with this and feel I was treated more than fairly. Thanks John and the rest of the crew at Batson!
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Hello everyone, Its been a couple years since I built myself a new rod. I have enjoyed success with St Croix blanks and was interested in a SCIV blank for a 9 foot, 5 wt 4 piece fly rod. I dont see the SCIV product I am familar with as a blank , although it still appears in the form of the finished rod (Legend Ultra series). The nearest equivalent is apparently the blank the Imperial line is b
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Hello All, I just finished a rod I built as a thank you gift to a good friend. It came out great, and I am sure he will get a lot of value from it. I am an occasional and simple style builder, just for my own purposes and come to this forum every time I have a project. This time around Tom and many others offered good tips on thread color choices and epoxy removal. The folks at Decal Connectio
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Since I am an occasional rod builder, making 1 to 3 rods a year (or re-building them after I break 'em!), my experience may speak to what works well even with limited experience (talent? lol). I had color retention problems on wraps come out poorly using multiple coats of the new style Gudebrod CP on Gudebrod thread. I switched to Flex Coat CP and have no problems since using two thins coats bef
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Thank you Tom. Suggestions help me, you see I am one of those guys that buys the tie and shirt they put together in the clothing store display!
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Hi, I am considering building a rod on St Croix's "Belize blue" SCV rod blank. It looks like a green blue or aquamarine/tourquise color from catalog photos. Can anyone tell me what color thread the factory uses, or perhaps suggest some color combos that you used and liked? Regards all!
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Peter, I built two fly rods I use for an annual trip to the Keys for tarpon. One is a 12 wt using a 4 piece St. Croix's SCIV/Ultra Legend blank. At the time, its was St. Croix's fastest action 12 wt offering. I am very happy with it, and use it to cast full floating type line. I also built a 4 piece 10 wt on a Temple Fork Outfitter's TiCrx blank. Both have worked out well for me. I found as othe
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Joe, thank you for your response. I am just going to buy a new guide when I order some more supplies from the retailer I go to. For the $5 +/- it cost to replace the guide as part of a larger order, its a better use of everyone's resources. I have not lost failth in any of your products, and can assure your offer here is uneccessary to keep me a happy customer. Besides, I doubt I can find the re
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Can someone help me confirm the size of a guide I need to replace? I used American Tackle's single foot titanium alloy framed ceramic guides to build up an 8 wt rod. I am pretty sure the guide I need to replace is a size 8. The inside of the frame is 8 mm, the oustide of the frame measures roughly 10 mm. This is the third time the ceramic insert from one of these guides has popped out. I bui
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Hello everyone. Last week I wrapped guides back on a section of rod I replaced after it was broken. I used regular Flex Coat for finish on the wraps. I have had excellent results since I started with Flex Coat, and learned to mix at least 2 cc's of resin and hardener each, measure very carefully, use slightly warmed components and mix carefully and very completely before applying finish. I also
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Hello everyone. Last week I wrapped guides back on a section of rod I replaced after it was broken. I used regular Flex Coat for finish on the wraps. I have had excellent results since I started with Flex Coat, and learned to mix at least 2 cc's of resin and hardener each, measure very carefully, use slightly warmed components and mix carefully and very completely before applying finish. I also
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Looks like I am not eligible for the upgrade, so the reel seat stays on the blank I attached it to in the first place. Thank you all for responsidng to my inquiry. The break is not a warranty item, I broke a perfectly good rod. I am still glad I can get it fixed for a cheap cost and be fishing with it in 3 or 4 weeks.
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Hello again everyone, I know there have been posts from time to time about removal of reel seats. I have a rod with a broken section that I am sending to the manufacturer for replacement. It looks like I can get a new upgraded rod blank for pretty much the same as the same cost as the blank repair. The blank is oneof the first St Croix SCV's, so the upgrade gets me a nicer finish and the reinfor
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Thanks guys. I like the way the rods cast. I broke one last week. My fault. It could be a good time to renovate it though. I will probably stick with the finish, and go with your ideas Roger.
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I have two fly rods built on the first St. Croix SCV (Elite) blanks with the gloss brown finish. I like the rods but the finish is soft, hard to match thread colors to and ugly (to my eyes) as sin. Has anyone stripped these blanks down? Would I get a nice graphite grey finish if I stripped them and buffed with wet sandpaper or something like that?
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I'm glad I asked this question. Mike, what is the proprietary name of that Scotch tape? Is it clear UV resistent duct tape?
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A couple weeks ago I posted a question about re-labeling a blank after having to strip the reel seat and foregrip off a rod. Someone suggested getting a pen nib and some Testor's model paint and writing on the blank. I like this idea the more I think about it. Robin's egg blue script on the blank would look great with the wraps I used. My handwriting is terrible and my blank diameter above the fo
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Thanks! These replies really improve my confidence that I can recover with my rod looking the way I finished it originally. I have to take off the foregrip and origianl reel seat. Those areas will be covered up again. It has a minimalist finish, so I dont want to paint the blank. At the same time, it seems a waste not to use the decal and identify the rod blank for anyone else who uses its. My go
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Thanks, I dont mind buying a newr reel seat and foregrip. Those are cheap lessons, I worry mostly about getting the epoxy off the rod balnk where I coated over the blank identification decal.
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Hi, this has come up n the past, but i did not find quite what I ws looking for in a search. I built a spinning rod using a matte surface Batson RX7 blank. It turns out the reel seat I bought is too short and the hoods a bit too small for the Penn spinning reel I chose to go with the rod. I have the decal from Batson under Flexcoat epoxy. It will almost certainly have to go in oreder to get o
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I built an ultralight spinning rod for exactly your applicaiton, using Batson "M" ultralight guides, matching single foots, and the NGC system. Its came out great.
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I have built two such rods using Batson's 3 piece spinning blanks, one in the RX6 and one in the RX7 series. Their SS316 PVD coated guides are a good choice to use in a salt environment. Very sensitive tips, plenty of backbone in the butt end, price for a 3 piece travel spinning blank is great too. I use them vertical jigging for lake trout here at home. Check out Fishsticks4u or or Utmost enterp
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