I have removed several reel seats using the boiling water method. It always works for me. You can salvage the grips but the seat and guides should be easy. I use tape bushings so it is possible that other materials make the more difficult. I loan out rods all the time plus 3 kids so unfortunately I have a couple of breaks a year! Quinn
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This rod is going to be his all around go to rod. Warm water bass, crappie, trout etc, everything except saltwater. After speaking with him again last night I think I am going to give the Eternity a try. I love CTS blanks. I have one of their spinning rods and I am pretty sure CTS makes Bob Meisers blanks as well (I have one of the new 5/6/7 11' switch blanks) but the fly rod is a little out o
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I'm looking for a fast action 6wt fly blank to build as a gift. My original plan was to build on a TFO BVK blank but the person I'm building it for has not been very happy with his 9wt version of the same blank claiming he does not like the way it tracks and that he felt his St Croix legend blank was "faster". I'm a little surprised by his comments but I also know that not every weigh
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I am trying to put together a fly rod for Mako shark fishing in CA. This will be a gift. I've built a ton of fly rods (single and two handed) but never anything this heavy duty. So I have a few questions: 1) What weight blank? I'm guessing 12wt or 14wt 2) Blank suggestions? I'm having a hard time finding many 12wts and I have not found any 14's 3) Reel seats. Obviously aluminum (or tita
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Bill, I fish the Salmon River in Pulaski NY all the time. I have the Batson 8wt switch (10'8") and I also have an ARE 7/8 12' spey. Both are great rods but if you are looking to save money go with the ARE blank, add the ARE grips and reel seat and you are out the door for less than $100. The blank is $40 compared to the Batson blank which is close to $100. The Batson blank is at it's
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What is the best way to reshape a grip that is already installed. Perhaps thinning down a spey rod grip. I wondering how you get enough grip on the rod without damaging it. Thanks, Quinn
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I have never seen a 6wt that short. Finding a 8' 5wt is pretty easy but I have not seen any shorter than 8' in a 5wt. I have a couple of 8' 6wts that get used bass fishing but even those took me a while to find. My suggestion would be to go with a 8' 5wt and line it with a Wolf Ambush 6wt line and learn some basic single hand spey casts or just roll cast. You don't need any back cast room. I
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Dean, I have not built the blank yet but if you want to try something on the cheap you can find 10 and 11' 3, 4, 5 wt blanks by Roger. I just picked up one for $25 plus shipping. Google it. I plan on using mine as a switch rod since I am not really into nymphing but seem like it is exactly what you are looking for. quinn
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If this was a fly rod and he was learning to cast I would let that process determine the rod length and weight. However since I think you want a rod for steelhead I need to know if this is fly fishing or spin fishing. In either case build the rod for the fish not the kid. G Loomis does not sell blanks anymore. If you want something from the USA look at Lamiglass (not the International line) o
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Dennis, As was already mentioned, most fly line manufactures maintain lists with line/rod match ups. You can also email Batson. I did this recently and two days later I received a call from someone who gave me lots of information on the best lines. The call did not even come from Batson. Talk about great service. I can't remember if I can post the names of other forums but here is a great
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One more thing. As soon one already said, cast before you buy. If you want a high end blank that is USA made then you should also check out the Orvis Helios ($320 from Mudhole) and the Hydros (about $220 from Mudhole). Never tried either but I am told the Hydros might be the best deal around.... Quinn
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Not exactly an answer to your question but check out the new TFO BVK blanks. I am about to order one in a 9wt. The blank specks (and reviews) look great and the cost in the smaller sizes is about $115. They list 2 5wt blanks (8.5 and 9'). The only high end blank (in this case Sage) the I really though was much better than anything I use (I have St Croix, RX8+, and a bunch of lower end stuff)
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I've built two of them. Use them for Salmon River NY (kings, coho, steel and brown). I have a 450 gr skagit, 6wt speydicator and a 400 gr "switch" line for it. One was built with single foot ceramics and the other with REC recoil guides. Would not recommend the ceramics if you plan on fishing in the winter. Makes a great short spey rod. What information are you looking for? Q
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I would look at a 5 or 6wt switch blank and throw a skagit or scandi line depending on how big and heavy you streamers are. The current generation of skagit short lines work well with switch rods. So does Wolff Ambush lines. Just buy the line and add 5 - 15 feet of "tip" to work with your casting stroke. Forget what you know about "wt" and work with "grain window"
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David, The REC do "talk" a little but it does not bother me. Their stripping guides are the big offenders. I would go with size 3 running guides combined with a size 12 and 10 stripper. I like the Titan stripping guides. Normally for a rod of that size you would end up using size 1 but the REC are so light there is not a real weight difference and the size 3's give you more "i
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Bill, TFO makes the Deer Creek rod. By compare, what are you trying to compare. I have a couple of the Rainshadow 8wt switch rods. I really like them especially for the price. You can't buy the Deer Creek as a blank however the St Croix is available. Is the primary use for spey style casts or overhead? For two handed long range overhead casting the Rainshadow is a little slow for my tas
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I don't have any REC micros but I just weight their snakes and the weight is in the 1.5 grain range for size 4 guides. Honestly don't think there is enough weight difference to matter. The are good reasons to choose one over the other but weight is not one of them. Quinn
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Greg, I've built them both ways. My winter steelhead fishing is on the east coast so frozen guides is an issue. I went with single footers (with ceramic rings) on my first build but had two guides pop rings. My latest build uses two Titan stripping guides and REC double footers for the rest. The REC Recoil guides are VERY light and I like the flexibility in the winter. I use the single fo
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I've tried (and own) lots of different 7 and 9wts (actually only have one 8wt and It is not built yet) and I can't argue with the technical aspects of you argument. However It has been my experience that the most important factor in determining how much work you have to put into a rod is how the rod matches your casting style. I real world fishing situations (as opposed to a park) I can throw m
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Andrew, I can't answer the first question since I rarely put a second coat on (mostly fly rods) . I only have on rod spinner so when I need to finish more than one at a time I place the rod in my rod building jig and rotate it every 5 minutes or so. If you have a warm room you only need to do this for a hour or two. That may seem like a lot of work but I normally set the rod up in my kitche
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Discovered something by accident today. I needed to get the finish on a 14' spey rod today and did not want it taking up space in my kitchen so I put the finish on out on the deck. No wind, bright sun, 80 degrees. The expoxy dried to the touch in about 5 hours instead of the normal 24 hours! I can't always rely on the lack of wind but it is nice to know. Quinn
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If you don't get a response here, try the speypages.com. Not a rodbuilding site but some members there may own the factory built rod. Quinn
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Go with the Lamson Radius. The Okuma has the similar low drag pressure design that the Trion has. A new or used Radius 3.5 will set you back about $130. Better drag, made in the US and Lamson will stand behind the reel. Good luck getting Okuma to do the same. Parts are available but through a third party. At Lamson you will be speaking to the factory. Quinn
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I own several different reels in the 9/10 wt range including: Lamson Radius, Velocity (two different generations) Pfleuger Trion Tioga Redington Brakewater Albright Tempest If you are looking to stay at $250 or less you have a ton of choices. If I was buying new today my choices would be: Lamson Guru ($230ish) Orvis Hydros ($230ish) Reels I have not tried but hear good things abou
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At the risk of actually answering the original question... I fish the Salmon River every year and have done so for about 9 years. If you are looking for a rod for the fall salmon run and are there to catch steelhead and brown trout then you can go with somewhat lighter tackle and simply break off the salmon once it is clear that you can't land them. If you want to play with the kings and cohos
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I use those guides on some of my fly rod builds and have not had that problem. They do get bent from time to time and I carefully bend them back. I have had problems with rings popping out (3 times now) but I don't know if it is due to the frame material or the way the guide is designed. I only use Ti frames for stripping guides so I don't really have anything to compare them to. My Fuji Cerm
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I can't speak to your specific situation. I check the finish on the wraps. If it is not tacky then i use it. I have been in your situation more than once and fished the rod 24 hours after applying the top coat. Strenght is not the issue. Quinn
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I think most rod builders know this but i have found that the open time on the flex-cote (other epoxy as well) is longer if you can get the heat away from the mix. I normally make a "cup" out of aluminum foil and get a long pot life than using a paper cup. I leave the rod in a 70 degree room for 24 hours and it is good to go. Quinn
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Over or underlining (as already stated) has more to due with the distance, experience of the caster and type of fly then the fact that the rod is "fast". It has been my experience that overlining a very fast rod will help inexperienced casters cast a given weight better. I use a 7wt RX8+ for most of my inshore saltwater and fresh water (bass, pike etc) fishing. I cast a 8wt line on i
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I too use it. Does anyone know if Flex-coat makes packets. I much prefer this as the mixing ratio is fool proof. In volume they were a $1 a piece. Quinn
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