Just went through this with a NFC 11’ 2 wt nymph rod that is basically finished. I used a Lemke reel seat and asked the supplier if I could have an uplocking seat but with a cork check from a down locking seat and they could keep the butt cap. I am sure REC would be more than happy to help with a similar request. They may be able to bore one of their fighting butts to fit the inset retainer hood
Forum: rodboard

It's extremely fine, that's the reason. When I am building lightweight fly rods and want to keep buildup as fine as possible that is what I choose. Add to that, the colors and translucency of silk is unmatched so for rods that call for any of the above, silk is the answer. Not better or worse, just different. The difference being; finer, better colors and better translucency.
Forum: rodboard

It depends, I built a NFC 6wt for a friend of mine and he chose an Alps Triangle seat and it looks great and he loves it. He uses a large diameter reel for given line weight size and that may make a difference whereas a smaller reel may not work as well. I can say the finished build looked great with that reel seat, enough so that I have been thinking of building myself a 6wt with the same seat.
Forum: rodboard

Golden Witch sells some that are 8 1/2" and 10 3/4" long as a set. They are brass and hexagonal shape. I have had my set for 8 years or so and use the short one the most for fly rod grips. The cork will not spin on the mandrel, love mine.
Forum: rodboard

My Affinity X 4wt is a fast and powerful 4wt. If you're looking for something a little more medium fast than fast ask Herb about whether he can get an Affinity MX. I have one in a 5wt and it sounds a lot like what you are looking for in a 4wt. It may be my favorite rod to cast. I love the Affinity X and have two in the 4 and also an 8wt but the MX I think is the sweet spot. When I built my 8wt
Forum: rodboard

Trying to show some patience because of the extraneous circumstances businesses are having to deal with right now but yes, I am considering.
Forum: rodboard

Spencer, thanks that is the information I received when looking on their website as well. As usual, Roger is right. If I want to make sure I don't turn down too much to fit the threaded barrel I will wait till it is in hand so I can turn it to fit that specific threaded barrel. Was just trying to get a jump as out of the blue 2 friends who have talked about having me build them a rod both deci
Forum: rodboard

I was wondering if anyone had handy the insert dimensions for the Alps RA7 reel seat insert. I am currently awaiting shipment for this seat and was wanting to turn the insert while waiting. I checked their website and while it does give some of the dimensions I could not find the OD of the mortised area that slides under the threaded end of the hardware along with the length of the mortised are
Forum: rodboard

After knowing what I wanted in a rod dryer but nothing that fit the bill commercially, I have poured through the many different posts in this site about building a dc powered rod dryer. With no electrical knowledge to speak of, I never would have figured it out without Roger’s many helpful posts along with others. I now have a continuously variable speed dryer from 0 rpm to 120 rpm. I built
Forum: rodboard

Herb, Honestly, I'm not sure if it shoots more per se, I can cast a whole line either way but it sure seemed to flow smoother with ringed guides but I couldn't abide the extra sloppiness in the tip. As to overlining, I like long carries so I tend to purposefully search out fly lines that are true to their AFTMA ratings or underline. Most of my fishing is done in still water casting to st
Forum: rodboard

I just recently built a rod based off this blank that I picked up from Herb. I ended up building it very similar to what Norman Miller's plans are for his. Alps BARA701L2 seat, Fuji Torzite 16 and 12 strippers followed by a 5 then size 3 Recoil heavy snakes with a Recoil tip top. I chose snakes because after using nothing but single foots on my earlier rods I have come to appreciate the in
Forum: rodboard

Miles, even better. I was hoping that the action would be conducive to bass fishing. I have six of these blanks so I figure that I will make 3 into spinning rods for the kids and the other three into casting rods. The 3 kids rods will be probably be pretty standard builds with full cork grips so they can two hand them. The 3 casting rods I will probably play around with and use split grips an
Forum: rodboard

Tom, you are correct, I meant power not action. Spencer, if I recall correctly, and I no longer have the receipt, they were popping blanks. Probably meant for saltwater which there is an extreme shortage of where I live. I'll try making one in each a spinning and casting setup and see how I like them and go from there. Maybe they can make good catfish rods for the kids. You see threa
Forum: rodboard

Hello all, several years ago I purchased a handful of All Star closeout blanks from Bingham Enterprises. The models are BAT 844 and GS/GC 784. All of these blanks are a matte dark blue in color. These rods all seem to be heavy action and my experience with conventional rods is very limited so I am not sure what would be good uses for them. As I am a flyfisherman pretty much exclusively I bought
Forum: rodboard

Hello all, I had a friend ask me to build a ultra light for his father today. One of my friends children broke his dad's favorite rod about 7" down from the tip. The rod is a Penn Powerstick Ultra Light 4'9" rated for 1/16 to 1/4oz. lures. I have looked and can't find a rod to replace let alone a blank and that is when we decided to build him a new one. Now the questions, I am
Forum: rodboard