Bill, are you using the hair dryer to warm the finish already on the rod, or the stuff in the cup for the next coat?
Forum: rodboard

Planning a rod for a bonefishing trip to the Bahamas, and solicit your thoughts. What 8 weight blank do you like that is fast, but not extra fast? I can double haul, but I like a rod with some sensitivity and action down into the blank.
Forum: rodboard

Stopped by MudHole on the way home from a Florida fishing trip, and on an impulse bought an Orvis Access fly rod blank. Tonight I began preparations for building on the blank, and discovered that the ferrules are not what I expected. The blank is shiny root beer colored, but the male ferrules are gray graphite, and quite long. The gap, which is the bare graphite, between the butt and third sectio
Forum: rodboard

CTS makes them. Contact Herb Ladenheim (on sponsors' list at left).
Forum: rodboard

Roger Rierson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Follow signs to bryan blvd from airport to hgy 68 > south, then take I-40 west to Winston Salem then > take the cherry st exit. Takes to the hotels > unless they have changed the streets around since > i was there last year. Roger's directions are correct, with one addition. When you get on I-4
Forum: rodboard

Mike Barkley Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I use red Styrofoam beads on the end. They don't > weigh anything and stay out of the way Another possibility is to use the little pinch-on foam fluorescent strike indicators designed for nymph fishing.
Forum: rodboard

Went to the local Ace Hardware hoping to find some Fixitif (or however it is spelled). Wound up with Krylon "Matte Finish".The label says it "protects arts, crafts, and valuables" which sounds like Fixitif. It supposedly "seals finished painting projects". THIS STUFF IS EXTRAORDINARILY WORTHLESS AND DANGEROUS. I had finished a rod, and applied the MHX decal alo
Forum: rodboard

Russ, I agree with the Sharkskin recommendation. When considering lines for saltwater my only suggestion is to be sure that the line is designed for warm water. Some are designed for cool or cold water, such as striper fishing in the northeast, and may not perform quite as well in the warmer water you fish.
Forum: rodboard

Working on a 7 foot spinning rod, and the angler will be using either a Shimano 2000 (40mm diameter) or 4000 (46.6mm diameter) reel. Splitting the baby on the reels, math says the choker should be about 46 inches from the reel face. Reel face will be 14" from the butt, leaving 70", so the 4 other running guides will be slightly less than 5" apart (70" from reel face to tip min
Forum: rodboard

I am planning to build a rod for a friend, and need your advice. The rod will be used to fish live bait and Gulp shrimp on the bottom in strong current in inlets on the Outer Banks. He usually adds between 2 and 4 ounces of lead to the rig to keep it on the bottom, and has been using standard 6'6" spinning rods, which results in mangled tip tops and broken tips on occasion. He prefers this l
Forum: rodboard

The CP dried for several days. I will try Col's suggestion, and go from there.
Forum: rodboard

Finished wrapping a rod with Fishhawk nylon, and applied a second coat of Flex Coat CP. I think I laid it on too thick. Some of the wraps appear shiny, and there is a milky residue at the end of the wraps. What should I do before applying the finish epoxy to these wraps?
Forum: rodboard

For a non-fly fisherman Russ sure knows his stuff. As he points out, if you are wading you are unlikely to spot a bonefish more than 50 feet away unless they are tailing, or the water is dead calm over a white sand bottom. Bonefish are notoriously spooky, and Keys bones particularly so, perhaps because of fishing pressure. With no wind you might consider dropping to a 6 or 7 weight for a more del
Forum: rodboard

You might also consider the XLS blanks from Composite Developments in New Zealand, which I know you can get in Oz. I have a CD XLS 6 weight, and it is my favorite among several similarly sized rods, including several Sage and Orvis fast action 5 and 6 weights.
Forum: rodboard