Hey Mike, I felt the same way doing my first few rods. I was actually terrified of doing something wrong; however, mudhole has some great videos up on youtube for rodbuilding, and there are plenty of step by step tutorials on here as well. Don't forget to buy Tom's book, as it was most helpful!
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Thanks Billy, I will be in touch!
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About a 6 foot rod would be great.
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Thanks for all the replies gentlemen! As far as jigs go, we tend to use a little lighter ones at around 2.5oz to 4oz verticle jigs. Usually dropping down to 50-100ft of water(It's shallow out here on the gulf side!). We have a very aggressive jigging technique that we use over here, so that's why a smaller diameter rod with some give is good. Too stiff, and I won't be able to use my technique
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Will be matched up with my torium 30 with 80 lb braid for jigging up gags, snapper, and amberjacks. Anyone know of any decent blanks that can match up well for this?
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Just ordered one! I plan on doing a skeleton reel seat setup and doing silver black marbling near the split grips..Can't wait to see how it will turn out!
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Thanks Tom
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I saw a few of these for sale and was curious if these were the blanks made before, or after the company sold out? I saw them going fairly cheap, so I just wanted to see if I had a deal on them or not.
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Russel: I actually just won three other sets of Fuji guides on @#$%&, and will be throwing them on this rod. I don't know why I always go for cheap guides on the builds?!? An extra 30 dollars shouldn't be a big deal! Right?
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Thanks for the input, I just wanted to make sure the guides and tip would work out alright for the application. I know I can just arbor the reel seat and all that, but just wanted to make sure all that would look OK! I should have worded everything a little better, as come to think about it--My first rod I built was a non-kit item!
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Oh yeah, I've reamed cork and all that to fit blanks. What I was concerned about was the reel seat and if the guides were a good fit for this rod. I was thinking about winding checks, but to be honest--I will probably just do some threadwork around those areas. I was thinking about marbling the split grip area as well, but that's a whole other beast :)
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I was thinking about throwing on my spheros 4000 onto this rig. This will be replacing my custom made lamiglas rod that was lost(along with my reel) when my buddy neglected to take my pole down from the poling platform and drove off(Pretty sure it snapped off on a tree on the ride home.) Will use it for reds/trout/snook with artificials...I throw a lot of topwater and cajun thunders with gulps.
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Just purchased a lamiglas: IMP904 7' 6" Mod-Fast Action - 1 Piece Blank * Lure Rating 3/8-3/4 oz. * Tip 5.0 Butt .520 Do these items look correct, and fit snugly? I've used kits before, so this is my first run without using one. Thanks guys. This will be purchased off mudhole. I'm going with the incredible hulk theme on this rod with the colors. It should come out beautiful-
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Thanks Jim, you have been of tremendous help!
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I checked mudhole, and that item is no longer available. What a shame!
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Yeah, I normally use heavier tackle when we fish for tarpon(Most times we are using live bait, so rod weight, lb class is not a big deal) but when throwing artificial it's nice to have something a little light and to match up with my spheros reel. I have two St. Croix rods, and I love them, but I would like something a little bit more heavy duty. Those rods would also be perfect for mahi fishin
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Thanks for the help, Jim! I was hoping to find a Batson for the same application, but I love St. Croix as well. I just loved the length and weight on my buddies blair wiggins rod, but I won't buy a gimmicky rod(Blair says its blue/white to blend in with the sky and clouds so it won't spook the poons..lol!), and would rather build my own!
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Hey guys, I'm looking for a similar blank to the new blair wiggins saltwater rods. They are usually 15-30lb and over 7ft, but a very thin diameter. Does anyone know of any similar blanks out there that I can build from scratch? They are used for throwing artificial lures to tarpon,snook, and larger flats species. Thanks, Mike
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Thanks, Kevin. I will definitely shoot you an email when I get back from Chicago.
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Going to call in the morning! You're book helped tremendously--By the way.
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So I finished up my first rod, and I'm pretty happy with the results. I decided to try mudhole's abalone veneer and purchased it for the split grip section. The veneer came in a small section of about 3x5 inches, and the corner was chipped. I was a little worried but decided to try and give it a go anyways. As I tried peeling the tape off the back, the veneer cracked down the middle....Is the
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The reel would be for a Penn Battle 3000
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So I pretty much just finished my first rod(Just need to add the abalone veneer), and I'm looking at making my next rod....Man--You guys weren't kidding about how addictive this is. Anyways, I was looking at the rainshadow RX7 popping blanks. This rod would be used for inshore applications--Primarily topwater and suspending plugs for trout, reds, and the occasional snook. Smaller lb. rods are a
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I went ahead and "lightly" sanded down the bubbles on the first epoxy...The second coat looks great! Thank you for the tips guys...I also found that I had no bubbles when I mixed it on a plate with aluminum foil.
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Well, I let it go overnight after periodically checking on it...It seemed fine after the first thirty minutes, but it must have gotten more bubbles later in the the epoxy setting.
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So the bubbles that stayed in the epoxy as it set overnight...Do I sand that off and reapply a new coat?
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There are bubbles that formed in the epoxy that dried....grrrr..Should I sand it down and reapply the second coat? I'm worried about it happening again. I even tried using the lighter technique; however, the bubbles must have formed again...Any ideas on my error?
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Thanks Roger! That sounds like an excellent idea! I wanted to do silver winding checks, but why not just metallic silver thread? I'm sure it will look sharp!
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This is a split grip assembly, so it looks like I would need some winding checks--Otherwise it might look a little off.
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Thanks bryce and everyone else! Guess I will have to buy a caliper! Hah!
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