SPONSORS
2024 ICRBE EXPO |
Results 1 - 30 of 53
9 days ago
John Ricks
Ah just use something else. Brown GE Micarta turned on the lathe to fit the blank. Nice addition to the cork. I build this mooching rod in 1981, still use it. Had it in the lathe to touch up the epoxy on the windings.
The black next to the Micarta is thread.
Forum: rodboard 7 weeks ago
John Ricks
Built about 1981, applying touch up epoxy to the wraps a couple of years ago.
Take care of the rods and they will last forever.
Forum: rodboard 2 months ago
John Ricks
I have two Rainshadow 80 pound musky blanks, one piece, 8 feet long, that I am wrapping to use as deep water heavy jigging rods in the Straits of Juan de Fuca (SALT WATER). They are stiff!!!
Forum: rodboard 2 months ago
John Ricks
I have been known to put two under wraps on my Halibut rods. Most are 50-80 blanks.
Sometimes two wraps on the guide feet.
Halibut rods receive a lot of abuse in the boat!!!
Forum: rodboard 1 year ago
John Ricks
Yep, I was there yesterday I am lucky, live only 10 miles from Utmost and Batson/Rainshadow.
Keep trying, they are super busy,
Carol was busy filling orders when I was there, Mic was busy picking up at Batson and shipping, and Grant was busy on the rodbench.
360-681-8748 800-588-6678 utmost39@aol.com
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
I have a bucket full of cut off ends from blank big ends. Up to 18 inches long. If an extension is needed I just stick the correct size cut off up the end of the rod blank, using a little masking tape for internal tight fit and grip.
Yep, last thing that goes on my rod builds is the butt cap.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
I have made heavy bottom fish rods from the 8 foot white Shakespeare VHF antennas. Bullet proof and look nice if you do your job. Got one in the rod rack now to wrap up for a halibut rod.
Calcutta bamboo ain't bad if you can find a good chunk of Calcutta:
9 footer, one piece, a heavy blank that will handle 50 pound line. Found it in a garage sale and did a touch up with a NOS Varmac r
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
I ship in PVC pipe. Never had a problem. Recently shipped a 2 piece 12 foot surf rod from Port Angeles, WA to Kingstown, Rhode Island. USPS. Arrived safely. Used a 77 inch length of 4 inch PVC drain pipe with caps.
Talk to your supplier. Demand they use PVC pipe. Batson and Pac Bay also use the white PVC drain pipe, tells us something.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Ahhh but where is the fun in catching a prize Chinook on a Wal Mart Rod?
Rod Building gives this old fossil something to do.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
RainShadow!! Batson is located near some of the best salt water downrigger fishing in the US, so they know downrigger rods. And the Batson guys fish downriggers.
I am building two now on the RGR100H-GB blanks, they may be obsolete, got them maybe 5 years ago, but current production blanks are in the catalog.
If you do not have a Batson Catalog, you are missing out. Call Batson or yo
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Yea bottom fish are bottom fish.
Mooching Salmon, using a plug cut herring, sometimes is challenging due to the big tidal currents out here in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Basically a big ditch 12 to 20 miles wide, over 100 miles in length, and it feeds all of Puget Sound from the Pacific.
High current velocity during the minus tides, June is the worst month for the big tides. Often a
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Good words Russel
I am in the Pacific NW, fishing is a different thing here. Salmon Mooching, trolling and jigging, Bottom fishing for Halibut. Up to 600 to 800 feet deep for Halibut, but my biggest was caught in 60 feet of water, right on the bottom. 126 pounds. Back in my unknowing days, the reel was a Penn 209, 30 pound dacron, and a stiff 6 foot boat rod. Had a good time getti
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Buy a Batson blank. Then you have the blank number.
Go to the Batson guidespacing PDF files. Scroll down and find your blank. All the numbers are there: Guide sizes and part numbers, guide spacing, reel seat size, etc.
Tape the guides on according to the specs. (In the photo I am using small zip ties for the heavy guides)
Flex the rod with a reel mounted and line through th
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Peetz Wood Reel on a Peetz Rod with wire line roller guides. Pure old school!!! Knuckle buster at its best. Made in Victoria, B.C.
I have similar hanging in the rod racks, along with the wood reels.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I respectfully submit that checking creels,
> live-wells, and boat launches will find the best
> fishermen, not necessarily the best rods.
Oh Yea! Not exactly the best most expensive rod/reel below, but the owner knows how to put fish in the boat. British Columbia Halibut.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Yep. The hands of the rod holder control the placement of where the lure falls. And how many fish are put into the cooler.
Anyway, next project below. RainShadow blank, the gents at RainShadow have a good handle on where their blanks/rods are best used. Start with a good blank and build it to your specs.
This one will go to the Cape Cod Beaches for the Bro In Law. Birthday gift
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Billy is spot on. Test, test, test. Put your fishing buddy to work slinging lures and 8 & Bait. After 4 or 5 rods you will have it down. Or 5/8 ounce plugs if you are FW Bass fishing. Then go buy 50 of the blanks before they are discontinued.
Took me two years to figure out Salmon Mooching Rods here in WA State. No casting involved, just putting the bait in the right spot
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Smear some wax on the mandrel. The epoxy won't
> stick to that.
>
> ..........
Yep, or any type of Mold release.
From my gun building days I have left over Brownells AcraGlas mold Release used in bedding fiberglass gunstocks. Works great for the rod building applications when you do not want e
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> John,
>
> There is a photo page attached to this site where
> you can post photos and they'll be archived for
> later viewing.
>
> ..........
I will take a look, still new here on this site, Thanks.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
25. First Wrapper
Went big time and skipped the notched cardboard box with heavy dictionary: About 1968. It still hangs on the shop wall.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Back in my cork days I used a Urethane glue for the cork work and gluing the cork to the blank. Worked great.
This Salmon Mooching rod was made in about 1979, still in good shape and I use it often. In the photo I was putting on another coat of Lite on the wraps, this was a year ago.
Forum: rodboard 2 years ago
John Ricks
Note the 3 spool tape dispenser mounted on a fabricated steel stand. Bottom of the steel stand is a piece of 1" thick steel plate, so it stays where you put it. Felt covered bottom so it does not dig into the bench when I slide it.. And this puts the tape dispenser up high for an easy reach over the rod lathe.
Old School: My rod lathe from the 1970's when commercial built ones we
Forum: rodboard 3 years ago
John Ricks
29. Re: Guides
Here ya go. 13 foot Surf Spinning, Rain Shadow blank. 11 guides plus the tip top.
scroll down to the REVSU130H blank drawing. Click on it.
Scroll down again, in addition to the rod drawing there is another page with the part numbers.
Forum: rodboard 3 years ago
John Ricks
30. Re: Guides
The stripper on this Moocher is a 12, other guides graduated down to 6's towards the tip. Big guides get in the way on a serious Mooching rod, however, we fish a bit differently here in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Lots of deep water and the big Chinook are right on the bottom. Mooching a cut plug herring is a hoot!
However the deep water Mooching is a fast dying art, most young uns' w
Forum: rodboard |