A spiral wrap does make the rod more stable when fighting a fish. Should be able to go from the 20mm butt guide straight to 12mm spiral wrapped.The weight difference between 8mm and 12mm running guides is relatively not much once you hang 6oz plus off the tip.
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What length do you need/ want ? I bought a XC 730 blank at the expo. Billy had a built up one there and let me pull on it with him holding the line to show the power. It can handle 20lb fish no problem with the backbone it has.Might want to go to the 731 to handle the 2 oz sinker plus bait though. Billy also had another 730 rod of his that he trimmed 1 inch from the tip that would probably han
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How do these retailers get the same shipping rate from USPS as Amazon?
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It was great to see you Billy in person after all of the advice you have given to me in the past. Your advice is blunt and I appreciate it even if it rubs some folks the wrong way they just need to get over it. For someone that has such high quality unique work you are very humble about it. There not many groups that have so many willing to share info and offer encouragement like rod building.
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Which one did you like after flexing some at the expo?
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Your 30 lb line will eventually snap with the weight your casting. Then you will have a 5oz + piece of lead projectile going who knows what direction down the beach. I have heard that one went through someone radiator but at least that didn’t hit a person. I would use 20lb mono going to a 60 to 80lb shock leader depending on what weight is needed to hold bottom. If you want to save a lot of
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They might be 8mm in that pic but we don’t know what model it is. There is a big difference between a 1-4oz rod and a 2-8oz, also the intended usage such as lure fishing using thin braid going to a short fluorocarbon leader where the connection knot during casting is outside of the tip top vs casting bait using a 7 oz sinker connected to a long 70lb shock leader where the connection knot is under
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How much sinker weight do you typically use to hold bottom? On my 11 ft St Croix Avid built as a spinner I have braid going to a 70lb shock leader. The typical rule is 10lbs of shock leader strength per 1oz of weight to cast for safety reasons. I wouldn’t go any smaller than a 10mm running guide or tip top due to the shock leader knot and the grass/seaweed that gets stuck on the line.You
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Shimano Symetre Fj 1000 I have is very smooth and great casting reel for the $. I was worried once about it when I busted my tail slipping on a creek’s mud bank and the reel went into the silty mud. It took rinsing, cleaning and lube at home and now it works perfect. Some of the reels that have less bearings like the Daiwa SS could of been rinsed in the creek and kept on fishing but they are not
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From observing videos the handle length is long for the rod length so added weight has to be the main reason that Nuno pointed out. Another thought is the blank flexes through the graphite reel seat and down quite into the butt so probably want little as possible hendering the flex.
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Never slow pitch jig but it sure looks like a fun way to fish.
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Sat 24 at 4 PM sounds like a good time to take a nap.. Just kidding Billy, looking forward to your siminar and checking out the x comp 730.
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Another manufacture that used to and possibly still does make yellow e glass blanks is Seeker in their sp line in Gold color. Mudhole would be the first place to check on that. I believe many of those Seeker sp models are based on old Sabre and Fenwick blanks.
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Try looking up his email on Fiberglassflyrodders he is J Green on there to private message. If that doesn’t work contact Marty Romeo of Deep Bend Rodworks I received a J Green blank from him and he might have a blank or surely have James email to contact.
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I would contact James Green fly rods in CA. He makes custom fly rod blanks in yellow glass same color as the Lamiglas. They are unsanded but you could probably hand sand it if you want a smooth finish.
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Robert thanks for the report.I like the specs on the 714 blank. Looks good for finesse bass and inshore jig fishing. How much did the 714 blank you received weigh?
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To make it more confusing most manufacturers pvd tich on top of chrome plating. Aparantly eco coating does not. Hopkins and Holloway has good info about pvd coatings on their guides.
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Pretty sure eco coating is a pvd process like the tichrome. It suppose be as durable or more than chrome plating without the harsh chemicals to make. Tich can range from grey to pretty much black color.
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Archie’s butternut wood handles aren’t too heavy and looks really good with a few coats of spar.
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I think the lower cost is mainly not sanding the blanks reducing labor and cosmetic blemishes. Hopefully someone has used them to know the actions. I am like you I like some bend to the blank especially with braid use.
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I may be wrong but I think most models of Delta are IM but unsanded. Then they have the composite crankbait which I am pretty sure is used by Kistler’s Feel n Reel. Kistler may use some other Delta models as well. That 50% off sale got my interest up too for one of the Delta crankbait blanks until I went to checkout to see the shipping is a flat $30 and the $10 tax per rod is not put in to the
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Rod Geeks has a blank that is 6’8” in their Bass 4 that by specs looks very similar to what you want. On their website they state the bass series has more flex to deal with low stretch braid and also has hoop strength reinforcement. I am hoping to get one at the ICRBE for a kayak fishing build. Another blank line that has sparked my interest is North Fork Composites Delta Series. Pretty posi
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Hope so too! Also want to check out your super cast line.
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I should of stated it is thicker than 20lb Power Pro. The ultra 8 feels more stiff than regular fireline fused 4 strand, it may get more supple the more it’s used.
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No hard feelings here at all. For inshore popping rod I really don’t need the 14lb fireline on there no matter the guide train,it is overkill with a true breaking strength over 30, the 10lb would be plenty strong going to a short flouro leader. I was very surprised though that the 14lb was casting as good as it does with the microwave guides but like everything we it has its optimum usage
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I was referring to the Microwave Airwave guide set as the best bang for the buck. That is my own opinion that I am entitled to have and I share my opinion with no horse in the race. Unless Fuji has a KR guide set with chrome inserts for less than $15 that I don’t know of. I recently tried some of the new fireline ultra 8 and forgot how they underrate their line and bought the 14lb. Put that st
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Herb I think this post is great conversation with no harsh words, I was referring to other post about Fuji guides.
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I have the airwaves on a light inshore popping rod using a 3000 Shimano size spinning reel and it works great. Cast well using 8lb mono or up to 20lb braid. They are the best bang for the $ out there. Fuji KR is nice too and better for certain uses but not as easy to setup, just look at all of the post on this forum and others that explain how to set them up properly. Also don’t mention A
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That kind of cold usually kills off the Skeeters, very unusual indeed. Happy New Year
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Oh sorry Ron you are talking about switch casting, yeah if I was ambidextrous.
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