The thread used on the Fenwick lunkerstik was Gudebrod NCP chestnut brown 5274 (aka fenwick brown). I am not quite sure but I think they used mildrum guides. I know I have a 1 oz spool of Gudebrod 5274 NCP size D, since I have not used it in 30 yrs you can have it if you want it. Not sure but I may have some old mildrum guides hiding some where in my shop, if I can find them you can also have the
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I once had a titanium guide break under load like the one on the picture, however the blank did not fali. But I suspect Phil might be correct in his assessment. Of course it it difficult to tell which failed first, the guide or the blank, but I think that if the guide had not failed the rod would still be intact. I have noticed that titanium frames tend to be a little more fragile than stainless
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Lawrence, if you are planning on using KLH guides use the KR GPS at Anglers Resource. The reel measurement meathod is used with the other guide placement system at Anglers Resources which is basically for New Guide Concept (NGC) setups. Use this link. Norm
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Russel, call Mudhole. They have extra tips for all the MHX two and multiple piece blanks. They are not listed in their online catalog so you have to call them. I have the same rod and like to use it to cast 1/4 oz jigs with a grub for speckled trout on sea grass flats. The one piece SJ9000 version is almost identical to the MHX hotshot blank HS9000. Norm
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Tom, when I saw the mudhole flyer I immediately thought of you. I would not be surprised that you previous posts had some impact. Norm
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David, one thing I have learned from the KR rods I have built is that I usually need at least one more running guide then the KR GPS suggests. If you are using fluorocarbon or mono I would increase the size of the reduction guides to KL 20H, KL10H, and KL5.5M. This will make for a little smoother casting since fluorocarbon and mono lines are stiffer than braid, but braid will still cast extremel
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Just tried the KR GPS and it worked fine. What were the measurements you entered? There are differences between the KR set up and the 27X/NGC set up. The KR concept is a modification of the NGC where the choke point is move back toward the reel. Norm
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Have not tried the Elliot blanks yet but have used all the others, and they are all quite nice. My favorite for what you are talking about is the Point Blank PB691MLXF. It is a little more powerful than the ETES68MF but is also very light. I also have the PB701MF which has a lot of power but throws a wide range of lure weights quite easily. It is listed as F but to me it is more of an XF rod. Po
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You did not mention the types and weights of lures he is planning on using. As you probably realized it is difficult to find 2 piece casting rods. However, MHX makes a fair number of two piece rods that may fit his needs. The nice thing about the MHX 2 piece blanks is that you can get an extra tip if needed. For the money they are very nice rods of high quality. Norm
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As Michael states fly rods are relatively simple to put together, but you still have a lot of options available to you. Since you are only going to be building fly rods I assume you fly fish, so you should have a good idea already about what you like and don't like about the fly rods you are currently using. Building a custom rod allows you to put together the components you like or want to try.
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Many people refurbishing a classic rod want to keep the original logo and lettering, others do not. Sounded like your friend wants the original logo and lettering to stay. If he does then stripping the rod and clear coating it is the best way to keep it as original looking as possible even if using modern guides. Permagloss gives a very light, smooth, flexible and durable satin finish that is bet
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These were very good rods, I have a friend who has several and he loves them. Scrape off the old finish being careful not to damage the original lettering on the rod. Then lightly smooth and scuff the rod using a fine scotch brite pad, fine steel wool or 800-1000 grit wet/dry sand paper. Clean it and then give it a clear coat of Permagloss by quickly wiping it on with a foam cosmetic sponge. You
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Never really thought about it, but without any decorative wraps you should be able to wrap a rod with one 100 yd spool of size A. Does depended on the diameter of the blank, number of guides and whether or not they are single or double foot. If you have 1 oz spools of thread no problem. Norm
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Since Clousers are weighted flies they are difficult to cast using a light moderate action fly rod. A faster heavier weight fly rod will work much better with out the line collapsing on the cast. Sounds like your fly rod is far too light for the fly being used and your cast is collapsing. A 6 wgt fly will cast a relatively light Clouser without much of a problem, However, for most Clouser fishin
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If you are going to cover it with a new grip clean it up the best you and don't worry about getting it pristine. Heat will soften the epoxy making it easier to scrape off. I use a piece of split bamboo as my scraper, it is very hard and holds enough of an edge to scape the epoxy but is gentle enough not to damage the blank finish. I know that split bamboo pieces are not very common to come by, so
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I build very few rods using EVA so I am not aware of some of tricks involved in with their installation. So I was curious about the rubber cement method for installing EVA grips mentioned above by both Grant and Robert. Here is a link to the method, did not find a video but did not look very hard after finding this. The next time I install an EVA grip I will try it. Thanks Grant and Robert.
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Do not know if you saw this, but here is a video link that was posted a few weeks ago concerning NFC Delta blanks. From what I understand they will be out later this year. Norm
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Fiberglass cloth will work just heavier, but with a heavy off shore rod a little extra weight will not make that much difference. Norm
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Minima 4s. Norm
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MHX has extra tips for all their two piece and multiple piece rods. They are not listed in the catalog, so call mudhole to get information. I came across this when I was registering an MHX blank and notice that tips where listed. I needed a new tip for a broken two piece MHX rod and called Mudhole and they had it. I do not know of another manufacturers that sell tips separately. Norm
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I had the same problem a few weeks ago. Tried to force a 3/4 inch ID EVA grip onto a 1" butt blank. Even with epoxy lubrication I could not get it to fit. I found a broken rod in my stash that had the appropriate diameter and made another reamer. I spiral wrapped a half inch strip of sandpaper to he blank using contact cement, which holds up to the heat generated by reaming. Worked well. If
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The Aero grip is one of my least favorite reel seats. To me that hump just feels uncomfortable and weird in my hand, but that's my opinion. Some people love them and others, like me, dislike them. It's all about what you like, if you like them then do not worry about the weight, The weight of the reel seat is located at a very weight neutral position on the rod, plus or minus a few grams will no
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All epoxy finishes will darken with time and there is no way to get it clear again. However, the epoxy is still good and will work fine. Use it with dark colored thread on a dark blank and you will not notice the color. If you use it on very light colored thread and/or on a while blank you may notice the amber color. One part Polyurethane rod finishes, like Permagloss, will not yellow, but they r
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Since you are new to rod building with very little,if any, wrapping experience, I would recommend that you use size D thread. It is much easier to wrap and will still look very good. I think with the size of the guides you will be using and the length of the wraps required, using a size A thread will drive you crazy. Do not make it any harder on yourself then necessary, enjoy the experience. No
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I replace guides all the time where the ceramic insert has either popped out or cracked. These includes guides of all brands both single foot and double foot guides. It may be that Southern bass and inshore anglers are harder on their gear than anglers from more northern climes. Or we just have more rods in the boat making accidental breakage more likely. In any case, the major advantage of cera
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Michael is correct, a rod with the manufacturer's 8 wgt rating but with an ERN of 9.5 will be able to handle a 100' of 8 wgt line better than another manufacturer's 8 wgt rod that has an ERN of 8. Almost like false advertising. Also fast high modulus rods tend to handle more line out than slower lower modulus rods. Like mentioned before the best rod is the one you most enjoy fishing, and everyone
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Are you using color preserver? What kind of thread are you using? With the use of CP and/or NoCP thread the epoxy does not penetrate the threads and is thus more prone to cracking and peeling. Like Micheal I use a thin second coat within 24 hr without sanding and only if I need to cover flaws. Norm
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I used to use masking tape all the time, not any more. I use either polyurethane foam shims pre glued in the reel seat or dry wall tape. In my opinion they are both superior to masking tape. Repaired a few rods (not that I built) where the reel seats failed due to the use of masking tape bushings; they did not hold up to hard use and the stress of large fish. Repaired them with dry wall tape and
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I have several MHX fly rods and like them a lot. I agree with Tom in that the most expensive rods are not necessarily the best. The best rods are those that you enjoy to fish with the most. There are a lot of very good high quality fly rod blanks available that are relatively inexpensive and perform wonderfully. I made a high end Sage fly rod for a friend and he prefers to fish with the first fly
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Just balance your rod on the scale you have should work just fine. Norm
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