I have put a lot of Winn Grips on rods over the past few years, because many people really like them. The foam they use is a very hard EVA and is overlayed with their Winn dry polymer that gets grippier when it get wet They are very light, durable, easy to clean, and feel good. A number of people have had me retro fit all of their rods with Winn grips because they liked how they felt compared to
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Get the 2 3/8” butt grip, and you can then put the reel seat any where you want it. You can still use the perfect fit hardware with it. I personally think the 4 1/2” butt grip is too long, I have used it for a rear grip. Norm
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I think it was Hand Tide Stix. Norm
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Whoa! -6.3 F is really cold. We will get into the mid 20s with highs in the 40s for three days next week. That’s very cold for us down here. Hopefully, when the weather warms up the crappie spawn will start. We have some really good crappie fishing here, 2 to 2.5 lb crappie are very common, with some over 3 lbs. I guess you have to wait till the ice thaws, I hope sooner than later. Good luck! N
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Jim, that a very good analysis. It is very true that blanks having similar CCS number can have a different feel. Like I said you have to try it to know how it feels. Norm
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Phil I think we all know that objective measurements are important, but building a rod is a personal thing and it’s is fun to figure out how to do it so you’re happy with it. So for me building a rod is part objective science and part subjective feelings. Building a rod is not all cut and dry science, and I’m very happy that there are a lot of very good blanks and components out there to try. My
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Michael, I heard that this coming week will be extremely cold for most of the country including here in the South. Unfortunately, Spring has been delayed a little more for many of us. Looking forward to having fun with some new rods and seeing how they feel. Yep a change in the weather will give me some good vibes! Norm
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Heck, that will take all the fun out of it! He will never have the need to try other blanks to see if he gets ‘good vibes’ from them. So if he finds one he likes then he should buy several in case it ever becomes discontinued and replaced with something newer and more soulful. Norm
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Even knowing what all these esoteric rod measurements mean, Phil will still have to try it to decide if he likes it or not. Subjective values play a real role, which cannot be under estimated, for choosing what you like. All I can say about rod harmonics is when you get ‘good vibes’ that’s when you know you like it. Norm
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You can take all the objective scientific measurements you can muster up, but you still have to personally try it to know if you like it. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, biases and perceptions. Based on this there is no way any set of objective parameters would define the best rod for everyone. Double blind testing under controlled conditions is the way to go if you are trying to prove
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I would use a size 20M to a 10M, to a 6M, then low profile F runners in a size of your choosing. Set it up using the Fuji KR GPS at Anglers Resource. Or you can use the Fuji KL-H and KB/KT guides. Norm
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Seth that is the same fly reel I’m using. The fly line i use is an inexpensive fly line I picked up at Cabelas, and it came with a spool of backing for about $15 to $20. For the way I fish this setup works great for me. I just flip the line out with a crappie jig tied on. I use it with or with a float, depends on how deep I’m fishing. Caught about 1500 to 2000 crappie during the spawn last year
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Different strokes for different folks! Use whatever suits you the best, they will all work. When I first started building I turned by hand, This really gave me an appreciation of how much epoxy to apply, how well it self levels, and how slow you can turn a rod still a get a great smooth, sag free finish. This is one of the reasons I prefer a low rpm drying motor, and another, as I previously ment
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As long as the fit is not sloppy and the butt is properly shimed,and reinforced, it should work. The ferrules for most of the old Lew’s handles were in the 1.5”-2” range, and many of those rods are still around. Even the ferrules used to connect handles to off shore heavy duty trolling rods were not much longer. In addition, many old fiberglass surf rods had handles made on an aluminum tube with
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I am not even close to being a rod artist, I have a hard time matching my socks. However, I love building rods and try to promote the craft by sharing what expertise and experience I have with others. I think we all trying to do this, as well as learning.new things by interacting with others. It’s a lot of fun, and the learning continues! Norm
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Mathew is exactly right. The tip top was probably glued in place using epoxy. Norm
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They are not Lew’s speed stix handles! However they are based on a similar concept. This handle looks like it was fitted to the blank via a metal ferrule. The Lew’s handle had a very different look and were either glued directly to the blank or attached via a plastic ferrule. At the time a lot of manufacturers made the handles separately, and attached them to blank when the rod was being put toge
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The NERBS do absolutely stunning decorative butt wraps and handles, and seeing them in person makes you really appreciate how awesome they really are. Billy has been in the forefront of moving this type of art form forward. I have a lot lot of respect for what he has done. Norm
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Sounds like some type of the old speed stick handles which were quite common on rods over 30 yrs ago. They were designed for relatively short rods and the rods were either directly glued into the handle or fited with a butt ferrule that would fit in the handle. Most fly rod handles would not normally have cork on both sides of the reel seat. However, if there is female like ferrule on both ends
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I have both 6 and 9 rpm drying motors. For me, I consider anything faster than this as too fast. A plus to slow rpm motors are they last longer and are less prone to problems, such as sticking in place, I have had some of my slow rpm motors for close to 35 yrs, which would include several thousand rods. I have had several 19 rpm and higher motors just stop working, and I replaced them with lo
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The spine does it matter issue has been going on for the 50 yrs I have been building rods. If the spine and the straightest axis are the same go with it. However in many cases they are not the same, so go with the straightest axis, other wise your tip will veer off to the left or the right, and this just doesn’t look good. Because of this, I’ve alway built on the straightest axis. For a spinning
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For your reel and rod, the KR GPS places the KL25H stripper at 21” from the spool, and the KL5.5L choke guide guide 23” in front of the stripper. Progressively place the other two reduction guides between them. Then place your running guides progressively between the choke and the tip top. There is no problem In moving the choke guide in or out a little bit to get a good looking guide train. Stat
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If you are doing a KR concept spin rod use the KR concept GPS. The other GPS at Anglers Resource is for the NGC and should not be used with KL-H guides. Mudhole KL-H Kits are poorly put together, and their guide placement chart is not very good. For your next rod don’t use their KR guide kit, they are trying to turn the KR concept into a NGC. Lynn is correct for the kit you have use the 5.5L as y
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I alway wet sand a blank with wet/dry paper, and still wear a particle mask. Better safe than sorry. Norm
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Two different concepts, the New Guide Concept (has been around for close to 30 yrs) vs the KR Concept which is a rapid choke refinement of the NGC. The KR concept was designed for use with braided line and microguide runners and uses high frame small ring guides for the reduction train which rapidly controls, and chokes the line so it smoothly enters the low profile icroguide runners. That why
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I’ll be there. Looking forward to seeing you again. Norm
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Mhx used to make a carp rod. I would assume a 12' surf rod able to handle 3 to 4 oz would work just fine.
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I believe the KR GPS has problems with short rods. Norm
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I have that blank on hand, and a size 4 tip top is too small, 4.5 is tight but fits. Anothet blank of the same model that I previously built, I had to use a size 5 tip top. Norm
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Forget about using the Merrick guide Chart, that way you won’t get confused. The chart does not take into account the reel size or the type of line being used, it also assumes a given handle length. The KR GPS gives you a very good starting point. There is a lot of flexibility in setting up a KR concept guide train, especially when using braid. I have experimented with both the Merrick guide char
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