As the thread title says, I'm a little confused about something I read in some past threads in regards to shortening a rod blank, and its affect on the action of that blank. I'm in the process of putting an order together to build my first two rods. One that I've talked about exstensively in past threads, and one that I mentioned in passing in one of the threads I posted to. In order to get th
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Roger, thank you, and I definitely agree with what you're saying. Some very wise words to be sure. My problem with factory rods stem almost entirely from the move to longer rods. I understand factories build what the masses want, so maybe I should place the blame for the movement at it's source. In my case it would be professional bass fishing circuits. I know that the bass fishing masses follow
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I have yet to build my first rod, but that will be remedied in the near future. The reason I am getting into rod building is one .... because of the satisfaction I recieve from catching a fish on a lure I've made. Catching a fish on a rod you've built has got to be even more satisfying. Couple the satisfaction of catching a fish on a lure you made and a rod you built, and it has got to be nirvana
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Roger, thanks for the kind words. I'm pretty new to this forum, and this is the first post I've made that I felt I could actually contribute some helpful ideas. Most of my posts have been in the form of questions, and in thanking others for their responses. lol You're right about this forum. There are some very knowledgeable people here that are more than willing to help. I "know" J
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For the Texas rig worm rod, the power and action Joe mentioned would do very well, although unless you'll be using the rod in cramped quarters with overhead obstructions, I'd go with a 7' rod length. If the majority of your Texas rig fishing is going to be done in heavy cover, I'd opt for a heavy power rod with a fast action. Something rated for 12 - 25# line and 3/8 - 1 1/4 oz. baits. I'll put m
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Hi Chad. I'm not surprised by your response. Actually I was expecting this type of response, which is why I didn't mention it in my first post to this thread. I figured as freely as the members of this site share information, that if it was a viable option, I surely would have seen it while reading past posts. I did see what you mentioned about adding a piece of Madeira thread into your mixing cu
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Being completely new to rod building, I have yet to have any experience with rods other than those you can get from a factory, That means I have no experience with either blank you mentioned, so my thoughts may not be what you're looking for specifically. With that said, I've been pretty serious about bass fishing for the past 25 years, and crankbaits in general are some of my favorite baits to t
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Phil, thank you for not minding that I stepped in. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have happen, what you described. For me it would be like losing a big bass at the boat, by the knocking the bait out of its mouth, with the landing net. There was something else that I had in mind when making my initial post, but to be honest I wasn't sure if it would sound stupid to mention it
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Not knowing what is considered as "hijacking a thread" on this site, I hope that it is proper to make a possible suggestion, while asking a question? The FishHawk bright nylon thread appears to have the same sheen that the Madeira thread has. I understand that Madeira offers a much greater choice of colors, but it could be a possible alternative? My question would be .... does C
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Chad, thank you very much for responding. In actuality I felt rather awkward requesting that kind of information. Part of what's drawn me to wanting to build my own rods, are the personal touches I can bring to them. I like elegant, yet simple. And that is exactly what I saw in that thread wrap. As I said in my post prior to this ... I'm going to buy quite a few different thread colors and have f
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Steve ..... thank you for mentioning the Forhan locking wrap. I had noticed it in the library section of this site, but I hadn't read it until after reading your post. I really like the idea of having thread assist in keeping single foot guides from pulling out, It was a concern of mine when wrapping the guides I've wrapped to date. While I hate to admit it, I actually put a dab of finish in fro
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John ... thank you very much for your response. It reinforces what Tom said in his post. Thank you very much for taking the time to post it. I truly appreciate it. Garry ..... I'd also like to thank you for taking the time to respond to my question concerning guide foot adhesives. I definitely appreciate it. I'm going to end up ordering both the guide foot adhesive and the surgical tubing mate
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Chad .... seeing is believing. That looks better than pretty nice. That looks sweet !!! I mean seriously sweet. I really love the look of the gold trim bands too. You do some beautiful work sir. I can see I'm going to have to buy more than a few different colors of thread, just so I can try different combinations. I truly hope that this request isn't totally out of line, but would you mi
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Thank you Roger. I really like the idea of the O rings. After reading your post and looking at the pictures you had linked, I looked a little more closely at my Mudhole catalog and see that they sell surgical tubing in varying IDs for the very purpose of holding guides on. I think I'm going to go that route. I've used the narrow masking tape that most of the rod building books seem to mention, an
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Thank you for your responses Tom and Bill. I appreciate them very much. I'm actually glad to hear that there is a difference in the strength of the wraps with and without CP. And even though as you said Tom, that the guide frame will deform for the guide rips off. The difference in strength is nice to know. Bill, thank you for the tip about applying additional CP in the area along the guide
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Hi all, Once again, I'm new to rod building, and having only put new guides on three of my own rods, a virtual rookie when it comes to wrapping guides. So I hope this doesn't en up being a stupid question. Just a short back story to explain where this question comes from. About eight years ago I had a rod that needed new guides, and the blank refinished. One of the guys that fished the sa
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If it's the satin finish that you're after, you could always just use Perma Gloss and scuff the surface lightly with a gray Scotchbrite pad after it's dry? That way you'd be taking all of the guess work out of finding the right product. Just a thought.
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After seeing photographs on Rainshadow's Facebook page that show the blank color of the Immortal series MUCH better than their web site, I still love the color of the blank, but I wouldn't be using brown thread for guide wraps. lol Mr McIntosh .... I do plan on contacting your company, either by e mail or by phone to talk more about the Immortal series of blanks you offer. If I may .... is th
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If an object that weighs 640 times less than a products breaking strength, can break that product, (a half ounce lure snapping 20# test line), as the result of too rapid of an acceleration, or deceleration, I see no reason that the same wouldn't apply to a rod blank. Like Tom said .... get ready to hear a loud crack. And hopefully you have a firm grip on the rod's handle, or that baby may go in t
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R. McIntosh, thank you very much for responding, and posting that review. When I first started the process of selecting a rod blank, I had read that review on Tackle Tour's web site. It and some of the comments I've heard from those that use your older RX8 blanks are the reasons I was, and to some extent, still haven't entirely ruled out, using an Immortal blank for my build. I'm of the beli
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Phil, thank you for your response. I definitely agree that various line types and their accompanying characteristics, have a profound effect on the amount of information that reaches the rod. The more information reaching the rod, the better the rods chances of transmitting that information to the user. While I'm new to rod building, I'm not new in understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each
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Before I address the additional repsonses, I'd like to correct an oversight. Don ... thank you very much for your post. As we've discussed rod building aspects in another post, and have been "on the same page" as far as what I'm trying to achieve, your recommendations and opinions are something I will definitely take into consideration. I didn't mean to miss your post. My apologies.
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Thank you very much Tom. I'll adjust my material list accordingly. This place is awesome.
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Don, thank you for the reply. I feel silly for asking you if you use static load to determine number of guides and guide placement. I honestly knew you did, I just didn't know a way of asking you how many more guides you found yourself needing. My apologies for that stupid question. I looked at the Torzite ring guides. When I saw the price I about ..... well..... you know what I mean. lol I d
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Chester and Tom, thank you both very much for your comments. I was fairly certain that Robert's suggestions had me on the right path. My pondering was based on the multiple sizes of guides in the guide sets I used when replacing guides on my other rods, and my general lack of knowledge when it comes to guide sizes and how they effect a guide train's performance. Actually, the guide sizes I quoted
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Robert, thank you very much for the suggestion. I didn't consider the double foot KW because it was listed as a spinning guide in Mudholes catalog. I know what they say about assumptions, but I assumed it may not be strong enough for use as a butt position guide on a heavy power bass casting rod. My reasoning for thinking this is that spinning guides recieve pressure from a different direction th
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Hi all, This is the second thread I've started as a new member to this web site. And I've gotta say that from reading through past threads, that this place is a wealth of knowledge for both those new to rod buidling like I am, and even for those that are seemingly quite experienced. I love the willingness to help that some members show towards us "newbies" In the other thread I star
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Don, thank you for the response. In my original post, I mentioned replacing the guides on three of my rods last year. I used the Alconite guides as replacements, and I like them a lot, And even though all the rods ended up with more guides on them, than were on them from the factory, the rods cast better and seem more responsive than they were with the old guides. I definitely hear what you'r
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Sounds great Joel. The more I've researched Phenix rods, the more I'm becoming convinced that the M1 blank is the one for me. That's not to say I haven't read excellent reviews on rods built using the Rainshadow, or MHX blanks I am considering. It's just that I've been able to find more information on Phenix rods, because of their having factory built models. I like that you mentioned using mi
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Hey Joel, thanks for suggesting the Phenix blanks. Like you, I can't say I baby my equipment, so durability is something I definitely have to consider. I checked their blanks out on their web site and in the Mudhole catalog, and they seem like something I'd be looking for. Do you have a preference of one of the blanks series you suggested, over the other? While the rod I plan on building wil
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