Roger - thank you for the detailed response, reading this help guides me a bit. For the record, I have a St. Croix 5S 66ML which I LOVE but in my mind is better suited for pitching 1/8 and as low as 1/16oz jigs and for active jigging. It worked well when i used it this year but I found myself longing for a rod a little lighter and a tad longer. Right now i am actually leaning towards 7' and I'
Forum: rodboard

Thanks for the replies so far, I should have described my fish I method. It will be most pitching small jigs (1/32-1/8) with a minnow or plastic. Also will be using small bobbers with the jig or plain hook setup underneath. Typical up here in MN we target them early in the season and they will be in 4-15" of water. Crappies here aren't too large, a really good size one in my area would b
Forum: rodboard

I am looking at building a personal rod over the winter. The idea is to build what I would consider to be the ultimate crappie rod. I plan to put a full cork handle on it, full recoil guides with a guide wrapped on the tip vs tip top and very minimalist in style. I would like a 2 piece due to ease of transport and am looking at 7-7'6", although I'm leaning towards 7' and may end up going
Forum: rodboard

I'm glad you asked this question Mike, I've had the same issue a couple times. Looks like I need to get rid of the pencil torch and use a simple lighter.
Forum: rodboard

Would the 7'2" rod work for crappies?
Forum: rodboard

Roger - do you have any pictures of this process? Or the station and finished product?
Forum: rodboard

Todd - I'm an avid ice fisherman with way too many rods. Built some myself and purchased an equal amount of customs from the shops around me (Thorne, DH, Tuned Up Customs). That said, in looking at my rods which range from 28"-36". Here are the number of guides on each, happy to send specifics as a baseline if you'd like. -28": 5 -28" (noodle): 5 -30": 5 -32" (
Forum: rodboard

Billy - I'd love to hear more about this method.
Forum: rodboard

@Steve Gardner - can you elaborate on the performance improvement? I have gone down to size 4 and am interested in learning more about smaller guides.
Forum: rodboard

Anyone up in MN built a rod on these blanks? I'd like to feel one before purchasing.
Forum: rodboard

I agree with Bill. Most of my finish looks exactly the same as what you have there
Forum: rodboard

My Father-in-law has asked me to look into building him a 10' to 10'6" eye trolling rods for pulling crankbaits on braided line. He'sd like something with a moderate action to allow for the braid. Has anyone here built a similar rod? I looked at my supplier (Get Bit Outdoors) but didn't see anything at first glance that would work well. Any recommendations are much appreciated.
Forum: rodboard

Tiger Wrap color help: I recently built a personal rod on the Rainshadow Revelation blank. I wrapped the guides in black with a neon yellow NCP accent. On the hook keeper o used the same colors but did a small JTOB with silver as the "frame" for the neon yellow OB. Here's where my question starts, I'd like to do a Tiger Wrap in the split grip that is mostly Neon Yellow and Blackwith
Forum: rodboard

I built one with Recoil guides and it turned out great. They are pricey but worth it. For my next personal crappie rod I'm going to try single foot fly guides for runners to keep the weight down even more.
Forum: rodboard

@Tom Kirkman and others - do you feel that removing a guide ring increase sensotovity? I'm specifically referring to Recoil guides which o have grown fond of.
Forum: rodboard

Just ordered from them today, I ran out of winding checks and asked if they could help size them for me which they generously offered to help with. That's great service in my mind.
Forum: rodboard

I would say you did a good job. I built a 6' UL a month back with Recoil guides and my balance point with a micro reel was right at the tip of the spool I think the guides on a UL build make a big difference which is why I used the Recoils. In my limited experience, if you put a couple rings of rubberized cork in the handle it will help balance it out well without adding too much weight.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Roger! I placed the order and included a 16 and 10, that should allow me some wiggle room for size and placement.
Forum: rodboard

Good advice bill, thank you.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Bill. I spoke to someone at Batson not long ago and they were heckling on spacing as they only have a Blueprint for a micro guide setup on the site right now.
Forum: rodboard

@Mark - did you pick out a blank yet?
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Tom. Unfortunately with my situation I do not have a stockpile of guides to use and follow the ideal sizing approach and typically only have guides and blanks on hands when i have an order or a rod I want to build for myself. I will check out the Anglers Resource site for their recommendations.
Forum: rodboard

I am placing an order for supplies to build a Rainshadow Revelation 6'2" Medium Power, Fast Action rod (REVS62M). Has anyone here buiult a similar setup on this rod? If so, would you be willing to share guide spacing and sizing? I will be using Fuji Alconite guides and building this with traditional guides. I know I can do the static test and 27x method, but figured I'd check in here wit
Forum: rodboard

One thing I'll add and I know not everyone here is a fan of Recoil guides, but for this presentation and that blank the Recoil guides are killer. Super lightweight, just make sure to add an extra runner to avoid flat spots. I'm sure the Rainshadow blanks are great too, I just personally have not used them for this application.
Forum: rodboard

I like the St. Croix 5SC63mxf for vertical jogging. If that is too heavy you can go with the ML.
Forum: rodboard

Get Bit Outdoors sells them. I have good luck with Kevin and his team, very friendly and responsive.
Forum: rodboard

I've only built on the spine so I guess you can say that's my preference, for reference I build on St. Croix SC3 and 5 blanks most of the time and they are usually very straight. @John - when building on the straightest axis do you find that the rod twists under load? That has always been my concern and when building solid carbon ice rods it's amazing how much they twist if not on the spine.
Forum: rodboard

Paul - once you choose the right blank and guide train, try spooling it with Nanofil line. It is the smoothest casting line I've used and the 4lb line has a 1lb diameter.
Forum: rodboard

I've had this happen before too, mine formed in the inside of the hook keeper. I just waited for everything to dry, sliced out the problem area (popped bubble in my case), cleaned the area real good and applied another coat of epoxy. I did babysit it for about 30 minutes but it cMe out looking like nothing ever happened. I wouldn't fret too much over it, it can definitely be fixed.
Forum: rodboard

I've recently cut 2 graphite Fuji VSS reel seats with a miter saw. I just put a couple layers of masking tape on it and cut away. They turned out pretty good and seem to be a straight cut.
Forum: rodboard