I really like the American Tackle Bushido Nanophene Extreme series. I have been using it for jigging rockfish and Ling Cod off the West Coast and it performs brilliantly! The lightest one is rated 12-20 / 3/4-2 1/2 so may be a bit heavy for your application. Another AT line is the Bushido Nanophene Ultra Load that is specifically designed for jigging but again, the lightest option is rated
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I have used Microwave Air spinning guides on some inshore saltwater rods and they have worked great! No issues whatsoever!
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David, With the NFC LMX FAF fly blanks, decals can look kinda wonky because of the ridges in the unsanded blank. There are two ways to address this, a coat of finish epoxy where the decal would be sited of some judicious sanding in that same area. I use the coat of epoxy method as at 72 years young, I don't trust my sanding ability. I sometimes actually wrap the area in a contrasting color,
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There are drill bits specifically designed for this purpose. It looks like a Forstner bit with a 1/4" post extending from the front. The post guides the bit precisely and the result is a perfectly centered inlet. Another option is a Crafty's Cutter (From Dan Craft Enterprises) if you can find one. I have one and it works extremely well, as long as you have the ability to use high speed (
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When measuring for the first (stripper) guide on a spinning rod, extend the spool to it's highest point and measure from the lip of the spool to the top of the ring. Failure to consistently measure with the spool extended can result in numerous re-measures, as I can attest!! Took me a couple years to figure out why my measurements were off! For a casting guide, I measure from the level-wind
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I have just picked up one of the NFC 360 Pro 926-2 hybrid blanks for down-rigger Salmon fishing in Puget Sound - a request from a Cousin. Rated at 15-40 lbs, it is a blend of the carbon fiber and NFC's new exclusive Zentron S-2 fiberglass. Rugged, sensitive and specifically designed for down-riggers and flashers, it should be well suited for the intended fishery!
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American Tackle has an ultralight 5' Matrix blank that is rated for 1-4 lb test line and lures 1/32 to 1/8 ounces and has a moderate action. This is only 2" longer than the requested length, is a quality blank, and has a handsome carbon fiber twill reinforcement in the butt area. AT also has a 5' 3" Bushido blank with the same ratings but is a Fast action. Either one would be a great
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I use American Tackle's Black Microwave 25's on all of my inshore spinning rods and will continue to do so. I have absolutely no issues with them, regardless of which size reel I use.
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While I am not a physicist and may be talking through my hat, I do have some opinions on this subject. My logical mind tells me the graphite arbors should transmit vibrations more effectively than a foam core, but are appreciably heavier then their foam counterparts. I use them quite often, but when fishing, I have never been able to tell the difference in graphite, foam core or even masking ta
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I have been using the Microwaves since they were introduced, and will continue to use them. My favorite set is the MW25's in matte black. I use them for inshore and freshwater applications. There are a number of advantages: 1) Increased casting distance 2) Decreased weight in the rod's tip area increasing sensitivity and rod recovery. (Similar to the advantages of a micro-guide setup) 3)
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Jack, You need to be careful with elasticized thread. The more times the thread goes around the blank, more pressure is added, with the potential for crushing the blank. This was a problem in the 60's when I began building rods, and while the rod didn't fail during the build, the stresses of casting or fighting a fish could trigger the failure where the guide foot broke through the blank. I
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Tom, I have been using the AT Microwave Stripper guides and absolutely LOVE them!, they go on ALL of my fly rod builds from now to when I stop building rods! I had to back off on my casting because I was over-casting my targets, and I am a marginal fly-caster! They come in two sizes, 18/8 and 12/6. I would use the 18/8 in your application. The format of the guide assists the collection
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Rick, I would check out the American Tackle Bushido model SP68/4-8. It is rated for lures from 1/32 to 5/16 and line rating from 4 to 8. It is a fast action 1-piece blank at a length of 6'8". This sounds like a perfect fit for your application, and I have never been dissatisfied with an AT blank. Rich
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Jonathan, A lot depends on the type of build, number of sections in the blank, the material, and how straight the pieces are. For a 4-piece fly rod, spining the pieces has very little benefit, it is more important to use the straightest axis. Each each piece may have a spine that does not align with any of the other sections. The reason the spine is not as important is that the fly line fol
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Hmmm... Casco Cascol Polyurethane eh? I don't intend to go out and purchase it, but it would be good to know where it can be found and if it disintegrates over time like the original Gorilla Glue. I've been building rods for over 54 years and this is the first I've ever heard of it!
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I watched it, and re-watched a few sections, but was unable to identify the name of the expanding glue. What is it? Is it better than original Gorilla Glue (that also expands like crazy, and is also very hard to remove if it gets in unwanted locations...)
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Fon, In my opinion, the best set for your situation would be the MW25's. Those are the ones Don indicated for reel sizes between 3000 and 5500. I use them on all of my inshore spinning outfits and absolutely LOVE them! Another big help is the MW packaging gives you the spacing for the first three guides (from the butt) - these measurements have been calibrated to exacting standards and they
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I don't know if the PacBay Minima's are being discontinued or not, but I do know of some alternatives! American Tackle has several lines with Stainless Steel rings, including their MicroWave AirWaves and TiForged Air. Great guides!
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Ronald, I always add a band of thread butting up to the tip top and have the thread finish extend up and over the tip top tube by a tiny bit. This does two things: - Makes the tip top consistent with the other guides - The thread finish will help keep the tip top secure should the epoxy get melted, like in a hot rear window (I use ferrule cement) If the guide wraps have a small trim
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The very first rod I ever built was in 1968 on a Fenwick factory second blank ($5) from one of the first graphite lines they produced. I bought it from Shoff's Sporting Goods in Kent, Washington, along with Dale Clemons book "Fiberglass Rod Building", several cork rings, a generic spinning seat and whatever spinning guides the clerk recommended. My total was around $30, and I fished
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Ed, I don't lnow your locale so cannot say what is available in your area. I get my ProWrap size B thread either directly from American Tackle or through Mudhole. In order to mitigate the shipping charge atributable to the thread, I make sure the order contains enough items to spread the shipping costs as much as possible. If you are in Florida, anywhere near Oviedo, you can visit Mudhole
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Marc, I put the black Vortex Air double-foot guides on one of my inshore spinning rods when they were first released by American Tackle. They excelled in every respect, but. Inasmuch as I have numerous inshore rods, none of them get used very often so I cannot discuss their durability. I am currently building a rod with the black TiForged Air guides on a conventional rod that will be used
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I have seen this video before, and several things come to mind: * Wrapping from the guide ring to the foot runs the risk of the thread gapping due to slippage on the guide-foot ramp. * Requires a precision ground guide-foot, even with the size D thread used in the video. Any blunt end would risk the thread slipping off the foot. * Not all threads will behave properly for that wrap
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American Tackle also carries ProWrap thread in size B, both untreated Nylon and Colorfast. I ordered some of each just this morning. With regard to other thread sizes, I have a significant quantity of Gudebrod size E, and even some EE. I don't generally use them, but I have been playing around with some Gudebrod size C that I received in a larger Gudebrod shipment. There is an enterprisin
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The weight of your set of guides on a rod are a minor factor in the overall weight of your finished rod, but you are able to make some choices to lower their weight. One of the biggest variables is the ring material, whether ceramic or stainless steel. There are many different ceramic formats, some enabling the use of thinner rings thereby reducing their weight. The Fuji Torzite guides are
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I'm afraid I am in the minority here, but I believe the spine can have a significant effect on casting accuracy for spinning and casting rods. I have experimented with this and found it to be true. If the spine is at 90 degrees to the guides, the cast will be pushed to the side opposite of the spine. The effect is mnost pronounced in one-piece blanks. I ignore the spine on blanks of 3 or more
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Contact Utmost Enterprises - they are only a few blocks from Pac Bay and should know what's going on...
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I too use a consistent length of the wraps leading up to the guide foot, except when a double-foot guide has feet are of different lengths. Then I may adjust the lead wrap to even out the overall wrap length. When the guide feet are equal lengths, I will sometimes place a band of 1/8" masking tape at the tips of the feet, then another band adjacent to the first band and remove the firs
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Brad, A Blood Knot is a very common knot for creating your own tapered leaders for fly fishing applications. There are many YouTube videos showing this line-to-line knot including the following: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0afkYn8vT8) It is not my favorite line-to-line knot but does create a very slim and compact knot. Rich
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While I would generally agree that winding checks are primarily cosmetic, there is one thing they do that is very important! If the handle does not fit tight to the blank, water incursion may occur and water is an enemy that must be kept out of the space! A winding check can seal off the end of the handle quite nicely! That being said, you can also accomplish this water-block using a thread-wr
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