Also try REC Components.
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John, Thanks. I did check Jann's. Brown Trout - Yes. Rainbow Trout - Yes. Brook Trout - No!
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Anybody know of any brook trout decals? I looked through my usual sources on the left but did not find any.
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I was a bit surprised to get this limited-edition catalog myself. It is a hardcover catalog that appears to have all of their various special catalogs merged into one.
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Cork! Cork! Cork!
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Sean, For the kind of conditions under which you would fish a 7 1/2' - 4 weight fly rod, do you really think casting distance is a factor?
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I use traditional snake guides exclusively. They are an excellent design. A fly rod without snake guides looks stupid to me.
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I put the winding check on first without any adhesive, then wrap from the winding check out. I just let the wrap hold the check in place. I've always done it that way and have never had any problems.
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Levi, You're getting a lot of opinions here so I may as well add my own. First off, ditch the fighting butt idea. It's just not necessary on trout rods and in the hands of a beginner will do more harm than good. I'd recommend a 8 1/2' or 9' in 5 weight, possibly 6. A four-piece is good for airline travel. Also don't use a metal rod case. Get one of the cordura clad PVC tubes. I'd recom
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I have used only the 1/16" tape and I think it gives adequate protection. I used two layers of tape the first time I ever tried it but later realized it was unnecessary. I recently rebuilt this rod and used just a single layer of tape. I build only fiberglass surf rods with generally have a larger blank diameter than graphite. If you're using graphite, you might actually prefer the 1/8&
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Use one of the citrus type paint removers as Larry mentioned. To remove bends you can use a heat gun. Man O' War Spar Varnish is good to use for your finish.
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Sorry Leon, I guess I should have read your post more carefully. I didn't realize you were talking about a butt wrap.
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Rob, If you are making a fly rod there is no reason in the world that you need to use an elaborate wrapping jig. A typical guide wrap an a fly rod is maybe a half inch or less. You should be able to hold the rod section in your hands and just turn it manually. By doing that, you will be able to feel the tension and instantaneously moderate it as required. You should have something to hold
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Leon, I'm not positive I totally understand your question, but this is my take in it. You are inserting your tie-off about 1/2 inch before the end of the wrap. Then when you get to the end, you're pulling the tie-off loop until it just dissappears under the wraps. Then you are trimming off the tag end of the thread and pulling it through. Instead of getting a totally buried tag end, some o
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Being that they are graphite rods, are you sure they have varnish on them?
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To clarify, the four bamboo rod builders led by Glenn Brackett left due to disagreements with management on the direction to be taken by the bamboo portion of Winston. This has caused quite a buzz for the last several weeks on the bamboo boards. Some of the graphite rod builders are being trained to replace them, but you can't replace decades of experience with a few months worth. When people
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I've never thought about it until I read your question, but this is my take on it: 1. The guides on a fly rod are lighter in weight than those on a spinning rod. 2. The line shooting through the guides on a fly rod follows a straighter path as compared to a spinning rod where the line spirals off the reel. 3. Because of reasons #1 and #2, the rod can afford to have more guides.
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Mike, I absolutely agree. They should fix the chuck. I 've had my Rodsmith wrapper for about three years know. If they sent me a new improved chuck, I'd be very happy. But I'm not holding my breath.
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FYI - for those of you that have the Pac Bay wrapper with the standard chuck - I've found that taking a couple of tight turns of masking tape around the three fingers of the chuck after you have place the rod in it keeps it from coming loose.
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I've been doing both for a long time but starting building rods first. And now I've been learning to build surf plugs. Will it ever end!
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I started in the late 1970's when I was in my early twenties. Before I ever built a complete rod, I rebuilt several rods that I already had. Some of those H-I rods barely had any finish on the windings as they came from the factory, so the rods would need a rewrap before long. My first work was very sloppy as I used Q-tips to apply varnish to the wraps. Even so, the results were still better
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Whenever I use the "milky white" color preservers, which I assume Gudebrod C.P. is, I apply two coats of 50% solution (thinned with water), followed by one coat full strength. I learned to do this with the old Clemens Brilliance and I continue to do it with other brands. It works well for me. After I've applied a coat, I just take a piece of paper towel and touch each wrap with it an
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I use two products to clean nickle silver. Both work about the same. One is an impregnated cloth called Miracle Cloth. The other is this wadding stuff that comes in a can. Can't remember the name. I'm sure someone will jump in ....
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I've planning to refinish an old bamboo baitcaster. I have used paint strippers in the past but I decided to try the 3M "Safest Stripper" stuff recommended in the Sinclair book. My local hardware store didn't have it. Can anyone recommend a source?
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I try to build up my cork grips right on the blank whenever possible. I get the first ring and last ring pretty snug. The other rings can be a little looser, but not too loose. I had a few bad experiences long ago where I tried reaming out a grip and the parts of the grip that got reamed out a little too much felt like soft spots on the completed rod. Consequently, I don't do that anymore.
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The MB841E is a great blank. A couple of years ago, I built a light saltwater rod out of this blank. I cut it down to 6'4" by cutting 8" off the butt. I cast one ounce poppers for stripers with it and in the summer I use it to catch fluke (summer flounder) off the beaches. I was actually trying to recreate an old Shakespeare Wonderod designed by Gadabout Gaddis called a "Gadabo
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Try laying an ice cube on the stuck ferrule for 5 or 10 minutes. Then try to pull it apart. Use those rubber things that they sell to remove jar lids to grip the rod if possible.
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I have not seen anything like you mentioned except on cork grips that were over 20 years old. I'm a bit puzzled about how this showed up on a rod that is only a year or two old.
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Why not just use a few cork rings and turn a small grip? I you have a regular power drill you should be able to do it pretty easily with some sandpaper to shape the cork. A wine bottle cork would probably work as well if it's long enough. I would not consider cork tape at all. The rod diameter would be much too small, and I don't think it would look very good either.
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Cork, Cork, Cork!. Also, did I mention Cork?
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