Unbelievable (not really) that it has been banned. I use it for flame and a solvent instead of acetone. Isopropyl is not a great substitute. What it is good for is finding holes in leaking waders.....
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MIke, Are you making the grip or buying off the shelf? If you are purchasing a ready made handle you can get them with the mortise already done. Just make sure that the diameter of the hole matches the hood OD of the reel seat.
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I have used a few for stripping guides on a fly rod. Switch to the Pac Bay minima guides with Ti frame more recently. One less thing to fail (ring) and for my application they work great. In both cases they are well made and priced better than some other brands.
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Cork for me. Easy to replace and easy to customize. I end up replacing the cork some my saltwater spinning rods after 3 years or so. Fly rods and spey rods far less frequently. If I did not have the ability to build my own I would probably experiment with other materials.
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Rod Geeks has 2 piece blanks in a ton of different colors built on St Croix tapers. I've built 3 so far and they seem like good blanks. They are handling all of St Croix blank sales now. Both US made blanks and the original Rod Geek blanks which are built in Mexico.
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My biggest pet peeve when it comes to fly fishing is how overly complicated we all make it and how "expensive" it is if you want to cast decently and catch fish. Unless you are fishing in saltwater almost all new fly fisherman will be well served with a 5wt rod and 5 or 6wt floating line. Cheap line at that $30 - $40. Put that line on a $40 reel. Put a cheap 7 or 8' tapered leader (
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I own several @#$%& site blanks from 7' 4wt all the way up to 13' 7/8 spey rods. None of them have blown up and all cast just fine. The 9wt 9' and 13' 7/8 blanks have caught a ton of 15 - 25lb salmon and smaller stripers. I used them as loaner rods when I take my friends fishing. We've broken a few over the years but not because they were cheap. High sticking, falling and landing on rocks, bei
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Phil, Hook and hackle sells a 9' 7piece 5wt in their "Xi" series. You can also find multi piece (> 4 piece) 4wt and 5wt blanks on the big @#$%& site. Those blanks are noname blanks but I've had good luck with various low end blanks from there and they are very inexpensive. I'm sue there are other choice but I found those after looking for just a couple of minutes.
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I've made a fair number of spey grips. I glue up the rings on a mandrel, turn them on a drill press (using sandpaper). I then use a "dream reamer" chucked that into a hand drill and ream out to fit the blank. Longer grips can be a little nerve racking but I've never had a failure....
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Phil, I also like the shorter fly rods in my float tube in freshwater. I might give up a little distance (not much if you cast side arm) but it is MUCH easier to land and release fish that are 8' from you rather than 9 or 10'. The only place I like longer rods is when I am standing. Both fresh and salt.
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At the risk of actually trying to answer your question..... I don't know of any blanks however the only factory build rod I own is a Basspro Stage 1 heat in 10wt. This is a complete rod but for $100 you can cut off the components and put good stuff on. I am in the process of doing that now. The grips and guides are low end. I actually like the reel seat so I'm keeping that. I've use the rod f
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Phil, You need to reread what I wrote. I said the only NON trout/salmon....
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Phil, I would wager that the VAST majority of fresh water anglers have never had a fish take them into their backing at all (with the exception of the fish you already mentioned). The only freshwater (non trout/salmon) fish that has every taken me into my backing was a carp. And that was because I was fishing a 5wt for trout. I will also state that most saltwater fisherman over estimate the
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I've built a 6 and 8wt. This seem to cast just fine. One was a blank sold by Cabelas (they sold a complete rod version too) and the other was from Shufly. Neither are available any more. The 8wt was build for motorcycle travel which I don't do any more so it does not see much use.
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I will double check but I'm pretty sure I'm using a size 17 seat with my Avet sxj. i will update my post tomorrow.
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I use PacBay titanium minima guides for stripping and REC snakes for the rest. I am more concerned with weight and corrosion resistance. I don't see any advantage using ceramic guides for casting and unless you are fishing big game saltwater I don't see the need for ceramic for fighting the fish either
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I just received on (weird blue color) in a 5wt. I would have it built up in a week or so. I will update then. My initial impressions are a medium/fast action and a little on the heavy side.
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I like using aluminum for mixing in. Seems to improve the open time by drawing away the heat. Both finish and handle/seat epoxy. After much experimenting I now use the bottom of a 12oz aluminum beer or soda can. The "punt" on the bottom is perfect for the amounts I use and they are easy to clean. If I forget then they only cost a nickle.
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Phil, Not sure any proficient fly caster or rod builder would disagree but the ability to cast 70' only applies to open water (fresh or salt) fisherman. When I trout fish it is a pretty rare situation where I need to cast more than 40' let alone 70. If you follow basic recipes, any guide/spacing recommendation will do. That has little to do with the fly line choice. Or perhaps another way t
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I don't know of any that long but what about using reel seat skeleton and a wood or acrylic insert of the desired length assuming you can bore out the insert to the necessary rod diameter.
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Not sure how much you've fly fished in the past but if you are relatively new to it save some money and look for something around $100 or less (give or take a little). Pacbay, Rodgeeks,TFO Pro II, some of the Batson blanks all fall into that price range. I don't have any experience with MHX fly rods just the spining/casting blanks. Don't be afraid to check out cheap blanks from the @#$%& site
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Phil, I understand the physics but as I already said unless you are building a 1,2,3 wt rod there is more weight variation in guides then the few wraps of thread you are adding. I just grabbed my scales and a couple of different guides and here is what I found All guides are about the same size. Chrome wire snake: 1.5gr (size 1) REC Recoil heavy: 1.1 gr (size 2) Single foot: 1.2 gr
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I have not done any scientific analysis (weighing) but I find it hard to believe that running thread under the guide (not necessarily under the feet) is any heavier than the difference between running REC and regular guides or singles vs double. Perhaps this matter in a 2wt rod but 6+?
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Thanks for the replies. I will try splitting the barrel
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I normally remove tiptop by running a rubber band through the frame, attach the other end of the band to a vice and apply heat to the top with a heat gun. Normally they come right off. However this is not working on the Ugly Stick. I am afraid of overheating the glass. Any "tricks"? Thanks
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I think it is important to remember that most fly cast are 30 - 50'. The majority of caster can't cast past 70' or so. Given that I don't think the drive train has a big effect unless something is completely screwed up. Most 7wt + rods have 2 "stripping" guides (yes I know the second is not technically a striper but is of the same type of guide as the stripper) and most 0wt - 6wt hav
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Mudhole has all kinds of Pac Bay guides on their website. Recently their catalogs have focused more on their own products then those of other manufactures. SSR guides sure look a lot like the Minimas....
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I don't think you can go about building the "ultimate" spey rod this way. It's a personal choice which comes down to casting style, type of water and skill level. Bob Meiser has designed blanks for a long time and does so for other companies besides his own. He offers several different blanks. He is super helpful picking out the right one. My go to rod blank is made by Angler's Roos
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Truely an impossible question to answer. Like any fly rod it is a personal thing. However when I want a high end blank I usually go with R Meiser. I own a couple and have purchased a couple of others. Check out his website. Great guy to talk to as well.
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I can't give you any feedback on the PB blanks however Rod Geeks is selling the St Croix blanks along with their own blanks.
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