We have seen the line want to bunch up off to the offset side while fighting a larger fish, so we always position the butt guide at the "0" axis, on top and in the middle. One thing i've noticed is the line seems to go on smoother if the butt guide is at least a sz 16, and no closed than 22" from the front of the reel. It is most noticeable on trolling rods with wider spool reels
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We have some expert local fishermen that prefer the shorter 6' Batson IC723. It is fairly light, has some backbone for hook setting, yet is forgiving when fighting big fish. For lighter line, the IC722 works well. My personal preference is a 7' rod, which allows for more lure lift when needed. Look at ISB822.5 (6' 10"), or ISB842 or 843 Here is a link; Blessed New Year,
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We have a small supply of BLK/WHT, BLK/YEL, BLK/ORA, and several BLK/GREEN Sorry, all our BLK/Red is gone.
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For offshore payment Pay Pal works well for us. It is easy for you and the customer to sign up, no credit card for you to process. Fees are resonable, you can then transfer the funds to your bank account. Hope this helps,
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Way to go to Mudhole and all those who seek to expand the craft of rodbuilding. That is one of the reasons we like to display at places like the "Let's Go Fishing" consumer show in Collinsville, IL. in January. We get to meet all kinds of fishermen (and women), who we can then talk to about getting started either repairing or building fishing rods. Different from the wonderfull Custo
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We have them in several styles and colors from both Batson and Pac Bay Here are some links;
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American Tackle has several sizes of Black EVA Fighting Butts, we have them in stock, just not on our web site yet. Here is a link . They range in price from $ 1.39 to $ 1.59.
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I aggree with Tom. His advice as to showing him how it casts with a smaller reel is excellant. Part of the problem is that sometimes another person ("expert" ) is advising your customer, and that puts you in the middle. The best way is as Tom suggested, but if that is not possible, then you must use good judgement. if you are going to do the repair or build, think about the fact t
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Another thought is to cover with an inscription or decal, and then coat with rod finish. That helps it look like it was a planned event. If the scratch is not too deep, sometimes WD40 will hide it. That really brings a scuffed finishback to life, even on well used rods.
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Not as tough as Permagloss, but easier to keep and use is a water based varnish like Gudebrod Rod Finish. It is thin like Permagloss, but a little better shelf life once opened, and cleans up with water. Will save a fishing trip without being harsh like nail polish and some of the other things we have seen people use in a pinch. Hope this helps,
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Here is another thought. The new Batson Forecast Downrigger blank in the "L" light action. It is very flexible in the first 1/3 of the blank, but has some backbone. It should be very durable, is a blend of "E" glass and RX6 Graphite. Nice light glass tip going into graphite backbone. The price is right also. Here is a link; We are building some of these in our shop
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We have been handling them for several years now, very nice, a little more backbone than most, hence the multi weight ratings. Very few problems and unique finish. Here is a link;
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To see how it would look without having to mix finish, simply wet the wraps with Alcohol. it will mimic the look as if finished, but then dispate in a few minutes. Hope this helps all those who wonder how a wrap will look if finished.
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Another way is to simply use 2" or 21/2" foregrips with winding checks to trim them off, and a "fixed fighting butt" Here is a link to some of those; Hope this helps
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We have some of the Merrick "Mooseskin" in stock, "Artic Camo" (black & white) with 1/2" ID, 1 1/4" OD, 24 " long. Our P# M-7C2412-BW We also carry some of the other mixed color "Camo" in 24" lengths, as well as some of the solid colors, and can Special Order anything listed on Merrick's web site. The Pac Bay "Camo" colors in
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We also found years ago that most serious fishermen, especially Bass anglers, want a plain lokking rod that is done with high tech materials. One thing we hear all the time is they "like the feel" of a certain rod. It seems like Saltwater fishermen seem to like "custom" thread work by far over Freshwater anglers. One thing in our area has always been price. We are seeing
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Just a comment, don't leave too big a "void" between your tape arbors or you invite a potenial for cracking the cork grip.
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You might want to look at the Batson line of Steelhead or longer spin blanks. They are "moderate Fast", the new "BP" series is a little more "Moderate" 8 1/2 ' BP1024F 9' IST1084F or IST 1085F Here is a link; In standard Graphite "SH" series. Hope this helps,
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Hi Mo, On our postage scale the IF662 was .7, the F662-2 was .8, f662-4 was .9 of an once Hope this helps.
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I feel a certain amount of responsability to the well being of the customer. If they ask for something that I am convinced will not work, I will try to talk them out of it, explaining why. If they insist and it does no harm, I will probably build it. If the customer is asking for something unreasonable, or that I feel uncomfortable with, I decline the job. So each time is different, you have
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You might want to try the Batson Forecast SPG720 or 780. They are very light action 6' and 61/2' in fibreglass. We have guys making them into little stream Trout fly rods. They are really fun on smaller fish. Here is a link;
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Here are some ideas, Batson Rainshadow ISP843-3 is 7', 6-12# line, 1/4-5/8 oz lure. The Batson Forecast SB781-3 is 6 1/2', SB841-3 is 7', both take 6-12# line and 1/8-3/8 oz lure. There are also heavier Rainshadow models, IC747 and 847 in 3 pc, 12-25# line. Here are some links; We show these all to be in stock. Hope this helps,
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We are also now dealers for Merrick.
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According to my dial caliper it is .610.
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If you still have access to the end of the reel seat, why not clean up what you can and add some epoxy, either paste or better yet Flex Coat Epoxy Glue liquid to fill the void? Just stand the rod on end and let it flow. That will give you some insurence for the future.
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We usually go to a fairly large butt guide to help keep the line off your hand while fighting a big fish. That also seems to help the transition from the reel thru to the first transition (or single bumper) guide. A sz 20 Batson "U" or Pac Bay "T" guide for butt, then directly into sz 8's. On lighter rods we may use a 16 for the butt, or 25 if a "Noodle" setup, a
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We use high solvent laquer thinner. I've been told to be very careful when dealing with Acetone.
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We like the threaded rod, if the grip does stick, you can just "unthread it" from the rod. Be very careful about what you use to keep the grip from sticking to the mandrel, it may keep it from "sticking" well to the blank when installed.
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We use forceps with a small bit of rubber tubing over each jaw to protect the guide finish.
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Some more thoughts. We have a hardwood "push" board about 16" x 3" x 1/2" with 3 holes bored in it for various size blanks. On the wall there is a mounted hardwood board 5" x 5" x 1/2" to push against. We do the same "drop" and mark the place on the blank where the grips stops going down on it's own. Then a 2" band of epoxy above that po
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