Herb Ladenheim Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Robert, > I'm trying to understand how that happened. > Didn't you use your left hand to crank the backing > and line onto the reel?? > > And - by "hand wrapped" - do you mean you did it > yourself vs a fly shop using a machine? > I hope you don't mean that you wound it on b
Forum: rodboard

In spite of the title of this thread, the same rules apply to fly rods. I am now a certified member of the "I'm An Idiot!" club. i'v been going off on how nice mya lates build is. I tested casting with a foam hopper and Kelly Galloup's Long Streamer line. All was great. I just got my new Airflow Universal Taper floating line for the spare spool. I'd previously put gel-spun backi
Forum: rodboard

I prefer not to use loops. Don't know why. O just prefer a smooth knot.
Forum: rodboard

The X will easily handle weighted crayfish. I don't see why it wouldn't do well with crab. Oh, and the Lamson Liquid 6 weight perfectly balances the rod at the center of the full wells seat. Thanks for your help Herb. I used a Fuji stripping guide, and Snake Brand Eco Coated snake running guides. A snake tiptop completed the guide set. Gen 4 epoxy was used to cover the Fuji wrapping threa
Forum: rodboard

I just completed my new CTS Affinity X 6 weight. Test casting out on grass. Of course the real test will be on the water. On the grass, casting distances of 3o yards with a foam hopper was so easy. The rod loads beautifully on the back cast, and makes very tight loops. The only issue 'i had was when putting my reel on for the first time, I noticed a bird's nest on the head, about 6 feet back
Forum: rodboard

Polarized lenses. There is a quartz crystal known as a sunstone. You can look through it at a cloudy sky and tell just where the sun is. A polarizing sunstane allows light from only one direction to pass through it. The sunstone works because the light striking it perpendicular to the stone face is allowed through, while the scattered light from the clouds is blocked. This is also true of po
Forum: rodboard

I'll be using this rod from a drift boat in Montana. It's paired with a Lamson reel rated for a 6 weight rod. I already have one spool of Kelly Gallop Streamer Max Long. I'm looking for a line with a more universal taper to throw small streamers, nymphs, hoppers, and the occasional Griffith's gnat. I know, a tall order. But I'm hoping for a more universal taper that I can add weight to if ne
Forum: rodboard

It costs me between $450, and $550 to build a custom rod using my preferred components. This does not include the cost of the power winder, threads, epoxies, or the research I put into every rod. I use only 2 brands of blanks, CTS, and Winston. If I'm using Winston. it'll cost more as their blanks are more expensive. I trust that these companies have researched the best materials, tapers, res
Forum: rodboard

Herb is great to work with. I buy all of my CTS blanks from him.
Forum: rodboard

Personally, I like spey casting. It gets long distances, and you don't hafe to worry about catching a branch, of tuft of grass on the back cast. I feel that the roll cast, and spey cast are more important on rivers and streams than is the double haul. Of course on big water, the double haul can be very useful.
Forum: rodboard

Adding tiptop wrap to an ice rod IMHO, will not affect the performance of the rod. Ice rods are jigging rods of relatively short lengths. Often, spring indicators are placed on the rod end to act as a strike indicator. The tiny bit of weight added with wraps won't make the blank any less sensitive, and as stated in above posts ,can be of a florescent or reflective color to assist in visibility
Forum: rodboard

I will be building a CTS 6 weight Affinity X, four piece fly rod with a tip diameter of 1.7 mm. As I look at tip tops, I'm confused as to what tube size to order. Iwould prefer a Sake brand tip top, but am open to any quality brand. Thanks in advance.
Forum: rodboard

I have to admit, it's a labor of love. And there that feeling of accomplishment when you look at ahigh quality rod and can say - "i did that!" Also, I save the cork dust in a little plastic zipper bag, just in case I gouge a divot in my cork handle while fishing. A bit of super glue, cork dust, and it looks as good as new, or so it's supposed to. I haven't had to repair any divots ye
Forum: rodboard

I have built several very nice fly, and spinning rods. I always purchase the components separately, including the cork grips. The inner bore is always too small to fit the blank. I use a rat tail file to shape the bore to fit snugly, and use tape arbors, and epoxy paste to fit and glue everything together. The tape arbors take care of any inconsistencies in my filing. The results have been v
Forum: rodboard

one word of caution: make sure your pulling loop is strong enough not to break when pulling the tag end under 10 tight wraps. A broken pull through thread means you have to unwind wraps to install a new pull through loop. I've done tis. It's a pain.
Forum: rodboard

With the tape arbors, you fill the gaps between the tape with rod makers paste epoxy. Over fill. when you slide the corkinto place, there are no gaps between the blank, and handle, making a secure, and strong fit. Epoxy sets by a chemical reaction, and doesn't shrink as it sets. Just make sure to remove any excess uncured epoxy from the front and back of the grips.. Ready made arbors can be
Forum: rodboard

I agree that feel is very important. I also submit that feel means different things to different people. A person throwing Rapalas, spoons, and crank baits wants to feel the action of the lure as it travels through the water. Feeling a rod load is less important in the casting stroke. A long distance surd caster wants to feel how far the cast has gone, as well as the fish strike. A fly rod a
Forum: rodboard

I still believe that a setup cou;ld be made to drop a standardized weight, say 5 grams, from a standardized height, and the resultant vibration transmittedwith a transducer to convert to an electrical pulse at the rod handle. The amplitude would show the amount of sensitivity of the rod, and take into account the line, guide placement, and any differences caused by added weight. Since the weig
Forum: rodboard

Not an answer to the OP's question, but another related question: are there transparent printer labels that can be purchaed for ink-jet printers, that would work for printing your own label decals?
Forum: rodboard

A sensitivity test that is measurable, and accurate. I don't have the required equipment, but do have a bachelor of science in electrical engineering tech. Here's how it could be done. You will need a dual trace, O-scope with memory to capture and hold traces over a period of time, a transducer that will turn vibrations into DC voltage (accelerometer), a light weight to simulate a fish nibble
Forum: rodboard

Let's look at some examples. A tuning fork gets it's harmonic frequency by the material used, the hardness of that material, and its length. All things being equal, shortening the tuning fork doesn't change the tone, so much as dampen it. However, lengthening it produces the same tone, but requires more energy input to do so. Now, let's examine string instruments. The thicker, longer strings
Forum: rodboard

I concur with Kent. Lightning is a static discharge. It takes 20,000 V to cause that discharge from your finger to that metal doorknob. Air is an insulator. The 20 KV is necessary to create the dielectric breakdown that ionizes the air, giving a path for the spark. Now think how much voltage it takes to arc from the clouds to the ground. We used voltage protection on all of our electrical ou
Forum: rodboard

I worked on sensitive electronics for years, and yes, we had to wear grounding straps to prevent static discharge from us to the electronics (mosfet devices). I also installed telephone systems for another company. We had customers telling us that their phones were shocking them when they lifted the receiver to their ear. The customers were discharging a static spark into the phone, which in s
Forum: rodboard

Bo rod blnaks.th CTS, and Epic are renowned for their rod blank quality. I have a friend hwo is an avid fly fisher, and swears by Winston, and Epic. I love my Winston, and CTS gear, but have never used Epic. Why would you choose CTS over the Epic,, besides the fact that Herb is so great to work with?
Forum: rodboard

One word of caution for all graphite/carnon fiber rods, carbon fiber is a great conductor of electricity. So don't be waving tha CF pole in the air during a thunder storm, especially standing in water, or sitting in a metal boat. You don't want to become a lightnig rod. That would just ruin the day..
Forum: rodboard

I grew up in Michigan's Eastern U.P., fishing small, clear streams for brookies, and lakes Huron. and Superior, along with the St. Mary's River for perch, jumbo perch, rock bass, walleye, smallies, and pike. I used a Zebco FB rod with a Zebco 202 reel, and caught many a fish with it, both from walking streams, and fishing with a bobber, minnows, and worms fro a 12 foot aluminum boat. I bought a
Forum: rodboard

The only video I've seen that shows superior performance is the side by side wear test on monofilament line using Fuji Torzite vs SIC. The Torzite was far smoother, and didn't wear out the line nearly as fast as did the SIC guides. Other than that, you just have t try different hardware, guide layout, and whether to use the spine, straightest axis, or whatever floats your boat. After several r
Forum: rodboard

Winding checks serve 2 purposes. First, and most importantly, when properly sized, fitted, and epoxied in place, they keep water from getting inside the grip. This prevents rot, and mildew. 2nd, they provide a visual continuity between the handle, and rod blank, increasing the attractiveness if the finished rod. If the winding check is tight on the blank, it creates a stress point due to its
Forum: rodboard

How did this go from choosing the appropriate rod blank for a 5 year old, to the ins and outs of advertising? You might find that a light, or ultra-light with a Kastking BFS reel. The blank could also be used for a spincast reel.
Forum: rodboard

The joy of custom rod building is the variety of builds that can be made. Everyone knows that I like CTS blanks, both, fiberglass and carbon. But I prefer to purchase the other parts of the rod from wherever I can find what I'm looking for. On a fly rod, do I want the striper to be alconite, torzite, agate, or some other material. Do I want single foot runners, or snake guides? How many guide
Forum: rodboard