I am not very handy with electronics, but as Roger suggests you can also put one together - or have someone put one together for you. Roger actually put one together for me specifically incorporating the features I needed. I was able to specify RPM, give it variable dial speed control, and make it reversible. Worth considering if you are looking for something very specific beyond just RPMs.
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Lamiglas has made several fiberglass blanks in that maroon color over the years. They still produce several fiberglass models for saltwater that will probably match the action but I think they are mostly black or honey these days. Worth looking into, though.
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Yep - it's working. Thanks, Tom!
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I am having the same problem. I originally thought my photos were too large but even when I reduce them to a pretty small size (well under the maximum) I get the same error. I think Tom is aware of it.
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I have done several with both and I prefer the single foot ceramics. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never measured much of a difference in casting or shooting distance except with a clean new line. The snakes actually seem to perform the same no matter how dirty the line is, while my experience was that the ceramics slowed down a bit with a filthy line. The set up / spacing is
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Hello Mike - Bill is correct - Renzetti makes a 'large spool attachment' that allows you to use the 4 oz spools. Like all of their products it is very well designed and well executed and works great. It is essentially a larger threaded rod that replaces two of the rods that come on the thread carriage. You can also use this attachment and your lathe to respool from your 4 oz spools onto re
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Hello Richard - In my experience the set up you describe will fish fine. To me the only downside (besides adding a bit of weight out at the tip) is that it will look funny. I have found that I want the tip top ring to be the same size or within a half size of the running guides or else it looks 'wrong'. To my eye a Fuji 4.5 ring top looks okay with Fuji size 4 running guides. But Fuji
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You can also get an invisible glue line with Rod Bond it just takes more care. Spread both sides of your cork rings with Rod Bond, and then literally scrape off all you can. I like a dental spatula for this. You will leave a very thin film that just wets and slightly darkens the surface. Then clamp using enough pressure to compress the grip maybe 5% - 7% of overall length. As long as you scr
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This is definitely an opinion question, but if I had to pick only one adhesivie for everything I'd pick U40 Rod Bond. To me, it wets out better than most epoxies (including many liquids), can be applied very thin, or can gap fill if needed. Since it is a paste it stays where you put it and does not run or sag on you. It can also be tinted and tolerates additives - either pigments or fillers
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Hey Bob - Sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, it is okay to go lightly into the carbon fiber on grips with a clear finish. You need to be super careful of high spots / corners as you can actually sand through the carbon fiber fairly easily and then the grip is shot. I would not use anything heavier than 220 and only make light passes...like once up and once down. Then make sure stop th
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I guess I can only speak to my personal experience, but I apply PG to both West Systems and RR321 routinely after they have cured for 12 - 24 hours at about 73 degrees. I have done this several hundred times with no problems.
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Bill - You want to let the epoxy set completely (or at least enough so that it is hard enough to sand without problems) before applying the PG. 24 hours is plenty with both West Systems and RR321.. Someone can help me with the Volume and Issue number but this technique was detailed in a back issue of RM and is definitely worth a read if you are interested. The video is really helpful fro
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That's the one - Chris beat me to it. CAUTION: Watching this video has been proven to cause both lathe and workshop envy.
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I lived in Arkansas for the better part of a decade and spent a lot of time on the white and Norfork rivers doing exactly the kind of fishing you describe. All of the above are good recommendations, but the St. Croix 2S70MLF is purpose built for exactly what you are doing and it excels at that type of fishing. And the SCIII and SCIV versions are even better! Not in your price range I real
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Chris - Technically it can be, but often - depending on the humidity where you live and in your shop - it can begin to cure in the bottle as soon as you have opened it and introduced moisture. The two solutions that work for me (and thanks to RM and Ralph O'Quinn for these - I did not come up with them) are Bloxygen and the 4 oz paint can trick. Bloxygen is a commercial product that disp
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I have built two #8s in the last two months - one was an MHX F908-4 and the other was a Batson REVF908-4. I got the blanks from Mudhole and Utmost who are both sponsors at left, and I am very pleased and impressed with both blanks. They are both in your price point and are both a great value IMHO. I have also built several 4F908 and 5F908 St. Croix #8s in the past. These are wonderful rods b
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Hard to answer specifically not knowing exactly what you are using, but I'd recommend at least one more sealer coat of the same epoxy you used for your wet lay up no matter what. This is a variable that has not changed since the original RM article and is what Tom is referring to above when he says you need to have enough epoxy top coat to have something to sand down to smooth. If it were me
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My son did really well with the underspins until he transitioned to a spinning reel. At risk of going on a quality rant, be aware that there is a VAST difference between the cheaper underspins and the better made ones. We had very good luck with the ZEBCO and Pflueger brands....not so much with anything else. If they have great success and learn to love fishing it's worth $45 for an underspin.
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Well...it does look a little different but it works great! It loads much faster than the old page for me - especially when using the 'View Larger Image' feature. I like it!
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+1 on the RCLB70L or ML....great blanks and exactly what you are describing. I have used them for a variety of applications and have never been disappointed. Slightly large butt diameters but will still fit a palm support size 22 seat.
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Geez...how did I leave that out. Sorry Tom! The best finish method for these grips (in my opinion) also appeared in RodMaker. The urethane foam brush application is definitely the clearest and toughest wearing method. Can't remember the Volume and Issue...but worth looking up. Tom also has a great video on urethane top coating carbon skinned grips on YouTube as well.
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Geez...how did I leave that out. Sorry Tom! The best finish method for these grips (in my opinion) also appeared in RodMaker. The urethane foam brush application is definitely the clearest and toughest wearing method. Can't remember the Volume and Issue...but worth looking up. Tom also has a great video on urethane top coating carbon skinned grips on YouTube as well.
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Hello Doug - There are as many ways to do this as there are rod builders, but I started getting very consistent results when I started using a tip provided by Capt. Mike Pedersen at Riley Rods. Specifically, once you have turned your foam core you apply a light coat of your epoxy to seal it. So, yes - coat the grip with a thick coat of epoxy and then remove most of it. You can use your wet
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I'll add my $0.02 as most of my fishing these days is saltwater and I am using braid with fluorocarbon leaders almost exclusively. Two options that seem to work well for most: Size 6 running guides will routinely pass up to 30# fluorocarbon leader for me in both casting and spinning rod guides. I use the Red Phillips Knot exclusively. It is both the strongest I have found and has a shape /
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+1 on the Fujis. I have used both SIC LSG/TLSG and Alconite CLAG single foots for 12+ years in the saltwater. I don't know how many I've wrapped on rods but it easily numbers over 1,000. If you rinse them regularly, you will have no corrosion issues even with the non-titanium frames. And in all that time I have never had a guide ring pop out or a Fuji guide otherwise fail. That's a great trac
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I used to spend a lot of time chasing breaking fish throwing topwaters on very deep, very clear impoundments (like Ouachita and Bull Shoals) in Arkansas. The fish were spooky, shad were only 1" long during the hottest Spring and early Summer action, and casting distance and accuracy were at a premium. While I would not use a casting rod to throw a grub on a 1/16 oz jighead - I agree with R
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I agree with Ellis...I use the P843 for Super Spook Jrs all the time and it does the job well. Also handles a popping cork and my new favorite the MirroDine 18MR18 Heavy Dine very nicely. I set them up these days with an NPS18 integrated into a carbon fiber handle and Fuji KLAGs going 20-12-8 and then use CLAG 6s or 5s to a matching tip for braid with a fluoro leader and CLAG 6-5-4.5s out
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All you need is a matching pink carbon fiber grip.
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For what it is worth, Roger helped me design and build a machine specifically for finishing carbon fiber grips. It is really slick and there is nothing else like it on the market. If you got something special you want he can definitely build it for you. I have been very satisfied with it for more than a year now.
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Sergeant Butters - You are gonna need a strike indicator more buoyant than yarn if you are going to a copper line... Didn't James Taylor already cover this in a song? Bill
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