How sweet is that! Thanks again, Aleks! This further enhances my understanding of 'variables' between rods of the same model. Rods are not like a pot of stew that you can add a little more salt to after it is made to adjust the taste. What happens to a 704 that looks like a 703 or 705 when put on the board? Do they get scrapped, recycled or re-purposed in some way? Same question for the tr
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Thank you, David! You got me lined out on what I'll need to explore the G2Apex. I like that it comes in a 17, and not just 16 size. My new Mud Hole catalogue shows they are carrying the G2Aero seats, too. Your solution for the XO grip (another topic and discussion) was a very good idea....and relatively simple to achieve as you say. Wear that egg (and fish that rod) with pride! Compared to
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David - Please have mercy on the smallmouth bass!! Ha! Thank you for the detailed information. I am currently in flux about which spinning reel seal to use for my C6O2 X-Ray 703. I want a light weight seat to maximize the lightness of the blank itself. You have me very curious about the G2Apex seat. I think I will order one to see what this is all about. Does the G2 with insert weigh less
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You tie flies, Chris? UV resin (cured with a UV light source) is big in fly tying circles. Nice tip about this technology for rod builders!
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Follow your heart. Try it out! Be happy and confident in what you do! Take responsibility for the outcomes of your choices whether to your liking or not! And please, share what you have learned and experienced here on the forum. My favorite go-to rod for Northern Canada fishing for big pike and walleye is a St. Croix 69MLXF spiral wrapped rod with ALL #4 Guides (butt guide, bumper, to tip
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Aleks, Thank you for the information about blank production! The peek behind the curtain is greatly appreciated. And thank you for taking the time and attention to getting into the weeds with the details in response to David Baylor. On the forum, there is a group of builders that have a high level of trust with me because they are courteous, curious, and competent. When one member of that
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This is a good discussion on KR.
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Samuel, A Micro set up uses guides smaller than a size 6 running guide, I believe. Your mock-up guide train would be a 'conventional' build using size 6 guides. If you scroll down the forum list, you will find some other discussions about the KR Concept. Towards the end of one of those chats surf rod guide trains comes up (on page 3?). Some good talk and explanation there by chris c nash, a
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Probably an honest mistake on the vendor's part. It is also an opportunity for the vendor to take a look at their order fulfillment and inventory quality control. Is your experience the only one they have had recently? Is this a rare SNAFU or an on-going issue? This is all to say that, IMO, a great business really wants to have excellent customer service and outcomes - and would find your feed
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Thanks, Chris!
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Never used a G2 Apex seat. They look sweet! Will look into them. I've been a big Fuji DNPS fan for years, mounted up-locking because of the way I often hold my rigs. Lately, I have more curiosity about other seats I might like better. (Anecdotal story from years ago: I read a forum post and saw pictures about using the DNPS seat up-locking rather than down-locking because it might fit your hand
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Norm - Does your suggested guide layout listed above produce the Bullseye Effect between the butt guide and choke guide? I'm not saying that it needs to do so, merely wondering if it does. Braided line is very forgiving....and allows for a more rapid choke with less memory and friction than mono or fluorocarbon lines (pound for pound). How much of a Bullseye is really needed with light braid d
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Thank you, Norm! The differences between the 3 and 3+ reduction trains seem pretty small when I look at it in terms of how much 'reducing' is going on - but evidently the differences were significant enough for Fuji to develop two different specifications for spinning guide lay outs. Makes sense that a little help in turning the corner (reducing the angle) from the high frame reduction guides
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I bought the 703 and 725 NFC X-Ray C6O2 blanks recently and was considering making both of them 2500/3000 spinning reel rods. (The 703 for sure. The 725 is still a question mark as to spin or cast.) For sure the 703 is going to go with the 16H reduction train. This would probably be plenty for the 725 as well since 10-pound fluorocarbon is the max I would throw on it. (By the way, The Fuji KR
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I love the look of variegated thread without CP. Make a test stick and see what thread will or won't look like under epoxy before making a final decision. So easy, and so smart when considering the lifetime of the finished product and the time involved to change it after the fact. For example, I personally don't mind seeing the guide foot 'shadow' under the wraps after epoxy is applied. Ther
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I have no argument with anyone's personal choices. The point IS 100% about personal choices when it comes to custom rod building. Build what you like. Share what works for you and why. That is all a person can control.
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David - I was just thinking the 20H reduction train for the 725 would allow a margin of choice between braid or fluorocarbon line. With that blank, I'm not planning on throwing light line anyway. A #12 fluorocarbon line is about right for my intended purposes - or the braid equivalent not to exceed #20. (I am feeling the need to introduce a full-fluoro option to my arsenal of rods and tactics,
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Francis, I would wait for the epoxy to set. It will make the process of removing the decal easier and less messy, IMO. To clarify things, you are talking about removing the epoxy and decal and not cutting this part of the blank off, right? I would just remove the epoxy and decal and leave the blank intact. Is the decal area between split grips? If so, this is ideal. Removing the epoxy
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David, The finish on the C6O2 seems very similar or the same as on the original, un-sanded X-Rays (and my Delta blanks, too). One thing I noticed is that the ridges feel rougher when running my fingers from the butt of the blank toward the tip. I figured this was because of the direction the cellophane sealing tape was spun on before it went into the oven. Sort of like rubbing a steel file fro
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David - Thanks, for the measurements and link for reference! I went back and reread this thread and have a clearer picture of what you experienced. I missed a couple nuances. The pictures make clear that the area behind the threaded barrel is a larger diameter than the threaded barrel. So the OEM XO grip comes with a 1.75 inch thread? And you have now cut down your threads to 1.125 inches to
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One more thought... The grip is 14.5 inches long with a glue-up area at the threaded barrel of 3 inches plus or minus. If I install a 7 foot blank 3 inches into the grip as Aleks picture shows, then the rod would become 7 feet 11 inches or so in total length..... Right? That is:3-inches of the blank glued in at the threads PLUS the rest of the grip length which is 11.5 inches +/-. If I inst
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I built some of my very first rods with a ferruled grip and reel seat I think mine were made by Fuji, and I still have a couple of them on rods in the basement somewhere. Great pics, Norm! The spinning grips are very comfortable, secure, and the way the front half of the grip mates closely with the back half adds to the appeal. No threads exposed at all. No wobbly rod performance. One point Da
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David, You did a marvelous job of revealing your thought process and how that translates to a practical application for a custom build. You worked this out from your initial observations and concerns with the XO grip (in another post) to a solution you find satisfactory....for now Thank you for bringing me along with you! The pics were very helpful, too. Question for you: What went into you
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jonathan, IME, lighter hued, non-CP threads will show the color below them when epoxy is applied; in this case the guide foot and/or the spaces on either side of it.. Is that part of your idea of what happened? CP, does not make a wrap weaker, IME, but it does make guide removal a lot easier if it is ever needed. Some don't like CP or color-fast thread because of the aesthetics, not because
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Robert, I think there is a great deal of interest in CCS data you can gather and share! Count me as one who is interested! I just ordered the SJ 703 C6O2, and the 725 model, from NFC, and I am excited to build and fish these rods.
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Patrick, I strongly suggest looking into a spiral wrap if you are building a casting rig. I like the Simple Spiral. Also, I'm not too familiar with slow pitch saltwater jigging for triple-digit fish....is a 7'6" rod the way to go?
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Mark, When you apply the thread epoxy, filling the 'tunnels' that form under the thread on either side of the guide foot will help keep the guide from moving. A tiny drop of epoxy on the end of a toothpick at the tunnel openings will be wicked inside.
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Ed, My fishing buddy has this blank as a casting rod and it is one of his favorites. He mostly throws Rapala DT4's and 6's which are in your weight range. This spring, he.caught and landed a 24 lb. blue catfish on it while throwing for smallmouth; I was in the boat and got a firsthand look at how the rod performed. No problems during a 10 minute fight. I have thrown this rod a few times and
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Please correct me if I am wrong, Mick, about any of this since I am interpreting your words, concepts, and theories. You defined sensitivity as "the ability to detect/feel a bite" from the very beginning, right? Did your initial definition of sensitivity imply that "a bite" is a mechanical vibration that is transmitted through the line, through the rod, and to the han
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I wish there were a way to examine all the variables of a blank one at a time. Or get close enough to make observations based on the data. Seems like many debates are based on different definitions and experiences of the topic. It's frustrating when it seems every team is playing by a different set of rules while moving the goal posts. That's why I like the Hypothesis, Test, and Evaluate Re
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