Congratulations on the article, Mick! Well done! I'm glad TNF is out there to a wider audience. The word, "Sensitive" has many connotations, nuances, and experiences surrounding it for me. It's a loaded word. I can't define someone else's experience of sensitivity.. This is exactly why I find data and numbers a useful common ground for discussion. Just like CCS is about substitut
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Chris, Great find! The interesting part for me is what you learned that opened your mind to Kung Fu. What was your paradigm shift? What made you go, "Oh! I'll never be the same after this!" ??
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This will sound cheesy, but is true for me: The real Beauty, Challenge, and Achievement of rod-building is engaging and enlightening my mind. Personally, I find mastery of the simple things very beautiful - and the most challenging. A simple thread wrap and epoxy, executed perfectly, is a masterwork to me....and unique! I am not seeking to separate myself from others' craft as much as I want to
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Thank you, Kevin! Your dedication is admirable!
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What Norm said!
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I am not familiar with the winding check you mention nor the reel seat. If the lps reel seat calls for a wsc winding check by the manufacturer, then you are good to go. If not, and you are just guessing, then you came to the right place for an answer. (Maybe Norman Miller will chime in on your specific query!) In general terms, You don't need to warm up any parts prior to installing them - nor
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I carefully wipe off excess exterior wood glue and cork dust fillers with a damp paper towel when it is partially dry. Wiping when too wet pulls out the material more easily. If I can get it just right, I can nearly burnish the filler into the holes without removing it while leaving minimal residue. (Have also used my dampened finger - wipe off finger on damp sponge or paper towel.) Getting the e
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Excellent responses, Herb! Thank you!
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Rick, Spin or cast, I personally would NOT go larger than a 6 ring for the Running Guides - and would prefer a ring size of 5. Keep the tip section as light as possible with the running guides that will do the job. The running guides can be downsized because the line is already flowing in a straight line at that point, and they only need to be large enough to pass leader knots - or if ici
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What do you think of this list? Seems like each of these could be a topic all on its own: 1.) What species of fish do you chase, and what are your preferred rods and weights for them? Why do you like this weight of rod for that purpose? 2.) What influences your choice of guide style or type? 3.) Guide Train size, type, and layout for your most used rods and the species of fish you chase wit
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Evan, I generally fit my foam arbors inside the reel seat first. Next, epoxy the arbor inside the reel seat. THEN, ream the cured assembly to fit the blank. A short bevel on the leading edge of the arbor will help direct epoxy onto the I.D. of the reel seat surface - rather than 'plow' or 'squeege' the adhesive off as the arbor is installed. I also slowly rotate the arbor as I install it for 3
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Tom I turn my foam arbors down on a lathe with a fine metal file held tight on the tool rest. Calipers help a great deal. Go slowly. Check often. Or, pull the tail stock back and slide the reel seat over the mandrel and arbor to check the fit (with the lathe turned off). I use one of Andy Dear's mandrels that have a locking collet at one end, a threaded tip, and two copper tubes to hold th
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Joel, If you primarily fly fish, I would start there. Pick a weight of fly rod you will fish the most. (4-weight, 8-weight? Streamer or Euro Nymph? Small stream or big river? All-rounder?) Do a Search on this forum for, "Beginning Fly Rod Build". Read the many responses and take notes on blanks, guide trains, reel seats, etc. Watch some internet content under the same search
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Numbers behindr any of these claims? Or are we gonna dance all night with who 'we think' is the prettiest girl? (It is MY girl if you want to know. Just ask me.) I don't doubt anyone's claim or opinion....but can we agree that opinions and preferences are all we really have until we can agree on a definition and put some data behind it? Just askin'. I like to dance.
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Dan, I did that very thing with an SC4, 68MXF blank extended to 7-foot with an epoxy-carbon over-sleeve. Spinning rod. The relative problem is that I did not buy two blanks and extend one while leaving the other at 6'8". Even if I did, how could I compare them sensitivity wise? I highly suspect both versions of the same blank would be very sensitive because the modulus is quite high in th
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Joe Boenish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What factors makes a rod "sensitive" and what > techniques and materials are you using to achieve > the highest sensitivity? Also, interested to hear > how you test as well. > > Not interested in the debate of why sensitivity is > sought after, or how much is enough, only in ho
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Thanks, David! Custom rods, custom baits...you da man! I, too, like a 'hardhead' tube for weedless rigging. I shove a piece of a plastic stick bait up into the tube and secure it with a piece of #20 mono through the side of the bait. With a lighter, burn the ends of the mono into a little ball so it won't come out easily. For an internally weighted tube, I put in a piece of stick bait
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David, All compliments to you are well deserved. Your long history of fishing and rod building are plainly evident in your builds. Neat. Efficient. Sleek, and Humble. Nothing is where it does not need to be, and all aspects are there for a purpose. That's how I want to build my rods. Your pictures are worth a thousand words. I completely understand and appreciate your point about getting th
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Al, The way I do it is a little fiddley and involved, however, it is a very adaptable technique to a variety of situations. I personally don't like the look of a CF grip butting directly to the reel seat. Besides, what if things are a hair off? It bugs me. So, I wanted to do it in a way that allowed for some 'imperfection' and looked professional at the same time. I wanted a seamless transitio
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Mick and Chris, The findings about MHX top of the line (Elite Pro) out performing NFC's top of the line (X-Ray) in TNF is interesting. I understand why a higher modulus material is stiffer and recovers quicker - it is physics. I'm less clear about the role taper design plays in TNF and recovery. (This discussion is probably best for another topic - however, it does relate to the difference
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jon I have built on both brands of blank and agree with Mick. To be honest, I have never built an NFC or MHX rod of comparable quality, length, action, recovery and power. I do like and fish both brands frequently. A critically important distinction when discussing 'comparisons' is that terms like 'Extra Fast', 'Medium Power', etc. are sometimes wildly variable from brand to brand and/or b
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I enjoy the soft touch NFC grips, too. It has that cork feel. Handsome looks, too, IMO. It took me a minute to trust that CF tubes (made by NFC and AM Tac) did not have to be supported with a full-length arbor. Makes fitting and glue-up so much easier - not to mention saving the weight of additional arbors and epoxy. CF tubes and grips are beastly strong and durable.. Ever try and crush or
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Tom is absolutely right here. Change anything about a blank and it will change the action, power, and speed...subtly or dramatically depending on the changes made. Can Aaron be right, too? The tip section may deflect the same amount after trimming a blank from the butt end, and yield the same AA #'s from CCS testing. Just curious
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Tom Awesome story and history of the CF grip! Thank you for sharing your mindset and especially your anecdotes from the time! Amazing how happy accidents came together to make such a Huge impact on our sport, industry, and craft! I don't know what the future holds as far as innovations in materials and such....the CF grip jumped way ahead of it all, IMO.
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Thank you, Chris! You've again clarified my thinking and answered many, weedy questions. I found your statement that choosing the Butt Guide Ring Size ahead of time very informative. From this, I surmise that: * Line Type Determines Butt Guide Ring Size. * Reel Height Determines Butt Guide Location. That clicks. Since the KR GPS only goes so far in reel size (not into the lar
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Tom I would love to hear your story about CF grips as you were the inventor of them. Specifically - What was the spark that started it all for you? The CF grip was and is a game-changing innovation in the rod-building universe. What is the best range of foam core in your view? I know there are different ratings/pounds of foam. Is it the stiffness-to-weight ratio of the foam that gives it t
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chris - Thank you for the information based on your testing and experience. I appreciate and value your responses to my specific, in-the-weeds questions. The KR Concept makes intuitive sense to me, and works very well on the rods I have built with it over the last few years. It feels strange to me that I have been building rods since I was a teenager in the 1970's and am just now catching
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Have you contacted Get Bit Outdoors or Batson/ForeCast?
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chris - How do you determine your Choke Guide location for a Reduction Train? From what I gleaned from your posts on this thread: 1.) Mount the reel to the rod and make a taught line from the reel spool axel angle to where it crosses the blank? Place your Choke Guide in this location as a starter? (Similar to NGC - right?) 2.) Select the KR Reduction Train Group according to the Line size
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Which of these three common materials do you prefer for your grips? (Or do you prefer another material altogether?) Do you prefer one over the other for a specific reason or purpose? Mix them up? What's your rationale? I'm using CF more often these days. However, my love-affair with cork has not gone away by any means. To be honest, I've never used EVA because I don't like the feel nor look
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