I have been trying to determine how to measure a blank for exposed blank casting reel seats. If a reel seat is 12.5 mm, where is that diameter? Butt end? Middle? Front of reel seat? I have a couple of blanks that I want to buy reel seats to build the rod. I don't have a supply of various sized seats to try. I would like to use my calipers and measure some distance from the end of the blank.
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Jason, I have built several T rigs rods over the past year. I am no expert, but I fish Texas rigs on Lake Guntersville quite a lot. I use size 3.5 Batsons all on top or size 6 DF, 5, 4, for the spiral and 3.0 running guides for the rest. I prefer the spiral for Texas rigs after fishing both layouts on identical blanks. I used mostly 15 lb fluorocarbon, and have not had a problem with
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Mike, I have built several of those blanks. They make a great Texas rig worm rod.They are no longer available. I have built them with micro guides with a spiral wrap. Biggest bass on one is 7 Lbs. Be glad to share my layout, etc. Sincerely Bert Nagy
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Thanks for the inouts. I already have to extend the tube about 3/4" past the butt to accommodate the butt cap. I am going to make it 2" past and see how it works. I will keep the idea of the scrap blank in mind for the next rod. Sincerely Bert Nagy
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I am starting to build a rod using an 8" tubular Tennessee handle that I got a couple of years ago. I have previously built a rod with this same tubing. I used two one inch graphite arbors to hold the handle. . I installed one arbor at the end of the blank, and another near the reel seat. The rod has worked well for a couple of years now with no problems This particular blank is 6'
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I have been recently trying to make foam carbon fiber grips. So far I have made about 3 that are OK. There is definitely a learning curve there. I wanted to do a split grip, and think I have a design for the front part. The rear grip at the end of the blank is throwing me. I cannot get enough of a tenon for a foam butt cap to fit well. I recently made a rear grip that is flat on the end r
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I have recently gotten a few requests to repair rods for things like broken guides and tip tops that have rings popped out.. I have not really marketed any service, - this has been from bass club buddies, etc: There have not been a lot of requests, but enough to get me to thinking about taking it to the next level. I was wondering if anyone who is more experienced in the repair side could pro
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Tim, I sent you an Email
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I built a Shikari IP 704 are a drop shot rod. I got is when Mudhole liquidated the Shikari blanks about 3 years ago. This was the blank that Rich Forhan said was the best drop shot rod in his seminar at the ICRBE in 2007 or 2008. It works well as drop shot and throws small crankbaits quite well. I bought a couple of the ATC IP 704 blanks, but have not built any of them into completed rods yet.
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I have built several of these blanks. The best combination I have found is Fish Hawk Dark Green with CP with Gold metallic trim bands. This combination really pops - especially with a rattlesnake skin as butt trim. I have also done medium brown with a light tan (almost white) trim band. It looked OK, Regards Bert Nagy
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I am interested in building a Float N Fly rod. I've recently read some articles where Spotted Bass are succumbing to this technique. From what I have read these rods are 8', 9', or 10' long, and use very light line. The basic rig uses Power Pro Line in 1 pound diameter 8 pound test tied to the Three Way Swivel. A Seaguar 8 lb Fluorocarbon Leader from 8 to 18 feet in length for the jig, and t
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I used to own a countertop business, and we installed a lot of commercial projects, where the customer wanted a completely open area under a work space (countertops). Think doctors, dentist offices, etc, We tried a lot of brackets, and the very best were made by A &M Hardware from Manheim PA. You can find them on the web. They are not all that expensive. Space them 30" max and one on ea
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HI Chip, I decided last winter to build a "great" worm rod for throwing Texas rigs worms on Lake Guntersville, Al. It needed to be able to cast worms with 3/16 oz weights, to be able to get through the grass easily and also handle larger fish. Guntersville is a place where the "tap- tap" could be a 7 lb or a 13" fish. You never know. I purchased 4 different blanks
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Tom, Thanks for the reply. I found a couple fiberglass rods from him Regards Bert Nagy
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Is there any easy way to determine the material that a fishing rod blank is made from -specifically whether a completed rod has been built from fiberglass or graphite? One of my friends has a number of old broken rods that he is about to throw away. I am looking for fiberglass rods to use to repair a couple of rods that I broke. Thanks Bert Nagy
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Trinity, This spring I built a 6' 6" medium heavy baitcasting rod for Texas Rig worm fishing, as kind of an experiment. The blank was an ATC closeout that I got at the ICRBE. For the build, I used Size 3.5 Batson microguides all on top. I fished this rod at Lake Guntersville in mid April, and caught about 25 bass in 2 days with it. I had no failures or issues at all. It has turned out
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Tom, The blank is 6' 10" and is rated for 6 to 14 lb line throwing 1/8 oz to 5/8 oz. I have been testing with a Shimano Stradic 2000 with 8 lb test mono with 1/4 oz of weight. We typically us 1/8 oz jigheads with a finesse or 4" ringworm. Thanks Bert Nagy
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Thanks for everyones input. I tried the Size 4 set up as Tom suggested, but this time with only only 2 guides (20 and 10) between the choke guide and the butt. Seems to be better than the 25, 16, 10. Thanks everyone Bert Nagy
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I am seeking some advice and thoughts regarding placement of guides with respect to the spine of a blank. I have done numerous searches, and the general thinking on the board is that the spine does not matter. In the recent article in Rodmaker, St. Croix said the spine did not matter. Here is the reason for my question. I recently built a Batson XSB-822.5 (RX-8) blank as a spinning rod. I use
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Mitch, I built a Lamiglass CCB 844M last year. I have used it quite a bit this spring at Lake Guntersville throwing 1/2 oz rattle traps. It is a great rod for that size trap and the medium size crankbaits. You can email me if you have any questions. Regards Bert
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Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the input and help that this forum provides. I look forward to meeting everyone in February! Bert Nagy
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Good Morning All, I would like to build a worm rod for throwing Texas Rig plastic worms. The weights that I usually throw are 3/16 to 3/8 oz. I am looking for a blank with a lot of power as I fish Lake Guntersville a lot, and it is very weedy. For worms, I prefer a 6' 6" rod. I currently have an American Rodsmiths Titanium factory rod, and an old All Star IM-6 WR-1 Both have been go
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Mike, Can you drop me an Email. I am building this same rod, and wanted to find out how it worked for you. Thanks Bert Nagy
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Bill, I have a Brother P- touch label maker that I use for labels on rods. I had to order a white on clear tape from Brother as none of the office stores carried that style. My Brother labelmaker came with a software CD program that installs and runs on a PC. The software allows you to design your labels, and includes many many fonts, not just the ones that come imbedded in the labelmaker.
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I have done several Tigers - I am by no means an expert The best (to me) colors for me has been Royal Blue and White underwrap, with Royal blue top wrap. I tried a red and black (University of GA) wrap using a White and Black underwrap with a scarlet overwrap- It was too dark for my tastes. One thing I tried that did not work as well as I would have liked was using metallic silver as a c
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I have an All Star "Classic" IM-6 casting rod. The ring on one of the single foot guides has popped out, and so I need to replace the guide. The guide is black frame with a silverish ring/insert. Would any ony know what manufacturer or guide type was used by All Star or have a recommendation of a comparable guide? A Fuji Alconite is higher that this guide. I have built all my rods
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My brother in law asked me to build a 9 foot 9 WT fly rod. I have built only spinning and casting rods - no fly rods. This will be my first fly rod. I purchased an All Star Elite 2 piece blank, and have the reel seat and handle in place. I spent a fair amount of time researching fly rod guide sizes and placement. What I came up with was the following: Stripper Guide - 14 double foot - 8
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Steve, I have a Pac Bay wrapper also, and Madeira thread does not fit on the carriage. It is the R3 W-XL wrapper. My carriage has two horizontal holders, and they are not long enough to allow the spool to fit on and still use the spring. I took my carriage to the show over the weekend and explained the problem to the Pac Bay rep. They did not have a solution. I got some advice was from
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I am building a spinning rod using a 7' Shikari blank for drop shot. I am using the method decribed in the Rodmaker article on NGC guide placement. I have also searched the forum, and read the article in the library. One thing is not clear to me is the size of the choker guide. The library article says to use the lowest and smallest (ring?) guide. The Rodmaker article does not say anythin
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Bob, I am new to this, but I can tell you what I do. I have a Pacific Bay power wrapper. When I need to turn the rod manually, I just open the chuck jaws, and the rod turns easily with no resistance. I could not get the hang of the power wrapper initially, and I built my first rod turning it by hand in the power wrapper. Hope this helps Bert Nagy
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