SPONSORS
2024 ICRBE EXPO |
Results 121 - 150 of 451
9 years ago
jim spooner
Mo,
I agree with your reasoning. If the bow of the blank allows it (1st priority), I always build on the stiffest axis…..not only because of a slight increase in power, but a bit more sensitivity.
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
Agreed, taking more than ½” can make a rod less versatile, however, for certain lures or techniques, shortening the tip can be beneficial (the benefits may be more appropriate in a new thread). I normally build on blanks that are longer than the length I’ll finish with. I usually cut from the butt end, but often cut from the tip to get what I’m after. I always measure the power and AA before I ma
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
Cutting a half inch (or even an inch) off the tip may be a solution. It would slow the action slightly and may (or may not) require respacing the guides. I do this with many of my rods where I want increased stiffness (more power and increased lure weights).
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
Ken,
I think your question/concern is valid, but the slight difference in height would probably not amount to any measurable casting difference. It may be more of a bothersome aesthetic or cosmetic issue for you. I’d go so far to suggest that if you increase the tip top size to get the desired height, the additional weight at the rod tip will have more of a negative measurable effect on performa
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
Ken,
One solution is to wrap on a single foot guide for the tip top. I started using SF guides for tip-tops several years ago because of the unavailability of small ringed (micro) guide tip-tops. It took a while to get used to the look of them and now I prefer them to conventional framed tip-tops. They are also considerably lighter and I think they look cleaner.
I do however bend the guide slig
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
Adam,
Four inches is quite a bit off the tip of a rod, but since it was a moderate action to begin with and probably has a very slow taper, it might be acceptable to you, especially if the rod was fairly long to begin with. Being 4” shorter would make it slower and definitely stiffer. The power rating would also increase as well as the lure weight range. Assuming the current tip size is still re
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
As Tom said previously, although two different length rods could be made on the same mandrel, the shorter rod won’t be the same action, nor will the power. The manufacturer would probably spec the shorter rod differently. It’s not likely that the two blanks in question are made on the same mandrel, but since manufacturer’s ratings tend to be vague or ill-defined, it’s possible.
Forum: rodboard 9 years ago
jim spooner
Ron,
Yes, I would venture to say that the shorter rod, even if it had the identical CCS ratings for power and action, would FEEL stiffer. I cut almost every blank for the rods that I build and although the power is reduced and the action slows, the resulting shorter rod feels stiffer and more responsive to me. CCS values can be misleading when it comes to rod length. Not to say that the values
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Roger,
You said previously: “I was just pushing the envelope a bit more with the suggestion that one could basically use the same spacing as one uses for a spiral or spinning rod”.
What I was referring to in my post is that my rods ARE “conventional” casting with all guides on top.
You said you’ve been using micros for a long time. You should try greater spacing/less guides and see if th
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
To confirm your scenario of the same spacing as spiral or spinning setups, I use micros (Fuji 3.5s), all on top, one guide per foot, plus tiptop (wrapped -on guide) and have had absolutely no issues with torque, stress distribution or wear/scuffing (line or blank). And yes, the line drops well below the blank when the rod is loaded. This subject has been discussed in great length in this thread:
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
131. rod terminologies
Short video to clarify/differentiate a rod’s “power” and “action. It always surprises me when I hear some “pro” angler refer to a rod as being “medium heavy action”, although I’ll have to admit that I’ve done it myself.
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
132. Re: braid & guides
This was written by Thomas Lyle in 2006
Recoil Guides What Are They Any Way
Hi There Again;
The Recoil guides are manufactured by Ultimate Ni Technologies; REC being there licensed distributor. Recoil guides are made with Nitinol a Nickel Titanium alloy developed by the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in the early sixty’s and is about 55% Nickel with the balance being Titanium and t
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
I also think part of the evolution was to go longer for casting distance and to facilitate techniques such as flipp’n/ pitching…….which also led to longer grips to allow two hand casting and recover some of the mechanical advantage….. and balance the tip-heavy rod.
I still have one of the old pistol grip (Fuji) handled rods (w/ferrule) that I’ve kept for sentimental reasons. It amazes me to p
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Since most of the rods I use are less than 6’, it’s aggravating that most manufacturers don’t offer blanks shorter than 6 ½' length…..especially in higher powers. Fortunately I generally don’t like extra fast actions, so I don’t lose much in that regard. Voiding the warranty is an issue, but so far, not a problem. Also having to discard the cut-offs is money wasted….although on occasion I’ve bee
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
135. Re: braid & guides
This is from Cliff Hall.
VICKER'S HARDNESS SCALE:
RC= Ring Color
Stainless Steel (SS): 200
Chrome: 800-1000
Aluminum Oxide: 1200-1400 RC: Dk.Brown Fuji Harloy RC: GRAY,.
Alconite 1700 Fuji RC:Black ^ PacBay Hialoy RC: Dk.Brown ^
Zirconia: 1400-1800 American
Nanolite: 1800 American
SiC: 2200-2400 Fuji, PacBay. ALWAYS HARDEST RC: Dk.GRAY Shiney
Stainless Steel (SS): 400
Chr
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Russ,
Yes. The Bass that I fish for can see the braid, they just don’t care (Ha). Years ago when I first started using braid, I did use a leader, but I eventually concluded that it made little difference in the waters I fish. Eliminating it leaves one less weak point and is less hassle. I still do use a short (12”) leader on some propped top-waters to prevent line snagging.
I’ve gotten simil
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
I figure that the knot is, in most cases, the “weakest link in the chain” and I based my testing on normal fishing conditions….I.E. replicating the line as normally tied to a lure with the knot that I would normally use. Since break-offs have seldom been an issue for me, I haven’t pursued looking into a knot that might perform better than the Uni- knot. There are undoubtedly better/stronger knots
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
FWIW, my further “tests”(with 30 and 40 lb Samurai) have indicated that 40 pound Samurai would be comparable to 20 pound Power Pro SS8 or Sufix 832 in both thickness and break strength (Sufix is slightly more dia). The way that I tested, the knots were part of the failure results as every break was at the knot (Uni or Palomar).
In summary:
Samurai 20 lb dia=.006” breaks @ 13 lbs 1 oz
Samu
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Although break strength is only one of several attributes to consider when choosing a particular braid, it should be noted that the manufacturer’s line ratings can be misleading. For most of my fishing, 20 pound test Power Pro SS8 and Sufix 832 has been adequate. After trying 20lb Samurai and experiencing several break-offs, I judged it to be inferior and went back to PP and 832. I have since don
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Although I’ve experimented with quite a few braided lines, my preference so far leans toward PP Super Slick and Sufix 832. I like Samurai, but I seem to have a lot of break-offs and I’m inclined to believe that it’s the result from their line ratings being close to actual break strength, as opposed to other lines being significantly underrated (much higher break strengths).
I’ve done a lot of
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Roger,
Not when handed the rods (statically), but when casting….Absolutely! By cutting the weight in half for the running guides (and tip top)….out toward the tip where weight is critical, I would have to be sensorially challenged not to feel the difference.
I remember many years ago ('70's) I purchased a popular "factory" rod that I really liked. I ended up ordering another of the
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Can someone tell me the ring color of Microwave Duralite guides?
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
The 5mm guides are significantly heavier than 3.5 or 4 mm(…..whether Fuji, Batson or others). Better performance can be had for just a few more bucks.
Question remains, how does the color differ on the Nanolite vs. the Durolite?
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
I know that I’m not the only one doing this, so……
Of the spinning rods that I’ve built using Microwave Nonolite Guides (both black and chrome frames), I used Fuji’s smaller/lighter (3.5 mm) running guides. The ring colors of TLSGs, LSGs and BLAGs matched well enough with the Nanolite MWs, but I’m wondering about the ring color of the Duralite rings. I’m building a rod for a guy on a budget and
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Am I correct in the following colors for Fuji rings?
Sic & alconite (black)
hardloy (purple-gray)
aluminum oxide (black with brownish tint)
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
First thing that I do is make sure that the very tip of the blank is not rounded. If it is, I sand it square with the blank. When I prep the guide (Fuji TLSG3.5), I bend the guide slightly forward to provide an angle more conducive to the line flow. Then I use tape to hold the guide in position with the ring slightly forward of the tip (the tip never extends past the guide). Because the tip is so
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Don,
As tempting as your offer is, I’ll have to pass. It’s a bit too far from North Alabama……besides, I already have some of the guides……though not the hat (Ha).
Forum: rodboard 10 years ago
jim spooner
Col,
If you think the only “bad†thing about the MW’s is the chance of taking over the market, I wouldn’t be too concerned. I don’t think there’s much chance of AmTak dominating the market in spite of their ongoing promotional campaign, which will eventually lose momentum. It’s a good product and certainly an award winning product for innovation, but not necessarily a “better mou
Forum: rodboard |