I use the info from Bob Meiser , works great . With the CPcyou can just soak the inly with Iso and be gone with it if you mess it up . Have fun , John
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John , I started to dabble with spey rods and casting last summer , it's quite a different ball game from standard fly casting ( in my oppinion ) . You do need a different line , and a lot of time to practice casting . There are a few different sites on spey casting , non of which I book marked . As far as advice on a rod / blank , Bob Meiser is the king of the hill , and well respected builder
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Mike , the guy that has had his money taken by a not so hot rodbuilder should have done his homework before making a commitment to have a rod built with out seeing some of the builders work first . Shame on him for giving builders in general a bad wrap ...... no pun intended , and if he was indeed that unhappy with his rod , he should have done somthing about it . I would hope someone told him
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I also have the AMTAC version of the lathe , it's the single best investment I've made in the 4 or 5 years I've been building rods . I also just tape the chuck when dryng , though I do agree with Mike . The second drier , great for the single sections to dry on when you need the lathe to do some wrapping , doubles as a butt wrap stand too . Go for it , Have fun . John
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I used the ready-set-glow powder mixed into high build epoxy over a white Tap plastics base coat . Then I installed one of the little clips to hold a lunker light , this is installed on the back side of the rod . Between the two working together , it will last for 8 hours or so . The only set back is a chunk or built up weight on the tip . I only use it on bigger surf rods where it's not even n
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Robert , not having thrown a SLT , I'm not to sure of what you are looking for exactly . In your last post you had mentioned Mod/fast , the sigV is all that , and the right price . I built one in june for a guy and it was a nice casting rod . The St.Croix SC 4 & 5 are nice also , and available in 4 pc . The SC4 was a lot slower than I was expecting , this was before I knew of the Common Ce
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Do a search on Dan Craft , read the reviews on his FT and Sig V blanks . I believe they are the best value going . If you want to start with a kit , Hook & Hackle has kits very reasonably priced . Alot of the blanks are American made in the kits , but I would ask to make sure . Dans Ft's are available in 4 pc , though I'm not to sure on the sig V . There are a ton of blanks you could concide
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He got me going with a blank to make a boat rod for my son that he can't destroy . As far as the heavy spinners go , I'll get together with one of you guys to get a couple . For the tube and wormers , I have a couple of glass blanks that will do the trick . I can't believe you never heard of a tube and worm ????? John
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Made the 110 mile trip up to visit Mike joyce this sat. and had a building mini get-together , just in time for me to start MY winter projects . This was just the kick I needed to get going , seeing some of his work , he's quite the builder/ thread artist . Did a bit of bartering , and when I got home , I started a couple of boat rods for me and a friend that night . Mikes thread art is somthin
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Click on the FAQs , library, and Glossary on the top of the page for starters ,there is a ton of info in them . You can also use the search button to look for specific items . If you are looking for parts , the sponcor list on the side of the page will lead you to unlimited products , just look around . When you have decided to ask a specific question , try a search first and see what you come
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If you are looking for a sponcor that sells vices , there are several , one of which is Hook and Hackle , who carries a bunch . I started with a thompson "A" , and now use an HMH Spartan , with 2 sets of jaws it's about $180 or so . The Thompson is $40 + change, great vice for a beginner . Have fun , nothing beats catching a fish on a rod you built , with a fly you tied from the feath
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Mike , I an bringing 4 different seats for you to look at on sat , a Pac Bay plain jane , REC , a woven graphite and a couple of Forecasts ........ See you then . JHD
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I have had better results with 811( on the rare occasion I use CP ) when thinned by 1/3 with isopropal for the first coat , then strait on the second . Even then it's a crap shoot . Have fun , John
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Ray , if you mixed the Rod Bond right and it's cured , your hopes for removing that butt are very slim . I wouldn't cut it (the blank ) with a saw , turn the butt down , then install the hardware ( if it's infact an up locking seat ) and then install a new butt . The butts are cheap and if you have the means to turn it down , it shouldn't be too terribly bad of an ordeal . Even if you can't turn
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Yea you can apply ample pressure on a fish with just a full well , but it's more fun with a "hand up" on them !! Antti's guide selection is what I normally use for sizes , as long as the knots go . Looking forward to sat Mike !! John
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Mikko , Your taking the well being of your rod into the dark zone when adding a fighting grip onto any flyrod blank ,specificly on lower weight blanks such as the one you are building . I personaly use fighting grip on all MY flyrods over 8 wt , but they are MINE to break if I see fit . On 8-10 wts of mine , I incorprate the fighting grip into the full well grip ( there's a nice template in
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That was the post I was refering to , thanks Cliff . John
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I had one of the best surfcasting days about 10 years ago on Thanksgiving day. It was the second leg of a surf and turf Thanksgiving , Kill a deer in the morning , drop it at the butcher (less the tenderloins), and hit the beach in 50 deg. sun shine and pound the bass ................ priceless !! ............no deer or bass today , but a nice morning in the woods , snowing like mad , quiet
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If I remember the post correctly , put the good flex in the rod with the seat and reel instsalled and start the running guides just past the start of the deflection . You could do a search , I know I read it somewhere on this site . Have fun . John
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Rob , I see that you are looking for a fly rod blank for a 7 yr old , look into a Forecast kit from Hook & Hackle , or a Tiger Eye from Neal or any of the sponsors . They are decent rods for the $$ , and have a moderate action which will be easier for a child to learn to cast on . An 8 ft 5 wt will be the easiest to cast for a kid his age , a Forecast kit will set you back probably 60 or 70
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Bryan , I'm with Steve on this one . You can get a 1" cork / EVA cap at just about any of the sponsors . REC has nice ones with cork and composit cork on the end , they come pe-bored and with a little carefull fitting will look great on your rod . It may even help ballance a rod of that lenght which tend to be a bit tip heavy . Have fun , JHD
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Mike , the last fly rod I built this spring was for a friends moms 60th birthday , the inscription read ; "To Mom , with love and admiration , your Son , Nate ." I e-mailed it directly to Jimi as a CC from this guy . Then I printed it and attached it to his slip . I covered my butt if there was a spelling issue or grammerical issue. Try a waterslide that size , one line , on a S
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I came sooo close to doing the same thing Gene did , I went as far as Scotch Brite scuffing the 2nd section 'till I realized it wasn't the bottom ........... thank God for Permagloss. JHD
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Depends on the length and rod weight ........ Most of the lighter weight fly rods I build now I use just one . Most over 5 or 6 wt , and for salt water use I use 2 . My $.02 JHD
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I am looking forward to seeing Bill perform this at the show , another great reason to make the trip . John
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Permagloss dries in an hour . It's perfect for quick , as well as permanent repairs . The only problem is that it takes quite a few coats to get any kind of "build" . For somthing to be done the night before fishing , it's perfect , hard as a rock , and crystal clear when cured . Be sure to seal the bottle well after use , and the quicker you can dispence some and close the bottle
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Mike , you will find the feathers much easier to position and move if you use a coat of finish first . You also avoid bloches on the wrap from exess CP in spots .Use 811 thined with isopropal alcohol by 1/3 or so, makes it a bit thinner and easier to work with , speeds up drying time between feather additions . Have fun . JH
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Scott , check out Mud Holes site for the adjustable seat they have . I just used one on a 10' AMTAC blank for a guy who wanted to be able to adjust the distance of the seat from the butt. I don't know if it is what you are looking for , but it's worth a look . They have them in a few different sizes and adjust for a range of 4mm of dia. difference . It looks like a common graphite seat jst twice
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Jan , the Recoils are incredibly light , but they have a longer foot than most guides . Those are my choice on 2wts and lighter rods where I don't use incerts . I like the single foot light wire Recoils , they weigh almost nothing but require a little longer wrap . Have Fun , John
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Jan , I do recall seeing a comparison of the weights between the two , I think there were also comparisons of the steel frame vs. the titanium frames with SIC rings. A search may come up with the post , though I don't recall the title of it . I was surprised in the difference in the two incerts , the Ti frames were 1/2 the weight (of steel frames) if I'm remembering correctly . The difference i
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