Hi Bill, We have some AERO seats in stock without finish. Might make it easier on you without the stripping and prepping etc. They are not shown in our catalog but the part number is simply AERO-16. When ordering, just specify NO Comfort Finish and that it's a non-cataloged item. Let me know if you run into any problems. Best Regards, Darrin Heim American Tackle Company
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Totally off subject here... I realize numbers are always important (to many) but in reality, quality trumps quantity any day. There always seems to me, an odd focus on quantity but whether the numbers are up, down or sideways the fact remains there is no other show totally focused on rod building across the board and the nation. If you are interested in rod building, you will never find so much u
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Sorry for the late post if you are already on to new business...... I just wanted to take the time to thank Tom Kirkman for enduring the process of organizing such an amazing event. At the same time I thank all those attending as they truly make it all worth while. Every year American Tackle exhibits at more then one "Trade" only show as well as a few "custom rod" orient
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Good points Jim. Bruce- I do remember wondering about that myself but came to the conclusion that Fuji meant their own SiC where the ring is thicker then an Alconite so the reduction in weight had to be a result of less material which Jim just explained. I remember this because Pac Bay had a "thin" SiC ring which was developed for a TiC coated guide used in the introduction of G. Loo
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Hi again, Good points and questions,,,,, Cleison- although it's been quite awhile since I weighed all the guides and don't have the data readily available, I recall the Duralites being slightly heavier then Alconites and our Nanolites being slightly lighter however the differences were not extreme. In fact different size guides matched differently and those that were close were grains apart
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Hi Dusan, Not sure exactly what information your looking for, but both rings are high grade ceramic inserts well suited for braided and monofilament fishing lines. I can't speak to what the Alconite is but the Duralite is an Aluminum Oxide base. Both are highly polished and most likely close in Vickers hardness, Alconite most likely being a bit harder though. Duralite is a shiny dark greyish r
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Hello Bobby, Tom is correct. The name is original to the Meehan family who started the company over 25 years ago and does not indicate that we are a U.S. manufacturing facility. While we are entirely U.S. family owned, we source from countries around the world which includes China, Taiwan, Korea and the U.S. Although we own tooling & molds, we will develop or co-develop products from sever
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Hi Michael, I agree and this project has been on our list for quite some time now. Our list seems to continue to grow as we are the busiest we've ever been in the history of our company while being short handed at the moment. No excuse though, we are progressing on our projects quite well and hopefully we will be able to complete this one very soon. Respectfully, Darrin Heim American Ta
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Hi Wayne, Both of these guides are the same Ring Lock casting frame style with different color finish on the frames so they will have the same height as well. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions or if I can provide additional information. Best Regards, Darrin Heim American Tackle Company
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Hi Sam, The ProWrap thread number that matches the SS metallic that Jim mentioned is Burgandy 9640. As for blue, we offer 8 variations in our seletion of 39 metallic colors. Hope you consider our products. Best Regards, Darrin Heim American Tackle Company
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Long rambling post, read at your own risk. I have no idea about any other sports equipment and doesn’t really interest me however the blank thing is a bit intriguing. Not sure if anything could be “felt” as in a loss of power or difference in response however I suppose fatigue leading to failure can arise from several factors such as use/abuse, material and probably more importantly desi
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Hi again, My “comparable” comment was to show that Nanolite is closer to SiC then Alconite which is where many commonly group it. While not quite as hard as SiC, I consider a range of hardness, which Zirconia’s & Zirconium’s would fall into along with SiC as top end ceramic ring offerings. I would also group various Aluminum Oxides together even though hardness can vary a bit too.
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Hi Mitchell, I won’t speak to other available thread brands but I can say that in extensive testing and practical use of our new Prowrap thread we found that it accepts all finishes and color preservers extremely well. Receiving rave reviews for consistency and workability, if you try it you’ll never encounter the mentioned issue again. It is available in both Regular Nylon and Color Fast
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Hi Rolly, If you do consider our Ring Lock guides (which I hope you do) take a look at our newest introduction, the “Typhoon” Series. Ideal for inshore style rods with the 8-20mm sizes being perfect for casting rods while the 25-40mm guides are spinning oriented with increased ring heights. They bridge the gap between our ultra-light weight Ring Lock guides and our Virtus Light series whic
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Hi Dan, Obviously my job is to promote our products. If there was a better option out there I would let the others have it but I personally think that there is no better guide for this exact purpose then the Titan Virtus Heavy (NIRLVH). The 30/40mm sizes were specifically added in the heavy frames precisely for these types of applications. The titanium material is light weight with flexibility
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Bil, This is an awesome blank for this, my preference is the Viper 1085 though. The power is well suited for 3/4 oz. and up to 1oz. spoons. If your using 1 oz. and above and really loading it up, our 1087 might work better, just a thought. Best Regards, Darrin Heim American Tackle Company
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Sad news indeed. Gudebrod has been a personal favorite of mine for more then 25 years. In the beginning I had to get used to not using all the Holland thread I still had but once I started, I never found anything else to compare to Gudebrod, until now. American Tackle has offered thread in the past but nothing even close to this new ProWrap program. The quality is outstanding and it’s most comp
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I like this thread, interesting reading. We came late to the “micro” guide gathering but we have been focused on improvement right from the start. We heard the rumblings of some issues with using these small guides. Whether genuine problems or not we didn’t like the idea of using existing guides designed for an entirely unique application on heavier gear rods, although we did upgrade the st
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Hi Mel, I still think these guides are prefect for your spinning rod. They have a higher ring location then standard casting styles. I took some quick ring location measurements for the 25, 30 & 40mm guides: 25 = .75” (bottom) = 1.49” (top) 30 = 1.00” (bottom) = 1.92” (top) 40 = 1.18” (bottom) = 2.34” (top) Measured standing straight up from bottom o
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Hi Mel, I won't recommend either of these guides for a couple of reasons. One, we have much better designed guides specifically for this type of application. And the TSVSG’s, not sure what they are good for,,,,,,,,, but you can guess why I can’t recommend these. The guides I would highly recommend would be our Titan Virtus heavies which are now available up to a 40mm ring size. They a
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Hi Kerry, No, I doubt you could ever completely protect a ceramic ring from breaking whether it be from slamming it into a rock or running it over with a truck (hope he’s not casting from a highway). It’s really his choice and wire frame guides are fine however they too have weak areas such as welds and even a Carbaloy ring can crack. I just wanted to throw another option out there for a â
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Hi Tim, My suggestion for model would depend on the area or stream type your fishing (or even how your fishing). You can probably bet my choices are going to be for American Tackle Blanks though. I love small stream fishing but don’t get to do it a lot these days but I do fish my small pond everyday and as of late, the fish have been in the shallows in relatively heavy cover. I normally woul
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Hi Tony, I love this question! In my biased opinion going to Carbide, Carbaloy, Carmet, or any wire frame guides would be like going back in time and taking the family vacation across the country in a covered wagon. (however folks might like this -depends on the “family“) Please consider our Virtus Ring Lock guides. There are no better guides for Ulua rods and they will be sure to perfo
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Breaking Strength - didn’t read the other threads (too busy or too lazy) Funny, I always figured the line ratings were ideally what the rod would fish, of course all depending on the technique etc. While saltwater rod designs might suggest line ratings to protect from line breakage, the use of braided lines heads toward lighter rods which can correlate to “power” descriptions but can protec
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For me,,, I generally always use under-wraps on heavy saltwater rods. In this case it’s the guide choice that would urge me to do it. They are fine guides I am sure, but they are relatively stiff frames. Don’t know what kind of seeker blank your using but it will probably flex quite a bit, particularly toward the tip as most west coast fast taper blanks will. While not absolutely required, I
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I won’t argue the guide suggestion, Todd knows his stuff! (especially since I approve of this choice) I assume your building a spinning rod, since it’s AL vs. graphite. Not sure whether you are looking for a weight or comfort focus but my suggestion is that you consider our AERO16 seat. It’s comfortable ergonomic shape is ideal for drift rods where you want to stand ready for a hook set
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I can over look quite a bit in my rods just to have a fishing tool. Unfortunately, I remember every bubble, crooked or broken thread on my rod while fishing and it does bother me. While it’s true a rod is a tool to get a job done, it’s also something to enjoy as well. Fish don’t care about a well made rod but fishermen do and the more a rod is coveted the more confidence and joy it can prov
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Hi Mitch, You would glue the threaded portion of the seat body on to the blank. You can have the blank edge flush to the edge of the threaded portion or leave some extended out beyond the seat (you can cut the blank portion off at the seat if you want) but you don’t need the blank there to use the handle/grip. Then glue the woven handle to the hood portion of the seat and just thread on the
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No real sales objective here, although we probably sell more snake guides then any other company in the US I’d rather sell ceramic ring guides instead (their prices are higher). What I wanted to mention is some basic testing done by Fly Logic for their rods some 10+ years ago. They wanted to go with wire single foot fly guides because Loomis did, but I mentioned that many builders and tourna
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Hi Robert, Speaking for American Tackle’s line up, we have several corresponding frames from a general design standpoint. Some heights may differ slightly and you’ll find that we added bracing and frame features to enhance durability. Likewise we also increase frame material quality to reduce weight, add flexibility and protect against corrosion. We also vary insert selections as well as e
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