Volume 8, Issue 2.
Forum: rodboard

You can get them from CTS, I've built a 3 piece spinning travel blank in the blue. FishStick4U and Bingham's has them, or can have then drop shipped if there is one in the states. Angler's Workshop is a distributor, but they haven'r mentioned carrying the blanks to me, though they carry alot of Andy's other products ,so I could be mistaken. It all may be in the next catalog at the end of the year
Forum: rodboard

Going to the smaller guide sizes appropriate for a 2 wt, I'm not sure you'd gain a big weight difference with RECs as they stop at a size 1 in the single foots. A thin wire little stainless guide may actually be lighter both in weight and thread wrap size/finish.
Forum: rodboard

You tried looking at the reel repair tutorials at www.tackletour.com? There are others on other sites also. Lots of them on how to improve the performance of Abus for instance.
Forum: rodboard

The Batson F764-4s I've used in the past made dandy little ulralites and were pretty fast tipped for a fly blank in this price range. I now see they make one in a 5 piece also. The Tiger Eye blanks at Neal's and Black Dog and others also come in that length and a listed in a little higher weight rating.
Forum: rodboard

I'd like to know what's wrong with the Dark Green that I use quite a bit also. I haven't noticed anything wrong with my spool.
Forum: rodboard

I have a 7 wt built as a switch rod and it works very well, but frankly if I was to do it again I'd used one of the blanks designed for that now. R.B. Meiser, Beulah, and Rainshadow all have blanks for this and they are all reasonably priced and more importantly all set up for the line weights they are listed for. All these vendors can also suggest lines that work well with their blank, especiall
Forum: rodboard

William I think Angler's Workshop has both the Rainshadow and Beulah switch rod blanks. I'm sure Utmost has them and any other Batson blank.
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Here's one for a 15 ft 9 wt, just add another 6 inch spaced guide on the tip and move everything down to start your basic distribution test. 4 3/16, 9 1/2 15 9/16, 22 1/2, 30 3/4, 39 7/8, 49 9/16, 62 1/2, 76 7/16, 88 5/16, 103 1/16, 117 11/16, 136 3/4. Used a 20, 16, 12, 5, 5, the rest 4s. Some 15 ft rods I've seen are happy with as few as 11 guides it's just depends on the blank.
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Mark, Use the search function and put in you fish species, there are quite a few Aussies and they may have made some earlier recommendations.
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The Emperor's Choice line of reelseats are similar. Schneider's, Amity Harbor, @#$%&, FishStick4U can help you. They sure are fond of that stuff, they don't give it away.
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I'd go smaller on the guides, you don't need a 16 with that reel. The line is supposed to get real near or actually barely touch the blank at full bend if you have the guides set up right.
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Angler's Workshop TSH 86 MH4 or the TSP 90 H3 depending on species and technique. Personally the TSH blank for spinning. Much like the Loomis and Rainshadow 1025s.
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Max, I've not had a partiular hard time getting a white CTS blank or other custom colors even in the muti-piece spin blanks yet. Have a white 4 piece 5 wt fly blank now at the house. Lamiglas will paint you up one and they have a huge, diversified variety of blanks for just about any need. Sometimes the paint jobs were free or near so that I've had done there. The worst was a $20 upcharge if I
Forum: rodboard

Sometimes when your exploring the blanks for a special use you run into a few bumps, we've all done it. Luckily ,if your a multi-species angler or live in an area of year round multi-species angling you can always find a use for your mistakes. Some of my best rods for certain uses weren't originally built for that use.
Forum: rodboard

I've tried a few of the long rods up in Canada and they are a little longer than I like, but they do catch fish. Just not sure I'd catch anymore than I do now with the longer rods. That said the Talons I noticed were not as slow actioned as many I've fished and smooth fishing at the same time. There reputation is well deserved as is Raven's and the other nice rod was I think was a Whitewater or s
Forum: rodboard

If the reelseats are the same size I think all parts are interchangable. At least they have been when I traded parts. If the reelseat doesn't have the channel through the threads though, you can't put just any reelseat nut on as it would not go on, or would spin and not stay aligned depending on the situation.
Forum: rodboard

It's been done before, you can do the same with two skeleton reel seats and an insert. Just keep the two threaded sides. There was an article in RodMaker years ago about it, they were using it more as a design to improve rod balance though, if I remember right.
Forum: rodboard

Have you been to their site? www.talon-graphite.com I believe. The people I've fished with in Canada prefer them to Loomis and Sage, and every bit as nice as the Ravens. Very well thought of up there.
Forum: rodboard

For you conditions the St Croix 3S63MXF. For my conditions on the Columbia River where we have heavier currents and use bigger jigs the Lamiglas IMS or XS72ML.
Forum: rodboard

Isn't that where Ken Whiting went to when he left Airrus rods just a little while ago?
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Lamiglas Certified Pro Salmon/Steelhead blank XSH 120 2MT.
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Rogue, Loomis, CTS and others make blanks that easily throw your weights. You find them in the kokanee rod/blank section in some catalogs/sites. Rogues are 7 ft 6 in. Others are usually in the 7 ft range. A lot more options in a 1 piece. My favorites are some old Talons, but I don't know if they are still available.
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Angler's Workshop and I'm sure others have had them for years from various manufactures. I think Fuji still makes their ruby guides also.
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Angler's Workshop has thenm and supplies them with each grip no charge if you tell them the size you need.
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The nice thing about the Batson SW967 is that it also comes two piece ,if length is an issue, for just a few dollars more. The SW967F.
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Every dipsy diver rod I've seen looked like the red headed step child of the rods on the boat, and I later learned why, they got beat to death. For that reason I'd probably use a E glass blank like the Seeker SSA 853F or SSA896 salmon blanks.
Forum: rodboard

Doug, The dropshot finesse techniques needs a soft tipped rod so that the shaking presentation your doing moves the lure, but not the sinker which is on the bottom. Than you need a light powered rod that goes into the backbone quickly so you don't pull out the small hooks used but at the same time get the hook in the fish and can control him.
Forum: rodboard

Which Talora were you looking at, they make 6 or so with different actions and line weights. None 8 1/2 ft long.
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Curtis, With a wrap of tape as a guide you'll be surprised by how accurate you can make a cut. The threads will not be as much a problem as you may think.
Forum: rodboard