If you look at the complete Rod on orvis's website you will see mudhole published the complete rod weight for the Hydros not the blank weight Bob
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I built a 7'6 4wt g5 and love it. it is fast with a soft tip. Bob
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I built a cts affinity X 10' 3wt, what a wonderful rod. Extremely light for high sticking and handles spilt shot and an indicator on longer cast nicely, even throws a nice dry. Out of all my rods I own it's my favorite. I thought it was going to be a one trick pony but I was wrong. Bob
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I built the Meiser 11' 4/5wt for this last year and love it. Bob
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I am getting ready to build an 8wt tl johnson sl2 which is a fast blank. I have used the search feature and keep getting differnet info in different post. This rod will be used on rare occasions in the salt but most for fresh water fishing. I have been using the minima 4 guides latey and really like them, I am just not sure how well the chrome will hold up to the occasional salt. I have liked the
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Quinn, I wasn't worried about the light tippets for the salt, but for when I want to use it for 6-10lb steelhead. I was looking at the batson rx8, mudhole mhx and some tl johnsons. Thanks, Bob
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I am going to Costa Rica on a vacation with my wife in a few months. We are going to be on the southern Carribean side. I thought maybe I would make up a 4 peice 9' 8wt to take with me and through into the surf a little bit. I know what I like with trout rods which is a rod on the faster side normally overlined for my Pa trout streams. I do have some heavier rods I take to the Erie tribs for stee
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I built a meiser 11' 4/5wt switch for Erie and love it. Not much more than the batson blank. Bob
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Lane, Done, sorry I didn't know it was hidden Bob
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Lane, how do you order one of the prime blanks? I built a 10' 3wt Affinity X and love it. I would like to try that. Bob
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I built a 10ft 3wt nymphing stick a little bit ago and used the Minima size 4 and love it. very light. Bob
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I built an afinity X 10' 3wt this summer and it is one heck of a blank. I bought it from Scott. Bob
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I Used minima 4's on 4wt 6 months ago and bought the guides and long with a properly sized top from Ron Schneider. He has the guides and matching tops on his specails page. Bob
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I build a few also, I also use helmsman spar urethane. It has held up pretty well for me. I love the brodin ghost net bags, no hook ever gets stuck in them. Very easy catch and release. Bob
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I made some carbon fiber switch grips and used flex coat brand cp to help glue down some long saddle hackles on the grips. then put another coat of epoxy on them. They look great til you take the a bright light or sun light. All around the hackle you can see a dull haze from the CP. is there any brand of cp that won't show? Thanks Bob
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I do alot of turning and use a grinder with the wolverine jig attached. works great and is quick. Pennstateind.com also sells a cheaper version that is nice. Bob
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Skipp, What size of minimas did you use this is the way I am leaning? I live in DuBois but drive up 7-8 times a year for the steelhead. I to am worried about icing and wonder if I should go with snake guides. Bob
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I am not sure what most use but I am a wood turner and I found for cork or the carbon fiber handles I like to use my adjustable pen mandel from www.pennstateind.com I remove the shaft from the mandrel and put in a peice of 1/4 all thread. You can make it any legnth and throw it away if it gets to much glue on it. Bob
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I just got a Meiser 4/5 wt 11ft Switch Blank. I was going to go with the minima 4 guides, but when I recieved it today Bob has a standard tiptop already glued on. I know I can heat it up and take it off but it got me thinking what the best guides would be. I will mostly use this as a high stick nymph rod for Erie trib steelhead. But will occasionly use it as a 2 handed rod. I want a single foot f
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I agree Tom. All of the rods I have are fast action yet I always heard you should start on a slower rod so when I used to tell people to buy and try to teach people on a med-fast rod the struggle. Everytime they would pick up one of my rods they would say wow! I can feel that load! Most of my trout rods are overlined for the weight written on them but the cast very nice in the 15ft-40ft range
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I made a carbon fiber grip for the last fly rod I made. In fact I made several and they turned out nice. But now I am getting ready to make a new steelhead rod for myself and I want to do the carbon fiber thing again but I will have a fighting butt. Do they make a CF sock the is closed on one end you can buy? any suggestions? Thanks, Bob
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I normally don't post much as I don't have a lot of experience. But I wanted to thank you all for the help your site has given me. I just completed my 5th rod and I absolutely love it. Why I wanted to say thanks was --I figured out what blank I wanted from this site- CTS Affinity X 10' 3wt --Got the magazine and read enough on this site to make the carbon grips --Learned about the minima gu
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I was told that the rx8+ blanks were the same as the legend. Bob
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I had the same delima not to long ago and at first I tried to go with the hookhack blank you posted, but I would call them because they didn't have any or know when they would. I went a different route and am glad I did. I ordered a CTS Afinnity X 10' 3wt 4peice from Scott at fishsticks. I received it last week and built it up, Wow! what a nice rod very light wieght, nice soft tip and real shoots
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But would you all still wrap them just for looks or just in case? I am new to this and have only built about 5 rods. but no cts blanks. Thanks, Bob
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I just ordered a 10' 3wt from Scott and wonder after reading cts's web sight if I need to wrap the ferrule's this is stratight from there web site "Internal High Strength ferrule A high strength ferrule is placed at each join, to provide superior crush and split resistance. There is no need for the rod builder to place a ferrule wrap at this point for reinforcement." Bo
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My wife asked me what I wanted for fathers day and I told her the 10'4 4wt xg blank from hookhack. She ordered it and found out today it was on backorder and the said we might want to try another blank as they don't know when or if they will get it. she said find another if it's alot more my birthday is also coming up. But my choices seem limited in the 10'4wt 4 peice range unless I am missin
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I just built an 7'6 3 peice 4wt G5 this month. It was very straight and I could not detect a spine but this is only the 5th rod I have built so someone else might of. I used single foot recoils and it is one light rod. I have fished with it several times now and I like it. When I just held the blank in my hand I thought it was going to be to fast for me and I like a fast rod, but after the buil
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I am normally a turner and I use the www.arizonasilhouette.com and www.woodturningz.com plus both have some nice pen blanks that would work great for a reel seat.. Bob
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Well I measured it and it wasn't as bad as it looks when you hold it up. total was only about 1/4 for the lenght of the blank. roll it 90deg and it is perfect. Now I hadn't splined it just lined up what gave me the most uniform look. I am assumind that it would spine out the same way, or am I way of base. Is this ok or should I send it back? Bob Here's a pic
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