I called you politely, three times. The first two times I got disconnected. The third time, I got very little in the way of meaningful answers. What is your affiliation with Mudhole?
Forum: rodboard

I have a guide axiom that has served me well on quite a few builds. If it is a lighter rod, built on a great blank, that I am going to use many hours a day, I go with either Fuji Torzite or SeaGuide Titanium/Silicon Nitride guides. These will be noticeably better in this combination of situations. If it is just a bit heavier rod, and one that I will use for a bit less time, I go with the SeaGuid
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I’ve only fished for bonefish with a fly rod, but I would readily build a spinning rod for them on the Point Blank, PB7101MF, blank. It’s a very good match for length, weight, and action. Point blanks are also light and reliable.
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I have used both and will mostly be building using SeaGuide in future builds. Visually, I couldn’t sea a difference in quality. Both look great and are made out of high quality materials. Silicon nitride is an amazing material. A friend of mine has an aerospace bearing made from it that is over an inch in diameter. He has tried etching it with a wide variety of incredibly hard materials without s
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Now that Voodoo is a sponsor, it can be mentioned without being “@#$&* out” that their excellent marbling dust pigments are far more environmentally friendly than pouring the toxic solvent off of model builders paint. I’ve had several great transactions with VooDoo Rods.
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I’ve heard a couple of first hand reports from people who had experiences with Doug Hannon. He does seem to have been one of the good guys of the industry. I always liked that he was such an avid and successful fisherman with larger interests than the tournament circuits. Wherever an interested person believes that he fits into the progression of modernizing spinning rod guide trains, he certainl
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I agree that Muskie fishermen are very conservative with their gear choices. I had a few look very sideways at my one-piece framed Calcutta and Millionaire, long after those reels were common. However, there is a lot that can wrong with Muskie fishing, and you do typically get very few chances with them. The problem I see with this system is that a lot of weight is invested in the big ring that w
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What gets the weight of the MW system up is the unavoidable equation of (2 * pi * radius) for the circumference of a circle. When you put on an extra ring that is twice or more the radius of the primary ring, you end up with over three times the amount of heavy ceramic material. It takes more stainless steel to connect all the rings together, and then the apparatus to the feet. I won’t argue the
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Phil Ewanicki Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Much of what I have learned about rod building > came from factual information shared on this site. > Opinions I have read have done little to improve > the rods I build. Agreed, it’s especially concerning when opinions seem contrary to fact and logic while appearing be “social media magnified”. H
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I wouldn’t personally put a single foot stripper (or whatever a MW stripper guide is supposed to be called) on a Muskie rod. I’m not sure I would do it on running guides either. Throwing lures that weigh several ounces on braided line is big test if you get a wind knot. I can’t see any benefits of a heavy system designed for the coils coming off of a spinning reel on a baitcasting reel where that
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Kent Griffith Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Kendall Cikanek Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > The bird’s nest related to the Microwave > casting > > guides that I most don’t want is the metal > one > > that is the guide itself. The high frame, > reverse > > Fuji guides (TR
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The bird’s nest related to the Microwave casting guides that I most don’t want is the metal one that is the guide itself. The high frame, reverse Fuji guides (TRVTG, TRVAG, TRVSG) do the job at least as well, and arguably better. The TRV’s are compact, tidy, and sleek. I also like the SeaGuide Blu-Ti guide system. The Fuji TRV guides literally weigh several times less than the choice that is comp
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I don’t understand why rod builders go to the effort of settling pigments and pouring off the solvent in model builders paint when rod marbling dust pigments and liquid pigments are available without being solvent contaminated. These products are available in a huge assortment of colors and inexpensive. You can’t accidentally get too much of something left in that was never put in. Maybe people j
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My, my...
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Thank you so much, Arthur, for going to the effort to bring in a tip-top to fit my blank. It was unexpected and very helpful. I’ve done back to back builds with SeaGuide guides and am very happy with the performance/cost ratio. I was trying a few days ago to put together a silver-colored train like the blu-ti casting kit that I’ve used. I found great belly and running guide options. I didn’t find
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I’ve had two great customer experiences with this sponsor in the last month. It’s simply incredible how well they know the product lines they sell. Their ordering system is old school, but it does allow for good communication, accurate availability checks, and speedy shipping. It takes about a day longer to place your order, but you get your merchandise quickly rather than waiting for undetermine
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I’m getting suspicious about how a chorus has emerged to answer quickly and repeatedly that American Tackle products are the best option for so many questions that are asked here. I get company reps, as sponsors, giving product updates and answering questions. The frequency and intensity of the other drum beating is becoming a little curious, though. This fandom just doesn’t seem in balance with
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This is welcome news. I haven’t had great luck at trying out a couple of different blank manufacturers over the last few months. I called Batson a couple of weeks ago with components related questions. Kerry was very helpful, and he unquestionably knows his products. The idea of getting premium Rainshadow blanks through Utmost Enterprises seems really attractive. I hope the RX10’s are domesti
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This is good news. I really like Ultra Poly. I do have one suggestion. I’d like to see more color matches between the metallics and the standard thread line. I like to do a reversal pattern when using under-wraps where having the same color for both thread types is key. The ice blue metallic is nice, so a poly thread in the same color would be great.
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Thanks everyone. I had forgotten about the saltwater sized Fuji palming seat with the trigger. I spent too much time electro-fishing mountain streams as a biologist. It may sound like fun, but it is very hard on a person’s shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Most people who do this a lot end up with surgeries. When fatigued, my grasp can involuntary release some in fast twitch situations, like casting
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I am getting ready to order a real seat for my United Composites GUSA-79Mega build. It will be used for mostly Lingcod and a little for Albacore. I might even try tossing some bigger largemouth bass swimbaits with it. I’ve got level and non-level wind reel options. I’m considering an Alps Aluminum Trigger reel seat. I’ll be casting with the rod some and find the security of a trigger to be reassu
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My CRB heater raises the temperature, inside of the tent, from a home interior base of 70 degrees to 75 degrees. Each end of the tent overlaps my work table by about a foot.
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I’ve built several rods with Gen4 and the CRB heater and tent. I haven’t had your temperature drop issue, but all have setup hard and really clear in less than twelve hours. I would expect that same timeframe after you got the heat back up, if there isn’t a mix issue. I have turned the drying motor off at 7 hours and rotated a quarter to third turn by hand every half hour or so, for a few more ho
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The photos of the Cagey Hook system tell a compelling story. I am certainly anxious to build one. Enthusiasm for one system isn’t a knock on any of the advancements that predated it. A system that might be better in some applications doesn’t devalue one that works great in others. I’ve had people improve on my career work and I have improved on that of others. Progress never stops and it should n
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I agree that quantitative approaches, like CCS, would be great. I just don’t see how companies that leave glaring errors in their information, often for years, will make that system work. I talked to one proprietor to get clarity on conflicting data several months ago. That data is still up on their site, uncorrected, after he acknowledged the “oops”. A commitment to accuracy and consistency has
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The CFX do have a foam core. There is a very large variance in the density of these cores. The CFX person I talked to told me they use a foam with a density of four pounds (I don’t remember the volume part of the ratio), one of their competitors told me theirs was an eleven pound foam. I found them to be about a third lighter on my scale than cork. I tried my best to match profiles, but that isn’
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After building for about thirty years I stuck on my first label (or decal of any kind), and my last. My personal preference has been that custom rods look more custom without the factory labels. They also have to require as much epoxy weight as five or more single footed guides since they are long and on the fat end of the rod. I couldn’t get blank matching thread with supply disruptions so I als
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Conflicting blank data is getting quite old. The companies that use to sell blanks had hundreds of options without any apparent conflicting or incongruent data. The newer companies can have three or more different specs in their documentation for the same blank. Major vendors might have additional ones. I see for one manufacturer where lights, in the same series for the same species, might be rat
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Grip weight seems very relative to me. When I build an ultra-light to medium rated rod on a quality blank, I want every piece to be as light as possible. I want these kind of rods to levitate. They just fish magically this way. Give me CFX carbon grips, titanium guides, and minimum thread work. Once the blank gets heavier than that, a little extra weight behind the reel just doesn’t seem that imp
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I have to call out one of the sponsors here, and their product line, for all the right reasons. Rod Builders Warehouse sells the SeaGuide titanium line with their silicon nitride rings. They have wonderful customer service. They even specially imported a tip top in the size I needed to facilitate my build. Silicon nitride is hard and durable. The price/value ratio is pretty incredible.
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