I’d just like to see St. Croix go back to selling blanks. Shipping SCV’s from the wilds of northern Wisconsin to a semi-rural city in the middle of Mexico, just to paint them and ship them back, never made sense to me. I’ve been to Park Falls many times and Fresnillo once. Neither spot is what you would call a shipping hub.
Forum: rodboard

I just received my very first order of SeaGuide components. I had never really considered them as a source until a couple of weeks ago. I was having trouble putting together a full train in a few of the product lines I’ve used before. Then, the Rod Builder’s Warehouse Black Friday sale came out and I saw they had everything I needed, except for a hook keeper, in “Blu-Titanium”, and blue. Blue gui
Forum: rodboard

The manufacturer of Zentron, AGY, states this, “758 ZenTron roving consists of numerous L or T filament (14 or 25 micron) continuous glass strands, gathered without mechanical twist in a single bundle and treated with an epoxy-compatible sizing”. Being a type of glass doesn’t necessarily make it low performance or “old school”. I would think that the NEO could make for a fine large crankbait rod.
Forum: rodboard

Let’s see... The tip is a glass fiber while the remainder is graphite. NFC makes this claim about it, “Virtually impossible to break during a high-stick, boat flip, hookset situations”. Somehow, this combination of attributes brings forward a strong recollection, but I can’t quite put that into focus.
Forum: rodboard

It’s just that the SCV are the one’s I use, and I believe they are still made in Park Falls and only painted in Fresnillo. If that has changed, I‘d want to know.
Forum: rodboard

Were any of these blanks the SCV blanks, or were they the other models? I certainly hope they return to being a reliable company. I’m still not adapted to losing the full St. Croix blank line.
Forum: rodboard

I ordered the Blu-Ti casting set with tip-top. I’ve never tried Seaguide and couldn’t find many reviews. I’m crossing my fingers on quality and durability. Arthur, I’d appreciate information on these aspects.
Forum: rodboard

I’m super sold on CFX carbon grips. I was able to readily adapt to them after years of cork grips. The feel is nice. They have good texture and a great balance of sensitivity with slight cushion. A CFX rep told me they are designed to fish raw. This works great for me. Mine doesn’t have any epoxy weeps that would yellow without finish. My only gripe with them is the lack of butt cap options that
Forum: rodboard

I built two casting rods with carbon grips, back to back. One was woven and one was a G2. The G2 was a little easier and faster build. The butt caps for the G2’s are much nicer, too. I had to turn and trim the tenon on the woven grip to fit a nice cap. I haven’t gotten use to the G2 feel, though. I’m just use to having a little more texture and cushion. That gives a more secure feel to me when ca
Forum: rodboard

My thoughts are to keep early builds simple and take no shortcuts with prepping for and using epoxies. They aren’t very difficult to use, but they also don’t forgive some types of mistakes and contamination. Methodically follow their instructions and you’ll be fine.
Forum: rodboard

This is what Tom wrote in the thread linked above: “But that's what the AFTMA system was - a matching numbering system. Switching to weight in grains wouldn't change anything because the rod manufacturers would simply under-rate the rods, again, so they could each claim to have long casting rods. It's exactly the same thing - AFTMA simply assigned a whole number to a specific number of grains.
Forum: rodboard

That would be about an equivalent number of salmoides.
Forum: rodboard

I worried when I made that post that I could be breaking the guy code. I’m glad you are laughing.
Forum: rodboard

She is more than justified in doing that. Spending anything more than $875 on a combo is truly excessive.
Forum: rodboard

I was shopping for guides when I read this. I set about putting together a train to see if Pentalite was a viable option. I was getting enthusiastic about the price and features. However, it looks like you can only put a fraction of your guide train on keto. There doesn’t appear to be running guides that match the thinner rings of the Pentalite line, like is available for Torzite (and most lines
Forum: rodboard

I have had the PB761HM on order for a while. I’m told they will be getting to the distributor in early to mid December.
Forum: rodboard

Certainly, I respect your difference of opinion. All I have to go on is my own experience with JDM’s verses domestically available models. I have had nothing but really good luck. If three of my four JDM’s gave up on me in 2021, I can say that they more than earned their keep. The fourth is just a couple of years old. If I buy another JDM, and it comes out of the box as a complete write-off, I’d
Forum: rodboard

I’m with you, I like small crankbaits and prefer baitcasters. I bought a Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) Daiwa Alphas 103 about a dozen years ago to do this. It still casts small crankbaits very well. It is out of production, but it’s been improved upon a few times in JDM offerings. Finesse size baitcasters have been a thing over there for quite a few years. There are several websites that offer th
Forum: rodboard

Mark, you must shop better than I do. I peruse every NFC sale, and my cart always totals to a lot more than that per blank. I need to actually check out one day to give NFC an honest try. The BBB reviews, their alarmingly inadequate responses, and weird spec tables for the ones I’ve perused have prevented me from consummating the deal. However, I’m seeing people here recently reporting much bette
Forum: rodboard

Someone on this site posted about drywall tape, maybe 15 years ago. It’s the only shimming system I’ve used since (I’m not considering reaming those CFX seat inserts as shimming). It’s light, strong enough for Halibut rods, and easy to use.
Forum: rodboard

I have rods, built without using color preserver, that I’ve been fishing for over twenty years. The threads still blend very nicely to the blanks and have never failed. I prefer to keep builds very simple as this reduces potential for mishaps while leading to elegant looking results. I’ve also got some that old that I built with the treated “NCP” thread. They are still doing great, too. I am more
Forum: rodboard

Let me add better information to my question about the 9’6”, 6-10lb., steelhead rod. I use a Daiwa 2510 reel on it. Thank you.
Forum: rodboard

Which MW system do you recommend for a 9’6, 6-10Lb steelhead rod? Thank you.
Forum: rodboard

I have a 1987 purchased Lamiglas and a Rod Geeks’ natural. The Rod Geeks blank is slightly less black and more charcoal in color than the Lamiglas. It is a very dark charcoal, but lighter than the Lami.
Forum: rodboard

I appreciate your good natured sarcasm. Except for the first year or two that graphite III was on the market, the risk of rod breakage has never affected my fishing enjoyment. I have seen very few unexplainable failures on rods ranging from four weight fly rods to halibut lifters. During this time, technology has greatly improved. I take for granted, that with today’s resins and techniques, reput
Forum: rodboard

Thank’s everyone. I’m probably going to go with polished stainless. My last couple of builds were with titanium/torzite, but this seems like such a beefy blank to benefit from the lower weight of those much more costly guides.
Forum: rodboard

I built a heavy Immortal popper for larger bass lures, and I absolutely love its medium-fast action. It is too bad that it’s impossible to switch between the medium-fast rod you recommended and the fast one I recommended between casting, working the bait, and playing the fish.
Forum: rodboard

I would think that the SCV76MF from Rod Geeks would make you very happy at 1.8 ounces and established St. Croix quality. It’s six inches longer than what you lost, but in big river wading out west, most everyone is going much longer. Best wishes in the build and fishing.
Forum: rodboard

I agree. I’ve wrapped with a few different systems. Now, I ‘d have to be wrapping a lot more rods than I ever will to plunk $400 into a power wrapper and good chuck. Manually turning the rod just isn’t that difficult with a good hand system. This gives a fine level of control and $300 - $350 left over for blanks and components. The Sully is a truly great hand wrapper, but the $50 CRB system works
Forum: rodboard

I’m getting ready to build on a Point Blank 7’6 HM blank that I just bought from the Get Bit Outdoors sale (happy birthday McKenzie). I’ll use it in both freshwater and saltwater. In considering guides, I’ve never tried black-stainless guides in saltwater. Does anyone know how they compare in corrosion resistance to polished stainless? Thank you.
Forum: rodboard