Michael Tarr Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is one of my favorite blanks for “all > purpose” I have to agree. I can’t think of a better all purpose choice than the SCIV66MMF. I don’t own another 6’6” rod that will outcast it. It pins and holds fish very well. It functions okay with a wide range of techniques and baits. I built mine as a baitcaste
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I like that Alps and Rainforest production is in Taiwan and South Korea, when feasible. They even tried for an extended period of time to have the RX10’s made in the USA.
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David Riesenbeck Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Are all of rod geek’s blanks made by St. croix > in their Mexico factory? I love st. Croix! I have > their bottom bouncing “legend tournament” rod > was well as their Legend Extreme in both medium > and medium-light. The last I checked (this fall) the Carbon 5 is still the SCV series made in
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They next time I build a heavier rod with the MXN series, I’m probably going transition to their low rider option. The regular height ones leave a bit more of a step down at the tip than I like. I use MXN’s on a Tranx 400 and they have been a great fit for heavy inshore use. This series should work as well on the Calcutta 400.
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I just stuck my old Daiwa CVZ 253a on a rod with an RV6 guide to test. It casted perfectly fine and I couldn’t detect any unusual friction. I don’t have an equivalent enough rod to do a meaningful distance comparison.
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There is a learning point here that has been missed so much over the last thirty or so years. It’s that moderate and moderate-fast rods with extra length have a real place in a bass, steelhead, salmon, and multiple species rod rack. They do so many things really well, besides casting to infinity and beyond. I nearly always have fast, high modulus rods with me. It’s funny how frequently that one o
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Kerry Hansen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------ > > Braid with no stretch will help hook set. I absolutely agree. Every spinning reel I own and use is now spooled with either braid or Nanofil. This is only three reels used primarily across six rods. I feel like I finally have braid to fluorocarbon knots down and will likely never go back to anything but the
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Get Bit does seem to be on an upward trend with a good selection. I’d probably only order from Voodoo if they carried everything I like. It’s too bad some manufacturers sign exclusive retail deals, like CFX with Mudhole. I get it with SeaGuide as RodBuilders Warehouse is both a distributor and retailer. I’d just like to not have to use so many different sources with CFX grips from Mudhole, my fav
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You also don’t want to cast most saltwater jigging rods with more than about a quarter to a third of their weight rating for principally the same reason. Vertical jigging barely loads a rod in comparison to the acceleration involved in casting. The buoyancy of water also decreases the felt weight of the jig.
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I’ve never seen as good casting distances as with RV6 led Torzite guide trains. I haven’t tried the SiC option for comparison as the cost savings isn’t all that great. I have a few balsa crankbaits I’ve been throwing since the 1980’s that definitely fly farther then they ever have. While these aren’t lures I cast a lot anymore, I feel like they are a good baseline for comparing lines, guides, and
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Concluding that Torzite guides fit into the economic concept of diminishing returns seems straightforward if you only consider one advantage they offer, such as them being lighter in weight. If you are only willing to pay 25% more for that weight savings over Alconite, then there is about an extra 75% difference in cost that doesn’t yield you a return. On some builds, though, objectives would dri
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The Auburn Tigers NCAA team Pantone colors are PMS 289 C for Auburn blue and PMS 158 C for Auburn orange. I don’t have a dog in this fight, though.
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It’s my favorite way to fill small gaps. I usually match the two tape ends to the same place on the blank to assure concentricity. These haven’t failed me on halibut and salmon shark.
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I’m not seeing that conclusion in the posts.
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To me, hardness doesn’t seem that important of a factor in choosing between ceramic guides. Braided line carrying diatomaceous algae is probably the worst case scenario for scratching or grooving guides (salt crystals are less hard). This would be similar to the paradigm of inmates cutting cell bars with dental floss and toothpaste. The silicate component of diatoms is about 6.0 hardness on the M
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Kerry Hansen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > No, Torzite is not worth it on your Sturgeon rod. > I have caught a lot of White sturgeon, some in > excess of 10' on a Hardaloy guide built rod using > 50 lb braid with NO grooving. As much as I like Torzite guides, a sturgeon rod (which is nearing to top of my build list as I live near and f
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Here is an additional thought on Torzite, I believe that I’ve tested Torzite guides for durability and wear about as well as is practical without intentionally misusing them and the rods. This includes TSA handlers (perhaps, the worst regimen you can put a rod through), float planes, small aluminum boats and canoes, saltwater, braided line, novice fishing partners and their feet, thousands of cas
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I’ve used them on several of the rods I’ve built for myself since they came out. However, they are too expensive for me to use on rods that don’t really benefit from their performance characteristics of being lightweight, corrosion resistant, and casting really well. For instance, I saw little benefit to using them on a topwater bass rod. Those 3/4 ounce and heavier lures fly just fine on aluminu
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Sam Kirk Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I have read the the Microwave Air guides are the > best guides ever. I bit the bait and ordered a set > for a 6'-6" rod. This is going on a bass rod. Has > anybody try the Microwave Air Guides? The idea of them being the “best guides ever” seems extremely disingenuous. They may function adequately,
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Your situation is a fun example of the advantage of serious anglers building building their own rods. I’d want to stay on the moderate side of the action spectrum for a short sturgeon rod. Minnesota sized lake sturgeon rods can be lighter in power than those used in Wisconsin and especially for the giants of Ontario. A 7’ composite or the United Composites dual helix construction in moderate acti
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Is there something limiting you from using the longer rod for all of your Sturgeon fishing? The Lake Sturgeon anglers I fished with in Minnesota never went less than eight feet and mostly preferred nine foot rods. They felt that they landed more fish in the current by setting a big sideways arc in a long rod and letting the fish tire itself against it. The guide boats in HellsCanyon all carry the
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I would expect the heater to help release bubbles while putting some dust into the epoxy. I think you would really have to work hard at it to introduce bubbles with a space heater. If the current owner of Threadmaster (which is Mudhole who also appears to be heavily invested in American Tackle) is using Andy Dear’s original formula, then it’s still a good product. Andy is also the person who deve
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The split grip allows you to put a taut string line or straightedge down blank center from behind to well in front of the group and seat. This will inform how true either component is with the blank. Leave the one that is and remove the other without damaging the blank.
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Thanks for sharing this great learning example. It takes less than $2.00 worth of Gen4 or Flex Coat to finish most rods. That’s even buying at the modest four ounce quantity. I definitely prefer Gen4, but I wouldn’t criticize the standard bearer. Preferences aside, I’m continually amazed at how many builders go way out on a limb to save amounts that are truly rounding errors in the overall cost o
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I’d improving support is too difficult, using a thread bobbin is a great work around. It’s slower, but very steady and easy to control.
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I load a fly tying bobbin with whatever leftover thread I have in my building kit. I roughly and quickly lash the guide on and finish with a pull thread. I leave the first third or more of the foot free for the actual wrapping thread. It’s easy to get the right tension. It’s also much easier than with the bands to cut the lashing thread off without hitting the wrapping thread. I think the time t
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I’ll add to the considerations already given the United Composites UC78M. It should take the beating of the fish and the kayak. I’d error towards extra length as enhanced casting distance appeared to me to be a strong positive with redfish. I’ve found them in my limited experience to be more skittish in the shallows than bonefish. The St. Croix/Rod Geeks C3710MMF is also a very interesting choice
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I’m a fan of Batson products, but I do appreciate the Fuji tangle free designs. I don’t tangle a guide even every year, but the outcomes can be really bad. If it’s on a remote trip, it’s not good to have line or rod damage. On local bass trips, I have rods for crankbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater that aren’t redundant with others that will be present.
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I throw smaller ones and feel that a moderate-fast action is best. A moderate action may hook up better, but it isn’t going to cast as cleanly as a moderate-fast one with such a heavy lure. The North Fork Composites SWB/MUXH809 seems perfectly in the wheelhouse.
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There is a practicality issue here for manufacturers. If you go in half mm increments, it takes about 14 different models to cover the common sizes. That is the number of MVT casting seat sizes produced by Batson. This is likely much of the reason they cost two to five times more than parallel choices that use the one-size fits all inserts. The nuts or hoods are also sold separately as the number
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