Ice rod guides do not suffer much from line wear, but mine always suffered from being beat on to remove the ice which formed in them. [ I did not have a heated shanty.] I avoided guides with insert rings.
Forum: rodboard

Will you be using a spinning reel or a conventional reel, what size will it be, and what type and size of line will you be using?
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Is "Flea Flicker" a copyrighted brand name? I have used Cortland "Flea Flicker" monofilament line ever since invasive water fleas were introduced into our waters, probably from the same area where Flea Flicker solid carbon rod blanks were/are made.
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I would go with the blank from a well-known manufacturer with the best price and the best looks. I know I could not distinguish between spin rods blanks from reputable manufacturers in a double-blind casting test, although others may have no trouble doing so. I might be able to do better picking out fly rod blanks.
Forum: rodboard

Guides are similar to ax handles. They come in a lot of shapes, sizes, and materials, none of which is ideal for all users and all situations.
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The rod you describe will not be called upon to cast a long distance. I think you should select the guides which look the best and that, of course, is totally a matter of personal preference.
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It is difficult to satisfy customers who don't know what they want: economy? portability? versatility? power? light weight? durability? sensitivity? beauty? Many of these qualities are mutually exclusive. No sense in re-inventing the wheel. Perhaps a rod-builder has already developed such a questionnaire for prospective customers and is willing to share it?
Forum: rodboard

The first stripping of cork bark may well occur at 25 years. This cork will be ground into pellets which will be put in a matrix of a rubbery compound which we are all familiar with. Clear cork bark - without the "grain" showing and requiring filling - comes from mature trees. Oaks are a long-lived breed - or they used to be.
Forum: rodboard

Mud Hole reps are a good source of information, but one rod for both trolling AND casting for dorado may result in a compromise which does neither particularly well.
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Do these "cracks" result from manufacturer's putty/filler falling out from pre-existing "cracks"? It takes 200 years for a cork oak to produce usable cork, and the growth of building in cork oak forests plus the growth of wine aficionados pretty much puts "paid" to cork rod grips. You could resort to sanding bottle corks with 150 grit sandpaper, stirring the cork pow
Forum: rodboard

Occam's razor is a reliable tool to obtain the power you want when you select a blank.
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I first take 4 or 5 turns of elastic thread around blank and guide foot, pull it tight, make a two-turn double-overhand knot and pull on both ends of the thread, drawing the double-overhand knot tight over the guide foot and removing elasticity from the thread. At this point I can release both thread ends and the tension of the elastic double overhand keeps the wraps from loosening even one littl
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My bad. Instead of weakening the tip by sanding it down saw off the butt.
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You could reduce a blank's power in a finished rod by cementing a mandrel on the rod's butt and attaching your grip and reel seat on this extension. This would reduce power without weakening the walls of the tip of your rod.
Forum: rodboard

The viscosity of rod finishes is an unpublished mystery. Here in my garage in Florida I look for the thickest finish I can find for nine months out of the year, while I looked for the thinest finish I could find when building rods in my unheated basement in central New York State. Regardless, you should consider ambient temperature when selecting the epoxy you use .
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Go to a sewing supply store and ask for "elastic thread". It's thin, it's stretchy, you can wind it multiple times around a small guide. Then tie it in a square knot, and when you wrap far enough to secure your guide just touch the elastic thread with a razor and it will literally jump off the blank, leaving no residue.
Forum: rodboard

Tom: I think have casted rods with and without micro guides, although I have never seen an official definition with concrete numbers as to what constitutes a "micro" guide. I'm pretty sure if you blindfolded the majority of casters, including me, we couldn't distinguish between "micro guides" and ordinary guides in use - which is not to say there is no difference. All I ask is
Forum: rodboard

Running a piece of a woman's nylon stocking through the guide train used to be the acid test for burrs. I suspect dragging a piece of very soft synthetic yarn through the guides and tip-top would be even more revealing.
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If I trust a company enough to buy their blank I trust their recommendation for the best guide spacing - and size. You can't go wrong with REC guides, although their tip-tops are ugly and their strippers are ugly and noisy - but bomb-proof. Anodized aluminum reel seat for sure, but if you THOROUGHLY rinse your rod top-to bottom IMMEDIATELY after fishing the salt you can use dang near any reel sea
Forum: rodboard

Tom: Recall of my "experiences" involve inexact memories and prejudices, not facts. Rather than pass on my prejudices I advise rod builders to seek out scientifically observed and measured records of the physical attributes and performance of lines, guides, and blanks. Records of such attributes are available. If not, perhaps rod builders should demand manufacturers and suppliers of ro
Forum: rodboard

I assume your question refers exclusively to spinning lines? In addition to the line's O.D. I suspect the chemical composition of the line and even the brand of the line is worth consideration. Some line manufacturers claim theirs is "the strongest 8# line available". Could be because their #8 line tests to be a 12# line. For many, fishing is an escape from reality, and product advert
Forum: rodboard

I assume your question refers exclusively to spinning lines? In addition to the line's O.D. I suspect the chemical composition of the line and even the brand of the line is worth consideration. Some line manufacturers claim theirs is "the strongest 8# line available". Could be because their #8 line tests to be a 12# line. For many, fishing is an escape from reality, and product advert
Forum: rodboard

I assume when you say "better" you mean farther rather than more accurately. Which line a fly rod will cast better depends upon three things: the rod, the line, and the caster. A fly caster with a good double-haul can aerialize a lot of line and cast an underlined rod that would frustrate an angler without a double-haul. A custom rod buyer would do well to experiment with short-head an
Forum: rodboard

It's a poor workman who blames his tools. It's a poor fly fisher who blames his rod. A fly fisherman who seldom casts 30 feet should not worry too much about ERN or ELN. He/she should work on presentation. I am unaware of any credible measurement of a rod blank's presentation performance?
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Do not store your fly rods in the vicinity of an overhead fan.
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If you use lightweight REC snake guides I recommend you use Forhan wraps on both legs of each guide. These are excellent guides but so flexible I have had one foot back out from under its wrapping when it bumped against some obstacle.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks, Tom. That is what I was trying to communicate. And it is true that a higher temperature does destroy bubbles in a finish.
Forum: rodboard

The creation of bubbles in the finish is due not only to the implement of application - brush, stick, or spatula, but the viscosity of the finish and the temperature at which it is applied.
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Public fishing piers have waste bins which are constantly being refilled with broken rods. These are a steady supply of guides, tip-tops, and rod sections, sometimes including whole tip sections
Forum: rodboard

Different (casting) strokes for different folks, but my guess is most fly fishers would prefer slow action rods for wet flies and and faster action rods for dry flies.
Forum: rodboard