Russell: I'd say you were over-gunned for a Micropterus sp. bass. Maybe striped bass or sea bass. I do not think that blank would "balance" well with a Shimano 2500 reel, even though that reel is reputed to have more than enough drag (20#) for that blank.
Forum: rodboard

To get a balanced spinning outfit you need a digital spring scale [$5.33 on line] solidly anchored on one end and tied to the tip-top of your rod with 20# test line. Pull on the rod as hard as you dare without breaking it and record this maximum tension. The line you use with this rod should test no more than twice this maximum tension and the reel you use does not need to be able to exert more
Forum: rodboard

I think the laws of physics predict that the drag a reel generates increases a whole lot as the effective diameter of the reel spool decreases - as more line is out. This effect is compounded by the reel spool being narrower or smaller. In my mind there is considerable doubt about the methodology advertisers use to declare the maximum drag their reel generates. Furthermore, I would not dare to su
Forum: rodboard

Accuracy means the thing on the end of your line lands where you want it. I assume the 800 foot fly cast was launched in a gale from the top of a lighthouse or a mountain?
Forum: rodboard

I would not use my 2500 Stradic reel on my 12' surf rods or on any rod with which I intend to cast more than 1 1/2 oz. of weight or troll a plug more than 6" long. I do use my 2500 Stradic filled with 20# braid on a 9 foot steelhead-action rod to cast small spoons and plugs off the beach for slot-length reds, small bluefish, and small jack crevalles. I have been spooled.
Forum: rodboard

I would not use my 2500 Stradic reel on my 12' surf rods or on any rod with which I intend to cast more than 1 1/2 oz. of weight or troll a plug more than 6" long. I do use my 2500 Stradic filled with 20# braid on a 9 foot steelhead-action rod to cast small spoons and plugs off the beach for slot-length reds, small bluefish, and small jack crevalles. I have been spooled.
Forum: rodboard

A quick online search for "maximum drag 2500 spin reels" indicated size 2500 spin reels from popular brands averaged about 5.3 pounds of "dynamic drag." This seems about right. The maximum usable drag varies with the area of the drag surface. A Penn Spinfisher 7500 reel which holds 430 yards of 40-pound-test braid claims to exert 25 pounds "maximum" drag pressure. Th
Forum: rodboard

Norman: Your comments about braid and line capacity are correct. However, the key to landing fish without stressing them to death lies in steadily applying enough pounds of drag pressure - something at which small reels suffer strict limitations. Unfortunately, some species of fish will kill themselves fighting unless you can horse them in. Tuna, for example, but not LMB for sure, or even Muskies
Forum: rodboard

The performance of rod blanks, guides, reels, and lines can be and are measured and reported The casting ability of the angler can be measured too, but this fact is apparently of no use to marketers of rod blanks, guides, reels, and lines. Instead we are promised "soulful action" and "most sensitivity" and "smooth casting" and "best guide type/spacing/sizes"
Forum: rodboard

There are people who win distance casting championships in categories for different types and classes of rods. I imagine these people have certain types of guides and guide train set-ups which they favor. I would appreciate hearing what type and set-up of guides an expert caster recommends.
Forum: rodboard

Some fresh water anglers fish for carp, catfish, muskies, salmon: fish which can weigh 50 pounds or more - not just large mouth bass. Salt water anglers constantly face the possibility of hooking a fish weighing well over 20 pounds, and there are thousands of such species in the sea, not just marlin. It's not "sporting" to hunt big game with a .22 caliber rifle and it's not "sporti
Forum: rodboard

Small reels and light lines are designed to catch small fish. The rods and reels are light so the angler's muscle fatigue is minimized, and light rods and reels are a lot of fun to fish with. However, using light tackle is not always "sporting". The problem with using really light tackle to catch larger fish is the angler often fights the fish to exhaustion and releases the fish to die.
Forum: rodboard

The smaller the spool of a spinning reel the more twists it puts in each foot of retrieved line - or line taken against the drag.
Forum: rodboard

Neither my (last year's) Mudhole Catalog or today's Google search included any mention of an "MHXF" blank. What kind of reel is used with and what kind of fishing is done with an MHXF blank?
Forum: rodboard

I suspect St. Croix makes spin rods, casting rods, flipping rods, pitching rods, jigging rods, trolling rods, fly rods, surf rods, carp rods, panfish rods, muskie rods, and maybe ice-fishing rods with SCIII graphite, which makes your question a real poser. On the other hand, I have been very happy with the quality, price, and performance of St. Croix 6wt. - 10wt. fly rod blanks, and the service
Forum: rodboard

Double-edge razor blades are MUCH sharper than single edged blades and have twice the amount of cutting edge. Simply bend the double-edged blade in half until it breaks and fold a strip of masking tape over the broken edge. It beats sharpening single edge razors or napping flint knives, even if it isn't as "crafty".
Forum: rodboard

Since casting is not an issue why not buy an ordinary ultra-light fiberglass blank and cut the butt back to 50"? Janns Netcraft, Mud Hole, and many other suppliers offer 5, 6, and 7 foot UL fiberglass blanks.
Forum: rodboard

Some guide frames are plated with a thin layer of titanium. Some guides are made of a solid titanium/nickel alloy. Either or both of these may be as good or better than sold titanium guide frames, if solid titanium frames in fact exist and are not just marketing double-talk.
Forum: rodboard

Frank: I disagree. The more mass and resistance you add to your line the less sensitivity your rod is able to transmit.
Forum: rodboard

Does using a bobber decrease a rod's sensitivity as much as using guides 1 mm larger?
Forum: rodboard

Stripper guide choice will not affect the casting accuracy of any fishing rod. Stripper guide choice will have an insignificant influence upon the distance a revolving spool casting will cast. That leaves durability, appearance, and cost as legitimate concerns for the rod builder.
Forum: rodboard

I don't think guide choice has any effect on casting accuracy, and I expect a 10 wt. rod will be used where casting distance and wind are important factors. Principles of physics, not belief, declare the lighter rod will allow the fly angler to cast further. This does not apply if the fly caster can't double haul effectively, which limits his fly cast to 50' or less in a dead calm and much less i
Forum: rodboard

The guides you use on an ice fishing rod won't affect your casting. Unless you do an incredible amount of ice fishing you won't wear grooves in any type of guides. Ice fishing guides are not exposed to corrosion from salt water. Ice fishing rods often get a lot of punishment during transportation and when they are slapped against solid objects to break the ice out of the guides. I would use inexp
Forum: rodboard

What rod blanks, guide brands and configurations do champion distance casters and accuracy casters use? Or should beginners and average anglers use something else, and why?
Forum: rodboard

What rod blanks, guide brands and configurations do champion distance casters and accuracy casters use? Or should beginners and average anglers use something else, and why?
Forum: rodboard

Recoils are made of a specific substance: a solid nickel-titanium alloy, which gives these guides these guides very specific physical qualities, some of which are unique and attractive to anglers. Other guides composed of different metals are made to mimic the appearance of recoils but do not have their physical qualities or durability. If you are chiefly concerned with appearance the difference
Forum: rodboard

A stationary, fully bent spinning rod with a half-ounce weight balanced on its tip can't propel that weight more than 5 yards, nor could a stationary, fully bent fly rood propel any length of fly line more than 10 feet. That stuff about all the "stored energy" in the rod blank is just that: stuff. A rod is a class 3 lever. It's purpose is to accelerate a load, and it can store only a ti
Forum: rodboard

On most spin reels the spool seems to point straight ahead, parallel to the rod. I have also seen spin reels where the housing and the spool are "bent" a little, out of parallel with the reel seat, to point at the blank where the stripping guide would be. It seems like this alinement would create less friction between the line and the lip of the reel spool and it would also affect the i
Forum: rodboard

When you build a rod for an open face spin reel do you take into account the diameter of the reel spool and the alinement of its axis with the rod to plan guide size and placement? If so, could you give some tips on how to go about this?
Forum: rodboard

For a cosmetic repair I suggest plastic wood putty in a matching shade. I fear once a bamboo rod begins to disintegrate it , like a zombie, is unlikely to return to a normal, active life.
Forum: rodboard