Thanks for the recommendation. I am looking for a 1 piece blank though.
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Excellent. I look forward to the release.
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I am impressed with the specs of the Hercules line and the only problem was the length. If the 8 footer will be available before the end of Spring that could be the one. I have pulled on the Super Seeker blanks and I like the action, but have not built one yet. I like to keep trying new manufacturers. So far it is St. Croix (a few so you can guess how I feel about them), Lamiglas (not impressed)
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Hello All, After a successful season going for Bluefin I am thinking about a new rod for next season. The 8' 20-50 St. Croix Tarpon rod worked great, but is outclassed for the bigger fish. It works great for 15 pounds of drag and a little more, but next season I will be using 20-25lbs. I like an 8' rod because the longer the casting distance the better. The rod will be used for casting light s
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Yup, Winter is for building rods. Spring is for Cod/Haddock fishing. June through November is Tuna time.
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I used to fish other things, but now 99% of my time is spent for BFT in Cape Cod Bay, on Stellwagen Bank or around the tip of Provincetown. We have tried trolling with spreader bars with no luck so we go back to topwater. Then we try livelining with no luck so we go back to topwater. We haven't spent much time jigging since we spend so much time casting plugs or soft plastics. The smallest this y
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I was recently playing around with testing drags and found some interesting results. Rod guides added 15% to the reel's drag. Didn't matter if the guides were 7+1 Fuji SiC or 4+1 Aftco rollers, 15% more when the line was on the guides as compared to straight off the reel. The SiC guides were wiped down and checked for any knicks. The rollers had been disassembled, cleaned, lubed, reassembled and
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A hacksaw and rotating the blank worked fine for me.
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20-40 is too heavy. I was using a 12-25 7' rod for my 45.5" cow. You get towed around way more than you can put a bend in the rod. St. Croix or Lamiglass is what I used. The short butt is a good thing to have as well. Lamiglass has a kayak series of rods. Check them out.
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Decided to go with the Aftco HD roller guides. I will post how it turns out.
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I talked with Leon at Calstar last night and he said removing a little bit of the finish should be enough to get the blank to fit in the ferrule. So I should be all set. I will report back once I have done it.
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I have been doing a lot of research lately to build a stand up 50 class rod. It will be used for Bluefin Tuna in the 150 to 300+ pound range. I have decided to go with a Calstar Grafighter blank, Aftco Unibutt (size 2), Aftco HD roller guides and top. My research has shown me there is no reason to stray from the industry standard, Aftco. As for the blank, it is either Calstar or Seeker that get t
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Thanks for the quick reply. For some reason I never received her email. I did get yours. Pricing looks good. After I speak with Calstar I can decide which blank to get and then which unibutt to go with it.
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Hello, While I have the chance, I figured I would ask. What is the price on the Aftco Unibutt UBS2 in silver and also in black? My emails haven't been answered and phone calls are not a good option for me. Also, I heard a rumor Aftco is raising their costs which will be passed on to customers. Is this correct or just a rumor? Thanks email is tomjloc@
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Yeah, I wouldn't feel comfortable removing anything other than the finish (clearcoat/paint). I guess I need to find out how think it is.
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Hello All, How much of a blank's finish can be removed so it can fit inside a ferrule? The blank I want to use has a .92" butt. I want to use a trolling butt with a ferrule that has a .875" inside diameter. This difference is .045" so .0225" thickness to be removed. Can I remove this amount of material off the blank to fit it inside the ferrule plus a little more for room f
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A few months back I spent some time researching parts to build a custom gaff. I found a place that made me the hooks in 3/8" diameter 316 Stainless Steel with a 4" gap and 12" neck. The price was around $10 each shipped. The project stalled when I could not find a decent handle material for the right price. Literally a few days later Mudhole came out with their selections. I need t
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Okay. Thanks. I will stick with what has worked for me as well.
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Thanks for the tip. Another quick question or two since you have just built some. What size thread do you recommend? Which Flex Coat for the wraps, Hi Build or Lite Build? I have always used size D and lite build, but I am thinking maybe the heavy build for this heavy rod.
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Good advice on the bearing swivel. Funny, I am building this rod for an Avet 50W. Or to put it another way, I am buying an Avet 50W for this rod I am building. :-)
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The blank I plan on using is the Calstar Grafighter GF410XH. It has a base of .92" and tip of 12/64ths. I will trim a few inches off the base and maybe an inch off the top allowing the complete set up to be 6' in length. According to Aftco's site, the Wind Ons fit on blanks down to 12/64ths tip so it should be fine. If anything I could always do a little grinding of the first roller's feet.
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I guess I am just assuming that rollers are needed for big fishing. How do you think the ring guides will stand up to 300 yards of line running off in a minute or two, reeling line back in under 30-40 pounds of drag, bearing swivels running over them and big wind on leader connections? I am thinking the stainless steel wheels are necessary for their toughness and size. I like the look of the Pa
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Hello, I am in the process of selecting components to build a heavy salt water stand up rod and need advice on roller guides. Money is always a consideration, but I know you get what you pay for. I don't want to spend $400 on Winthrop guides or more on Aftco Ball Bearing guides, but also $35 on regular guides seems too cheap. Which of the following would you choose? Why or why not? Any I shoul
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Thanks for all of the great advice. The rod is going to be for trolling for bluefin. I like the storabutt for the interchangeable butts option. True stand up then use a straight butt. Have a fighting chair then put the bent butt on. I think a 53" butt will be just right. For stand up with the #4 size straight butt the overall rod length will be 6'. And the 50#'s of drag won't be when troll
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So, I guess I need to find a blank that won't have its structural integrity harmed by cutting. I figure I will need 4'4" of blank to make the rod 6' overall. 14" off of a 5'6" blank seems like a good chunk. I will have to investigate further. Thanks for the reply.
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Hello, Has anyone built a rod with the Aftco Storabutt? I would like to make a heavy saltwater trolling rod and the idea of the storabutt is appealing to me. However, I am confused by how to approach it. It seems there is a 3-4" ferrule 1.000" in inside diameter that accepts the blank. I do not know of any blank that will work with this situation. A stubbie blank will end up bein
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