I agree with Tom on this one. I build a lot of fly rods for saltwater fishermen, and the condition you describe usually means the wrong line is being used for the particular rod. Not necessarily the wrong WEIGHT. If you find the line wants to fall out of the air behind you (on the back cast), you might have the wrong weight line, or the brand of line you are using has the wrong taper. Most of
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Well, there IS always the Convention Center on International Drive in Orlando. Great weather just about a given, Disney, Sea World and Universal close by, and Kennedy Space Center 45 minutes away. And the saltwater fishing is pretty darned good at time of year...as can be bass fishing. The fact that I can drive there in 45minutes has NOTHING to do with anything...Hey! Why did my nose just gro
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Have you tried Cason's solvent-based formula? It's great for everything except snake skin.
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I still have about 1/4 of a bottle. It is a thick liquid in the bottle, and the top is on REALLY tightly. It is marked" Flammable."
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2-3 coats. The thread is treated with silicone.
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I also got a sample to try before the ICRBE. I like it. It looks like it might be a winner for saltwater fly rods where a light build isn't quite enough, but a high build is too much. It had the longest working time of any epoxy I have tried. As for high build, I am really liking the D-2.
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Noodle rods are about the slowest action rods there are. They are typically used to fish salmon eggs and egg sacks for steelhead...2-4 lb test line and big fish...10-20+ lbs. Pretty hard to break even light line on a rod like that (and we are talking 9-12' rods). The downside is that controlling the fish is darned difficult. Personally, I prefer moderate or moderately fast action rods for mos
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Never a dull moment in my shop. This morning, the sound of the hawks, herons and egrets was interrupted by a VERY loud double sonic boom as the Space Shuttle Atlantis descended over my house for a landing 5 miles north at Kennedy Space Center. The house shook, a couple spools of thread fell off the bench, and the shuttle crew is home safe and sound.
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And for a lower-tech solution, you can always wrap the Madeira thread on to empty, smaller spools. That has been working well for me. No thread carriage modification necessary.
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I think the jury is out on this. Bill's suggestion works, as does using a light coat of epoxy in lieu of the Permagloss. Personally, I have never bothered. If the guide feet are well prepared, I simply do the under wrap, then wrap on the guide, apply 2-3 coats of CP, and then epoxy when the CP is dry. I have saltwater rods used on bluefish, stripers, cod and pollack that were built this way i
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I have a bunch of them in the shop. So far, none have ended up moving across a tacky rod. As a precaution, I turn on the drier motor and let it turn the rods until they have cured.
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We had 200# tarpon at Canaveral 2 weeks ago. Didn't expect to see them.
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If they don't, drop a note to AMTACK...they will direct you to a dealer.
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Blues are complimentary. And Cabelas always used to package both green and gold thread with their green blanks
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Gonna try the same thing in 2 weeks at Islamorada for big tarpon on a Castaway SWA P-905. Titan Titanium guide train...see if we can get one to the boat that is 100# plus. 'Tis the season...
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I have the HS9000 from Batson. Fairly light tip, and very fast action. It splits the difference between a 7' and an 8' rod. I m not building it for Salmon and steelhead...it's destiny is to become a Florida flats rod for reds, tarpon, etc. The tip is light enough for a delicate presentation, and the mid-section and butt appear to be stout enough to stop a charging bull red or a flats tarpon.
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Tom, what about the resins used? Are THEY less happy in sub-freezing temps?
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I have built a bunch of rods on the MHX series. No problems at all. But I am curious as to what the break looks like. Clean? Extending down the blank?
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They are REALLY easy to paint. I use a flat white for an undercoat, then spray on the pink. Spray on a clear coat after it dries and you are good to go.
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Just curious here: how far down the blanks did the break extend? Or were they clean breaks?
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I use burl cork as my handle of choice whenever weight is not critical. In place of a butt cap, I use a rubberized cork disk glued to the bottom position in the rear grip. Burl cork is beautiful, wears very well, accepts U-40 Cork Seal and feels good in the hand. I use brown burl rather than burnt (personal preference), but it is also available in red, blue, etc. I also have a few "plugs
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For an extra-fast blank, the RX-8 Batson XF909-4 is hard to beat. 9' long, 4 pc. blank for 9 wt line. It over-lines well with 10 wt. If you want a slower action, check out their IF909. It's an RX-7 blank. If money is no issue, the RX7+909-4 is a fabulous blank.
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You can also find what you are looking for at Lake of the Woods...it's HUGE, and straddles the US and Canadian border...65,000 miles of shoreline! This will get you started:
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That has been my experience with ALL the MHX blanks. The big difference is the price, not the performance. And their "blend" blanks are a blend of different modulus carbon fibers, NOT carbon and fiberglass.
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If you search the warranty thread, you should find a post I did some time ago, spelling out what is and what is NOT covered, and how I deal with it.
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EFFECTIVE marketing to your target demographic.
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The closer to the tip of the rod, the more critical the weight of the guides used. I have begun using AMTAC Titan NIA for my running guides...it keeps the cost down, but delivers the benefit of lightweight titanium to the tip section. Slightly heavier guides can be used for the first few guides north of the fore grip without any significant addition of weight to the rod. I am happy to use the
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Jay McCarthy wrote: Thanks for all the replies. Batson makes great stuff, and I've said before they have great service. But I'm really curious just how good the MHX is I have put MHX rods I have built up against comparable G. Loomis rods that I also built. I can't say which I like more. What I CAN say for certain is they both perform at a very high level. The big difference is the pric
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Walt, you might try steaming that section of EVA for a few minutes and then see if you can "massage" out the divet. If that doesn't work, you might need to take the grip down a bit more.
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