I recently purchased an old "made in USA" rod at a local garage sale. It is one I had never heard of before and I thought I would run it past you guys to see if any of you have any information about this rod company. It is called "Lowe's Super Touch Graphite" This rod is a mint condition TC7HSC 7' Heavy Action. It is built well with Fuji guides and Fuji reel seat and go
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Hello All, I'm attempting my first baitcast rod build. I'm building on NFC 7'3 X-Ray MH. I am using the Fuji Titianium torzite guides. I have the following sizes guides as I went off the Fuji KR Concept PDF sheet: (1) 10 double foot KW, (1) 5.5 double foot KW, (3) 5.5 KB, (5) 5.5 KT (1) Arowana Tip Top. My question is what should by distances be between the guides? Fuji does have a chart f
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So, there has to be a better way of straightening guides. After I meticulously wrapped every guide perfectly, I stand back and admire my work and think to myself, I'm really getting somewhere now. Then I straighten the guides and for some, it causes a slight wrinkle, or it causes the threads to overlap just a hair at the foot, maybe scrunch up. If I used NCP thread or if I used Nylon thread with
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Hello everyone, this is my first thread so forgive me if Im asking repeated questions. I’d like to start off by saying even though I’m new to this site, I have been reeding these forums for a couple years now and there is some serious talent on here. So thank you for all the great discussions and info. Im a bass fisher and got into this custom rod stuff by accident last year after playing with a
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I decided it would be fun to put together a vintage bait-casting rig from that period (vintage rod, reel, line and lure) and try some old-school fishing. I was able to refurbish a bait-casting reel (circa 1940-1950) into working order, and picked up a fair period appropriate rod on @#$%&. My though was that I could just replace the old corroded guides and I'd be all set. I did a line test
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Going to use a fighting butt as a foregrip. One end is cork composite as is the need to be glued on butt cap. I like the look of the cork composite on both ends. I want to glue the butt cap on and then drill it out to match the I.D. of the rest of the grip. The cap is rather thin maybe 3/16ths. Hole does not need to be perfect as i don't need much over a 1/4" and the edges will be hidden by
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In the past, a number of members have inquired about how to make trim bands for their guide wraps. Most often, the replies suggested using the “nail knot” method to make a separate trim band from the main wrap. But the narrower the band = the more difficult (if not impossible) to execute and having to make two separate wraps rather than simply extending the main wrap from the trim band seems awkw
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I have a friend that wants two 7' mangrove rods. He will be using 65# braid and a heavy duty casting reel. Casting distance needs to be about 40 feet. When fishing for mangroves around the oil rigs in south Louisiana, we hover up-current about 50 feet and chum back into the rig. These snapper live in the upper water column and stay really tight to the rig. What he needs is a rod that is powe
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A friend of mine recently purchased a Shimano Expride and really likes it. When he showed it to me, I was really surprised at just how light that thing is. Do any of you guys know where I might be able to find the same/really close Shimano Expride blank that I can build on? Thank you!
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Looking for something; XF-fast, 7.5-8.5’ 20-30 pound line glass would be ok I would like it to have some power to handle bigger fish The rod will be loaded up on the downrigger Durability over sensitivity Thanks for the help
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I would like to try my first ever spiral guide wrap and had a few questions. Background: I have read up on the different methods and the principal of how the line should flow through the guides. I have three rods ready for guides, an SJ736, MB765 NEO cut down to 6'9", and an MB 7108 for flipping Coosa grass and river brush. Fishing Alabama bass, Largemouth, and the occasional hybrid.
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Hey guys. So I’m still brand new to rod building and only have a couple builds under my belt, all of which have been just your typical lighter inshore saltwater spinning setups. I live in Florida and go offshore a lot with my buddy and I eventually want to start building heavier duty conventional bottom rods for grouper and other bottom fish. I’d like to say I’ve gotten a pretty decent understand
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I was intrigued with Pete Holloway’s “Easy Spiral System” article in the last issue of RodMaker magazine. While I have developed my own method of producing spiral-wrapped rods which work extremely well, somewhere between the simple spiral and the 0-60-120-180 systems (but NEVER a 90* bumper), utilizing the actual blank under load to determine the rotational positions of the transition guides seem
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Got an old Fenwick ive redone and some how I got my reel seat and guides out of alignment. Now already applied epoxy and need to scoot reel seat over just a hair. How do I fix my foul up? Without tearing down my rod?
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I am deciding between SeaGuide titanium framed spinning guides with their silicon nitride (RSol) ring and Fuji's titanium-framed Torzites (also a silicon nitride ceramic, from what I understand). There is a big difference in price between these guides, even though others who have used both tell me they are very similar in terms of quality. I wonder if they weigh the same? The SeaGuide set is on i
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Lol
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Last year I built a really nice #50 stand up tuna and halibut rod on a glass Calstar blank with a spiral wrap topped off with a nep_tune roller spiral top. I paired it with an Avet SX reel spooled with #50 Jerry Brown braid. So, here is the issue. Last year on a trip my line once got stuck between the roller and the frame of the guide. It popped right out when I pulled on it, so I didn't t
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What do you think about REC Cerecoil guides on a light offshore casting rod (conventional reel) for fish up to 100 #s? I really don't care about the price and know there are cheaper alternatives but I don't build cheap and want something that is different and will function very good. Has anyone got experience with these guides other than strippers for fly rods. Have you used them on "heavy b
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Hello Everyone, Brand new to this site and first post. I have been trying to find optimal guide spacing for casting rods. I have built 4 casting rods now and used the spacing charts i have printed off. After reading some posts on here i would like to make sure i do things the correct way and make rods the best they can be. I found the 27X method for the spinning rods that i plan on using on my
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So, I started building rods a few years ago. Some of my fishing buddies started urging me to build some for them. I look at this site, and I see how technical everyone is, very technical with the guides, how many, where to place and weight. the weight of the guides! Rods and there flexes, composites, graphite, fiberglass, actions and power. So the other day a co-worker wanted a 7ft inshore rod, M
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Has anyone built on a Thrasher blank. I am building a 6' jigging rod and had a strong recommendation for this blank. I am planning on using a high rise 2 footed stripper guide a bumper, and #8 runners in a spiral wrap. I was thinking 20-12-8-8-8-8. Any thoughts or recommendations on this setup?
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I have an old Penn saltwater rod I use for grouper digging. I've had it for 20+ years and want to put new guides on it, only this time I want to make it a spiral wrap. Currently it has the heavy recold guides on it and I'm not sure what to replace them with. Any suggestions or guideance is apprecaited.
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Hi:I looked in the library but no mention of this. When locating the spine on a 4 piece fly rod do you spine each piece individually? Seems like this would be necessary except for the butt piece maybe...
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I have really grown to love the spiral wrap on my casting rod builds, so much that I have basically incorporated into every personal rod I make. To date these have been more the pitching type rods, chatterbaits and lipless rod styles... My question is this, would there be any limitations to the use of a spiral wrap on techniques such as a jerkbait or topwater application. Something worked with
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I have an ongoing problem. I typically make simple diamonds on my base wraps but i always have difficulty keeping the threads tight together. Are there any tricks? Tension? Thanks
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I am getting ready to order a real seat for my United Composites GUSA-79Mega build. It will be used for mostly Lingcod and a little for Albacore. I might even try tossing some bigger largemouth bass swimbaits with it. I’ve got level and non-level wind reel options. I’m considering an Alps Aluminum Trigger reel seat. I’ll be casting with the rod some and find the security of a trigger to be reassu
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Hej, I am currently building a 7.2 MH spiral baitcasting freshwater (mostly) pike rod. For stock reasons I have a double foot Fuji RW 5.5 follows by KT size 5 runners. I intend to do the locking wrap on the KT that should have been KBs but is it useful to wrap all the guide with the locking wrap? I am asking because I have a tip heavy rod so If I can save weight for balance I am all in.
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I'm interested in trying some Fuji T-KTSG single foot guides on a med-heavy saltwater rod. I'll be spiral wrapping the rod. I'm not concerned about the guide frames failing but I am a little worried that the guides may pull out of the wrap. I always use a Forhan lock with single foot guides but this single foot guide splits and has 2 "legs" that cradle the guide ring. I'm thinking I
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I post this thread as a curiosity to see where custom rod building members of this forum stand on this issue. For me, I am nearly 60 years old so I have been fishing since the late 1960's and I have lived through many phases of the fishing tackle changes over the years and decades and I have seen things come and go and some stick around. And it is precisely all those years- my younger years
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Have a request to build a 80 lb class tuna rod with a spiral wrap and he wants Fuji SiC guides - but I'm unable to find a roller tip-top that will work - the All American @#$%& only goes up to a 18 and it does not look like regular roller tip-tips will work flipped over. So, looking at larger diameter traditional tip-tips.. the Fuji SiC only goes to an 18 as well.... Looks like AT has one wi
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