Y’all have done it

You’ve worn me down and I’ve bought another rod, like I needed one. Mine came with a twist though. You see, I live too close to Mudhole and had to go there for parts for another project. While I was there I made the mistake of looking through the blanks for their Fenwick MHX ultra lights. The 5’ didn’t appeal, and the 5’6” for 1-2lb line made me nervous. But the 5’6” for 2-4lb line felt sweet and had a nice action on the tip, and I got weak. Having seen enough of the JDM rods y’all have posted I kinda followed suit and did this one in a minimalist fashion with the lightest affordable guides they had for the way I fish. The lightest are torzite but the loss in weight to the dollars spent just didn’t work. I’m waiting for the epoxy to harden on the handle I just finished with and while it’s small, light, and about as little amount of components I could figure how to use, I’m thinking it’s still going to weigh more than some of the super lights I’ve seen posted. I’ll post it up when I get it finished and await your comments. I’m looking forward to getting a good bend in it. Soon……..

Look forward to seeing your finished creation. Been kicking around the idea of building one in the near future

Awesome! Looking forward to the first official sliming day !

Looking forward to seeing it.

Regards

Great post, skeet. You have been going down the U/L road for a while now, and this sounds like it will be a super rod. I know you will give it a good workout when it is ready!:ThumbsUp
Bob

Have fun with your new rod Skeet!

Sounds interesting :highfive

Thanks everyone. I’ve gotten the handle and butt section glued up and put the guides that I bought with tiny rubber rings made for this. The diameter of the guides is larger than originally had in mind, but they’re built for longer casts whereas the high framed, tiny running guide set are designed for super accuracy so I’m told. I strung some line through it and don’t like the way the guides support the bend of the rod. At very least I need one more guide. Found this out just after four and they close at three. Everything for a reason. I have two rods with the high frame guides and I’m not disappointed with them. I’m also thinking they have to be some lighter. The diameter of the tip looks to be big enough for a 1/16 head to pass through if I reeled too close. I’m leaning towards the high frame smaller diameter guides and buying a few extra running guides just in case. I can definitely feel the extra weight of the guides on compared to the blank alone, which leaves me thinking of lighter options. Such is the process so far. This was the unglued mock up when I first brought it all home.
Attachment 452607

I didn’t like the butt knob and changed that. Too big and round where everything else seemed angular. And other ideas entered into the process. This is the lower end of the rod all glued up and ready for guides. If my scale doesn’t lie it should come in at right at 2oz.
Attachment 452608
The next time you see it things should be complete but I wanted to bounce it off of y’all and see what input anyone could offer. Thanks for your time guys, this is where your trip down the rabbit hole will help someone else.

Super looking. Can’t wait to hear how It fishes!
Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobC

Great post, skeet. You have been going down the U/L road for a while now, and this sounds like it will be a super rod. I know you will give it a good workout when it is ready!:ThumbsUp
Bob

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Bob C, Just a quick question, why would you want a stiff/stiffer rod for small Crappie? I like UL so even with small Crappie , by the way almost all our Crappie are the smaller variety are about all we get in NE Texas. Since I am on a limited budget the short rods are what I can afford. With my rods I can still see a good bend!

gotta learn to "Just say No" buddy!!:Rofl Never go to the actual store!! all kidding aside it's looking great!

Your rod is looking great.
I absolutely love my MHX blanks. Now you got me wanting one for the BG spawn......DANGIT

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They’ve made a 3 piece ultra light blank now that had my interest. Like I need another.

Those MHX blanks should come with a 100% warranty also.

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That’ll be a nice stick when you get done with it. I hope you get it just how you want it!

Michael, that’s why this will be my third trip to Mudhole for parts. I’m not hurrying this time. I did another ul a few years ago that turned out nice but I didn’t like it and sold it to another member in Alabama. Turns out he didn’t care for it either so I’ve gotta make it right with him one day. It’s a fun process once some of the learning curve is behind you.

Looks like a mighty fine stick in the making, I hope you have good luck with it !

That is a nice start. I hope you don't like it enough that you might give it to someone who hasn't gotten into the ultralight world yet(hint, hint). Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

My brother built himself a crappie rod with Mudhole parts and he likes it so much he won’t let me use it. He says it is very sensitive, of course I wouldn’t know.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by skeetbum

Michael, that’s why this will be my third trip to Mudhole for parts. I’m not hurrying this time. I did another ul a few years ago that turned out nice but I didn’t like it and sold it to another member in Alabama. Turns out he didn’t care for it either so I’ve gotta make it right with him one day. It’s a fun process once some of the learning curve is behind you.

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Hi Skeet,

Though I’m sure the Mudhole guys must have mentioned this but you can use CRB SSR guides instead of Titanium to keep the guide weight down. The runners in SSR only go down to size 5, but PacBay Minima are another option for runners if you want micro guides for runners.

Good luck!


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I’ve gotten the guides I had in my head and I think the runners are size 5. Just have the guides on tiny rubber bands and with my 1/43 jig and no body it’s casting about 40’ with a half a spool of 2lb mono. I believe it’ll do just fine.

After much frustration I have the guides on and coated. I even have some hair left. I’ve spooled up the XT with some Night Game PE in 2lb and added a leader and a 1gram Diawa jighead. It’s going to get wet in a very short while and I’ll do what few pretty stuff later. That line is tiny! Thanks you Michael, I’m giving it a workout and looking forward to an upgrade reel soon. This is as close as I’ve been to a JDM setup and I can see the rabbit hole……..

It is some great stuff to fish with, skeet. Have fun.
Bob

Trip is done and things went well til the wind and boat traffic got up. I had a small glow colored curl tail grub on and the sun wasn’t up yet. First cast was rewarded with a 10” crappie which got kissed and released. I’m still smiling about that. Fish were crushing bait here and there and some were large, but I didn’t connect with any. No wind at this point and watching the river wake up is a special thing. I hope you get to experience something like it one day. Nino and I both had our own boats and stayed within earshot of each other. The fish never really got wound up but I found a few to go with the crappie as the day went on. There was a downed tree that was holding some redbreast sunfish and I got a few of those, every one pretty in their spring suits. Something big got hold of me for about a count of four before it snapped the line that I thought was in pretty good shape. Never got a hint of what it was. Put that one aside and grabbed the TSS with a chartreuse rooster tail that kept me busy for a bit. Mister Twister has shown up lately in Dicks and BPS and their inch and a half versions have always been a favorite of mine. Today I tried the pumpkin colored one, colored like a cricket, and those redbreast liked it fine. Their tails just have better action than most others. Wildlife officers made their rounds and checked us both out along with everyone else we could see, glad to see em out and busy. We moved to another place but by now the wind had gotten up and was blowing pretty good. I got a couple of crappie out of a downed tree and got bumped a few times but didn’t get any more. The rod gave me a fit due to the new braid and being a bit overfilled. The sensitivity is excellent and the casting weight is also very good. I’m waiting for some crappie to give me the repeated thumps we all live for before I ramble about that, and today wasn’t that day. The President XT doesn’t impress me though it’s a good reel and did everything it was supposed to. Now to strip the reel off the rod and put the lure holder and some dressings on before I call it done. At this point, no regrets on the buy and build, very happy with it. Thanks for going along and I’ll post pic when it’s all dressed.

I bet it will be fantastic.

Mike