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Well the day has arrived, and is it a Dosey outside. I have about an hour till the rod building class kicks off, and still have to set up my table, laptop and supplies. Stormed all night, and still storming here. Supposed to get a total of 7-8 inches over the three days Friday thru Sunday...Sure glad I'm inside....Hope everyone has a great Holiday week-end... More Later...
Have fun
Yep. It is a fun class, for sure. 1st day is done, home work almost done. One guide to finish wrapping on, one more to after that to wrap, then file the loose ends of a hook keeper and wrap that on, and I'll be done till tomorrow morning...
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Here are some pic's of the rod in progress. It's not finished yet. Not a rod I would have chosen to build, as it's more of a bass rod to me. Taking the class, this is what they sent. Only real question they asked was do you want it to be a spinning rod or casting rod. I chose spinning. I really wanted the experience. I have a rod that is light/fast and haven't made up my mind if I'm going to go minimalist in the seat, grip area or put a Tennessee grip on it yet. I like both...Attachment 505456Attachment 505457Attachment 505458Attachment 505459Attachment 505460Attachment 505461Attachment 505462
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Great day to stay in on projects. Just saw on the news where a man on Lake Guntersville was struck by lightning and killed. Prayers to family and friends.
Very nice Eric!
Prayers for the family. One thing to remember, If you hear thunder, no matter how faint, you can be struck...
Yes sir, yesterday morning and all day today it's going to be an inside day for me. This weekend we here in the Western Ozarks are Predicted to get 7"-8" inches of rain over this three day week-end. Raind with thunder leads to flash floods...
Due to time restraints of the class, this one has a couple flaws in the thread wraps when the epoxy finish went on. Lessons learned for corrections on the next build, which will be an ultra-light 6'6". Can't wait...
HERE'S SOME PIC'S FROM THIS ONE ON THE DRYER...and the mistakes I was speaking of...Attachment 505492Attachment 505493Attachment 505494Attachment 505495Attachment 505496Attachment 505497
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Morning everyone, a bit chilly here. 54* this morning. Any way, I have my 1st Rod build done. The one from the class. Some things I found pretty easy, and some AZ bit more challenging. Things learned...First, don't pack threads toward the tip of the rod even with lots of tension on the thread, as you will still have a little bit of slack and that causes gaps latter. 2nd I learned I really dislike hook keepers with the foot wires separated on dro shot style keepers. 3rd, prep work on guide feet and the keeper feet will save you some major head aches...ask me how I know...All in all, a very enjoyable time. And hey, I got a good rod out of it, all the tools I need to build rods to boot.
I wasn't happy with the way the hook keeper wrap turned out the first time, so it came off before I epoxied it. A lot more sanding with the coarse stuff Emory board I have ever seen. No lie, 50 grit on that Emory board. Had to get the ramp up for the thread to transition from rod up onto the keeper almost flat or it would either wrap back onto the previous wraps, or push the keeper away and not transition up onto it at all...got it worked out though.
Keeping in mind, this is my first one, I would like some honest critiquing...likes, dislikes. Attachment 505595Attachment 505596Attachment 505597
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With this Mitchell 300 reel on it, the ballance is dead center of the forward grip. With this reel, the total weight is 409grams, with the rod it's self being 116grams. Now this rod is a 7ft0in. IS701ML rod MudHole sent for the class. I'm awaiting some bits I need for the other rod. Decided to go with the minimalist approach on my nest rod and see how that turns out...Attachment 505672
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Like a Shotgun, the balance on a fishing rod I have always found to be a "moving dynamic". Static balance gets you close but once you master the feel of different rods with weight in motion combined with the particular "Action" of a rod you really don't know how it will fish.
Case in point. Heavy guides on a slow action rod increases the loading of the rod blank slowing the return of the blank on the back cast where light guides say Minima 4's on a real Fast action rod makes the blank feel like a broom stick as it takes heavier casting weight in the bait to load the rod. Proper casting is done by loading the blank more than arm speed. This is critical to master casting Fly Rods. A 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock forearm position with proper timing to load the Fly Rod fully produces those long suspended loops to shoot your line out to the end and roll the fly gently on the water.
Thank you for your explanation. Only thing is all I can do is a static weight. combining swing of different action rods with this weight rod or that weight rod requires more equipment than this poor man can afford. I won't get the feel of this particular rod for a few more days as monsoon rains have set in around my neighbor hood...
I didn't really have any choice on rods on this build. It was the rod all the class members got, probably selected by a bass fisherman. 7'0" Med. Heavy, Fast action. Not really my cup of tea, but building it in the class was for lesson purposes...
School is school. you are learning about rods. Takes time. I have been in this game for a very long time. My explanation is a much more advanced science of building rods. The weight of what you tie on the blank changes the actions. So if you have a MH Fast Worm rod and want it to soften up some heavier guides can do that but it also adds to the overall weight of the rod. That's the down side.
Agreed...Would not the same apply to a ultra light rod?? Keeping it as light as possible so it recovers faster...
Sorry, I only saw the word agreed on my phone yesterday evening and didn't see your question. You are correct. When I first got interested in building rods it was for offshore fishing so it didn't really matter. Big Straddle Foot Roller guides are not for casting. LOL. When I made the first few spinning rods is where I came to realize I needed to do a much deeper dive into the engineering of the rod including all the components. Fortunately I had someone in the New Orleans area that was good at building rods and free with his knowledge. Funny 45 years later I can't remember his name. Really nice blanks at that point I received first, felt it in the raw dummy casting, then decided what components I wanted to use. Mud Hole sells Minima 3's & 4's. I love the 4's - air weight, strong, lots of color combinations but the 3's are great too, a little less cost all in on a rod made with the Minima 3's. My rods when imported just going to Minima 3's almost doubled the cost. My importer used a Chinese guide that was close to keep the initial cost down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamesdean
If I could add something, another mistake I made starting out was skimping on the number of guides. I regretted that on some of the rods I made.
I'm going to get the reel seat and grip done, then use some pieces of silicone tubing to attach the guides, run the line thru them and attach a weight. Put pressure on it and make sure the line follows the rod as close as possible. With extra pieces of tubing on the rod gives the ability to add guides if needed and/or move the ones you already have on it. Once happy, mark where they are and get to wrapping....