spoonplugger1

Slow setting super glue. installing a 5-turn blocking wrap in front of the guide foot and then extending the rod finish can help.

As noted before you don't need to completely remove the rear foam grip/s. Just turn the foam down to the inside diameter of the cork grips you decide on and just slide the cork grip over now foam arbors put on a butt cap, done.

I'd move the winding check, put the rod vertical, apply a bit of Permagloss in the little pocket that's probably there, spin the reel seat and watch the Permagloss flow between the blank and reel seat adding as needed, if the people at Megabass did their job there shouldn't be need for much, if the tube is hollow and they just used tape arbors it could take a bit, if foam cored not so much to get the job done. I'd anticipate a bit of excess cleanup if they used tape arbors due to how well Permagloss flows from both ends of the reel seat since you used more, but it sets fairly fast.

If it was me, I'd see if I could get the winding check to move out of the way, than instead of epoxy I would use PermaGloss rod finish, it is a very thin water vapor in the air curing polyurethane that is also an excellent adhesive and totally waterproof, it's so tough people have made threadless guide wraps with the stuff. An example. Sets in about 1/2 hour where I am in the Pac. NW. If the reel seat spins, I would do so while using to get a better flow.

I haven't but then I don't wander all over the internet looking for the best deal and then having to wonder if that is really them. All the sponsors at www.rodbuilding.org can be trusted, they have been around a decade or more, some I have done business with for closer to 22 years, no hackers here, but there are deals to be had from time to time also.

Makes zero difference other than guides may have to move slightly due to sections, but that's true no matter how you build one.

The IMMP84UL I suggested is not an UL trout rod type of stick, it has more power than the NFC P7000-1, not even close. If any of you have fished the G Loomis PR8400S you are closer in the ballpark though the Loomis has more butt power, they were designed for pretty much the same thing. Just put in the G Loomis model in Google and read up on it. Very light tip, lighter than a 2 power popping rod, it is also faster tipped than you would expect and goes further into the tip before the solid lockup you would not expect from its line rating. The Loomis blank for this rod and the Shikari clone was used for dropshotting before there was dropshot specific rods/blanks that weren't little short, stiff things.

I would has recommended another, but I heard the Rainshadow Immortal line is being discontinued, personally I thought they were world class blanks. Of those blanks my choice would be the fantastic IMMP70UL, I have had that rod in use for 18-20 years, it has more butt power than you would expect from its description, but than it is an inshore popping rod blank and those fish can have shoulders. The tip is still light enough to throw things like beetle spins, baby cranks, etc. really well.

NFC P700-1 X-Ray C6O2 Epitome.

A lot of the ols glass rods were built much like the Tsuka concept with the grips and reel seat built on an aluminum tube with the blank 4 to 6 inches inside the tube, a great way to get one of the limited variety of blanks to be adapted for many purposes and lengths. All the old pistol grip and longer offset reel seats designed for the old round reels had the blank on a ferrule that fit into the front of the reel seat and the foregrip many times was the nut that tightened it all together, lots of those old rods still out there in some old man's garage.

Myself I'm not an advocate for thinking that a smooth surface in use is somehow more likely to go flying out of your hand or is less grippy, my experience with hammers, axes, wrenches, monkey bars, jungle gyms you name it doesn't fly that way. When I'm palming a casting reel my hand isn't even on the grip, it's holding that smooth reel, spinning reels are held between the fingers in my hand, very little of the grips are held again unless you are using something like the Fuji IPS or VSS. all the new carbon reel seats are as smooth as your grips. I think you are blaming your grips bad result on the obvious visuals instead the ergonomics. That shape looks cool, doesn't mean it is cool, how many of your hammers, and axes would work well with that shape, or a screwdriver? These spinning grips are better, the taper has the biggest diameter at the butt, locking the hand in position, this is the old Lew's rod grip design, works just as well on standard pipe seats, the fore grip was the same way just more abruptly tapered. A Tom Kirkman photo.

Rod built to Rooster's specs, it's a Rogue dropshot rod design, of old Skamania or Michigan salmon/steelhead rods. A long Tennessee grip also allows you the versatility to move your reel with no restrictions.

The KLH height guides are nothing new, that height guide was used in Europe since around the time of WW II, G Loomis has used them since at least the time off the business starting to build rods, my IM6 rods had them, and I bet the older LCI rods may also have used them. They were called "match" guides and came both with double and single feet. The issue is not so much ring diameter as ring height off the blank for best performance, we're talking 5% or less when we are talking about this though. The real advantage is balance and weight out on the tip of the rod; this can be cut dramatically. You very well may be able to use the existing guides you have to get a decent reduction path and just buy some small fly frame guides to finish, saving a bunch of money. The original Concept framed guides are not near the height of the Fuji KLH and similar guides, about half the distance between yours and the KLH guides, wouldn't hurt to try. A 20 mm concept is about the same height as your 25 mm.

You never see them do a whole rod or even two guides with the stuff, can you move the guide for alignment after you have laid it down? Also, you have to CP it to activate the adhesive I hear.

There is nothing about rod building that is rocket science or can't be done without machinery, when many of us started the internet wasn't around, so thought and common sense was all we had. Asking what if and then setting it up as an unglued prototype for testing, it goes a long way in ensuring thing are installed correctly, up or down threaded section, etc. with good fit and finish which is the most important part. As you remove things from your prototyping just lay them out as they come off the rod, just that simple.