flechero

I'm another who quit kind of recently... september 15th after over 20 years. I only ever met one person that beat mouth/throat cancer. And he's missing parts of his mouth and throat. Take the word of experience on this one. Quitting now will save you thousands of dollars over time, not to mention might just save your life. Good luck, friend, I hope you choose freedom.

Just put it in maintenance mode... that will teach them to plan to be with us next year!! ;D

You should visit www.rodbuilding.org and search "simple spiral" it will give you hours worth of reading on this topic. But yes, a cranking rod is a great candidate for a spiral wrap. For now, that's the best suggestion I have. I'm going to write something up, probably in article form after the fork trip since it gets asked quite often and is a long winded thing to type out. I'll have photos for the layout, set up and ID of guide types, etc. Guide selection- It's hard to say much without knowing what blank you got and even then it's a crap-shoot since all blanks are different. Your questions are too broad for specific answers. As a point of reference, I built a 7' mh, mod-fast St.Croix blank a month or two ago and used 8 guides plus a bumper, for a total of 9. For the sake of ease, you could almost certainly use an Alconite set up of (all BLAG's) #10, (#8 BLAG bumper) 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 and a 6 BFAT tip top. but order 2 extra #6 BLAG's just in case. But you would have to verify and validate that through static testing. That's about $20 retail. Or if you like the look of the double footed guides, you could use a #10 or #12 BLNAG for the butt guide. Edit to add: I sent some additional info in a PM.

Sure you can, the blank doesn't know what it's supposed to be! The difference in them is that the 'spin bass' tells you that it's a little softer in the middle & butt sections of the rod. Ever notice how most spinning rods feel a little different than casting rods of the same power and action designations? That's why. If you built the spin bass as a casting rod you would probably like it as a light crankbit rod... the softer mid would be great for lighter line and treble hooked baits. On the flip side you'd probably hate it for t-rig fishing and it might feel funny as a casting rod. They have the "IC" rods (the 6' casting blanks) listed under "spin jig and multi purpose"

4 more days until Christmas for you, LBH. ...lol

I would check out the Batson blanks if I were you. http://fishsticks4u.com/ click "blanks" and then "Spin Bass Multi-Purpose Rod Blanks" They have several 6' blanks in various action and power ratings... RX-7 from about $35 and RX-6 from about $25. You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality for the price.

Yes, depending on the wind. I ususally just crack the garage door a few inches and it creates a nice flow of air from side door to garage door and I sit so any airborne dust is carried away from me. Lamiglass is one brand that I haven't ever built... I think Alpster has built a few so he may be able to offer some insight. We can help you with guides once you decide which ones you want. The heights are different depending on the specific type so you need to pick out what you like and then we can jump in.

I am going to build a dedicated rod for punching hydrilla mats. I am not exactly sure what I want so just looking for some general commentary on the longer (over 7'6") flippin' rods from those who have used such an animal. Here are the 4 blanks I'm currently considering: St.Croix 3C710HF 4C79HF 4C711HMF 4C80HMF Any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated. -keith

And here is the whole set up. There is a stabilizing block for when I use the 1/4" mandrel because it flexes under pressure. The 1/2" bolt has been trued and head cut off- works like a champ! I just clamped it onto a bin (which is also my trash bin) and good to go. Let us know if you need any other "budget" tool inspirations! ...lol

KU, Here is the ultimate economy grip making set up. ;D I have a 1X4 "bed", with 2 small blocks raising a little scrap 1X4 for clamp clearance (I did 45 degree the sides so the clamp would tighten better) and a foam pad which actually keeps the drill from sliding around. The hose clamp is for a dryer hose. I bought the hose clamp and had the scraps.

I agree with roadwarrior, call Loomis and they will send ou a new tip top. then follow the instructions here: http://www.rod-crafting.com/articles/rod-tip-repair.html (credit to ReelMech for the link) Sooner or later you will step on it or have another accident that breaks the blank... I'd save the expiditer for those kinds of things.

Be careful not to judge blanks on price alone. Loomis and St. Croix are about the only 2 companies with a strong enough brand image to charge what they do for blanks. I've also built on (RX-6 and) RX-7 and I can absolutely promise you that they are better quality than the price suggests. I would go so far as to say that the RX-7 line might one of the best "values" in blanks today. (at retail price) Back to your original question- I think GL-2 or SCII would be the closest equivalent to the crucial. The GL-2 and SCII blanks are about $70- $80. If I was buying at retail price and looking to replace a crucial, I would buy RX-7 over GL-2 and SCII all day long. (and spend the extra money upgrading components) Last consideration- from a builder's perspective the Batson Warranty is tops. When you don't have to send in the whole rod (just cut out the break plus a couple inches on each side) you save money and hassle. Just one guy's opinion.

Why not place the order on line? (and follow the banner so BassResource.com gets credit) You can avoid the wait and the annoying hold "music."

Gamakatsu EWG 4/0 standard wire is perfect, IMO.

Sure, I'll snap a pic tomorrow. One of my dryer motors burnt out 30 minutes ago... so I'm stuck here for the next hour or so, hand turning (since i have 2 rods turning) and typing a little between turns. ;D thank goodness I do finish work in the house right next to the computer. Anyway, it's basically a piece of 1X4 with a dryer hose clamp holding a drill on a small padded block. I clamped it on a rubbermaid bin to catch most of the debris. It's ugly and draws a few laughs but it's perfectly servicable. You can also use a drill press but I find it real awkward turning grips in a vertical position... so I only drill out grips, turn arbors and resize plugs and other odds & ends on the drill press. you can use a guide kit for spiral wraps but they are way less than optimum. you'll be needing more small guides than they come with and one small but not too low for the bumper... assuming you do a "simple spiral" (which many of us like the best)

Try a search... lots of threads on revo and NO COMPLAINTS!! I like mine!

KU, Funny you ask this today... I pulled out my first rod a few hours ago. I thought I hit a home run and built the perfect rod on the first try. Funny how your perspective changes once you get some rods under your belt. I laughed while looking at it today. I started with an SCIII and it does fish great, and that's what counts most. My next 10-12 were All Stars that I got when they were getting out of the blank business. I'd start with something less than IMX. You can get some really good blanks and guides without spending a lot of money. If I had it to do over again, I would start with either a mid level blank... that way if I screwed it up I wouldn't be out a ton of money but if I did well, it was a rod I could really use. Trust me on this one thing... if you build a half decent rod on the first try, you will probably be building a whole new fleet so there is no need to rush a $$$ blank on the first try! I'm not a fan of kits, especially if you are going to spiral wrap it. The guides won't be what you want. Once you pick out a blank, we can help you get the right guides picked out depending on what set up you choose. Also I am no a fan of natural cork or pre formed grips... for $5 you can have a GOOD grip turning set up, if you own an electric drill. (if not, then $30 for a drill and parts) Good real seats, Fuji ECSM, are only $5 and what comes in a kit is usually a no name seat. Anyway, like I said, there are a bunch of builders here that would be happy to help you pick out whatever you need. I'm sure some have good kits but I quit looking after seeing a few bad ones in a row. If you don't find what you want at mudhole liquidation sale- I have a few All Star and Castaway blanks that might fit your needs. I'd be willing to part with 1 or 2 if you want to try them. PM me if you are interested, or if I can help you at all on the build. If you go ahead with the IMX, at least get a few dowel rods or old arrow shafts and crappy guides to practice wrapping & finishing on... those 2 things are the worst in the beginning!! Good luck! -keith

Matt, Did you not think we were already excited?!?!?!?? We still have 6 more days to wait... my boss already expects nothing out of me this week. ...lol Are you settled in to a new job yet? Any chance you are going to be out there next week? -keith

Agree completely... even properly spooled line needs to be trolled every couple outings to remain trouble free.

I think it's purely cost driven. Since the percentage of anglers who really notice or care enough to change hooks is likely single digits, even using better hooks wouldn't increase their sales enough to cover the increased cost... so they feel it's better to deliver a product at a low enough price for us to buy and change the hooks- still beating the price of other baits. Rattle traps, rogues, bombers, Arbogast, etc. plus new hooks are still way cheaper than lucky craft and several others. It makes perfect sense to me even though I hate replacing hooks.

Thanks guys! It was a fun one to build. Now, if i can just keep from closing the truck door on it next Sunday... just kidding! ...lol

KU, My whole family (immediate and extended) uses mustard. regular french's mustard. apply it thick and let it stay on there until it dries completely. It will draw most of the pain out and will actually help it heal a day or two faster. Aloe also works but mustard has always worked better/faster for me. edited to add- reapply after dry if you are going to be awake longer, the more times you do it the better it will work.

one more...

close up

Here is a rod I get to deliver to Fork next Sunday night! Thanks to Glenn for permission to use the BassResource.com name in the decal. I will hold off naming the owner, just in case. ...lol Maybe next year we make some limited run of commemorative rods... I'd like to work out something with the other builders here to do something like that as a team. I'm only a part timer so I can't turn the volume that would be required. Something to think about anyway.