Gaerith

When applying finish? 1 to 2. This should help. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/betterepoxy.pdf

There are a ton of blanks and little to no reviews or feedback on the internet about most of them. Try to find a price point and work from there. A few with a good reputation I know of are st Croix, North Fork (headed by Gary Loomis), MHX, and Batson. One of them should be able to meet just about any price point. For your first build I would suggest working with a cheap blank. You will run into unforseen problems. . Good luck, it's very fun and rewarding.

I always see Lindy rigs in the store and wonder what rod works best with them, so thanks for mentioning them. Might have to try using my 6'9 m-xf Fenwick elite tech small mouth next time I'm on a lake with walleye and pick up a Lindy rig.

Walleye fisherman, What do you look for when purchasing a rod for walleye? Length, power, action? Is there anything else you look for specifically? What walleye specific rigs do you throw with it?

I think the 500 size shimano reels are perfect for children. I just made a 5'6" ul for my son with a sahara 500 for a reel and it's just his size. He's 4, though, so if they're 7+ you could bump up to any 1000 size. Don't worry if they don't know how to use a spinning reel - kids are sponges and catch on quick.

There has to be a bunch of rodmakers in the Fl area that could make you one to your specs, if you're willing to go that route (or ask DVT even). I hope you fine what you're looking for snooks.

It depend on 2 things - cover and lure weight. If you are flipping into any sort of heavy cover, or plan on using it for punching too then go heavy/fast IMO. If you plan on using 3/4oz or higher go heavy. If neither is the case you could go mh. Also consider that st Croix's tend to be stiff, I think. Maybe that's where he's coming from. Their mh may be another brands heavy. As a side thought have you considered a heavy *** for flipping?

I would flush and re-oil. Mine was packed and it made a huge difference.

Thank you, I appreciate the response! I am making a list right now to make a drill lathe, and once I get that made I'll work on making a wrapper. Rodbuilding.org has a guide on how to make a homemade wrapper in their library if anyone else could use it.

Is it necesarry to use mandrels made for turning cork or can I just grab a .25" steel rod from fleet farm and use that? They're 4x cheaper that route.

6 is the highest I would go. You should be fine. Good luck! Hope you have some split shot too. Put some on your line with no bobber and let it sit in the stream; it will suspend more naturally that way.

In line spinners and trout bait are good starters. Work the spinner like a jig or slow roll it.

Check out alley tungsten for good value tungsten weights. This thread reminds me of Ish Monroe on Chataqua, NY where he switched to a 1.5oz weight and started slaying em. He mentioned he switched because the big weight would kick up mud and cause a reaction strike. So there's more to keep in mind than just size/rate of fall.

I'm on my cell and having a hard time embedding, sorry. Scott Martin talks about how to choose a worm weight. It was posted before, but its great info. Never mind think I got it!

Jrob, I too would like to see your grips and tools! Thanks for bringing up the Batson reamers, I was debating on getting the dream reamer set, but it seemed kind of much to spend 70 bucks on just reamers. I only have a Bosch cordless drill, so I would have to buy a corded drill I'm guessing? How do you get the raw handle onto and off the mandrel? So far I have only seen this video on it, and he makes the handles straight on the rod. I haven't found a video where they do the entire process of putting the glued cork onto a mandrel, sanding and taking it off; I'm curious about the details.

Papajoe how do you keep thread tension on the one you made? Did you buy an aftermarket one from like mud hole? Also, I was wondering if getting a dryer with a slip clutch is worth it? I have been planning out a 5' ultra light rod for my son and am currently going with components rather than a handle kit. I am still not 100% happy with my options. I really wanted to have a 4" slim handle (aluminum butt cap) with a 1" tapered foregrip, but I think I'm going to do a split handle with a 1.25" rear grip and a 2" foregrip. My pinky is the only finger behind the reel, and I think the munchkin could hold it past the reel, kind of like how Aaron Martens holds his rod.

I am wondering if I could get some advice on where to (and not to) spend money on rod building tools. I plan on getting a hand wrapper, dryer and reamers; is there any other tool I'm missing that I should get? Are you able to go cheap on any of them or should I invest cash in a good dryer (flexcoat?) and reamers? How many reamers should I get to start? I'm mainly asking because I don't want to have to buy 'upgrades' after a little while because I went too cheap. Bonus question: anyone that makes their own cork handles, is it expensive to tool up for it? I don't like many of the handle options offered and I'd really like to get into this eventually. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

1 for bottom contact baits, 1 for frogs, 1 for pitching. There are plenty of uses for 7.1+ reels! . Aaron Martens claims to use them for everything, even. Really it's personal preference, but I think they are good all around speeds for everything but cranking.

Isn't that just for the blank madness sale section?

On line coverage was pretty sad IMO. They should get with the times. Its a great format to easily monetize especially since not everyone gets extended cable these days or can afford to attend in person.

The letter stands for the version. Some people don't like the G models because of the materials used in some parts, such as the drag star (plastic). E D and B seem to be the most well liked.

Cool, thanks for sharing! And thanks for the temptation, like I don't already sink enough cash into fishing! Hah! I'm tempted to try this.

That's awesome, nice work! Those blanks seem pricey for something you have to make. What is it a retail equivalent to if you don't mind me asking?

I have a perception tribe. I'll have to keep the epoxying in mind, I never would have thought of that. I was also thinking of using a caribener instead of a ring on the trolley. That way I could tie off on the trolley and if I need a quick release I could open the caribener. I'm not sure if that would be better than putting a caribener to the seat or not. What's a good knot I can use to tie off in the middle of the rope if need be? I am considering using the alpine butterfly since I already know it well.

I am planning on putting one of these on my kayak, and was wondering how everyone ties their anchor off? I am looking for methods other than using a cleat as I don't want the extra hardware involved and I definitely don't want the extra holes I'd have to drill. My current thought is to tie directly to the ring on the trolley or maybe pull it through the ring and tie off to an eyelet by my seat. Does anyone have a good knot to use if this is a good route to go?