MickD

The faster the action, for the same overall power, the softer the tip. Just a soft tip does not necessarily define the power of the rod. You can only tell what you really have for power and action by measuring them. (CCS)

Anglers Resource is the US distributor for Fuji fishing products. Point Blanks are not Fuji blanks, but blanks designed by Anglers Resource. I believe I have that right. Just because they are described the same doesn't mean they are the same action and power. I'll bet if you measure them the Eternity will be more powerful. Or its "hardware" is heavier. I have built a lot of rainshadow blanks into rods and never had a failure and never had to return one due to a defect.

You might have already built on them, just didn't know it. I doubt if the Exprides are any better than SCV or Rainshadow Eternity. But. . . One really fine blank brand I see you're missing is Point Blank. They are closing out their legacy blanks before introducing the next generation, and the legacies are wonderful blanks. For about $100 you can't go wrong. If any are still left. My favorites, and I've built on most of the blanks you mention.

And if I turn the spool over all of a sudden the top is the bottom? What defines the "bottom?" The advice to check after 20 feet or so is the best advice in this video, IMO.

I'm just getting into BFS, so am no expert (yet). But from what I've read and experienced so far, XF is not the right action for BFS. You want an action more like mod-fast and you want less power than what most ML blanks have. The casting motion has to be sort of "progressive," not abrupt, and the flexing over a longer length of rod promotes this. Power described as ultra light is more likely right for loading during the cast with the light lures of BFS. But this whole discussion would be much more accurate if CCS numbers were used to describe power and action. My nicest casting BFS build so far is about 8 ERN and 69 degrees AA, 6 foot length. Another builder who has built for BFS reports best results with similar CCS numbers. I originally thought that longer would be better, but the 6 foot length really does quite well and is very light and convenient to use and casts about the same distance as a 7 foot 3 inch other rod I built. The 7-3 has an ERN of about 12 and AA of about 67 and is a little too powerful for loading right with the lighter lures. I haven't yet caught fish, so don't know how a CCS 8 power rod will handle a decent size bass.

Right, but I've found it helps to take it off the end counter to the way it goes on. Better than letting the filler spool spin on an axle. I don't think the processes yield equal results.

A spinning reel puts one "twist" into the line for every revolution of the bail. So when loading line onto the reel have it come off the end of the filler spool in the opposite direction as the bail is rotating. If the bail rotates clockwise viewing into the spool, then have the line come off the filler spool counterclockwise. Not perfect, but better than the other methods. I have reels that recommend a different procedure, but I've always used this and have had good luck with it. To fix your current situation I would drag the line with no lure behind the boat for a few minutes. Don't reel in while the drag is taking line-that adds twists.

The smooth glossy finishes used on rods is not epoxy, as others have said, but is a very thin coat of a paint which likely is a lot like automotive paint. It is so thin that I doubt if one could detect a difference in performance due to it, but theoretically its weight will slow the recovery from deflection speed. It does not affect power or action. If you really want to see the difference in numbers, take a sanded blank and check its True Natural Frequency, then send it to a pro rod painter and have it painted. Then recheck it. TNF is easy to check with an Android device like a Kindle or cell phone. If one were to actually use epoxy to coat an entire rod, unless it was a heavy duty rod like a boat rod or similar, it would significantly affect its performance, making it feel sloppy and not crisp. Similarly, the sanding off of the processing ridges should theoretically speed the recovery from deflection speed since it will make the blank a little lighter. Again, can one detect it? I don't know. I refuse to build rods that still have the ridges on them-they complicate the wrapping process for me. Many build them without issues, but I prefer not to deal with them.

Look at the Point Blanks at Getbitoutdoors.com.

CCS is a system to measure blanks and rods and yields objective power and action numbers. If one likes a rod with certain numbers, and finds another with the same or similar numbers, they will essentially fish the same. Power is expressed in the grams it takes to deflect the blank 1/3 of its length, (and converted to Effective Rod Number, (ERN) a number a lot like the line weight rating of fly rods) and action is expressed in Action Angle, the angle the tip makes to horizontal when deflected. It works for all rods. It is the most accurate objective system that I know of. The "ratings" of blanks by manufacturers is hardly meaningful. I have Med Light power blanks that have measured from as low as 12 to as high as 20, Med's from 15 or less to 25. AA's for "Fast action" from less than 75 to over 80. There is a big difference between 75 and 80. https://common-cents.info/#:~:text=The Common Cents System (CCS,in 2004 by RodMaker Magazine.

Any idea what the CCS numbers are for these, or other BFS blanks that work well? TIA

Longer rods generally have better hook sets than shorter rods. Another really nice similar blank is the Rainshadow REVIP70UL, 7 feet. CCS 8.8/71 at 7 feet, 7.6/69 with 1 foot cut off the butt.

I have started down the BFS rabbit hole, and it looks like it's going to be both fun and effective. The Ark Gravity reel only costs $150 and handles 1/8 oz like a piece of cake, so I'm sure it can go lighter. The rod needs to be a light powered rod that will load with lighter lures. I have built a ML 7 '-2" rod on a walleye spin blank and a 6 ' rod on an UL inland popping blank. Both cast well with the shorter, lighter rod being a little more handy to use. I don't know yet whether it will handle a big smallie or not. I suggest if you're looking for something new in the lighter lure area you consider BFS. It doesn't have to cost a fortune and it's looking like a lot of fun. The rods have ERN's of 12 and 8 respectively. 12 is a little high IMO. Not all "regular" casting reels will do well at 1/8 oz and lower.

What does "stronger" mean. Less sensitive to damage? Or more power? Or ?? Told by whom? Hard to believe a 7 foot 20 ERN blank can get much lighter than 1.7 oz . (701MLF) I think that's what its specs are. UL's should be good BFS candidates.

I don't know, but probably a bit of both.

They actually vary a LOT! I have medium light power rods that vary from CCS power numbers (ERN-effective rod number, sort of like the weight ratings of fly rods) from 12.6 to 20, mediums from 15 to 25. So if you are not measuring CCS, you really don't know what you are actually dealing with. Another thing to keep in mind is that the longer the rod the less important action is to "keeping fish pinned." A 7' 6" extra fast action rod is basically a 6' 6" fast action rod with a foot added to the butt. So the longer the rod the more "forgiveness" it has when considering this aspect of rod performance.

Just noticed the comment above which has not been adequately covered, IMO. The thread and epoxy should be products designed for rod building and not hardware/sewing shop stuff. The rod building epoxy is flexible, quite self leveling, while some hardware store epoxies end up brittle. Additionally, hardware store epoxy is really an adhesive while wrap epoxy is more of a casting resin. They are far from being the same animal. If one is going to try to fix a rod which he treasures and doesn't want to screw up, use rod building epoxy. Sewing thread often has lubricants in it so that it works well in machines. The lubes, often silicone, will cause "fish eyes" in the epoxy. So instead of getting nice, even, shiny wraps one gets wraps with distortions in the finish. Mix proportions are important, and the best way to get it right is with rod building syringes (which do not have silicone in them like drug store syringes). Epoxy cures best at 70 degrees F or higher.

Does anyone have CCS data on rods being sold as BFS rods? I have some experience building for BFS and would like to know if I'm in general agreement with the factories. Just wondering. Thanks.,

I was not referring to Sea Guide, nor to Alps, Fuji, REC, CRB. I have no experience with CRB. All my builds use Fuji or Alps, did one Sea Guide. Had one ring come out of an Alps guide many years ago. Put it back in and it's still in service with a friend. Yes, I know that doesn't always work, but it did this time. Probably because it was a 25 mm with lots of area for the glue. I grooved cheap tiptops on my old factory rods before I started building again after many years "off." Never have grooved a SIC tiptop. Most titanium frames can be bent a few times before failure, and they are very hard to bend. The questionable ones bend easily and can only be bent a couple times and they break. You can probably tell the integrity of titanium frames this way: If they are very difficult to bend, they are probably not the ones I referred to.

Eric 26, I have not measured it yet, so don't know its diameter. It seems round and smooth, tightly woven. I'm using on an Ark Gravity BFS reel casting very light lures. It seems to cast well so far, but we'll see better on the water. I've had trouble with some braids before seeming to do well in the back yard but not so good on the water. Maybe they get waterlogged/heavy and spin out contacting the reel structure? I won't have it on the water for another month. Regarding thinner braid on casting reels, I think most BFS reels have a more aggressive wrap angle on the level wind to prevent digging in. Update 3/5: Mine measures .0085 inch diameter. Sufix calls it .008.

I have it on a BC reel, have test cast in the yard, not yet in the water. Mine is 10 pound test and it looks and feels very good. I suspect if it's frayed, it got cut on something, possibly a cracked tiptop or guide? I have never had what everyone always suspects: "A bad spool of line."

. . . because? most likely because they were very light. The lighter the guides on most rods and the higher the TNF, the crisper and cleaner the rod feels, and most likely more sensitivity.

I prefer Fujis because they are very high quality, like jewelry for the rod, have a good number of ring and finish options, and their software for locating the reduction guides on spin is bulletproof with KLH reduction guides. The KT's for runners way out on the the blank are very light. I have never had a Fuji fail or cause any problems. Alps guides are high quality also, but I prefer the look of Fujis for most rods. There is one brand which I won't mention here, but I won't use because their titaniums break easily. There are a lot of brands to chose from , but I don't know what to expect from them, not having used them.

The major difference in guide performance on the completed rod is as others have said, weight. The lighter the guide (titanium vs SS), the less the guides will slow down the recovery from deflection of the bare blank. You achieve the lightest guide set with choosing the smallest size you can get away with and the lightest guide in that size (titanium frame vs SS). This can be measured by checking the True Natural Frequency of the blank, then repeating it with different guides. You will see the advantage of lighter guides with higher TNF numbers. The big question is whether or not one can feel what might be a 10 % or so difference in TNF. It should result in longer casts and a crisper, cleaner, feel AND most likely better sensitivity (ability to feel a bite). Out on the rod, in the area of running guides on spin, is where the difference is the greatest. Yes, I have numbers to back up my statements. When I am after the highest performing rods, rods intended for finesse, I use the smallest titanium-framed Fuji guides (and titanium framed tiptop) I can get away with. Usually 4mm runners and tiptop.

https://online.flipbuilder.com/myart/kqin/ This is a good one. HFFcustomrods.com sells it.