http://www.delawarevalleytackle.com/

 

Mike delivered my new rod on Friday. He will contribute the techical aspects of the build later on this thread.

My part is simply a  fisherman's take on the build. We have been working on this for a few months and the

finished product is nothing short of spectacular!

 

The stick is a 7' foot spinning rod mounted with a Stella 2500 FB. This was designed and built as a dedicated

tool for soft plastics or what some would refer to as a "Senko Rod". Mike will provide the details on the components

used, but from my perspective he was given free range on the construction of the rod. I sent him the reel for a

complete breakdown and cleaning. More importantly, I wanted him to have the reel for custom balancing on the

rig.

 

The blank is black, silver guides and gold trim. I consider the rod to be Medium Heavy with an Extra Fast tip,

but Mike may correct me on this. My initial thoughts were "Too heavy for weightless plastics", but was I wrong!

My reel is spooled with Yo-Zuri Hybrid #4 (8.5 lb breaking strength). The set-up absolutely launches a Senko.

 

I'm anxious to hear what Mike has to say, so for now that's all I have. Thank you buddy, I am VERY pleased!

 

-Kent

Congrats on the new stick Kent ~

 

Best of Luck with it.

 

A-Jay

No pics!?!?!?

Ban!

Just kidding...seriouly pics man

Grats on the new stick! Now go catch something with it...after you post us up some eye candy

I was all excited expecting some pictures at the end of the post. Look forward to them and a break down of the build.

THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITOUT PICS !!!!

Save the pics.  Don't bother.  I'm glad for you.  I can imagine what a custom spinning rod with a Stella on it looks like.   Don't interrupt my reverie with genuine images.   I'm kind of jealous but I'll get over it.

Sounds great! I eagerly await technical details.

Congrats!  Sounds like it will be an outstanding combo. 

 

My most used rod is a similar (factory) rod - GLX852S JWR - Loomis considers it a Senko rod but I call it the "grub rod"...

THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITOUT PICS !!!!

 

Mike is in charge of the pics, detailing the components and all other technical aspects of the build.

He will be along later.  I'm looking forward to finding out exactly what I have!

*fidgets in anticipation of glorious visuals*

Mike is in charge of the pics, detailing the components and all other technical aspects of the build.

He will be along later.  I'm looking forward to finding out exactly what I have!

So, ....... where are the pics ?

I had him build me 2 rods this spring and a Jig rod will be coming as soon as I decide on a few things. He does a GREAT job!!!

There is nothing better than having it your way!! Enjoy,,,,,,,now, THE PIC'S??????

C'mon Mike, your killing us!

Sorry for the delay responding guys. The original intention was to post pics along the way documenting the process, but I got a rush of work in and some issues with the house to address (the dreaded "Honey-do List") and as we know, Happy Wife = Happy Life, right? Anyway, here is how the process works:

RW contacted me with some questions about a custom build after one of my posts in a thread. We talked about what he was looking for including details on what/how the rod will be used. Based on the conversation I emailed a quote and list of suggested components. We talked again so I could answer questions and discuss options. Here's is what we decided on and why:

Blank: MHX HM SJ843 7' 8-15# line 3/8-5/8oz Med/Fast Blank Wt 2.15oz .538" butt dia. size 5 tip

This is a high performing blank that is my personal go-to for spinning tackle for bass. It loads and casts well with a 4" senko yet has plenty of power for big fish and you don't have to be afraid to fish in some cover. A very light and sensitive blank.

Guides: Fuji Titanium Torzite KR Guides 16, 8,5.5,4,4,4,4,4,4 tip-top

Titanium alloys are among the lightest and strongest guide frames. Torzite is their newest ring material. It's super hard and thinner than usual which saves weight and allows use of smaller guides to pass the same connections as larger guides. Guides where placed using Fuji's KR (Rapid Choke) concept. This results in the use of an extra running guide and one less reduction guide resulting in an extremely crisp, balanced and sensitive layout.

Seat: Aero Comfort Grip

The Aero seat has a small hump that fills the palm comfortably and has a coating that is slip resistant and less temperature sensitive should you fish in cold weather.

Grips: Split grip cork

Customers choice

I'll post later outlining the steps in the build process as well as pics of the finished rod as soon as I get them off the new camera. In the meantime, there are pics of the process on my personal Facebook page. Thanks guys.

Wow! Sounds intense ! Sounds like a incredible rod to me... A 7' rod @ 4 oz? Too nice!

That's awesome. I have the same blank on order! Curious how these high mods fish. I went Fuji Vss, full cork. Good old tried and tested Fuji Ss/Sic guides. Torzites with titanium frames are to rich for my blood. Is the Stella a 1000? Rod sounds sweet and super light.

They are fast and crisp, load and cast well with surprisingly little weight and have enough power to have confidence fishing in/around cover.

BTW: I have a bunch of pics uploaded to Flickr but couldn't get them to post here. Error says the file extension is not permitted but I'm sure its just jpg. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'll put them up. Thanks

Here is a pic of the assembled components used for this build. The link will have to suffice until I get the embedding figured out:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126656430@N02/14654129197/

 

Gluing up the cork rings & shaping on the redneck lathe:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126656430@N02/14840683535/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126656430@N02/14840685455/

 

Ream to fit:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126656430@N02/14837592881/

 

Seat threads trimmed flush:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126656430@N02/14653980460/

Interesting, that reel seat looks pretty sweet, I like it.

Those guides are flipping sweet. Rod looks clean and sleek. Is that butt cap from Mud Hole? Custom built for Road Warrior. Doesn't get any better than that! Nice work!! How does the rod balance with the Stella?

How does the rod balance with the Stella?

 

I sent the reel to Mike so that he could balance it with the rod perfectly. I also had him break down

the reel for a complete cleaning. It was perfect when I sent it to him, but now it's two notches better!

The balance was achieved through careful choice of components (light weight guides etc) and fine adjustment of butt length. No weight was added (zero, zip, nada). Finished product is just over 4oz

I love the feel of those reel seats, I wish more companies would use them. Is that the American Tackle Aero comfort seat like what Denali uses on their rods, right?

Not sure about Denali, but yes, that's the Aero Comfort from AmTack