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Rod Building Materials
Would you like to have your own custom fishing rod? Think you can't afford it.Well think again, you can, especially if you build it yourself. Just imagine a fishing rod custom made for the type of fishing that you do most. A rod that is the right length with the right handle size, shape and material that fits you comfortably. The right type and amount of guides plus it is the color combination that you desire. This last item may not seem like much, but if you are making it yourself, you can do anything you like from mild to wild, whatever your heart desires. With this in mind, I'm going to explain and show you how to do it yourself. The first few months of articles will cover the basics and some theory and background into rod building. Read more... |
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West Coast Rod Actions, Types
The basic Rod Types seen on the West Coast are: Fly Rods, Casting Rods, Spinning Rods, Steelhead Rods, Saltwater Boat Rods, Big Game Rods & Surf Rods There are probably many other types of rods available that are designed for a regional type of market such as we have here on the left coast, but most of them can be broken down into subgroups of the above seven. Read more...
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Spines, Splines, Backbones
What is a spine, spline, backbone, or whatever it is you call it? This is one of the most often asked questions of novice custom rod builders. Of the three terms used above, the most correct one is "spine". "Backbone" may also be used and is not incorrect, but "spline" is not acceptable. Spine, as defined by Webster is "something resembling the spinal column or constituting a central axis or chief support". Backbone as " the foundation or most substantial or sturdiest part of something. Spline is "a key that is fixed to one of two connected mechanical parts and fits into a key way in the other; also a key way for such a key". As defined above you can see that either spine or backbone may be used. Read more... |
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All About Rod Guides
The biggest decision you have to make when building a custom rod is what color combination you are going to wrap it with. No, just kidding. After picking out the blank of the type and action you need and the color combination you desire, you will need to choose what type of guides to use. Nowadays we have a great many choices of guide types, materials and manufacturers. Read more... |
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Trolling Rods for Albacore, Baja, etc...
With the early arrival of Albacore this year, maybe I should just say the arrival. I thought I'd give a few of my thoughts on choosing and building a trolling rod for albacore and other tuna. This rod will also work quite well for panga trolling in Baja also. Read more...
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Sturgeon Rods, Selection & Components
With sturgeon season always just around the corner in the Bay Area, I thought I would spend a little time on choosing the ideal blank for fishing for them. The particular type of rod that I am referring to is one to be used from a private, charter or open party boat. This is not really the type of rod to be used for bank or shore fishing for sturgeon, I will cover this type of rod at a later date. We will be talking about rods in the 20-40# test line range, although many people like to use either lighter or heavier rods than these, this covers the majority of the fisherman. Rod lengths are typically in the range of 7 to 8 foot, again there are exceptions to these, both shorter and longer, but this range is the most popular. Read more... |
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Bubbles in the Finish
Bubbles are a common problem with high viscosity rod finishes, such as Flex Coat. Some of the bubbles are created when you mix Part A and Part B. Some come from air trapped in the bristles of the brush. Others work their way up from the thread after the finish is applied. There is no 100% foolproof way of getting rid of bubbles in these thick rod finishes. Read more... |
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More Finishing Problems & Solutions
Hard and soft finish from the same batch? Is the finish is soft everywhere? Not enough time to finish all the guides with one batch of finish? Read more... |
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Some Answers to Common Questions
"What exactly does NCP mean when talking about rod wrapping thread?", "What happened to the old clear color preservers, I haven't been able to find them for quite some time?" Read more... |
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Salmon Mooching Rods
Salmon season is underway, I thought I would talk about mooching rods. Is there a perfect mooching rod? A mooching rod can be many things to many different people. It really depends on the type of mooching you are doing, either deep water or shallow. In British Columbia, where it is considered by many to be where mooching originated, the typical rod is from 9 to 11 feet long. This is rod is very similar to the two handed "spey" type rods used for casting primarily to Atlantic salmon. They also use a large single action reel similar to a fly reel. These rods are fairly heavy and use from 15 to 30 pound line and a fair amount of weight as they are typically fishing deep water where the fish may be near the bottom. Read more... |
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Long Range Fishing Rods
One question that is repeatedly asked of us is what makes the ideal set of rods for long range fishing. For any of these trips from 3 to 23 days in length there is not one easy answer. Read more... |
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Installing Hypalon Grips
One of the most common questions is "How can I get my grip which has such a small hole onto such a large blank? Every time that I try, I get it halfway down then it locks up on me and I have to cut it off." This is a very common problem and question. Read more... |
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NCP Thread and Color Preserver
I've noticed some talk on the INTERNET from the East Coast saying that color preserver, from now on called "CP" and NCP thread were both bad and should never be used. NCP thread was bad because it was very porous and soaked up finish like a sponge, and also because the color in the thread had no sparkle or life to it. Now NCP stands for "NO COLOR PRESERVER" (required) but does not mean that it cannot be used. Read more... |
