Future Projects

In the next couple of weeks I will be starting on at least two (2) float rod builds.
These builds will be on CTS blanks from New Zealand: http://www.ctsfishing.com/

CTS blanks are not very popular in the United States yet, but that could be due to the fact that there is only one (1) US distributor, so exposure is at a minimum.

My take on the CTS blanks:
I have only fished with one of their float rods; the FF-1104-2. This blank is is designed for float fishing (Steelhead in the winter). It is an 11' 0" 6-10# 2 piece and it retails for $168.00 in the US.
It is by far the nicest float rod I have ever touched... period!
The blank has characteristics unlike any rod I have ever touched/seen/fished. They have a feeling all there own. Anyone who has fished with one, including myself says that the rod morphesizes while fishing. It sounds stupid to think that an inanimate object could change the way it does... but I am of sound mind and body, and I'm tellin' ya it does!

When the rod is static, or at rest it feels very stiff and has little movement at all if the tip of the rod is shaken. When casting a small float the tip remains "stiff" and doesn't show any change, but once you hook in to a fish the rod does it's magic and changes. With the pressure of the fish on the line the rod softens up and becomes more limber. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen in a fishing rod, and I have fished with hundreds of rods in my 30+ years of angling.

In the future I will be building myself an FF1104-2 and an FF1363-3. The 1363 is a 13' 6" three piece blank. I plan to build one of each for myself so that I can better educate myself with the offerings that are available to my customers. I plan to use natural cork and Flexilite guides to keep weight to a minimum; a 13' 6" rod can become over weighted rather quickly when you start adding up all the weight from materials).

That's what's going on in the shop... updates to follow.

Supreme Xtreme

Project: Supreme Xtreme

Project "Supreme Xtreme" is my latest adventure in rod building, and it just happens to be for me!

The SX is built on a St. Croix 5C70MHF-B blank.

This blank utilizes St. Croix's state-of-the-art technology and their best materials.

As far as St. Croix blanks are concerned; This is the best they offer... period!

The build is somewhat experimental for me. As someone who enjoys learning and expanding my capabilities; I found some information on a rod building forum about something call Micro Guides.

I sat at my computer for the better part of three days reading and learning about the theory behind the guides, and why some builders thought they were awesome; and others thought they were a fad. In addition to using micro guides I also tied up my first "Simple Spiral" wrap.

Spiral Wrap:

With a traditional casting rod setup the guides are placed on top of the blank, and this can lead to a few problems:

• Line contacting the blank
• Torque created by the forces applied to the guide when under load
• Excess weight from the use of double-footed guides

The spiral wrap eliminates these problems - completely!

By rotating, or wrapping the guides around the blank so that they end up on the bottom of the rod; like a spinning rod, line contact issues and torque are removed from the equation.

Micro Guides:

Micro guides are nothing more than extremely small, single-foot fly guides.

The theory is, because of their size and ridiculously light weight; more guides can be added and still weigh less than traditional guides - and/or - excess weight can be reduced by using fewer, smaller (micro) guides.

Traditionally a casting rod is tied with all double foot guides; with the exception of some newer rods that employ Fuji's Concept Guide System.

All of the guides on the Supreme Xtreme are single-foot with the largest guide on the rod being a size 6.

The running guides, or guides just below the tiptop, are a size 4.

To give you some idea how small these are; the inner diameter is .077 inches.

That is just over 1/16th of an inch!

The entire set of guides for this rod including the tiptop weighed 1.1 grams!

Do the Micro Guides create line friction and reduce casting
distance?

I have not spent a lot of time fishing with this rod yet, as I just finished it
a few days ago... but from experience casting with it: NO

I was able to cast a 3/8oz sinker more than 60 feet with the flick of my wrist.

This was done with 50# PowerPro braided line.

If those puny little micro guides are able to cast 50# braid like that... I can't wait to hit the water with 12# Flouro!

Here are a few pictures of the Supreme Xtreme that I took during the build process.

More pictures to follow - I'm headed to Enid, Oklahoma to test it out this Friday

*Update*

My first impression of the micro guides and the spiral wrapped happened before the rod was finished; I was testing guide placement and took it out for a cast or two.

This past week I took the rod to Enid, Oklahoma and tried it out for several hours while casting and flipping various lures with it. To say the least I was extremely impressed.The small diameter of the micro guides did not seem to interfere with casting distance or accuracy whatsoever.

I was using a Pfleuger President with 50# PowerPro and was able to cast a 5/8oz Trap upwards of 100 feet with little effort. Flipping accuracy didn't seem to be affected either. I was dropping 1/2oz footballs in a coffee cup sized target from 15-20 feet away with ease.

The spiral wrap accomplished exactly what it was intended for. The line does not contact the blank; I used fewer guides to reduce weight, and the static guide test was nearly perfect.This certainly will not be my last rod built with micro guides and a spiral wrap.

I would recommend them to anyone who uses a casting rod for Bass fishing. I will surely be recommending them to my customers in the future!

Sensi-Seat

The Sensi-Seat insert is a custom option for any Spinning rod handle, or rod that employs a spinning type reel seat.
The Sensi-Seat insert allows the rod blank to be exposed at the top of the blank. The exposure of the blank permits the angler to place their finger or thumb directly on to the blank; this permits maximum vibration transfer which equates to maximum sensitivity.

The insert material that is recommended is stabilized wood.
The inner diameter, or bore of the insert is sized to fit directly to the blank without the use of any arbors or shimming materials. This also aids in transferring the vibrations to the angler. Only the best adhesives are used to make this bond.

If you're looking for maximum sensitivity with an appealing look... look no further, it's here!

"The Hammer" - Updated

I have received most of the components for "The Hammer".
The only item I am still waiting on is the Charcoal Silvertone wood to arrive, and then it's game on!

When the components arrived I inspected everything to make sure nothing was broken or defective. Upon inspecting the guides I couldn't help but notice how light they were in physical weight, so I busted out the digital scale.

To my amazement the entire guide set (10 guides plus the tip-tip) weighed in at .08 ounces, or 2.1 grams! The reel seat skeleton weighed in at .72 ounces.
Together this is combined weight of only .8 ounces!.
The wooden inlays and reel seat insert will add a couple of ounces at most, so the end product should be extremely lightweight and ultra sensitive!

I am even more eager to get started now than I was just a week ago. Getting these items in to my hands has given me the bug. I can't wait to get started on "The Hammer"

Here are a few pictures of the guides, reel seat hardware, and the custom made labels:

Recent Project & Fishing Friends!

I put together a short slide show of some of my recent work, and some of favorite fishing pictures. Please enjoy!