Any interest in one of my hobbies?

[grizwilson]

I spline the few 4 pc I have built.  The butt section is very iffy and not really necessary, but the top 3 are definitely worth the effort. One thing I might suggest is the little dots to line up the sections like Temple fork does, easy to do and really like.  Shoot, if I can find a tip top for my early 2000 7wt St. Croix might get @rps to wrap it, will likely have to buy an entire blank if I can find a match. As @Dutch says the quality is very noticeable. 

[Quillback]

I have some rod tubes, heavy duty cardboard and a couple of PVC if you want them Randy.  I could bring them to the OA One Bass which I assume will be in March sometime.

[Foghorn]

I had picked some high dollar blanks on closeout several years ago as the company was moving away from 2 piece blanks. The buddy who was building the fly rods(3) and I tried to spline these blanks and never really thought we had them aligned correct enough to mark them and start the building process. He called the manufacturer and they said line the sections up as straight as you can and mark them. Told him if he was good enough to spline their blanks to quit his job and come work for them. 

[rps]

13 hours ago, Quillback said:

I have some rod tubes, heavy duty cardboard and a couple of PVC if you want them Randy.  I could bring them to the OA One Bass which I assume will be in March sometime.

Yes. Please.

[rps]

13 hours ago, Foghorn said:

I had picked some high dollar blanks on closeout several years ago as the company was moving away from 2 piece blanks. The buddy who was building the fly rods(3) and I tried to spline these blanks and never really thought we had them aligned correct enough to mark them and start the building process. He called the manufacturer and they said line the sections up as straight as you can and mark them. Told him if he was good enough to spline their blanks to quit his job and come work for them. 

Old school spline method. Put the butt on a hard smooth floor. About 10 inches down from the tip, hold the blank on a V of two fingers. Use the other hand to depress the blank into a slight U. Roll the blank with your fingers and feel for the point where the blank stiffens before slacking again to a curve. That is the spline. If you want a faster action, that spline goes to the top of the rod. If you want a slower action, the spline goes to the bottom. What you do not want is the spline on the left or right side. That way leads to poorly aimed/executed casts.

[Foghorn]

That was the method we started with but never were satisfied that we had it correct. These were some Winston WT blanks and buddy went along with their idea. After using his new rod the first time out, he said the accuracy was off the charts. He said the rod made him look like a better fly caster than he really was.     

[fishinwrench]

What color are the Batson flyrod blanks ?

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

This is out of my league, but interesting to me.  I am not sure I can tell much difference between Berkley Lightning, vs my higher dollar Cabellas Guide rods.  As most know, I'm not as fishing educated as others, but I enjoy learning it.  I just dont enjoy blowing the budget just to learn.  The tuition can be hard to justify.  That being said, what would some of the benefits be?  I have  micro guides on one rod, not sure I care for them. Not sure the rod is best suited with the best reel. I've read, and watched many videos, and honestly they seem to contradict each other, and it seems the only way is trial and error.   

[rps]

1 hour ago, Daryk Campbell Sr said:

This is out of my league, but interesting to me.  I am not sure I can tell much difference between Berkley Lightning, vs my higher dollar Cabellas Guide rods.  As most know, I'm not as fishing educated as others, but I enjoy learning it.  I just dont enjoy blowing the budget just to learn.  The tuition can be hard to justify.  That being said, what would some of the benefits be?  I have  micro guides on one rod, not sure I care for them. Not sure the rod is best suited with the best reel. I've read, and watched many videos, and honestly they seem to contradict each other, and it seems the only way is trial and error.   

Good comment and questions. Micro-guides reduce the weight at the end of the rod. That means the rod feels lighter and more natural. A spiral wrap for casting rods changes the stress on the rod and enables fewer wraps, again reducing stress and increasing the natural feel of the blank. I use Recoil titanium guides. They do not break and they do not wear out. Their only negative is that braid sings as you retrieve.

Think of it this way. Medieval swords had a big honking knob at the butt to make the blade feel lighter. Made correctly, you can throw a Ned on a baitcaster. Made correctly you can troll a wiggle wart at 26 feet and feel the bite. Made correctly, you can match a G. Loomis for about 66 to 75% of the cost.

I am hesitant about tying fly rods. I have never done that. Casting or spinning rods - I can make what you want at the top end performance for less than $200 +/-.

BTW, what reel you will buy or intend to use is part of the equation. When you try out a rod at Bass Pro, the reel they have on the rod makes a difference. The same is true for custom rods.

Someday soon, you will decide whether to go in that direction. Or not. If you decide to try, message me or post for the experts here to comment. I have found OA to be one of the few places worth visiting to learn.

[timinmo]

As a rod builder I think RPS's offer is great.  If any of you have ever had interest is a custom rod I would jump on this.  When I build a rod for someone I charge $100 for my labor and he is offering his labor for free.  So if you have had those rods that would be perfect except..... the handle is too long/short, reel seat uncomfortable, didn't like the guides, etc.  This is your chance to get what you want.  I encourage you to take him up on his offer.  It is a hobby for him much as it has been for me.  I normally do not build for anyone but myself, family and close friends.  With that said I doubt anyone will make you a offer like this again.