Thinking about building a spinning rod with a fly rod blank. Any advice. Should I or not. Maybe using for macks or pompano. 9 WT 9 ft two piece. Thanks
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Thinking about building a spinning rod with a fly rod blank. Any advice. Should I or not. Maybe using for macks or pompano. 9 WT 9 ft two piece. Thanks
even the fastest fly blank will just be alright as a spinning rod. fly rods are just slower, as i'm sure you know. unless you are wanting to fish something slowly and willing to put in a lot of work i don't think it is worth the effort. i have not personally done it so i haven't walked in those shoes, but i had a friend who tried and it was time wasted, according to him. neat idea, but i would put in work on a different project.
I'm certainly not trying to discourage what sounds like a great project, but I've tried spinning reels on a store bought fly rod once before...epic fail. I then replaced the fly guides with some spinning rod guides...epic fail times two. FWIW, if you're just looking for a light rod to fish in the surf, try a 9 foot UL crappie rod with 8# line...it's a blast on good size whiting and pomps!!! Good luck whatever you try...
Thanks guys. I have built several rods and I think I remember a surf fishing YouTube with a guy that was using one just a thought. Mudhole has some on sale. Who knows
I fished with a guy last year that used exactly that setup and he had a GREAT time just catching whiting...Quote:
Originally Posted by snakeeater
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5828&stc=1
It was not quite as fast action as my 9 foot Carbonlite, but it handled the casting and fish just fine...
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5829&stc=1
How about a salmon rod blank. I've got one of those a guy in Scotland gave me and it's light and limber, but just a little heavier than a fly rod. A fly rod is going to have a hard time supporting spinning rod eyes.
Some years ago I experimented with 3 Salmon/Steelhead rods I bought off eBay. 9 1/2', 10 1/2' and 11 1/2'Quote:
Originally Posted by frednic
They were two piece with guides that did not hold up to the rigors of surf fishing.
Anyway, the action was 'slow' to moderately slow for the 9 1/2'r which is what I liked best.
Coach, if you can find a similar rod you should be pleased for the purpose mentioned.
Coach, 40+ years ago, I built a spinning rod out of a #4, 7' fly rod blank that I put a spinning rod reel seat on and spinning guides. I used it for fishing crawlers for trout. It worked GREAT! for trout in a ripple. The fly rod blank gave it the sensitivity to detect the lightest pick up. Sense then, I have built many of them for people who fish live bait and even spin fishermen. For spin fishermen you have to stay short and even cut the butt down in order to stay under the trees up here. For you, fishing the surf, and I use this rod down there, I would use a salmon spinning rod blank, a 11 1/2' St. Croix, SCIII, medium power, fast action, 8 - 12# test line, 1/4 - 3/4 lure weight. I have used this rod for fishing eggs for salmon and surf fishing and it works. It does NOT work for sheepies because the length, but it does handle the sheepies once you get them on. It will also handle any salmon but you have to take your time because of the line test. If you use a heavier line, you could break the rod. It is also my go to rod for walleyes, because of it's sensitivity. I have also caught bull reds off of the surf with out any problem, but you have to take your time to get them in. Hope this helps. PM me if you have questions. You have to use Fuji guides.
I have built several spinning rods on fly rod blanks some as light as 4WT . I use fast or extra fast blanks 8 or 9 ft. I usually cut the tip back 4 to 12 in. I use lite wt. single foot guides. These rods are for freshwater,, primarily for panfish --you can make some nice. long casts. You get the ultra lite fight with good castability.
Good idea on cutting back the tip. Now how to buy a tip?
I would be a little careful cutting the tip of the new rod blank, I never liked to do that, unless I was repairing an old blank. I think the only place you could get a new tip is from the company that made the blank, or did you mean the tip top, the first guide?Quote:
Originally Posted by coach
Yes I'm sorry, I'm was referring to the top guide. In the catalog it tells what the tip size is so when ordering what size should I get or just get an assortment?
Was thinking about using the PAC BAY TW guides a wire wrap
Tips are measured in 64ths. Typical sizes for a light surf rod would be 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6 etc..Quote:
Originally Posted by coach
Jann's Netcraft is a good source & their catalog has good information.
http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/
Guide spacing:
http://www.mudhole.com/assets/images...cing-Chart.PDF
Lots of info online if you Google "Saltwater fishing rod guide spacing"
The company will state the tip top size of the blank, order the tip top guide that will fit it. It should be the same size. IMHO, I would NOT go with PAC BAY! They will not stand the abuse of salt water for very long. Are you still thinking of building this rod from a fly rod blank? If so, what WT? If you are concerned about the rod being guide heavy, use a micro guide or a 1 foot guide. I have Fuji 1 foot guides on the rod that I use on the party boat and the spinning rod that I use for salmon and my 8WT fly rod that I use for salmon, no problems. A 1 ft. guide will give you more sensativity and a better feel of the fish during battle. Guides act as a roller bearing on a rod, the more guides that you put on the blank, the easier it is on the blank and the less weight each guide will have to carry, but, don't put on to many. I think there are guide spacing charts available on the internet or a you tube showing how to space your guides, I'm not sure, I have never looked. A tip, I use small rubber bands that I get at the dental office that they use for braces to hold my guides on when I check the guide spacing and to hold the guide in place while wrapping it. Once I have the wrap well up on the foot of the guide I cut the rubber band. GOOD LUCK, take you time doing this and it will take a lot of time, keep me posted.
The blank in question is a 9 WT. I have looked at other guides. I guess I was just looking for a different look. I will let you know what I do. Thanks for the interest.
I have a tip sizing gauge that I got from Jan's Netcraft . or if you a micrometer or a precision measuring device tips are measured by 1/64th inch.
A person with the handle 311POPE on YouTube who was supposedly a commercial surf fisherman (pomps) on FL east coast had one video on his light fly-blank surf rod for fun, but his commercial rigs were considerably heavier. No huge details on the build. His other videos suggest he is competent as a fisherman, not a poser.
A 9 WT will be plenty heavy, you could catch a shark with that. It won't make any difference what type of guides you put on it, a 9 WT will not be guide heavy. If you want to make it look different, marblelize the handle, or maybe even where the butt wrap would be. I think it looks nice and it's very easy to do. Mudhole has a video on how to do it.
Thanks I really appreciate the suggestions and help. I'll try to post photos when I'm finished.
And while on the subject what size reel would be a good match. The blank is green what color thread to use
Blank and all the fixings are ordered and on the way.
I was going to tell you what size reel I had on my 8WT. fly rod but, you are putting a spinning reel on it right? How long of a blank did you order? You will want the unit to be balanced so that it will be comfortable to handle and what is the size of your target fish. With a 9WT., if that is what you ordered, you will be able to handle a bull red, and if reds are going to be your target fish, then I would go with a 5000 series, if the target fish is going to be in the pomp & whitting size, then I would go with a 4000 series. Oh He!! go with a Shimano Stella 5000 and be done with it. (lol) I think you are on to something BIG here Coach, I believe you are really going to enjoy this outfit. Keep us posted.
If you have already ordered the thread, this is to late. There is a rod shop on the So. side of canal road, a little West of J & M that would have thread and whatever else that you have forgotten to order, tools for example. If you have not ordered the thread, I would go with metallic gold and the shade of green to match the blank for the butt wrap. If you put a butt wrap on it, that would also look kind of "fishy". For the guide wrap, I would use the green that matches the blank. If you put an under warp on the guides I would use the gold to match the butt wrap. The under wrap for the guides is not necessary but if would look nice. Make sure you dress the guides before you put them on the blank. In other words sand, the top & bottom of the foot of the guide with emery cloth. That will make it easier to wrap the thread up over the guide foot and also remove any burrs that may be on the bottom of the foot so that it doesn't damage the blank. You may have to use a file to dress the top of the guide foot in order to taper it down enough to wrap the thread up over the guide foot. I hope this helps, if you have any other questions, just ask.Quote:
Originally Posted by coach
Coach, If you PM me your address, I will send you some Orthodontic Latex Elastics to use to hold your guides in place in order to check your guide spacing and to hold your guide in place while wrapping.