# 8 ft rodbuild



## Goags (May 28, 2004)

I've always used 6-6 or 7' rods, but thought I'd try an 8'. It's a Castaway XP3 964P, w/ all Fuji 3.5 LSG's on top. Stuck a quarter in the butt for the heck of it. Nothing fancy...it's a personal rod. Nice color finish on the blank! Headed to Corpus next Saturday for 5 days, and it's going w/ me. I still get excited about fishing new builds!
Jerry


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

Good looking handle work, never used eyes that small. Do they cause drag on your line while casting?


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## CoastalBent (Aug 3, 2006)

Aww yeah! That's a beauty Jerry! I'm actually in the process of building out that exact same blank (with the same guide setup) to be used as a crankbait rod. I really like the bluish gray finish on that 964. Be sure to post up how it performs!! Nice weave too! How did you seal in the quarter?


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## abz400 (Nov 3, 2008)

nice cork work


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Thanks, guys!
JMJ- As any of the guys on here that use the micros can attest, they are sweet casting. I didn't believe it until I tried Bobby Feazel's build at the rodb show in NC.
Kyle- Good question, don't laugh at the answer. I glued the rubberized butt(1 of yours) to the grip before installing on the rod...that way, I could stick an extension piece in the rod butt, so i could do the weave. The last thing that I did was glue the quarter against the blank, tie the blank vertical to a ladder, and pour on some threadmaster. I now know that reg threadmaster will gel in 1 hr at 104 degrees. Ha!
Jerry


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## Zombie (May 24, 2009)

Jerry,
Very nice. The entire package is really sweet. I've never used those micro guides but after seeing your rod I need to. Randy.


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## goodwood (Mar 30, 2009)

beautiful. I like the quarter. I have a 7.5 ft XP3 I bought at the store.


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## fishin styx (Jun 30, 2009)

Beautiful rod. I'm sure you'll like those micro guides, I've built 4 spinning rods using them and they have performed great.


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## Terrynj (Jun 27, 2006)

Veerrrry saaweet Jerry! The cork work is beautiful. Don't laff guys, but I am actually doing a cork split grip as we speak. I doing a FTU Green Rod blanks and decided to use the Burnt Burl stuff...omg is it heavy!!!! No wonder y'all just use a few slices here and there! lol
Good luck down in CC and lets know how the new "whumpem stick" works! It really looks good!

BTW...what tip are you using these days?


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## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

fishin styx said:


> Beautiful rod. I'm sure you'll like those micro guides, I've built 4 spinning rods using them and they have performed great.


 Due to the cone created while line is coming off of a spinning spool, I don't see how micros would be any advantage except for the running guides. Certainly not as a stripper or choke. I don't think I'm missing anything here. .....Am I?.......Jerry, nice rod!!! No spiral??? lol....Jim


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## Terrynj (Jun 27, 2006)

Jim...you do just use the micros for running guides. You'll do a quick cone of like a 25, 16, 10, 6 as a choke and then micros... Steve Garner uses 2.5's as running guides. Any weight saved is good...especially out on the end where the rod is so light....really helps the sensitivity and recovery rate of the rod.


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Terry...YOU doing cork??...when pigs fly!! I gotta agree about the weight difference in reg vs. burnt/exotic, but at least it's in the butt. I've been using the Fuji FST 5.5 tiptops as I wait for the new Fuji micro tops to come out. I haven't been doing any thread at the tip and replacement will be a snap.
Jerry


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## Bill Stevens (Mar 8, 2008)

Jerry please take the time to visit with Alan Beck when you are on the coast this week. He is opening a lot of doors for this stuff. The XP3 96 series is working on the Texas coast for waders as well as big water cranks.

The attached links may provide some answers to those who are wondering about the use of the micro guides for both casting and spinning rods.

If you have the time take a look at the information provided - it may provide some of the information you seek.

http://rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,292938,292974#msg-292974

http://rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,305571


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## fishin styx (Jun 30, 2009)

pg542 said:


> Due to the cone created while line is coming off of a spinning spool, I don't see how micros would be any advantage except for the running guides. Certainly not as a stripper or choke. I


I've been using a BYAG-12, BYAG-8, BLAG-6 and (7) BLAG-4 on various 7' blanks with 3000 Stradics, Saros, US Reels 240 XL and an Penn 240 SSg with outstanding results. This set up has allowed myself, 3 inshore guides, and a quite a few customers to cast 1/4" spoons, weedless jerk baits and top water plugs further than any of us expected. Casts like a rifle and the small guides seem to keep braid from getting wind knots as bad.
I've been very impressed with this style of set up.


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

see if this works better:

http://rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,305571

http://rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,292938,292974#msg-292974


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## Bill Stevens (Mar 8, 2008)

Thanks Goags I am micro brained when trying to post link or edit a post on this fourm. The comments by fishin styx pertaining to the wind knots is one of the leading reasons top tournament bass fishermen who use braid are using these things - more productive time with bait in water with no wind knots can easily save 30 to 45 minutes a day morre if retying is required.


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## freesp00l (Jul 10, 2007)

fishin styx,
did I read that right? You start with a size 12 guide for spinning rods? I use the US Reels and like them alot. A may have to actually build a rod for me for once using this concept.


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## fishin styx (Jun 30, 2009)

freesp00l said:


> fishin styx,
> did I read that right? You start with a size 12 guide for spinning rods? I use the US Reels and like them alot. A may have to actually build a rod for me for once using this concept.


Yep. I've used that size on 3 different rods and they have turned out great. I've also built a couple using a Fuji BLAG-10, BLAG-8, BLAG-6 and (7) BLAG-4. Another rod was the same but with LSG-3.5 as the runners but I had trouble passing my line to leader knot so I upsized and found that 4s work for my needs.

They may look funky and weird dang if they don't work.


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## Steve Gardner (Mar 23, 2008)

Jerry;
Beautiful handle! 
Nice straight guides, but the third one from the tip has a crack in incert.

Jim; 
Yes you would have to use a larger stripper on a spinning rod. How ever if you are using braid or lighter Mono's you can get buy with smaller then what is normally used. Others and I have built several starting with 10mm guides as the stripper.
Personally I use the Batson V-3 style for my first 2 going down to 3mm Micro's and have some down to 1.5mm's running guides

John;
Been using them for about three years and as long as you are not trying to pass large knots through them. They cast exceptionally well. To the point of out casting everything else I've built over the years with the more traditional sized guides.
As far as size lines;
I've used 3mm for up to 20 lb mono/floro and 50 lb braid. 
2.5mm up to 30 lb braid and 12 lb mono/floro
2mm up to 20 lb braid and 10 lb mono/floro
1.5mm for 6 and 8 lb mono/floro (not tried braid)

On several of these I think I could go bigger, but built these rods to handle these size lines to begin with so I have stayed with them. Think I've read someplace were some guys are using 65 lb braid. 

 NOTE:
When using 1.5mm guides on spinning reel. If the line gets twisted and comes springing off the reel wrapping around itself it can get caught in the 1.5mm guide.
Good thing is it stops before it get fifty ft out there reducing the mess, my concern is that if it happens enough I'm afraid it could damage the line costing fish.

Jerry;
Just kidding about the cracked guide.


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## Bill Stevens (Mar 8, 2008)

Spinning Rod Specific To M&M Volume 5 Linked Above - Some real good background material.


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## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

fishin styx said:


> I've been using a BYAG-12, BYAG-8, BLAG-6 and (7) BLAG-4 on various 7' blanks with 3000 Stradics, Saros, US Reels 240 XL and an Penn 240 SSg with outstanding results. This set up has allowed myself, 3 inshore guides, and a quite a few customers to cast 1/4" spoons, weedless jerk baits and top water plugs further than any of us expected. Casts like a rifle and the small guides seem to keep braid from getting wind knots as bad.
> I've been very impressed with this style of set up.


.......certainly not as a stripper or chokes......is what I said, and apparently I was correct.....


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## fishin styx (Jun 30, 2009)

pg542 said:


> .......certainly not as a stripper or chokes......is what I said, and apparently I was correct.....


Ok?
Those are the guides I used so, what is your definition of a stripper and a choker? A rose by any other name is still a rose (paraphrased of course) so not matter what the size of the guide, is a stripper not a stripper if it is smaller than usual?


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

I think the hangup might just be terminology. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Fishin Styx' setup, the "choke" guide refers to the first of the smallest guides used, and is not another name for the butt guide. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please.


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## fishin styx (Jun 30, 2009)

Bill,
Thanks for the refresher links to robuilding and the M&M series.
Why did it stop? Was everything discovered?
I truly enjoyed the ride you and your little guides carried me on.


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## Raymond Adams (Apr 17, 2008)

Really nice build Jerry! Those quarters were made for butt caps. Little do they know.
I especially like the cork work and the weave is nice touch.


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## ellisredfish (Jul 5, 2005)

I'm jealous. Jerry, if you need some thread to wrap those guides let me know. I don't think those rubber bands will hold up to those 40 inch trout that you have been catching down at the "Hole" (lol). I am very impressed with your cork work.


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## mark blabaum (Dec 6, 2007)

I have been building a few spinning rods to cast braid lines; using the M style Batson (now discontinued) guides in size 10mm and 12mm for the first guide (from the butt) on the spinning rods. The results are very good and will out cast (with braid) an identical rod in the un-scientific tests that I've done with braid. With mono the results are about a wash (casting distance almost identical), however the weight savings make it a worth while build with micros. I can get as much height with the M style guides in a 12mm as a VS-25 Batson guide. I think that the height is more important than the diameter of the ring. If you look at the old spin-cast reels the ring in the nose is around the size of an 8mm guide, and this is within a 1/2" of the spool. It chokes it down quickly and they cast very well. I hope that more people will give the smaller stripper a try as well as the micros, I'm curious if my results are a fluke or not.


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## Steve Gardner (Mar 23, 2008)

Mark;
Your results are not a fluke (which I believe you already know)
On the other hand you can still get the M guides but they are now a "special order item"
If you need some I would suggest checking with Bob McKamey at Custom Tackle.


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## fishin styx (Jun 30, 2009)

mark blabaum said:


> I'm curious if my results are a fluke or not.


No fluke there. I've never tried using mono on the rods I've built like this but then again, I'm a die hard Sufix Performance braid guy.


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