Chris Catignani

I love @corey90 comment above "how". Sure, the extra weight from a two footed guide will have an effect on the rod...but maybe this is desirable. I can think of plenty of reasons for two footed guides...that main one being "Its what I want". <flame on> One thing I cant stand about the rod building world today is that everyone is an expert. OMG..."I read it on the internet." I see people post pictures of their first crosswrap and the comments are: "You didnt center it up right.", "Its not packed tight enough.", "I would cut it off and redo it.". We have a good group of builders here (at BR) and lots of sound advice. I think we should put a little more thought on where the conversation (OP) needs to go. <flame off> Has anyone actually measured how much sensitivity is lost with a two footed guide? (please provide actual data...no "you can feel it." answers.)

The problem with using nail polish permeates later. The wife starts asking about her missing polish...you tell her you used it on a guide. She comes down to the rod room to get the polish...then she notices you have acetone. Now shes coming down (right while your putting finish on tread) and refills her nail polisher remover bottle. Notices that you also have thread, razer blades, masking tape, and various sized rulers.

One thing I found in marbling is to use an epoxy that sets up faster than finish. You will need a little time to mess around with it. I havent tried a lot of different ones but I do like FlexCoats RodBuilding Epoxy. The Devcon looks like is might be a good match.

On a whim one day...I weighed a rod on a scale that went to 1/100 of a gram. I applied a second coat of epoxy to guides and cross wrap on a rod. Re-weighed it later when it dried and it weighed the same. Now...I know it had to weigh more, but it taught me a lesson about where to look for cutting weight on a rod (its not in the finish).

Good idea. Sanding both parts that get epoxy is key.

The only problem I can fathom with JB Weld is its set up time: It's fast. So have everything ready before you start mixing.

Your welcome...burn one for me...no wait...never mind. 😵

Its ok to not be centered...just line it up with the guides. Rod builders will typically shim up the blank with masking tape or fiberglass drywall tape to the I.D. of the reel seat. Ideally a foam polyurethane arbor is used while assembling ( before the guides are on). You would put masking tape (something) like this and cover it good with epoxy.

I agree with Spencer on everything above. The carbon grips weigh about the same as cork...I have measured this myself. For the longest time, I didn't use EVA. I recently installed an EVA grip on a crank bait rod and really like it (for that application). I also play golf and had a Winn grip on my putter that wore out rather quickly. I recently did a repair on a Cashion spilt grip rod that was broke because he stepped on the carbon end/butt and crushed it and broke the end 7 inches of the rod. This got me thinking that carbon grip may not be as rigid as cork. As for sensitivity: For those that dont know...I have a couple of different devices for measuring sensitivity of materials. The pecking order (most to least sensitive is this) carbon, cork, EVA.

Take an old dull knife and scrape as much of the old epoxy off (as you can). ...and yes...hardware epoxy would work fine. Just be sure to line up the reel seat with the guides 🤣

yep...I should have dug a little deeper.

I thought this was pretty interesting....LMB vs Alabama bass at 1 year old.

I find this to be true also... The only thing I do a little different (when wading) in the fall is replace a crank bait with a spinner bait. This is really just to eliminate catching leaves.

Just got back from 4 days on Neely Henry... Seems like the Large jaws and Bama bass co-habitat there alright. That being said...I want to say that Alabama bass are the meanest, hard-hitting, fighting and just plain psyco bass that exist. I dare you to try and lip one with a crank bait in his mouth.

I must have missed something somewhere....where did not use thread come from?

This is pretty much the case today...but it wasnt always like this. People used varnish on thread wraps before FlexCoat started selling epoxy finish. It took about seven coats of varnish to make a nice finish.

Heading to Neely Henry tomorrow for my Alabama bass fix.

Oh...the red pill. You need to know the truth.

Jann's...they been in the game a long time. Fishing Lure Parts, Rod Building Supplies, Fly Tying Material, Fishing Hooks, Fishing Tackle | Jann’s Netcraft (jannsnetcraft.com) This sizing chart is totally a must have for anyone: parts_sizing_chart (netsuite.com)

If money is your main concern...then just carry two of the 13" tires. When you get a flat....replace both.

Not necessarily a "must have" but if you find yourself looking at maps while fishing...its nice. There are times when your sitting still...the map tends to rotate. Steady Cast will eliminate that. It orients the boat on the map...the way it pointing. For example... Sometimes I will point the boat up stream on a river and drift with the current and use the trolling motor to slow the boat down. Without Steady Cast...My unit would rotate 180 and think Im heading down river and the map would rotate also.

BPS has a clearance on St. Croix Bass X $124.99 St. Croix Bass X Spinning Rod | Bass Pro Shops

For what its worth, I have a couple MHX blanks I build on for crank baits. CB841 for rattletraps and square bills and CB843 for deeper stuff like 300 series bandits. MHX Crankbait & Swimbait Rod Blanks - Free Shipping | MudHole.com

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