Baitcasting Reel Reviews

Ideal for a lazy day in the sun or an exciting ocean adventure, fishing is a pastime that while it does not always result in a catch is always rewarding. It is the most popular sport in the UK and is enjoyed by a huge variety of enthusiasts of all ages and walks of life from right across the country.

And in essence, it's a very simple pass time too - all you need is a rod, a reel, some fishing line and a hook and sinker. Nevertheless, there is a huge variety of types and styles of rod out there, adapted for the many different techniques and prey, and made out of a wide range of materials. Here is a basic run down of some of the broad categories of fishing rods

Fly rods - specifically made for the sport of fly fishing, are usually slim and extremely supple. Because fly fishing can at times involve casting a fly long distances, flexibility is important. Fly rods come in a number of different sizes depending on the prey and the size of the fly to be used. The handle is often almost completely eliminated from this kind of rod to aid in the casting action.
Casting rods can cast either lures or bait and come with a spin cast reel placed directly above the handle. These reels have been specifically designed to avoid backlash and cut down on the snaring of the fishing line when casting lures or bait. Excellent for beginners, casting rods are adaptable, powerful, and sturdy.

Spinning rods, made usually from either fibreglass or graphite, come with the reel placed under the rod rather than on top. This allows for greater comfort when fishing. The guides and fishing line also run underneath the rod. Strong and comfortable, these rods are popular with anglers planning to fish for extended periods of time.

Boat fishing rods as the name suggests, are designed for fishing from aboard a boat in coastal waters. Usually of a slightly heavier construction, all the tips, eyes, and handles have been reinforced to accommodate the size of the intended prey.

Another type of sea rod, the beach caster, looks much like a huge casting rod with a long handle. Beach casters are fished from shore or rocks and are generally longer than other types of rods to enable the length of the cast necessary to get the lure or bait out past the surf to where the fish are.

Ultra-light rods, made for catching smaller species of fish, are usually also slightly shorter than other rod varieties. The fishing line and lures commonly used with this rod have to be extremely lightweight. Besides catching small fish, this rod can also be used to generate more excitement and sport when going after larger fish due to the higher degree of skill required to land the fish.

When choosing a rod, the simplest thing to do is head for the area where you intend to use it. Have a chat to whoever is fishing and see what they're using to successfully catch fish.

Buy Esca Lures online at - http://www.escalure.co.uk/

This bait has remained relatively the same over the past 30 years. It has gone through some cosmetic changes, such as better hooks, livelier skirts, and a broader spectrum of colors and sizes, along with plastic trailers, which enable a wider variety of color options, but this bait, dressed with either plastic or pork, continues to catch bigger bass when other baits fail. Because of the popularity of the flipping technique used by most of the veteran anglers today, the jig has remained among the most popular baits in many anglers tackle boxes. Because of so many recreational anglers concentrating on the flipping technique, the jig's universal effectiveness has been overlooked.

Many people have forgotten that casting a jig is an effective technique also. The jig can be presented at a lot of different depths and around a variety of structure. You are really limiting yourself if you only focus on the flipping aspect of it. Many times during the summer months, we have come in behind other anglers flipping obvious targets, or casting more traditional summer lures, and we have caught bass making roll casts, and looking for isolated pieces of cover that other anglers have missed.

DIFFERENT SIZES

Jig sizes have changed in recent years, along with skirt material and colors. The 3/8 ounce size remains the most popular, with smaller versions are being used more and more with great success. The smaller finesse type of jigs are much more effective in clear water, while the heavier, bulky versions are great for fishing stained to muddy water. Not that the heavier jig isn't effective in some shallower, open water, but a more compact 1/2 ounce bait is more effective, than the bulkier style. I use a shorter trailer for this. This is especially true when fishing some of the finger lakes of New York State, or any of the waters where smallmouth bass are also present. The heavier jig is more effective when the bass are aggressive, as it allows you to fish it faster and cover more water. When the fish are suspended, or you need to keep it in the strike zone longer, the lighter jig is more effective. We always keep experimenting with several sizes, letting the bass tell us what they want. In the summer months, when we swim the jig around boat docks, we opt for the lighter 1/4 ounce size, with a plastic trailer, to imitate a crawfish or baitfish. Swimming the jig is a very effective technique that is overlooked by many weekend anglers. Most small jigs don't have a big enough hook to handle quality bass, which is why we use a Spotsticker handpoured Jighead. We have been using this bait since 2002, when we had great success with it in several local tournaments in cold water as well as in the summer. The Spotsticker has a bigger hook than most, and it handles larger bass well. In warmer, clear water, we like to use a grub or swimming worm as a trailer, this is very effective when you are trying to imitate a crawfish. In colder, or more stained to muddy waters, we like a bulkier trailer, as they displace more water and make it easier for the bass to home in on the bait.

The design of the jighead is another thing you have to think about. They need to be matched to the type of cover you are fishing. A jig that has a head that is more pointed, with its eyelet coming out of the front rather than the top, is going to pull through weeds better than a broad shouldered jig. We like to use a Jungle Jig, by Northland, or a Terminator Pro's Top Secret jig for this. The Terminator has a recessed eye, as does Mann's Stone jig designed by Mike Iaconelli, and they all come through this cover well.These jigs helped us win the Big Bass World Championship several times. They were very effective here in the Northeast, in some of the heavier, weedy cover. When we fish around rocks and wood, we use a jig with more shoulders to help stop it sometimes. Many companies make this type of football or stand up jig, which is great for these situations. When you pull it over an object, the jig tips, adding more action. We have used these jigs effectively on many of New Jersey's reservoirs such as Spruce Run. You must also match the size of the line to the size of the jig hook you are using. A heavy-duty jig hook requires a stronger hook set, so you need heavier line to handle it.

Of course, it helps to know when you're getting a bite. Big bass really thump a jig with the same vigor they do a plastic worm, and many other strikes are felt simply as spongy sensation, or just like you're dragging weeds. That's why it is important to set the hook on anything that feels unnatural, it could be weeds, or it could be a seven pounder!

JIG COLORS

While a black and blue jig seems to be the favorite, we like to match jig colors to the water conditions. A dark colored jig with a big crawfish trailer, moving on the bottom, does a great job imitating a crawfish, but a white jig swimming over cover and around boat docks does a good job of imitating a baitfish. This is great when bass want a slower presentation, or when you can't fish a crankbait or jerkbait with ease. Many times when bass are feeding on shad, but want a slower presentation than a spinnerbait, this is the best choice. It can also catch the bigger bass that are ignoring the spinnerbait. The new "Sweet Beavers" by Andre moore's company, "Reaction Innovations", have been the hottest and most productive soft plastic this year all over the country.

There are some important decisions to be made when it comes to choosing a thread for wrapping guides on your rod. The decisions are more aesthetic considerations versus functional but important none the same.

As an example of what I am saying;

I don't believe that you would want to wrap a heavy metallic nylon thread onto a hand crafted split c ane, bamboo rod. The wraps on the tip section would be bigger than the snake guide itself. This would be both aesthetically and functionally a bad choice as I see it. I know the example is ridiculous but it makes my point.

The considerations should be made in keeping with the design and intent of the rod. Back to my example. A bamboo rod, wrapped in the old tradition, would probably have a good gossamer silk thread coated with a finish that made the wraps look transparent.

Or, in today's style, be wrapped with a size A, NCP thread from a leading manufacturer that are as opaque as enamel paint on a piece of glass.

Both of these approaches are great, it just amounts to what your personal preference is.

Remember the old saying about a part of peoples anatomy and opinions?

Think about some of the choices:

Pearsall's Gossamer

Pearsall's Naples

YLI #3/0

YLI #100

Gudebrod NCP A

All of these threads are top quality and when applied properly, with consideration given to the final aesthetic of the rod, you will end up with a top notch job you can be proud of.

What it boils down to is that the rod wrapping project is yours and you alone should decide what is important for your particular wants and desires. With the materials available on today's market you will be hard pressed to find a "Bad" product. As I stated above it boils down to aesthetics as you see it.

Angibow

"The Old Rod Wrapping Ninja"

A Complete Guide to Crankbait Fishing

When it comes to fishing crankbaits, there are always a million questions, with just about as many answers. Some of the common questions of what kind, what colors, when and where to use them, are going to be answered in this guide. There will always be new products and new ideas that may or may not work, but hopefully the following guide will give you the answers to most of the questions that are constantly being asked by the beginner to the advanced angler.

"WHAT ARE CRANKBAITS?"

There are as many manufacturers of crankbaits as there are colors. Some of the more popular makers of crankbaits are Luhr Jensen, Mann's,Bomber, Storm, Berkley, Bill Lewis, Rapala, Lucky Craft and Rebel. There are of course, many more, including hundreds of custom made crankbaits by individuals and smaller companies.

Crankbaits are minnow imitating lures, that float and/or suspend in the water column, have different sized lips and body shapes, and some have no lips at all. They come in a variety of sizes, colors, shapes, and weights, all of which are designed for a particular action and depth, to closely simulate a fleeing or injured baitfish or crawfish. First we will start with the floating and suspending variety of fat and slim bodied crankbaits.

"BODY SHAPES"

The different body shapes that are offered all have distinct advantages over each other at different times of the year, depending mostly on water temperature, and the size of the baitfish available in that particular body of water. There are always exceptions to the rules, but basically the slimmer, flat sided crankbaits, that float, and/orsuspend, are better early and late in the year, when the water temperatures are below 60 degrees. The flat sided crankbaits will mimic a fleeing crawfish early in the year, and the best colors at that time are shades of red or brown.

The proper depth is very important, as you want the bait as close to the bottom as possible to simulate a feeding or fleeing crawfish.

The lures with the flat sides have a neutral buoyancy, which is very important in making the lure perform like a real crawfish. I like touse a bait that has a bill made to bump against rocks and other cover to achieve this result without getting hung up or breaking. The flat sided crankbaits help me do this.

The Bomber Flat A is also a good choice for this, and catch a lot of pre-spawn bass with this bait, using a slow steady retrieve. In the fall, I use different shad patterns like Pearl, or Chrome, for bass that are suspending this time of year. I use a steady, slow to medium retrieve for this, sometimes bumping into objects, but most of the time a steady retrieve has worked best at this time of year.

In a tournament in the fall, I boated a 18 pound stringer, using this method, to win the tournament and take big bass with a 4 pounder.

I like to target the shores that are wind blown first, when working these baits, and a lot of the time, in some of the New York and New Jersey Lakes that have clay or tapering gravel banks, I throw these flat sided crankbaits, because I can catch fish in areas where there is little cover and most people don't fish!

The flat sided crankbaits are more for bass that are holding in water that is about 3-8 feet deep. Most of the flat sided crankbaits don't work properly any deeper than 7 or 8 feet. Most of the time I don't fish these flat sides in heavy cover, but there is one that was made by Poe's, that is called an RC3, that seems to produce well in heavier cover. In open water, I usually use a Shad Rap, made by Rapala, because I found that it produces some good bass in relatively open water.

I use spinning gear most of the time to throw these baits, like the Shad Rap, and I use 8-10 pound test line, with a Shimano reel. I do use a baitcaster in 7 foot, with a medium-action rod, like a Lew's or G.Loomis, with a Lew's reel or Shimano geared down lower. I don't really fool around with these baits as they are mostly made of wood, and they all have their own "personality" anyway. Sometimes I go through 10 or 15 crankbaits before finding 2 or 3 with just the right action. In the colder water I like the Shad Rap and I also like the Bomber Flat A best. When the water temperature is in the 40's and 50's I like it to wiggle a little tighter, and these baits achieve this action well.

Baitfish are the main forage of bass in cold water, so I always try to match the bait with the prey. The Flat A seems to look like a Shad or maybe a Bluegill, which is the main forage in a lot of the lakes I fish,and it works well in the lakes that have clearer water. I have used this bait with success over the tops of the Hydrilla beds in some Florida Lakes, as it doesn't pick up much grass because of the real tight wiggle. I caught several nice bass from Stick Marsh and Walk-In-Water on this bait before. It also produced good in Lake Jackson. I always try to use 8 pound test whenever I can, as it usually allows the crankbaits to achieve their maximum depth, and action.

Recently the best flat sided baits here in the northeast have been the Lucky Craft Flat CB and Mini CB, as well as the new Sebile baits.

These 2-inch master crank lures by Lucky Craft are essential components in the planning of tournament tactics today. To further increase productivity, you must correctly understand the different applications and effects of the Flat Mini SR, MR and DR baits and learn, through actual gripping sensations, the asweet spotsa of the respective lures. The unique screw of water flow generated by the flat side ensures the best luring movements, which are akin to those of the original Flat CB. Indeed, the SR, MR and DR are miracle baits that combine an optimal lip shape designed to quickly reach the strike zone, an effective gravity-center shift for maximal castability, and a longer stroke for attracting bass in a wider area. These Lucky Craft baits are some of the better new Flat Side crankbaits available.

The other new flat side baits that have really produced since they were introduced are the Sebile Flat-Sided Rattslers.

SAbile has only been in business since mid-2006 and the product line is characterized by several unorthodox and exciting bass lures - the three-piece lipless Magic Swimmer swimbait, the swervy Slim Stick and humpy Ghost Walker, the fantastic Flatt Shad series, the unconventional Stick Shad, trumpet-shaped Splasher, unique Onduspoon hard plastic spoon and many other SAbile lures are truly original and unlike any others out there in terms of shape and application.

In 2009, Sebile introduced two crankbait series, the fat-bodied Crankster and flat-sided Rattsler. These are not as out-of-the-box and unconventional as many of Sebile's other lure designs.

The Rattslers are not only flat-sided but have ultra thin bodies. As a result, Rattslers are a bit light in comparison to their side profile size, since they are so flat and thin.

The flat sides stir and move a lot of water, creating tons of turbulence as the Rattslers wiggle along. The swimming movement can be called tight and frantic, and there is a lot of side-to-side full body flipping motion.

The Rattsler 85 ML and 85 VLL are the two I recommend for average, everyday cranking on decent size bodies of water for decent size fish.

I'd say all three Rattsler 65's are better suited for finesse cranking situations, for small ponds and small streams or where mainly small bass are found. The Rattsler 65's are suited to clearer water, smaller waters or finesse situations with light tackle.

The Rattsler 85's are more of your mainstream crankbait size, even a little on the big size (keeping in mind they are thin). Of the three Rattsler 85 sizes, I'd say the 85 SL would be the least used model overall since it runs very shallow. The 85 SL dives just 1-2 feet, and that makes it good for fishing over thick grass or jumbled shallow wood, through the crowns of dense brush fields and so forth. Those are great sitations where the 85 SL excels. But day in and day out, the most poplar models will be the Rattsler 85 ML which runs 2-4 feet deep and the Rattsler 85 VLL (runs 10-20 feet) for deep water applications.

"FAT BODIED CRANKBAITS"

I like a lot of the fat bodied crankbaits when working shallow or brushy cover, as I believe they come through it better, and have awider wobble, which at times is just what the bass want. I use these more in the stained or muddier rivers and lakes, and I also like them for running over the weedbeds when the top of the weeds come to about a foot of the surface.

Mann's 1-Minus, and Baby 1 Minus and Lucky Craft are my favorites for this style of shallow running crankbait. Again, I always try to match the forage of the lake, at the particular time of year I am fishing.

Also, many days when you couldn't get a bass to come up out of the Hydrilla for a topwater, such as a buzzbait, or a Zara Spook, you could catch a limit by running these baits just under the surface creating a wake over the grass and Hydrilla beds. Bomber makes a bait called the Shallow A, which is also good for this type of cover.

Another method I use to replace a spinnerbait is a Cotton Cordell Big O, the one I like best runs about 3 or 4 feet deep. It creates a good wake when I reel it slowly, or if I want to burn it, it will run just under the surface and serve as a search bait, covering a lot of water quickly. I like to throw this bait around the edges of the thick weeds in New Jersey's Union Lake, and others that are similar to it. It really works well there. If I want to make an even heavier wake than normal, I just go to heavier line for the crankbaits, say 20-25 pound test.

The thicker line helps keep the bait running on top. I always like to throw these baits to visible structure such as grass and docks,and most importantly later in the year, SHADE!

In lakes that are really clear, and have little cover, the bass will relate to a shade line.This is also true in Table Rock Lake in certain areas, although Table Rock does have a variety of structure, but little to no vegetation.

When I fish the shade line, I usually burn the bait. The most active fish will always be on the shady side of whatever structure there is. I cast beyond the structure, and burn the bait through the shade as close to the structure as possible. If you fish a lot of lakes that receive heavy pressure from water skiers and jet skies, and pleasure boaters, it generally creates a "Mud-line." Bass will relate to this very often. It generally is in the upper 3 feet of water, so bass will hold along the mud line so they can see what's swimming by. I cast parallel to the muddy water and burn the bait back to the boat. I usually use a white or Pearl color for this. I have used this method with success at Lake Hopetcong in the summer months. All these shallow running baits of this type produce bass well in the spring in California and Florida.

Many times a crankbait will run deeper or shallower than it is supposed to according to the manufacturer.

The Suspending crankbaits seem to run a little deeper than the floating ones, I suspect because they are a little heavier. The other places to target for bass with crankbaits in rivers, is the creek channels or bends.

River bends collect structure such as fallen trees and brush, which in turn, creates a great spot in slower current where the largemouth lay in wait of the prey. Differences in materials should also be considered when selecting the crankbaits to use. For example, plastic lures can be abused a little more than some wood lures, but wooden baits have better flotation and action many times. There are differences in the way they have to manufacture plastic baits and wooden baits, and both have their advantages and disadvantages in each situation. Trial and error,experience, and time, are the best teachers in these matters.

You can read all you want, but there is nothing like time and hands on experience to learn what works best and when.

One thing I do with most crankbaits though, is change their hooks. I only use premium hooks on baits such as Gamakatsu, VMC, Daiichi, X-Pouint, or other quality hooks. I replace them after a couple of months or sooner, depending on the use, and the number of fish caught on them.

You really need to understand and have good electronics also, to find the right cover, and select the correct depth. Many times anglers are either fishing above or below the fish. It is very important to have and know how to use a wide variety of crankbaits to cover the proper depth. I never stick my rod in the water to make the lure run deeper, as it causes you to loose contact with thebait. If you are after fish that are deeper, it is better to make a longer cast beyond them, and reel the bait to them. The longer the cast, the better, if you are trying to achieve maximum depth, as it takes a while for the lure to go down. When fishing for deeper bass there are better choices than some of the crankbaits I've mentioned above.

"LIPLESS CRANKBAITS"

Many times when searching for deep bass lipless crankbaits are better.Some of the better lipless crankbaits for searching and catching bassin deep water are a 1-ounce Cordell Rattlin Spot, a Rattlin' Rapala in1/2 ounce, Lucky Craft, the new baits by Sebile or Little George's.

Little George pictured above was a mainstay for many years

pictured above is the new spin shad by Sebile

These baits proved to be a life saver one day on Table Rock Lake, when the bass wouldn't cooperate on the other crankbaits.

Many times in Delaware Lakes and ponds, I have used similar baits in cold water very early in the year with success. These will also work in the deeper, colder areas of the Nanticoke and Sassafras rivers early and late in the year. I usually stick with the Shad patterns for these baits, or solid chrome, although I have at times caught numerous large bass early with a red or orange color.

Sometimes it is just a matter of presentation.

Before changing the lure or color, I always cover the area at various angles at different retrieve speeds. As you can see, there is a lot to know about using the correct crankbait, and I have just touched on the tip of the iceberg. There are other subtle variations in all of the above lures and presentations that can effect how a bait catches bass. After many years of trial and error, I am still learning new ways to catch more and bigger bass on crankbaits. And isn't that the way it should be? The experimentation, and anticipation of every cast is what keeps it exciting and fun.

Your rod and reel are the most important parts of your fly fishing gear. There are a few simple things you can do to make sure they give you years of great service.

Reels

There's really not much to say about maintaining reels, other than ... lubricate them as per the manufacturers' instructions! As with anything that has moving parts, friction develops. The heat caused by excessive friction will cause wear and tear that did not have to happen if the part was properly lubricated. The best lubricant to use is lithium grease - don't be trying to squirt 10W-30 inside your reel!

For the most part, today's reels require very little maintenance and you shouldn't have to do to much to keep them in good shape. One thing that is very important, especially if you spend any time at all on saltwater is to rinse your reels completely and thoroughly in fresh water. It's a good idea to give your reels a quick rinse after each fishing trip anyhow, to remove any dirt and grime.

Check for bits of dirt between the spool and the reel. Today's reels usually are constructed with very close tolerances, and a bit of grit can cause the reel to not perform well.

You might also want to consider cleaning the cork drag system. Wipe it clean with a paper towel, being sure to remove any dirt or grit on the surface.

Fly Rods

Most anglers spend more money on their fly rods than any other piece of tackle. They also expect it to perform optimally all the time, yet many anglers forget that a fly rod is in fact a tool that is made from several different parts. If one of those parts is defective or worn, it could dramatically decrease the performance of the rod. Be sure to take a look at the following parts of your fly rod, and if you find anything that seems amiss, take it in to the closest competent repair shop, or contact the manufacturer to determine whether the problem is covered by warranty:

Guides, or 'eyes' as they are sometimes referred to, ensure that your line is properly carried along the rod and is acted upon during the force of casting. There are different types of guides that are now used on fly rods, however traditionally, and probably still the most common, are what are known as 'snake' guides. Most snake guides are made from hard chrome. One of the most important guides to take a good look at is the one at the very tip of your rod, known as the 'tip top'. This guide bears the most pressure of all, and consequently, is the one most prone to wear and tear.

If you are at all dubious about the amount of friction that a fly rod guide puts up with, try this experiment: Have someone hold a piece of fly line against some part of your body. Ask them to pull it back and forth over your skin with some force and speed. I guarantee that in a few moments, you will be asking them to stop as the heat builds up and your skin begins to wear off!

With this experiment in mind, check that tip top for signs of grooving. As the tip top grooves, this causes even more friction against your lines as it travels through the guide. As well, small microscopic burrs can develop which in time will damage your fly lines and decrease their life. If your tip top has any signs of wear, have it replaced, or try replacing it yourself. If you have a professional repair done, you shouldn't expect to pay anymore than $5.00 to $10.00 for a simple chrome tip top.

The rest of your guides are actually held onto the rod with thread that has been wrapped around the guide feet. Modern rods have an epoxy coating over the thread wraps. Sometimes, the epoxy can develop cracks with the constant flexing of the rod. The cracks themselves are not unexpected nor will they cause any decrease in the performance of the rod. However, over time, the epoxy can weaken and the guides may loosen away from the blank. So, check the guides and ensure that there is no wiggling from them underneath their wraps. There is no need to use a great deal of pressure - just a very light tug to ensure they are still secure. Again, if you find one that needs attention, a good rod builder should be able to rewrap the guide for you. Better this than have the guide come loose all together and impede your casting performance!

Ring type guides are becoming more popular on fly rods, rather than snake guides. The inner ring that contacts the fly line is usually made of Silicon Carbide (SiC), a very hard and smooth material that provides great heat disipation and less friction than chrome. These rings will not groove like chrome will, but you should still give them a quick check. For one thing, on guides that are not of the best quality, the inner ring can come loose from the guide frame. If this happens, you will want to ensure the complete guide is replaced. You can do the job yourself if you order the parts from a custom rod component shop.

The next thing to check is the reel seat. There is the possibility that the bond between the reel seat and the rod blank has weakened and the reel seat is not solidly attached. This is more true with older rods but it is always a good idea to check anyhow. If you do find a reel seat that is need of repair, this is best done either by the manufacturer, who will probably replace the whole butt section, or by a competent rod builder, which could be a bit more costly. Some rods simply wouldn't be worth it.

Finally, why not give that cork handle a nice clean-up? You probably have forgotten how much brighter it looked when it was first new! Over time, cork can become very dirty, but this is easily removed with a good scrubbing using a damp, fine soap pad such as Scotch-BriteTM or an S.O.S. pad. When you're done scrubbing, give the handle a final rinse with water. You will be amazed at how good that cork handle will look.

Now, that you've got your fly fishing gear all tuned up, you're ready for the season! Go catch some fish.

Picking a fly fishing rod is a tricky endeavor. Do you go with your ego, expected fishing environment or something else? While length is a factor, the bend or action of the rod is a key factor.

Flexibility

Fly fishing rods are often defined by their flexibility. In laymen's terms, flexibility means how far the rods will bend when the same casting effort is used.

Minimal Bend

A fly fishing rod that has minimum bend is often called a afasta rod. The lack of bend lets the angler get lots of speed on the cast. This speed allows you to cast very accurately and farther away than rods with more bends. While these benefits may sound great at first glance, a fast rod can be frustrating. There is no room for error when using the rod. If you are going to use one of these rods, you need excellent motion and timing. Generally, only anglers with a lot of experience should have a go at using fast rods.
Moderate Bend

The next step down from a fast rod is one with medium flexibility. These rods tend to have good flexibility, but the bend is restricted to the top half of the rod. The rod requires less perfection of motion and timing, but is fairly accurate. If you've been angling for a while and have the basic techniques down, a moderately flexible rod is worth a try.

Slinky Bend

If you are just taking up fly fishing, you should use a rod with maximum flexibility. While others suggest a moderate bend is better for beginners, a aslinky benda rod gives you a lot of leeway when it comes to learning to cast.

Fly fishing is relaxing and enjoyable. Pick the wrong rod, however, and it can quickly become frustrating and stressful. If you use your brain, not your ego, when picking a rod, you will have a blast.

"Can I really build my own custom fishing rod?" I'm often asked when I show anglers some of the rods I've built over the years. Some seem to think that special tools are required or that a great deal of skill is required to build fishing rods.

The fact is, even children have been taught to build fishing rods! It is not a complicated procedure nor does it have to be time consuming. And just some of the benefits of building your own rod include:

• Customizing it to fit you instead of just getting a rod off the rack made for the average angler.
• Selecting the components (handle, reel seat, and guides) that you want on your rod.
• The feeling of pride when you hook and land the first fish on a rod you built yourself can't be beat!

The first time you make your own custom built fishing rod, you will probably want to resist the urge to create fancy intricate decorative thread wraps as they can be time consuming with a learning curve involved. However, you will still be able to build something that is both attractive and that you will be proud of.

There are a number of rod handle kits available that are simply epoxied onto the rod blank and these are fantastic for those who don't have the tools or space to make fishing rod handles from 1/2" cork rings. These kits may also include a reel seat, or you can select an individual reel seat yourself.

Guides (sometimes referred to as "eyes" - that the fishing line goes through) are secured to the blank of a fishing rod using nylon thread. A finish that is especially designed to go over thread on fishing rods is then applied.

There are a number of great resources available and many people willing to help you along the way when you decide to build your first custom fishing rod. Why not plan to make a winter project of it? Next spring, you could be catching fish on a rod you've built yourself!

Fishing Tips - Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

Beyond a doubt the best fly fishing rod material is good bamboo properly selected, cured, split, glued, and correctly proportioned. It possesses strength combined with lightness, resiliency, pliancy, power and balance in greater degree than either steel or solid woods.

Formerly anglers and rod makers could draw fine distinctions between male and female Calcutta and Tonkin " canes," but under present conditions good Calcutta is very rare and the word " Calcutta " is be¬coming merely a trade term. Good bamboo of all kinds is more difficult to obtain and a good piece of Tonkin is better than an indifferent one of Calcutta. Male Calcutta, however, is supposed to be superior to either the female or Tonkin. The cheapest split cane is known as steel vine or African cane. It is light colored and makes up into good, inexpensive bamboo fly fishing rods.

Six Strip and 8 Strip Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

We assume that you know that bamboo is split and then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some rods are made of bamboo split into six sections (hex¬agonal) and some in eight (octagonal) but the six strip construction is more often used. Some makers claim that the eight strip, being more nearly a true cylinder, possesses better action but this seems to be more theoretical than practical, while the tiny tips of an eight strip rod are likely to be " soft" due to the comparative amount of glue necessary to hold the pieces together. Eight strip rods cost more than the six strip and if the angler wants a round bamboo fly fishing rod they are preferable to the six strip planed down as planing certainly must injure a rod. As a general rule a well-made six strip rod leaves little to be desired.

Special Feature Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

A novelty in bamboo fly fishing rod making is what is known as the " double built " rods which are made of two layers of split and glued bamboo, one within the other. They are heavier and strong, and it is claimed, hold their shape better, than ordinary rods and are popular for sea and salmon fishing but unnecessary, I believe, in single hand fly rods. An English innovation is the steel center rod which consists of a fine piece of well-tempered steel running as a core through sections of regular split bamboo. The makers claim this construction gives a rod of superior casting power with only of an ounce added weight. Friends who possess rods of this kind are enthusiastic admirers of this construction for heavy fishing.

An American maker supplies a rod of " twisted bam¬boo " which he claims equalizes the strain and pro¬duces better action. I have never tried a rod of this type so am unable to pass on its merits, but Perry Frazer, in his " Amateur Rodmaking," speaks well of it.

One good reason to build your own rod is that you have a lot of choice as to the components that build it with! Maybe you've found the perfect rod that has the action that is just right for you but you don't like the shape or length of the handle. Perhaps the guides are poor quality or you would like a heavier duty reel seat. When you build your own with the components and fishing rod blanks you've selected, you can consider these things right from the start and get exactly what you want in a fishing rod.

Will a custom fishing rod you've built help you catch more fish? I'd suggest that yes, it can. If you have confidence in the tools you are using, that confidence will spill over into how you fish, for one thing. Further, when a rod is built correctly, it will outperform and outcast other similar rods off the rack, which means your lure or fly can be in the water, where the fish are, longer. As well, once you have hooked a fish, a properly built custom rod can give you an edge in fighting that fish and bringing it to hand or the net.

Today, there are a number of retailers that specialize in providing custom fishing rod components and who will be happy to help you select the right components for your own custom built fishing rod. You might even end up saving a bit of money too, by building one yourself!

Be sure to check out these custom rod building resources I've provided for you while you consider the idea of building your own rod.

Judging Rod Straightness

While dealing with the bent hydraulic cylinder rods, the first and foremost thing is to check the rod straightness. The best time to check rod straightness is the time when the the hydraulic cylinder is being repaired or re-sealed. The rods should be placed on rollers the run-out has to be measured with a dial guage (as shown in the figure below). The rods are needed to be positioned in such a way, that, there is maximum possible amount of gap between the rollers (L). The mid-point run-out time is then measured between the rollers (L/2).

i

Calculating Run-Out

Though the cylinder rod should ideally be as straight as possible, but still a run-out of 0.5 millimeters can be managed and thus, is considered as normal. Maximum permissible run-out time (measured at L/2) can be calculated using the following formula:

Run-out max. (mm) = 0.5xL/1000

[here, L is equal to the distance between rollers in millimeters]

This can be understood with the help of an example, where the distance between the rollers is 1.2 meters then the allowable or acceptable run-out would be measured as:

0.5 x 1200 / 1000 = 0.6mm

which means, that a 0.6mm run-out is acceptable with the rollers having a difference of 1.2 meters.

Potential Solutions

Most often the bent rods are straightened in a press. At times, the hydraulic cylinder rods can be straightened without any damage to the hard-chrome plating, but in case the chrome is damaged, the ultimate solution is to either replace or re-chrome the rod.

While tackling a bent rod, it is always wise to compare the actual rod loading with the permissible rod loading as per the tensile strength of the rod material and cylinder's mounting arrangement. The obvious solutions in case of rod load crossing permissible load is, either a new rod of higher tensile material or increased diameter of the rod to prevent it from bending.

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