# Question for other builders???



## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm at a crossroads in my rod building...... I want to know how you guy's feel and think. 

I wanna build performance based, light, strong and no frills kind of rods. Hardcore fish fighting tools but I am scared that without all the asthetic additions that buttwraps and trim bands and all the fancy work brings that I'll lose customers. What are you guy's opinions....

Build solid fish catching machines and hope people agree with your work..... Or build highly asthetic fancy rods and appeal to sight more than functionality......


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## Travis Gill (Oct 6, 2007)

You will have different target audiences for sure. People like myself would much rather see you build simple fish slayers but alot of people like the looks. I am not sure which way you would do better but I think we need sumone to build some rods like your talking about


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *Freespool (11/27/2009)*You will have different target audiences for sure. People like myself would much rather see you build simple fish slayers but alot of people like the looks. I am not sure which way you would do better but I think we need sumone to build some rods like your talking about


Thanks Freespool!! I like no nonsense hardcore rods....... I am just curious if there is an audience for them.


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## fisheye48 (Sep 28, 2007)

i personally like a simple rod...maybe a few wraps of a gold or silver or any really color around each guide to give it a little definition but thats it...nothing fancy


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *fisheye48 (11/27/2009)*i personally like a simple rod...maybe a few wraps of a gold or silver or any really color around each guide to give it a little definition but thats it...nothing fancy


Yeah me too.... Skeleton reel seat, REC guides. A stripped down, split gripped black and silver stealth bomber of rods lookin' MoFo!!


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## -=Desperado=- (Jun 19, 2009)

> *Brad K (11/27/2009)*I'm at a crossroads in my rod building...... I want to know how you guy's feel and think.
> 
> I wanna build performance based, light, strong and no frills kind of rods. Hardcore fish fighting tools but I am scared that without all the asthetic additions that buttwraps and trim bands and all the fancy work brings that I'll lose customers. What are you guy's opinions....
> 
> Build solid fish catching machines and hope people agree with your work..... Or build highly asthetic fancy rods and appeal to sight more than functionality......


unfornutely a few builders around here have adapted what your saying and got lazy with there work.You can still build badass fishing rods with nice looks.I have been trying to convince people for years that medium heavy graphite quality blanks with cork and skeletan seats will be some of the best rods you ever fished with.As a fisherman and rod builder i hate heavy rods unless its a chair rod of course but all stand up needs to be light and the guides need to be balanced.I hate rods with reel seats to close to the butt.They become Top heavy and tiring when fighting a fish.I could write a book on rod building im just so burnt out on talking and explaining anymore about it.You can do butt weaves on a rod that wont take up 10 inches and 2 ounces of flex coat and still look really nice with a few checks.I love cork grips and hate neoprene.If your going to build high end rods than build high end rods.Dont become a builder that uses the heaviest components to turn a dollar.

I had the pleasure of working beside some of the best and most tallented rod builders.It took me 10 years to finally realize 10 years ago that turning thread on a rod is 10 percent of the fishing rod.The other 90 percent is engineering ,reel seat,and guide placeement for the angler and the reel that is going on the rod.

Im so burnt out from4 page discussions and all the advice and crap i give to future builders.I hardly ever post in this section anymore.

Saw a guy about a month ago flex coating a rod.The entire rod.This was a pier rod a 9 footer and he added all that unnecessary weight to the rod for nothing.First thing i do to a rod with a urethane gloss coating over it is sand that crap off.The rod will perform flawless without it and wont look like shit after 6 months of dings on the clear coat.And here this guy was flexing the whole rod.I just shook my head.

Anyway good luck with your rods.Ive been it for 20 years now and im just plain burnt out.

One thing or word of advice to make butt wraps go faster is to order 6 of the same threads.Put em in a tray like a tackle box tray and drill a small hole in each holding cell.Put your thread thru and put each thread between each finger and wrap.You can wrap up to 6 threads at a time and when doing +1 X wraps it makes it go way faster


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## fisheye48 (Sep 28, 2007)

> *Brad K (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *fisheye48 (11/27/2009)*i personally like a simple rod...maybe a few wraps of a gold or silver or any really color around each guide to give it a little definition but thats it...nothing fancy
> ...




if you would like to donate one of those for research purposes i would be glad to help you out oke


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *-=Desperado=- (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *Brad K (11/27/2009)*I'.If your going to build high end rods than build high end rods.Dont become a builder that uses the heaviest components to turn a dollar.
> ...


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *fisheye48 (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *Brad K (11/27/2009)*
> ...


For a fellow ECRC brother........ We might be able to work something out..LOL


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## -=Desperado=- (Jun 19, 2009)

> *fisheye48 (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *Brad K (11/27/2009)*
> ...


inshore light tackle graphite rods with cork knobs and simple colors with titan nano's would be some of the nastiest inshore rods you have ever used.i would weave a number into the wrap representing the weight class so a 2 would load up nicely with 1/3 bend with a 2 ounce weight.1 would represent 1 oz and so on


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *-=Desperado=- (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *fisheye48 (11/27/2009)*
> ...


Are you not a fan of the RECOIL guides Will? I love the titaniums especially the Titan's.


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## -=Desperado=- (Jun 19, 2009)

> *Brad K (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *-=Desperado=- (11/27/2009)*
> ...


I hate em.There like springer guides and will foul your line prematurely.the recoils were designed for fly rods since its hard to foul wead eater string but for light line like 4 to 8 your line will cast like ass after a couple hundred cast.Get a microscope and look at line samples after 200 cast using wire guides and ceramic inserted guides.The harder and more polished the surface the better off your line will be.8 lb test will become 6 pound test with 200+ cast with recoil guides.i have looked at line samples from several different guides and when me and frank did it springer guides were the worse followed by pac bay titaniums and perfections and fuji cermet was the best followed by Fuji SIC.

cermet is the shit if you can afford em hands down.


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *-=Desperado=- (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *Brad K (11/27/2009)*
> ...


Good info to know..... Thanks again. What are your opinions on the Fuji Carbides? I completed three Texas style wading rods with them a little while back and was really impressed with the strength to weight ratio of these guides.


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## -=Desperado=- (Jun 19, 2009)

http://www.angelfire.com/ks/bingham/fujititc.html

thesevare the best.will run about 120 for a set on a pomp rod or light redfish rod.They are the hendrick motors of rod guides.a 7 foot lami med heavy with tapered cork,fuji plate seat and nice little fish weaved in gold with red,gold,green,and rainbow checks on both sides followed by the same patern on the guides.you would not even want to fish with it


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## -=Desperado=- (Jun 19, 2009)

> *Brad K (11/27/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *-=Desperado=- (11/27/2009)*
> ...


when you say carbide do you mean SIC or the frame design concept.SIC has been around forevor.Fuji use to make a high frome set of titanium to a 50mm ring but they dropped out of the saltwater heaver game with big frames and went to smaller ring wich they will tell you there market is in inshore and bass rods.they never really had a 9 foot big ring audience .THE SIC is the carbide ceramic version wich is better than hardoloy but softer than cermet.


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## kingling (Apr 10, 2008)

if people want butt wraps and all that other stuff, put it on there rod and make it look good 

it is their money 

a butt wrap of any kind will never help you in anyway catch fish 

and isnt that what your building, FISHING rods?


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

I'm all about a no flash fishing rod! Both custom rods I have are all black with a simple gold wrap around the eyes, that's it. Just fishing rods, not paintings on a pole. I love both!


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