Reel Seat Question

[William Fitzgerald]

But from what I've seem on rodbuildingforum.com they say that on the Spinning and Flyrods guides go on the INSIDE of the spine curve and the Casting rod OUTSIDE. This way when you're fighting fish rod flexes "in it's natural direction". Did I get this wrong?!!!!

I opened a can of worms---there are many people with different ideas on spines. Just go to Google and type in "Fly rod spine" One said to hold the assembled blank out and if it bends down turn it 180 deg and that is where you add the guides to a fly rod (on top). Another writes on the opposite the spline or outside the spine bend to maximize distance power and accuracy. The opposite side for fish fighting power (casting rod). They list spinning rods as being the same as a fly rod. Thay add when fishing a fly rod and spinning the guides are facing toward the water and casting up from the water. Many name rod manufactures dont spine a rod. BILL FITZ

[William Fitzgerald]

But from what I've seem on rodbuildingforum.com they say that on the Spinning and Flyrods guides go on the INSIDE of the spine curve and the Casting rod OUTSIDE. This way when you're fighting fish rod flexes "in it's natural direction". Did I get this wrong?!!!!

I opened a can of worms---there are many people with different ideas on spines. Just go to Google and type in "Fly rod spine" One said to hold the assembled blank out and if it bends down turn it 180 deg and that is where you add the guides to a fly rod (on top). Another writes opposite the spline or outside the spine bend to maximize distance power and accuracy. Inside the bend for fish fighting power (casting rod). They list spinning rods as being the same as a fly rod. Thay add when fishing a fly rod and spinning the guides are facing toward the water and casting up from the water. Many name rod manufactures dont spine a rod. BILL FITZ

[flyfishmichigan]

I'm with Joe on this one . . . masking tape is the conventional approach. But don't miss his one point - leave the GAP BETWEEN THE WRAPS. It's important! Get's the connection between the reel seat, the blank and the epoxy. You don't want to rely on the epoxy to tape and tape to blank connection.

Joe

[Satchel]

I took part in the discussion to which Bill refers. I have built rod each way. In the end, I think I like the idea of a straight rod when looked at by someone else as an example of my work than any minute advantage the "spine" of the rod might give you. I like the rod I built that way to show to people more so than the rod I built to the spine on.

I guess what sealed it for me was the Sage factory tour on dvd that clearly showed one of the builders aligning the sections to acheive the straightest finished rod in spite of the location of the spine that told me it was ok to build that way.

On the rod I'm currently building the spine location seems to be fairly close to the straightest finished rod locations for each section. I'm going with straightest. If I didn't the tip section would veer off to the right significantly following the spine.

[dleo6446]

I , too have to side with Satchel and many others on the spine theory. I won't argue which is right or wrong because quite frankly, I understand both theories. I spoke with Sage, Winston, and Orvis, and what Satchel saw on the video is basically what is done at production rod level.

Too, I took a blank from a well known maker, found the spine and built it. It did cast pretty good, but there was a slight crook between sections 2 and 3, and 3 and 4. Very minute, but still there. I then took the same blank, aligned it so it was perfectly straight (or as nearly so as I could detect with my eye) and I couldn't tell a difference in the casting, and by the way, the chalk marks for the spines were not even close to alignment with each other when I aligned by sight for a straight rod.

Would there have been a difference with a fish on? Maybe, but more than likely it would have been insignificant to my feeling.

On bigger rods for huge fish, Ask Tampa Jim, he builds a ton of that stuff!!