Should have put this question off I suppose as I am sure people are getting weary of the spine.
I have read that if the guides are on the soft side of the rod…the effective spine will be in play on the forward cast. This also seems opposite to my feeble brain. If I were to just take a cane fish pole and glue a steel rod on top…I would think that the guides on the bottom would put the steel rod or spine if you will…in play on the back cast. Garcia’s book and others explain it exactly opposite to my thinking with my analogy of the steel rod. It is written…that guides on soft side put’s spine more in play on the forward cast. I believe this is true…just don’t understand the why of it.
Furthermore all the guides are mounted on the bottom of the blank only. But the TIP is a long tube that surrounds the entire blank. The tip is very small and has a metal tube around the entire tip with a ring on it. I would think the tubular thing around the entire blank would place the force on the entire circumference of the blank at the tip and no difference could be detected at all.
Sorry guys. If I build a rod I don’t really care where the spine is. It is just that I want to know…ya know? I just want to know in my head that I think I know how it works.
I just don’t understand everything I know anymore.
Never mind friends. I don’t think I need to know this. I don’t think it matters. It just doesn’t matter. Period. I am just an isatiable and incurable optimist.
Just in case you start thinking outloud again … LOL.
Speaking from the point that spine has bearing … guides on the soft side (opposite of primary spine) will help during a BACKCAST. Guides on the stiff side (aligned with primary spine) will help during a FORWARD CAST.
Think about force applied to momentum. The assumption is that the spine is resistant and therefore it would resist the application of force. With that thinking in play, the forward or backward momentum would then cause things to go into motion, like a catapult.
Now … once again, it doesn’t matter. The good news is that my experience shows that it doesn’t matter either way - built on spine, against spine, sideways to spine, etc. So build the rod the way YOUR head and heart guide you.
Just to make sure this thread is fun and contains a photo or two.
Here’s a picture of an acrylic winding check I turned earlier this week. I thought it was pretty neat. The end result was VERY light, yet exceptional durable.
It was crafted from a pen blank … 3/4" x 5". The color is spalted pearl.
Wow!
That is beautiful and brilliant TJ.
Now you got my juices flowing. I only intended to build a fishing pole. Nothing of beauty because I am such a rookie and there are sooooooo many absolutely gorgeous custom rods out there…I gave up on that idea before it got started.
But that is a terrific idea for a winding check. Love it.
Question TJ. If you were to build a 12" Tennessee grip out of foam, and then cover it with a sleeve…you would not be able to use slip rings for a reel mount would you? Would’nt the sleeve and sealer make it too hard for slip rings to work?
I have put slip rings on cork as a portable grip to slip onto the tip section of my rod to fish short or tight places. I like the slip rings. However I was traveling and asked for a reel seat and slip rings. I got a reel seat with a wooden reel seat and very weak and pliable plastic slip ring. THAT did not work at all. Slip ring on hard wood is a no go. The reel just kept falling off the rod.
Forget slip rings, they are difficult at best. Tommy Tape is a self-fusing silicone wrap that goes on like tape, but becomes a solid piece. In addition, it leaves NO RESIDUE. Just tape the reel on and keep it on the rod unless you need to do a repair to the rod or reel.
