Hi all
I want to build a 15kg rollered rod for towing for little Blacks and will be run in the corners
a Tiagra 16 will be going on the rod
As this is my first game rod Need help in the choice of Blank for this build also rollered guides and bent but or strait butt
Any help with this build would be appreciated
Cheers Willo
Ok, for starters, 15kg for little blacks is an over kill. No good hunting rabbits with a bazooka.
A 15kg rod with a size 16 reel is again, over kill, besides that the reel is not suited to that style and size rod.
IMO, an 8-10kg rod will handle most fish from 10kg through to 100kg with ease.
Now if your adamant on going 15kg then the last thing you want or need is a bent butt.
If you really want a Uni butt, then go straight, I dont like them on that class of rod because add to much weight.
In fact all my light tackle rods are straight through, with size 12 reels. Keep the weight down, keep it nimble and you have a much better time fishing with the outfit.
Now blank choice. I have my own blanks, but to buy one of the shelf, maybe look at Calstar, best of a bad bunch.
You want a fast action tip section with a powerful mid to butt section. This will give you better control, more line recovery, and better control over the fish.
Now, while all that is important, one aspect that never gets any look in's is what else will the rod be used for? The rod will be doing something else 99% of the time. What you say? Well pulling lures.
Its never considered, always overlooked and never made allowance for in the build. If the tip is to soft then the lures get slingshot-ed out of the water and the hooks get tangled around the leader.
Off course this selection is made easier you have caught billfish before, if not, well its much harder. Its one things to say the tip is stiffer than normal, its feels like it has plenty of guts down low, but in fact it might be a bag of puss.
The other aspect I haven't begun to look at is the roller guides. Unfortunately these bad boys add weight to the tip, which means they make the tip section soften.
Yep, its never easy.
You have to allow for the weight of the roller guides and roller tip. If you go with 3 x size 31s, 1 x 41 and 1 x 51 and a size 12 roller tip, then you would be looking at least 220 grams of weight.
This weight with the extra thread and coating reduces the blanks tip to respond. I would be going for Fuji SIC guides on a rod that light or better yet, Aftco light weight rollers.
I have been using that style of roller for over 16 years, great, robust and easy to maintain.
If I were building that rod of yours, I would fit an Aftco alloy reel seat, Hypalon grips and an Aftco gimble.
I forgot to touch on the length of the rod. Being a light tackle outfit, providing you go with the recommendation for a 8-10kg blank.
You want a rod at least 6' maybe 6'3" for that line weight. Most go 5'6" because thats what everyone else does. Its a useless length, good for nothing in that line class.
2 major draw backs with that length is a low line recovery rate, and secondly you loose heaps of control over the fish, that is you cant steer the fish.
If you go with a 15kg blank then this will change considerably.
Other blanks you may like to look at would be the Seekers, Lamiglass, Pacific composites FF170-24kg which isn't a bad blank, it certainly makes a pretty ok 15, Pacific composites FC17024, again it makes a nice 15kg.
The Pac Comp FC 170-10 would make an ok 8kg rod. You could cut a bit off the tip just to make that bit stiffer.
If you fish a bit harder with drags around the 5kg at max drag, then 15kg blank would be better.
Guys I have a Calstar GF7465XL that may suit.
Stu do you know much about this blank? It's rated 20 to 50lb and has a pretty fast action. It seems like it would suit the cause. I have no intention of building on it anytime soon Willo so you can have it if you like for a small fee. Postage might be an issue though.
Willo, Calstar GF600M, makes great 8 to 10kg, 6 foot composite, glass tip that folds to a decent lockup, I got 2 built up as long butt bottom bashers one as an overhead other as a spin. Would make a great little 8/10 for blacks (to light for 15).
Its hard to say with out seeing the blank, but if you went rollers like the light weights, then more than likely no.
I would reaching for the Aftco L/W rollers before the SIC's.
These are the guides you want on the light tackle rod. This is one of my 8kg rods in action, the black went around 80kg. As you can see, the action is in the tip with more than enough the power in reserve. I fish max drag on my 8kg rods at 5.7kg. I leave it there until the fish is around 5 meters from the boat. The action on these rods dont change with the increase in drag.
Well Stu thanks to your advise and info.Finally getting my head around a 8-10 game out fit ...see what ya mean about Blank action ....and do you underbind the light weight guides (Great finish on guides)
In your opinion what is the closet blank I can get, that is close to your blanks action in 8-10 kg... The Pac Comp FC 170- 15 or fc 170 -10 ..still...?
Closest thing to my blanks, none mate, well none that Im aware off. I think the Pac Comp FC 170 10 would be good.
I under-bind all my guides, including these babies. Off course there is soooo much more to a blanks action than just a fast action and or its power.
How and when a blanks power comes on is very important, actually its critical really.
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