Ever Use one of These??

[Tempered Steel]

Anyone ever fish with a spiral (or acid) wrapped casting rod? I don't hear much about them around here, and was wondering if anyone uses them. If you have used one, do you like it?

I built this one on a Rainshadow 1084 blank and I don't think I will ever build a conventional casting rod for myself again. It is perfectly stable, casts a mile, and looks really cool. All the advantages of a spinning rod in a casting setup.



I do get some strange looks while fishing with it, [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] and the occasional pointing and laughing, but only until I am on my way back to my truck with a limit of steel. :grin:

[Bait O' Eggs]

Yup, got one and like it :grin: Gonna make some more

[Riverkeeper]

How does that work?

[Tempered Steel]

Hey BOE - I was hoping you would reply. I do really like this rod. It makes one heck of a drift rod.

Riverkeeper - It works just like your standard casting rod only better. Ever notice how the guides on a two piece casting rod tend to come out of alignment when it is under pressure? That is because when guides are placed on top of the rod blank, the line wants to travel to the bottom of the blank when under tension, thereby twisting the top portion of the rod out of alignment. This setup 'spirals' the line around the blank from top to bottom so the line is already on the path of least resistance, eliminating the tendancy to twist the blank. This makes the rod much more stable.

Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, but it's late and I am a novice at rod building. I'm sure BOE or some of the other experts could explain better.

[Bait O' Eggs]

The problem with a casting rod is the guides are on the top and you have to use plenty of guides to keep the line off the blank when bending because the line will be straight between the guides yet the rod bends. A spinning rod does the same thing but the guides are on the bottom and you can use less guides because the line never tries to touch the blank.

Extra guides make the rod heavier, a spinning rod will have a couple less guides than a casting rod. Each time you tie a guide on a blank, you are basically adding a short section of rebar to the blank preventing the blank from bending where the metal foot of the guide is tied to the blank. But the biggest problem with a casting rod is the rod wants to torque (twist) off to one side under load. The line is trying to get straight and after the rod bends a ways, the rod finds it easier to twist off to the side as the line tries to go straight when a fish is pulling on it. When the rod is loaded up and the guides out near the tip are trying to torque off to one side it puts load on the rod in two directions.

By locating the guides so the line wraps from the top of the blank to the bottom, you make a casting rod like a spinning rod. You elimate the twist in the tip of the rod. The spiral rod cast as well as a conventional rod.

[Chromaflage]

OK, so here's a weird question - is the twist direction different for right vs. left handed casting? this looks interestind - never even heard of such a thing until now. Thanks for sharing.

ORS

[Mikeymoto]

How do you orient the guides to the spline? The only rods like this that I've seen are Great Lakes Downrigger rods, till now that is.
MM

[Chromaflage]

'Nuther question - anyone do that to a sturgeon bank rod? Anyone think that there might a significant advantage there?

ORS

[Fshklr]

Never had that problem with my 3 eleven or 1 twelve footer for sturg. But all my 8'6"s to 10'6" twist to the right several times per outing and I have to re-align the top half of the blank and I am a righty...does it want to twist to the left for lefties?
Would be tough to switch to an acid wrapped rod

[glassblower]

Never had one myself, but I have known a couple of guys who had them and they liked them I know that much.

[Bait O' Eggs]

I recommend for guys to twist the guides to the same side the handle on your reel is. That way when you lay the rod down, you dont lay the rod on the guides because people usually put the handle of the reel up.

[ 01-06-2004, 06:55 AM: Message edited by: Bait O' Eggs ]

[Radke]

okay, I have a question (from the conceptually challanged), does it matter if you are fishing a river flowing right to left, verses left to right? I mean, does it twist differently?

Okay, how about when you are fishing in the southern hemisphere? I know we all make that occasional run down to Argentina for the big browns.

[Riverkeeper]

How do you orient the guides to the spline?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Thats a good question.

[Wade Deep]

I build all my rods with a spiral wrap, will NEVER build another conventional again. Only negative is they LOOK DIFFERENT!

Don't put to much into spine placement.

Build one, think about the why/why not, fish it and laugh at all the funny looks you get, but know it makes a whole lot more sense than any conventional setup.

[Fish Hawg]

I saw one guy using one springer fishing at the coast last year [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

[FishFearMe]

Hey ts is that a shoe dryer in the background? Those work out real nice especially when you fall in the river.

[Tempered Steel]

okay, I have a question (from the conceptually challanged), does it matter if you are fishing a river flowing right to left, verses left to right? I mean, does it twist differently?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">It doesn't matter because when you orient the guides this way, the rod no longer tries to twist.

I was worried that I would have problems with it when I first took it out, so I brought an extra casting rod for backup. This rod was so much better I didn't even look at the spare all day.

Hey ts is that a shoe dryer in the background? Those work out real nice especially when you fall in the river.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Yep. That is one great invention. I seem to end up getting wet more often than not.