Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: bushwacker on December 06, 2010, 08:05:33 PM
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Have decided that my 7ft rod is just a bit too long for my yakking needs and i have been searching around for a new shorter one but just cant seem to get a good bearing .
Can anyone make any suggestions for a mid hundred dollar graphite spin rod in or around the 5 to 5.5 foot mark?
Funding for a new rod isnt exactly in abundance so it cant be too excy. Will be primarily used for bass fishing in and around trees.
Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated
Steve
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What weight? Not seen a lot of spin rods that short, plenty of baitcasters around though.
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Only light 2-4 kg or slightly heavier and i suppose a 6ft would maybe be ok. Baitcasters are great in their own right but after using only spin gear for 16 years its sort of hard to get away from them, just not very competent with baitcasters yet :-[
Steve
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Hey mate dont go too short remember you want to ba able to swing the tip past the end of the yak when ya hooked up :thumbsup
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I'm with you Steve, I love short rods in the rivers. I've got a couple of extra light 4'6" Smith rods that I use, but they're probably not heavy enough for you 1/4oz spinnerbaits load them too much. I also use an SJ6400 Loomis GL2 but again it's a bit light. I don't know of anything on the market here to suit your needs. Everyone seems to be going longer.
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I'm with you Steve, I love short rods in the rivers. I've got a couple of extra light 4'6" Smith rods that I use, but they're probably not heavy enough for you 1/4oz spinnerbaits load them too much. I also use an SJ6400 Loomis GL2 but again it's a bit light. I don't know of anything on the market here to suit your needs. Everyone seems to be going longer.
Its got me pretty beat to be honest, there is a point where a rod can be just too long and in the road. what weight are the smith rods you use Dale ? A 2-4 kg would do just fine i think but maybe not much lighter.
Yes Beau good point but while casting along creeks its pretty directional as in one way but you do raise a good point, But the trees however have a tendancy to grab the other point on the end of my rod ::)
Steve
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Steve,
The lightest Smiths are the B Area Fun range. They are a very slow fibreglass rod in bright colours. They run a bit under $200 from memory. Fish Head Tackle at Victoria Point normally have them. The other is a Smith TroutnSpin which is a 4'6" 3 piece rod, but it's graphite and way up the price scale. Handy little rod for travelling though.
The bottom two in this pic are the baitcaster version, but I have the spin rod as well, in yellow.
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Well dad has handed over his diawa firewolf 8-10lb 5'6" spin rod for me to have a play with .. it is pretty heavy but its so light with such a fine blank and the length is just right so i will just stick it out till i can find a decent blank to build my own rod off of.
Those smith rods sure are interesting looking Dale :o maybe an egrell will be on the cards one day later next year.
Steve
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Hmmm, if only we could talk Eric into doing an S2 that's 5' long. ::)
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Hmmm, if only we could talk Eric into doing an S2 that's 5' long. ::)
OOOOOooooohhhh :o
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Just got back from go fishing at nerrang to look at rods ... my bank card fell out of my wallet and i ended up with a pflueger Patriarch XT spinn reel :o ... oops. The range of rods there where pretty nice indeed but still found nothing the right size i wanted ... >:(
Steve
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Starting to go bonkers now looking for a rod before i wear out dads firewolf that could pull a water filled weellie bin up from the depths. am seriously concidering ringing egrell dezignz and asking if a 5 ft s2 is a possibility .
I am absolutly astonished noone has snapped up the rod building for the creek kayaking fraternity by making shorter ranged of bass rods that are tree clearance friendly.
Steve
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Maybe a B2-6 cut off at the butt a bit and built as a threadline?
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Its hard not having a blank or rod to hold to get a feel for it but something like that may be an idea .. might be able to get samurai blanks but i dont particularly like them they arent that crash hot.
If i found a decent blank to start with i can make my own. loomis blanks are a bit too whippy at the busness end i think but like i said need to hold one to know what i need.
The only thing stopping me calling egrell is their price tag
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Bushwacker, I've got a lovely little custom Fenwick HMG 1kg rod that I've had for 18 odd yrs. It's hard to read the writing but I think its a GSD 541 blank, 5" 1-1/2" long. I realise this blank's a bit on the light side but you may be able to hunt down something similar.
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Its hard not having a blank or rod to hold to get a feel for it but something like that may be an idea .. might be able to get samurai blanks but i dont particularly like them they arent that crash hot.
Bugger, I was going to suggest the S0011. 4'8". Struggles on really big Bass but fine for anything up to 40cm IMO.
Norm
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Dad has a fenwick 1-3 kg and dads cousin has a fenwick goldwing they are good rods but too wippy for me . the samurai blanks may be ok just havent herd allot of good things about them .
Garry howard makes a 6 ft tropic type fishing rod in the right weight but needs to be shortend ... mind you its over $300
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Hey mate,
Have a look on the St Croix website, they might have what you want in a short spin rod. You can get their stuff for around $100 at the lower end but I'm told that they are really nice rods.
Cheers,
JD
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St.Croix Supreme is the go you can get then down to around 4ft 6 in. You can order them direct from St.Croix in the states or go through a place like Bass Pro Shops. Just look out for the freight cost tho can be around $40.
JD
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St.Croix Supreme is the go you can get then down to around 4ft 6 in. You can order them direct from St.Croix in the states or go through a place like Bass Pro Shops. Just look out for the freight cost tho can be around $40.
JD
That sounds great but there is a hidden danger when ordering rod blanks online in the form of not knowing how the rod feels or the action. it is something you have to hold and feel but at the moment the chances of that happening arent looking great.
Steve
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Found 'em Steve.
These might suit your budget and needs.
http://www.amazonoutdoors.com.au/Product/Fishing-Gear/Rods/Berkley/Berkley-Kayak-Rods
Cheers Dave
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Those berkleys look like the right base but i do have around $300 for a rod / blank ... not saying ill spend that much
Thanks bracey
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Thinking that a St.croix may be my only real option .. bit iffy about getting a blank imported without holding it first but may have to bite the bullet and just get one .. they arent extremely expensive ive seen allot worse.
Has anyone used a St.croix rod ? Dale ???
Steve
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I've not used a St. Croix, however being an American blank the line rating will be way out compared to an Australian rod. Their 16lb and our 8kg are miles apart.
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I've not used a St. Croix, however being an American blank the line rating will be way out compared to an Australian rod. Their 16lb and our 8kg are miles apart.
Yes i was warned about that .. what if i got a 2-6 blank how do you think it would rate ? under or over ? nearly all brands of blanks arent spot on the money but when you feel the rod you get a pretty good idea. it wouldnt really matter a hell of allot just as long as it can flick a lure and pull in at least 40cm bass ill be happy.
The 4'6" blanks that takrat suggested are what im looking at and are only 60 u.s $ but could get them in south aus yet will have to ring after work to find out.
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Who knows what a 2-6 would be like. A G Loomis SJR6400 GL2 is 5'4", is rated 2-6, and has a lure weight of 1/64 to 1/8oz. That won't do what you want to do. Personally, I wouldn't buy a rod without handling it.
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It is a very raw subject and most probly have done the wrong thing but have orderd 2 St. Croix blanks from MO tackle . I no it is borderline stupidity buying a blank without holding it but i really cant see any other option , noone in qld has these blanks in store let alone any blank not to stress how short i need them aswell. Left with not much of a choice i orderd a 4'6" and 5' St. Croix blanks, MO will get back to me monday and let me know if they are available in the u.s and how long they will take to get here.
The 4'6" blank is $60 u.s the 5' is $65 , that combined plus frieght will be a resonably amount but all the gear i need to build the blanks i already have.
Oh well im sure i will find a use for them if not for the next generation .
Please feel free to tell me how stupid i am :youbeauty
Steve
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Have decided that my 7ft rod is just a bit too long for my yakking needs and i have been searching around for a new shorter one but just cant seem to get a good bearing .
Can anyone make any suggestions for a mid hundred dollar graphite spin rod in or around the 5 to 5.5 foot mark?
Funding for a new rod isnt exactly in abundance so it cant be too excy. Will be primarily used for bass fishing in and around trees.
Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated
Steve
Mate your lucky day , my missus decided my favourite little flick stick was too long and shortened it by 6" on Australia day ! must be close to thirty years old , she's been watching the Ugly stik ad , to make matters worse I just took some great green fish on this small rod last week and was extolling the virtues of the great little stick and the hundreds of fish it has brought to the bank , it now measures about 5'6" and going cheap , I am in your boat I need a new rod !( its not for sale but going on my wall in the garage to remind me all rods should be carried in rod tubes when my missus is about !
Regards
Ken
Ken
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Steve,
I doubt that anayone's going to call you stupid for having a go. Sometimes if you want something bad enough you have to improvise and that means you can't always try before you buy. Just one question; why did you get it from Motackle and not direct from the US? It would have been cheaper by a mile even with the freight cost. Anyway I hope it works out for you. I think I feel another post coming on.
Cheers mate,
John
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Yes mate sometimes you just have to give it a go, I only used Mo tackle because i thought they would have one in stock ... silly me... so they just orderd one . then i find a custom rod builder in south aus has the same blanks for $65 and Mo havent gotten back to me yet with a qoute so i may give that guy a call and see if he can send me the blanks i want . .. just not real sure how to organise frieght and what not either way. :-\
Yes might put a post up after i have built one of them .
Steve
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Well done on buying it locally. There shouldn't be any problem getting it sent up from SA. A rod builder will know how to pack them so they don't get damaged. Let us know how it goes.
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Mate I'd tell Motackle to keep the blanks especially if you can get 'em locally for $65, that's about the price you'd be paying from St. Croix anyway plus freight. I seen St. Croix advertised on the Motackle website for over $300 but they were complete rods not just blanks.
Cheers mate,
JD
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Hehe i had a bit of a sinister moment in the way of calling MO tackle and saying i found the same blanks on a different website for $65 ... there qoute for the 4'6" blanks was $90 !!!!! and the 5' was bloody $100! so i told the bloke about the price i seen in the other website wich by the way is in SA (not local im in beaudesert qld) and he said he will match the $65 price of the south australian rod maker copmpany heheeeeeee 8)
I still would have rather got the blanks from the SA based rod builder but when MO already has them on order and he said he would match the price i figured that was just as good as anything .
Steve
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m8 having a win is what it's all about. That's why it's called free enterprise.
JD
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Just a bit of an update with the St.croix rod blanks i orderd 3 nearly 4 weeks ago now through MO Tackle and am not very impressed with how long it is taking......
Bass season will be over before i get my epoxy out to even start making one >:(
Steve
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When it comes to ordering from overseas in a competitive market, I'm pretty sure MO wouldn't be ordering daily. I'd think a monthly order would be more realistic to spread the freight cost over a higher number of rods. It's over $30 to ship a rod from the states, so I doubt they'd be able to match prices shipping them out a few at a time.
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That's fair enough Dale, but at least they should keep the customer informed.
Cheers Andrew
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Their excuse was the aussie place they get them from didnt have the short models i want so he had to order from overseas for MO, just what i was told
Steve
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FINALLY! Mo tackle has my rod blanks on site .. now to get the buggers here and hyperlongs runners and reel seats
Steve
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Recieved the blanks today and my gosh there light and fine, maybe a comparable blank to the B area fun range of smith rods Dale. the 5' blank isnt too bad and would do fine for creek bass out here.
May order another 6' in a moderate to slow action, Nice blanks with a defined spine .
Steve
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Recieved the blanks today and my gosh there light and fine, maybe a comparable blank to the B area fun range of smith rods Dale. the 5' blank isnt too bad and would do fine for creek bass out here.
May order another 6' in a moderate to slow action, Nice blanks with a defined spine .
Steve
Hey Steve,
Glad you got them in one piece after there travels from far away.
After seeing your exceptional craftsmanship of you making rifle stocks in the hunting section on SW. Would it be too much trouble to post up a step by step post, starting a new thread on how you build your new rods. I totally understand if you decline, but I reckon they'll be many interested parties waiting to see the progress and the finished product.
Good luck with the project.
Cheers Dave
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Would be more than happy to do a step by step altho be it a tad old fashiond my dad will be making the first one and i may attempt the second.
Cheers for the suggestion bracey :thumbsup
Steve
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Would be more than happy to do a step by step altho be it a tad old fashiond my dad will be making the first one and i may attempt the second.
Cheers for the suggestion bracey :thumbsup
Steve
On ya Stevo, looking forward to the thread :youbeauty
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There's nothing wrong with old fashion- it tends to become new fashion again at some stage.
We'll be keen to have a peek at the progression.
Cheers,
J
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Well guys i started doing a bit on the 5ft St.croix in the way of shaping cork grips, anchoring reel seat and grips to the blank and binding guides on the extremely finger cramping small blank.
Just applied thread preserver tonight on all the binding and will have to wait a few days till such time as a have a few hrs of a morning to put the epoxy on the binding.
Word of caution if ever building a St.croix rod, The websites recipe's do not include tip runner.
(Made the rod my own and unique by throwing the recipe out the window) Dad has built a fair few flick sticks in his time and has a nack for guide positioning. Before applying thread preserver we put a reel and a De-hooked lure on and flicked it in the back yard to see if we were on the right track, I tell you what its something different.
Any questions feel free to ask, This likly isnt the right way (no right way) or the way others build rods but this is the way we have.
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Nice job Steve, thanks for the update! :youbeauty
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Pobly not that flash mate but it'l do me .
When are you comming for a fish this way mate ? Too hard to take photo's of it.
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I'm flat stick until June with all weekends taken up due to family comittments and friends weddings. I reckon I'll try to get there at the beginning of the Bass season around September. :thumbsup Hopefully by then the water falling from the sky will have dried up a bit by then too.
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Sounds like a plan stan