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You can probably build a
better rod than you can buy, choosing your own Blank and
Components. For those willing to try, this page will be
a useful place to start!
A. ROD BLANKS
Step No. 1: Find the right Blank
Various Blank
manufacturers, both local and overseas, offer Blanks
which
are suited to South African Surfcasting.
Generally, look for a 2
piece Blank with a carbonfibre butt section and either a
carbonfibre, composite or S-glass tip section. Total
Blank length should be from 11'6" - 13'6".
I really lament the
passing of the availability of the great Fenwick
Big Surfstick Blanks (black carbonfibre butt
sections and yellow-gold high modulus S-glass tip sections)!
These blanks made tough, long-casting, easy-fishing
rods! I personally fish rods (built in the late 1980's)
on a Fenwick SS 1385 blank (11'6"; rated for
5-8oz): in my opinion a sweeter all-rounder you would
not find!; and on a Fenwick 1688F blank (14'0";
rated for 6-12oz, if I recall correctly): strictly for
the "big stuff"!
If you can pick up any
Fenwick blank or rod today, go for it and refurbish
with new grips and Fuji guides and reelseat ...
The old ABU Atlantic
474 and 484 surf rods were not bad either
... If you can pick up one of these today, strip it and
refinish with Fuji guides and reelseat and new
grips, you'll have a great rod ...
If I were considering
building a Surf Rod today ...
... I would probably opt
for something in the Century Kompressor
range. Western Accessories in South Africa
are the SA agents/ retailers for Century blanks -
award-winning,
record-holding, cutting-edge technology British-made
blanks (scroll down to see link and
contact details below).
For all-round rock
and surf fishing, the two-piece 13' Century
Kompressor Sport (4-7oz weight sinker plus bait) would be
a good choice. If you want to go heavier (for non-edibles
and sliding, perhaps), the Century Kompressor
WR300 (up to 8 oz or more sinker plus bait) would fit the Bill.
Some British anglers rate the Century Kompressor
WR300 as the best all-round performer ...
I may also consider the
Rainshadow and Seeker for two-piece
USA-made Surf blanks (see links below).
BUT there are
other alternatives which you may like to check out for
yourself ...
Recommended South African
Blank manufacturers are:
1.
The oldest and most trusted South African Blank
manufacturer which offers quality products.
Click on the logo
on the left to access the Purglas USA
website. Purglas now also offers their products
in the USA, Britain and Australia. The USA website
contains a lot more info. To access the South African
website primarily to get the local contact details, go
to
www.fishing.co.za. Purglas rods and Blanks are
available in 1 piece or 2 piece (equal length sections
joined by a spigot). You will not go wrong with a
Purglas Blank. Also click
here for Blank specifications.
*
For throwing lures (3/4 -
3 oz) in the Surf, check out the 4m (13'2") Purglas
PSFB 4000-0 or the PSFB 400-0
(2,8mm tip and
31,0mm (1.220in) butt)
carbonfibre Blanks.
2.
Blue
Marlin Fishing Rods
is the other South African Blank manufacturer. I would
probably not ever buy a Blue Marlin Rod, but may
consider their blanks ...
Blue Marlin
produces 1, 2 and 3 piece Blanks suitable for
Surfcasting. If you see a 3 piece South African Blank or
Rod or a 3 piece rod with multiple tips, whatever the
brand name, it is most probably built on a Blue Marlin
Blank! Food for thought!
Click
here to find out about 2 and 3 piece Blue Marlin
Surfcasting Blanks. The new T53 blanks not
yet shown on the website, are also available.
For retail sales of
these Blanks, speak to Rob at
Gremlin's
(in Margate: (039)
317-3233).
Recommended International
Blank manufacturers are:
Award-winning,
record-holding, cutting-edge technology British-made
blanks. Western Accessories in South Africa
are the SA agents/ retailers. Speak to Abdul
(tel.: (011) 660-5705; fax.: (011) 660-5779) or
Yusuf (tel.: (011) 894-4858; 084-246-3869).
Composite Developments, New Zealand
Get these Blanks and
all other Components from:
B. ROD BUILDERS
Hook
up with probably the most competent
South African Rodbuilder/ Rodcrafter:
PO
Box 798, EMPANGENI 3880, South Africa
Tel.:
+27(0)35-753-4580 (W); +27(0)35-792-4434
(H)
Fax.:
+27(0)35-753-5590
Cellular:
082-496-6382
Jan
Croeser has been in the business
for many years and I recommend his work
very highly. So, if you don't have the
time, inclination or confidence to build
your own dream rod, why don't you
contact Jan? You'll be glad you
did!
If you
need to source any hard to get blanks
(including Calstar, Seeker,
Composite Developments and others)
or other quality rodbuilding
components and supplies in
South Africa, give Jan a call - he will
probably be able to assist you himself
or give you details of the South African
agents/ importers.
C. THE SPIRAL WRAP
A
unique way of wrapping a
casting rod ...
Have
any of you heard of or
had experience fishing a
rod using the "Roberts",
"Spiral"
or "Acid"
Wrap?
When
wrapping a rod in this
manner, the first couple
of guides from the tip
(including the tip) are
placed under the rod as
in guide placement for a
spinning reel, then the
last four guides
including the stripping
guide bringing the line
to the (casting) reel are
placed around the blank
in a spiral to cause the
line to travel from under
the rod spiraling to the reel. This
wrapping technique is
said to eliminate torque
and provide a very stable
fish fighting platform
whilst improving
castability and has been
used on both saltwater
and bass rods by certain
custom builders. Those in
the know maintain that
you will never go back to
the conventional way of
wrapping a casting rod
after trying this! Sounds
crazy, but can you argue
with results?
The
guide placement around
the blank looks like
this:
ROD BUILDING TIPS
Hot
Tip #1!
Struggling
to fit EVA Foam or
Hypalon grips?
To
successfully fit EVA or
Hypalon grips that will
not even normally come
past halfway down the
blank, wipe the
blank with lacquer
thinners, apply
the glue to area
where you want the
grip to finally be as
well as a couple of
inches above this area.
Soak the grip in lacquer
thinners for a while
and pour lacquer
thinners into one end of
the hole of the grip,
blocking off the other
end of the hole
with your hand, pour
until the thinners
"overflow",
block this end with your
other hand and swirl the
thinners in the hole of
the grip around from side
to side and up and down
for at least two minutes.
Then, working fast, allow
the thinners to run out
of the hole, place the
grip onto the rod holding
only the top end and with
one fluid motion, never
stopping for a second,
force the grip down into
position.
With
some grips and thicker
blanks you will really
have to apply a lot of
downward pressure - but
the key is not letting up
until the grip is where
you want it. You
will be surprised how
easily (relatively
speaking) the grip is
positioned and there is
never a problem with
loose grips as the grip
is stretched over a blank
diameter far larger than
the hole in the grip. It
is actually better to use
a grip which when just
loosely slid over the tip
of the blank stops at
least a foot or two above
where you want the top
end of the grip to be
finally fitted. Make sure
the hole in the grip is a
smaller diameter than the
thinnest diameter section
of the blank you want to
fit the grip
over. Now all that
remains is to clean up
the glue residue on the
exposed area of the blank
with the lacquer
thinners. I
also find that a contact
adhesive commonly used to
stick vinyl floor tiles
(in South Africa the
brand name is Gemkem Contact
Adhesive) works well
for installing these type
of grips.
Hot
Tip #2!
Keep your
rods clean and shiny with
Pledge Classic
or Lemon spray Furniture
Polish!
Also makes dirt easier to
remove after subsequent
outings ... Just sponge
with mild, soapy lukewarm
water - rinse, dry, apply
Plegde and
buff with a soft, dry
cloth. With rods costing
what they do these days,
you just have
to take proper care of
them.
Hot
Tip #3!
The best
way to clean and brighten
up cork grips?
Wipe with a cloth
moistened in Lacquer
Thinners.
Guaranteed to make cork
grips look like new!
Lacquer Thinners is also
great for cleaning and
de-greasing rod blanks -
just don't use on cheap,
painted rods and blanks
as it will strip the
colour. High quality rods
and blanks which have
their colour pigment
added as part of the
graphite or fibreglass
resin will be fine.
To
chat about rodbuilding in
general, e-mail Jacques
with your contact 'phone
number.
RODBUILDING LINKS
www.rodmakermagazine.com
RodMaker Magazine covers the entire spectrum of
rodbuilding. Whether you're a beginner or expert,
building fly, spin, casting, trolling, graphite or
fibreglass, RodMaker has something for everyone.
www.rodbuilding.org
The Internet's gathering place for custom rod builders.
***
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