Technique Specific Rods - Part 4 of a Series

We are going to start talking about very specific tools to target different species of fish.  In this blog the talk will be about Muskie Rods.

The muskie is one of if not the largest fresh water predator in waters of the United States.  Some say a fish of 10,000 casts.  A most humbling fish to target, you will see them, they follow lures, then swim away at the last minute only to turn on a dime and attack the bait.  The strike will send chills up your spine for sure.

Due to the size and power of this fish, the strain on equipment, make muskie fishing like no other.  It absolutely requires special rods, reels and lures.   Generally, the rod should be between 7'6" and 8' in length, medium heavy to heavy action and power.  The rod must be designed to handle mean toothy fish up to 50 pounds or more.  A walleye or bass rod will not fit the bill at all.  There definitely is a trend to use longer fast action heavy powered rods up to 9' - 10' long.  Custom handle length is also an issue with ardent fisherman.

Muskie fishing regulations can be found in 32 states in the US and 4 provinces in Canada.  Groups such as Muskies, Inc. have been instrumental in maintaining and improving the sport of muskie fishing across its range.    MI originated and pioneered the catch and release concept so common in many species today.  Muskies often experience difficulty reproducing successfully.  Stocking efforts and programs are active in 37 of the lower 48 states.  The primary range lies in the Canadian Shield lakes, Minnesota, Wisconsin and down into the Ohio basin.

Heavy duty rods are the only way to successfully land a big fish without damage to the equipment or injuring the fish.  Manufacturers have developed technique specific rods for these monster fish.  The custom builders have taken the blank materials and continue to build even stronger and better fish fighting tools using tried and true techniques to match the power of these beautiful creatures.   The spiral wrap discussed earlier is a technique now being employed by custom builders to help make better muskie rods.  Each muskie fisherman has his/her own story to tell and want/needs in a fishing rod for this species.

(c) copyright - LakeLady Custom Fishing Rods - 2009

Technique Specific Rods - Part 3 of a series

This string deals with the spiral wrap a technique of guide placement on a casting rod.

Even custom builders have difficulty understanding the technique.  If the rod is not properly set up in the beginning of the wrapping process on the spine, the technique will not produce the ultimate desired result and in fact the rod could fail under maximum load.  Friction is removed from the guides to the maximum extent possible thus greater casting distance may be achieved.  It is a straight line from the reel to the tip top in a loaded condition, thus greater accuracy.  The rod actually is turned into a spinning rod so the line "hangs" on the guides and never can touch the blank.  Finally, the rod's "lock-in point" is found on the predominate spine of the rod and creates the stability desired for fighting big fish.   With a properly balanced outfit to the reel and rod, fighting big fish is a joy and untiring.

So the bottom line question remains ... is spiral wrapped rods for everyone.  Possibly not.  But the benefits of the wrap certainly outweigh the negatives, if the rod is set up properly to begin with.

(c) copyright LakeLady Rods - 2009

Technique Specific Rods - Part 2 of a series

The spiral wrap or Roberts wraps is the subject of this posting...A difficult wrap to understand but extremely effective if presented and built properly.

The reason manufacturers have not adapted to this wrapping technique is that the geometry and physics required to set up the blank is too costly for a manufacturing operation.  Time is money, and money is profit. 

Rod manufacturers build rods for the "average" fisherman.  These companies have a profit motive and the "average" consumer does not understand the benefits of the wrap.  There has been an attempt by a couple of manufacturers to introduce the wrap, however sportshop sales people did not grasp the benefits either.  Without the proper explanation, buyers believe the rod is defective in its set-up!

(c) copyright:  LakeLady Custom Fishing Rods - 2009

Technique Specific Fishing Rods - Part 1 of a Series

Manufactures continue to bring to the marketplace new and interesting tools for fishing.  Some have a complete series of rods to match different presentations or baits, lengths, line class and so on.  This series of blogs will deal with several unique technique specific custom rods to be used in special situations where no off-the-shelf rod will do the job.

The first of this series will deal with the Spiral Wrap or Roberts Wrap as is it properly known. 

I am a professional custom rod builder and have explored and use this technique exclusively on all of my casting rod for some time now.  There is no practical reason not to use the wrap other than the time it takes to properly set up the rod. 

The spiral wrap technique is about 100 years old.  It was developed by a cat fisherman in Kansas City.  He believe and correctly so, that a rod should be stable when fighting a big fish.  After a lot of trial and error he came about the technique properly call the Roberts Wrap.  His technique ha morphed over the years and now carries several name, such as spiral wrap,acid wrap,revolver and several others.  The point of the Spiral Wrap is that the wrap will give greater casting distance, better casting accuracy and most importantly, stability in fighting a fish.

(c) copyright:  LakeLady Custom Fishing Rods 2009

Why Buy A Custom Built Fishing Rod? Part 4 of a series

When considering to purchase a new custom rod, many factors come into play.  We have discussed all manner of detail in the posts below.  The final post of this series concludes with:

Choose a blank according to length, action and power including line test preference.  Custom builders will find the spine of the blank for strength and balance, then install a handle with the proper length to ergonomically fit and suit the fisherperson.  Then guides are added in the correct number according to the needs and requirement of the blank to function properly and fish well.  All of this takes time and expertise to make these elements all come together.

Custom fishing rods are surprisingly affordable and each one is created to suit  individual fishing styles.

(c) copyright - LakeLady Custom Fishing Rods - 2009

Why Buy A Custom Fishing Rod? Part 3 of a series.

Fishing lines, leader materials, hooks, lures, and reels all have an impact on rod designs.  Physical stature of the fisherperson even comes into play.  It is unreasonable to expect the commercial rod industry to offer such a diverse range of rods.

To get this high degree of specialization, the custom rod is the best answer.

(c) copyright:  LakeLady Custom Fishing Rods - 2009

Why Buy A Custom Built Fishing Rod? Part 2 of a series

Fisherman need to trust their instincts.  If there is something special an angler wants in rod performance, it's easier to build it into a custom rod than it is to buy over the counter.

(c) copyright:  LakeLady Custom Fishing Rods - 2009