Thanks Thanks:  0
HaHa HaHa:  0
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 26

Thread: casting test for super-UL rod

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    334
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default casting test for super-UL rod


    Some of you know that I make custom rods. One of the rod types I specialize in is super-UL rods that are lighter in action than any factory UL, and will cast very light lures, 1/64 oz. and even lighter, significantly further than any factory rod. I've made a few of these rods for bluegill fanatics and have gotten rave reviews, but sometimes people are skeptical when I tell them how well they'll cast the super-light stuff, so I decided to do a test. Even I was surprised at how far the rod cast a 1/64 oz. jig.

    The rod is a 6'6" spinning rod, made on a graphite blank. I used 2-lb. test on a Shimano 2500, and did ten casts each with a 1/64 oz. jig, a 1/32 oz. jig, and a 1/16 oz. jig. Here are the results:

    1/64 oz. jig:
    42.4'
    43.6'
    43'
    45'
    46.2'
    44.4'
    44.9'
    45.9'
    49'
    42.9'
    Longest cast: 49 feet
    Average distance: 44.7 feet

    1/32 oz. jig:
    64'
    57.5'
    55.4'
    61'
    53'
    59'
    58.5'
    56'
    61'
    62'
    Longest cast: 64 feet
    Average distance: 58.7 feet

    1/16 oz. jig:
    69.6'
    67'
    65'
    66'
    67.3'
    64'
    68'
    66.7'
    67'
    64'
    Longest cast: 69.6 feet
    Average distance: 66.5 feet

    So the rod cast a 1/64 oz. jig an average of just under fifteen yards, and a 1/32 oz. jig an average of just under twenty yards.

    Here's a photo of one of these rods I made for one of the regulars on ****************:

    [img:center] hybrid-special-web by tnpondmanager, on Flickr[/img]




  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    1,410
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Nice craftsmanship on the rod. Is that burl cork or wood handle? Long time UL rod / bluegill fisherman here casting 1/64 and 1/32 oz jigs on a regular basis. There have been many times when going to the 1/64 oz jig makes all the difference. We tip with wax worm, cast , let drop, jig, reel, drop , jig, reel, repeat. Rods and reels only part of the equation....as I found out early on... the line is a critical factor in casting along with diameter of spool and rod type. What kind of line did you use? Also, have you ever tested 5' versus 5 1/2' versus 6' versus 6 1/2' versus 7' ? Would be an interesting test. I have always preferred the handling of a shorter UL rod, however my limited sense of physics would lead me to think more travel arc in the longer rod would equal greater distance. The trick for me would be to find the lightest blank possible in the longer lengths before I would be happy using one.

    HHD
    GnawMart Tenderloin Sandwich Prostaff, Gnawbone Indiana

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    334
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Thanks for the compliment, Hoosier Hog Daddy. The handle is stabilized big leaf maple burl wood, dyed green; I turn the handles myself. I agree 100% that oftentimes an extra-light presentation makes all the difference - this particular rod was made for a bluegill nut in Indiana who often fishes a near-weightless presentation during the warm months, consisting only of a Wooly Bugger tipped with a waxworm and no added weight, and wanted a rod that would allow him still to cast that rig a decent distance.

    For the casting test, I don't remember the exact line I used other than it was mono; I think it was Trilene. One could probably get even more distance with one of the fluorocarbons as I have heard they make a difference in that area.

    As far as the length of the rod's impact on casting distance, I absolutely have found what you surmise in that regard, to be true - the longer rods, everything else being equal, invariably cast further. In terms of weight, the blank that the above rod was made on weighs .7 of an ounce before anything is added to it - it's graphite and pretty small in diameter. The owner of that rod says it will make your heart beat faster when you get a big bluegill on because the rod is so light that you wonder if it can handle the force (it can). It really magnifies the fight. The owner of the rod above has caught several hybrid bluegill up to a pound and a half on the rod, and my mother caught a 31-oz. hybrid in October 2012 on a rod made on the same blank, so it can handle bigger fish.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Pensacola, Florida
    Posts
    44
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    How much would a rod like that cost?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    334
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by donut slayer View Post
    How much would a rod like that cost?
    PM sent

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Paducah , Ky.
    Posts
    315
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    How many guides do you put on this rod to handle two pound line ?
    P M price to me if you would please.

    thanks
    Yodi
    Yodibuzz

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    334
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I use the New Guide Concept system for guide placement, so a 6'6" rod like the one pictured would have seven guides not including the tip-top. Most of those are running guides, which are smaller and therefore add less weight to the blank. I mostly use PacBay Minima guides because they're the lightest spinning guides available (and they work great).

    I'll send you a PM. Thanks for the interest,
    Walt

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    4
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Do you make longer rods? I do a lot of trout fishing and I tend to use an 7'6" or 8' phenix rod(extra fast.. I don't like the new blanks they use(most are moderate action) so I have been looking for a new rod.

    Basics of what I would b looking for.
    7 - 8 foot
    ultra light
    extra fast
    cork grip
    Likes Crestliner08 LIKED above post

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    334
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I do make longer rods - just made a 9' spinning rod on a custom 2-weight fly rod blank from New Zealand. I can build on any blank that's out there; it's just a matter of choosing the right blank for what you want the rod to do.

  10. #10
    CrappiePappy's Avatar
    CrappiePappy is offline Super Moderator - 2013 Man Of The Year * Crappie.com Supporter
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    23,501
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Have you tried your distance tests with a reel smaller than a 2500 series ?? Just seems like a humongus reel for a whisper weight rod. I'm just thinking that a 500-1000 series reel would be a more appropriate size for a super UL rod & 2lb test line.

    I have two rods that I consider "super UL" ... 6'6" Mitchell Zero Gravity (high modular density carbon blank) with a Zebco ProStaff 2 reel... and they would cast a 1/32oz jig on 4lb test, a pretty good distance. Never measured the distances, but it would surprise me if they were less than 30' using a wrist snap cast. Nowhere near your distances, though.

    I'm wondering, too, why a 6.5ft rod has to have a ~2ft long handle .... not so much in the case of your pictured rod, but just in general (as I've seen & have rods made that way). I understand the need for long handles on rods meant to be put in rod holders, and even on some casting rods for leverage. But, just how much leverage does one need when battling a 1lb panfish on 2lb test line, anyway ?? Sometimes even my primary jig casting rod (6'6" ESP PowerLite), which has an extended handle (poodle tail), is cumbersome to use ... especially when sitting down while retrieving. The extra long handle wants to hang in my shirt/jacket, and it's only 15" long (from blank to butt end of the poodle tail). I can understand the need for the leverage when you're talking about a 6, 7, 8lb Bass or Hybrid Striper ... but it does seem to be a bit of overkill for a 1-2lb fish.

    ... cp
    Likes DV8ed, Crestliner08, Techno2000 LIKED above post

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

BACK TO TOP