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Capt Neil

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  • What I do for a living:
    Custom Rod Builder

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  1. When I conduct a class I have a book that goes with the course and it is included in the cost. Now some folks already have the book as they have attended a class in the past. Sooooo, I have to sell it differently now. I am fortunate that some attendees come to the class more than once. I have had people attend the class even though they have no intention of building a rod. It does help them to look at factory rods better and they are better prepared to talk to a custom rod builder if they are headed in that direction. Anyhow, the text is loaded with rod building knowledge and also extra info on blanks. I believe it is worth the cost. This class is unusual in that a buffet comes with it. That is thanks to Steve Petrie and his connections. We will get spoiled this time.
  2. SaltHeart Hi, Thank you. Steve Petrie and I are hosting a 1 day rod building class. Hopefully the RodProf, Al Goldberg will be there in the AM to share his enthusiasm of rod building with the class. Date Sunday, April 24, 2005 Time 10AM-5PM Location Southside Fish and Clam Restaurant 395 Montauk Hwy Lindenhurst, NY Buffet Noon to 1PM, Seafood Buffet, included in the admission fee. Clam bar and drinks are extra. Hourly raffles Class text book, Rainshadow SWS 70M blank including all components and a Rainshadow hat, Forecast SWB 70M blanks with all conponents and a Rainshadow hat (thank you Bill Batson) and kits to build fishing rods. Cost $50.00 includes admission, raffles and Buffet. Limited to 40 attendees. Register Call Capt Neil Faulkner 631-567-8049. Prepay by sending check or MO to Capt Neil Faulkner 11 Harp Lane Sayville, NY11782 Course book is sold seperately for $20.00 as some already have the book. Blanks, components, supplies etc will be sold at the class. Directions from SS Pky Take Wellwood Ave exit south all the way to Montauk Hwy. Turn right onto Montauk Hwy (heading west). A couple blocks later you will see the restaurant on the south side. Come into the restaurand and we will be on the 1st floor west side. Here is an opportunity! You will learn the how's and why's in building your own custom rod.
  3. Hi, I am hosting a rod building class this month. You can reach me at 631-567-8049. If the mods say it is alright to post the info here I will do so.
  4. John E Hi, This is how I determine where the reel seat goes for my customers. We are looking for the proper arm extension in order to get maximun casting distance. This is just one item that generates maximum casting distance. I have the person hold the blank in one hand, parallel to the ground, and slide the butt end into the arm pit till it stops. I mark or mask tape each end of the hand on the blank. This is where the reel seat is installed. If the reel seat is too far up the blank you might jab your stomach on follow thru. If the distance from butt end to the reel seat is too close you loose power when casting, not sufficient arm extension. Both conditions will cost you distance. Only once have I had a customer come back and ask to have the butt shortened. This was due to a special area he fished. The original setting was fine when he worked the open beach. After using this method and having marked the reel seat area do some test swings. Try swinging the blank at the proper reel hand location, also at a shortened location and at a lengthened distance. I think you will find where you marked for the reel seat will be the most comfortably and natural casting location. Have fun crafting your new custom. Capt Neil Faulkner
  5. Walkin' Jack, Thank you for doing that for me. Enjoy those spirals of yours. Yes, the effect is more noticeable while fighting bigger fish but it still applies when using lighter rods. I am curious to see if I can use the spiral rollers on a very short stand up rod. Capt Neil
  6. Hi, I just finished a long reply about spiral wrapped rods BUT posted it on another thread. It is called, I think Shimano is copying Billy 40. You can go there to view it. OR.... If possible would the Moderator copy that post to this thread. I don't know how to do that. Thank You, Capt Neil
  7. Hi, Triet, thanks for reminding us by allowing us to click on that older thread on spirals. Spiral wrap dialog certainly brings out the negatives. Recently on a west coast board I shared what I had learned designing and building using the AA Roller Company's spiral roller guides. A poster thought my info was "SPAM". To each their own opinion. What can I say, I wore bell bottom dungarees with patch pockets when they were out of fashion. It would be easy to just ignore questions about the spiral wrapped rods. However, when someone asks a question I have to believe it is an honest question that deserves an answer. I wrapped a blank with the guides on top of the blank and then wrapped a set of guides on the same blank in the spiral fashion. The spine is used in the proper fashion for a conventional reel rod. The reel has 2 sets of line, one for each set of guides. The butt end rests on a revolving cone so the rod is free to seek its own position under load. I let viewers pull on each line to see exactly what the rod will do. When the line going thru the guides on top of the blank is pulled, the rod rotates either to the right or left till the reel is under the rod. This is because the line going thru the guides is above the center line of the blank and torque is created under load. When the person pulls on the line going thru the spiral guides the rod remains in position with the reel up. If you force the reel to a side and release your grip it will always go back to being on top. I bring this demo to shows and demonstrate it. Most fishermen will understand what is happening but will not fish with such a rod. It looks funny. So why do I fish spiral rods? What keeps a conventional rod in position while under the load of a fighting fish is my hand. The rod is trying to turn but my hand won't let it. The same thing happens when a gimbal is used. Ever wonder why you hand is tired after a full day of fighting fish? It has been fighting the torque/twisting of the rod. While fighting a fish, have you noticed the tip of the rod twisting to one side or another? Your hand/gimbal is preventing the butt from turning but the tip is thinner and free to move. This twisting is caused by the torque generated. On thicker tipped rods you might not notice this as reading but believe me it is happening internally. This generated torque is also felt on the guides and the reel seat. On a well made rod the effects will not be readily visable. But what about a rod that is not build well? Let's see, maybe a loose reel seat, a guide that moves to the side and loosens up. Some say you can't cast well with a spiral wrapped rod. Yes, you can. Others have proved it, over hand and under hand casting. But it looks funny!!! Yes it does. So what??? It usually takes an extra guide to static deflect a spiral rod properly. Yes, that makes it a bit more expensive but really not much. But, it looks funny!!! Yes, it does!!! So what??? I have had men in their 40's order 2 identical rods, one for them and one for their father. Theirs is conventionally wrapped and the rod for their father is spiral wrapped. Why, because the father has arthritis in his hands or something similar. The son knows it is good for his father but doesn't want his the same way. Gosh, they are funny looking rods. I couldn't fish a rod like that in front of my friends on a party boat! I hear that all the time. The first rod I spiral wrapped was a Calstar GX7, a great blank. After I static deflected for guide location, I placed 1 TURN of 1/2" masking tape around each guide foot, that's ALL!!! Then I fished for 4 consecutive days, on the Shinnecock Star over the Shinnecock Reef for porgys and sea bass. I used 6 and 8 oz sinkers in 75-85" of water. During that time I hooked and boated many fine fish. At the end of the 4 days/trips, not one guide came off or even moved. Try that with a conventional wrapped rod. That test made a me a big time believer. Recently I was asked by the designer and owners of the AA Roller Co. to build a stand up tuna rod to be tested by a LI fisherman, Dick Meirowitz. The blank was a Seeker CTSF 55 XXXH blank and the spiral rollers that the AA Roller Co manufacturers. Dick took this rod and other rods for a 17 day long range trip on the EXCELL out of San Diego. We all wanted to see Dick catch large tuna with these rollers. You will see them referred to as "ACID ROLLERS! Some people felt the large tuna would cause the transition guides, first 2 above the reel, to twist out of position and even some guides might be ripped off the rod. Well, the concept passed with flying colors. Dick's largeast yellow fin tuna was a beautiful 259 #'er. You should see the sickles on that fish. You can see pics and read about the debate by reading the ALL Coast Tackle web and also the noreast site, Ask the Pros and Fishing rods forum. After I laid out the guides on the Seeker blank, I taped them in place once again using 1 turn of 1/2" masking tape. We used the reel Dick would use on the trip. The line was run thru the guides and I pulled against 50#s of drag. I did this several times, pulling line off the reel, and the guides stayed in place. I asked Dick how many #s of drag the reel could produce. He said about 70 #s. I said lets go for it. Wearing a leather glove and wrapping about 8 turns of line around my hand, I stood still and let Dick use the rod and reel. Finally, line started to pull off the reel. Guess what??? The guides were still on the rod and in the exact position that I had taped them. Now, I wish I had video taped this test to show it was not SPAM! So someone will say, big deal and so what??? That tells me there is so little stress on the components when placed properly on a spiral wrapped rod. Some day I will find the correct tool to measure the amount of pressure applied to the guides. Then I will post that for everyone to digest. Yes, rods built like this are not for everyone. That is fine, I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with folks that bad mouth the concept but are not willing to test a rod wrapped this way. If you just say it is not for me, that is fine. If you test a spiral wrapped rod and say I don't see much difference, that is fine also. Let's face reality. You have $20,000 in offshore rods and reels that do the job. I don't blame someone for not wanting to buy new rods. I have 2 spiral wrapped stand up rods headed to Florida next week. One has ring guides and the other has acid rollers. These are 2 of my demo rods for fishermen to test. This way you can see for yourself what the commotion is all about. If interested in testing a demo rod all you have to do is ask. It is a test, that's all. There is not a hi pressure sales pitch that goes with it. For a test drive or to ask questions all you have to do is call me in the shop at 631-567-8049. Oh, yes, I do expect you to return the rods, ha! For the fishermen that wanted info on the spiral wrapped rods I hope my post satisfies your quest for knowledge. This system can be used on all types of rods. I think my next spiral wrapped rod will be a stand up short stroker, about 4'8", bent butt, with roller guides. I want to use the AA Roller guides. It could be an interesting design. Yes, they do look funny BUT they fight fish wonderfully and are a pleasure to fish. Capt Neil Faulkner
  8. Hi Guys, That is interesting news that Shimano is offering Spiral wrapped rods for sale. Are they selling them in the US or only in Japan? Yes, I believe that Diawa tried selling them back in the 80's some time. Like the Inline rods they were not accepted by the general public. As a rod builder, as well as other rod builders who offer spiral wrapped rods, most fishermen do not respond to rods wrapped in this fashion. Even the ones who agree in principal that it is a better way to design a rod won't be caught dead fishing with one on a PB. Ha, they don't know what they are missing. Capt Neil
  9. ESPO Hi, What locale do you live in? Have you tried asking at your local Bait & Tackle shop? Do you have friends who have custom rods? Ask them if they are happy with their custom rod and if so who made it for them. Look for some names in the Rod Building Forum. Read enough and you will find some. You can place a post there and ask who builds custom rods in your area. Explain what you are looking for. I am sure you will get replies.
  10. Hi, I recently built a Lamiglas CSB 120 1M and gave it to Mike Lang for the Tom Melton auction. I think it will be on the auction soon. My demo CSB 120 1M has been tested by surf casters. Tiderunner tested it and wrote up an extensive report on his experiences using it. No Equal also posted a report. Capt Neil
  11. Rodder Hi, Rodmaker Magazine, Volume 7, #5, page 21 are 2 pics of a woven dragon and signature weave by Hiro Tanaka of Osaka, Japan. Beautiful work!!!
  12. PurpleNoon Hi Robert, Good to see you at the LFFM today. Unfortunately you were there at the only busy time. Sorry we did not have a quiet time to talk. The AVID series is the SC3 blanks. The 4-12 oz model should be very stiff. The 100m in the SC3 should be a nice swinging blank. Any chance you can see the factory version in a local tackle shop? Capt Neil
  13. Hi Robert, If you look at te SC3 blank models you will see that they make a 1 piece and a 2 piece in the same ratings. Capt Neil Faulkner
  14. Hi BC, Great answer. We are talking 9'rods. We all build for different folks using different reels etc. The height of the center line of the spool above the blank usually dictates to me whether I use a 40HH or a 40. Your point of the 5th guide is well taken. Too often after setting up the striper guide properly we are not left with much room for the other 3 or 4 guides. I place a lot of importance on the line running parallel to the blank when on the back swing of a cast. I don't want it touching the blank as you load up going from back to forward motion. I always find it very interesting how each one of us rationalizes why we design they way we do. In our own way each of us is right but at the same time very different from others. I have always believed that if the person using the rod liked the rod he/she will make it perform better. The same goes for lures. Hopefully that translates to more fish. Interesting also is how each location prefers their rods made differently. Some areas still swear by wire loop guides. Others prefer the Concept system or the more common ceramic guides. Capt Neil Faulkner
  15. Big Country Hi, I know you have good reasons for each thing you do. I see you use 5 guides on the GSB 108 1L. I suspect your test casting led you in this direction. What differences did you see when casting with 3, 4 or 5 guides on this blank? Capt Neil Faulkner
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