Rod Builders

[fish_fishburn]

Hey gang, I am going to build a few new rods this winter and was wondering if anyone has ever build a spiral wrap. I plan on building a new dropshot rod and was thinking maybe try a spiral wrap and see what it's like. I have never seen one, let alone used one. My plan is to build the lightest rod I can so I will be using a splitgrip with micro guides and possibly no fore grip. I think I am going to go with the Alps zirconian guides on a Rainshadow ISB 802.5 blank. I just have to figure what size guides to use especially the stripper and bumper guide. I have searched the net for pros and cons and cant really find any cons on a spiral wrap and they kinda look strange, which intrigues me. Any and all info from anyone who has built one or used one would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has a recipe for such a strange creation I would like to hear about it before I put my order in. Thanks

Mike.

[bdox]

Seen them--strange. I guess the theoretical presupposition may be sound but not sure whether it makes a "practical" difference, one that is measurable. Strikes me to be another fad.

 

But hey! Give it a try and report back.

 

Since the reel and guides on a baitcaster sit on top of the rod, there is torsion/torque put on the blank when pressure is applied to the line. I believe the spiral wrapping minimizes this, causing less twisting and stress to the blank. What benefit this gives the user, I couldn't tell you. There is actually a diagram kicking around somewhere showing a spiral and conventional wrap loaded up and you can actually see the effects of the torsion on the conventionally wrapped rod. I'm on the train at the moment, but I'll look for it when I get home.

[capt bruce]

Ive been using Fenwick rods on my charter boat for many years because of the spiral guides , never liked the line lieing on the rod , with bait caster reels sitting on top of the rod makes sence to me to have the line on the bottom ..

[fish_fishburn]

I agree Capt, so this should apply for all types of fishing right? It originated on the west coast years ago. I'm thinking it would make a nice drop shot rod. Only one way to find out.

[Garry2Rs]

I agree Capt, so this should apply for all types of fishing right? It originated on the west coast years ago. I'm thinking it would make a nice drop shot rod. Only one way to find out.

 

To the best of my knowledge most drop shot rods are spinning rods.

Spiral wraps are for Casting rods.

The theory has to do with the line flowing off the bait cast reel during the cast.

You can drop shot lots of ways, but if you are fishing close to the boat, which is the classic drop shot technique, a casting rod and a spiral wrap isn't what you're looking for.

Garry2R's

[fish_fishburn]

Thanks Garry. I forgot to mention in the original post that I plan to use a baitcaster set up for drop shotting. I prefer casting reels over spinning and this application might make the casting reel work better for ds by getting the line under the rod. I know most use a spinning reel but I have been using my baitcaster for dropshotting and have had no problems. I'm just thinking outside the box sort of. Thanks for the reply.

[bigreddog]

I actually own a production spiral-wrapped rod from Japan - a Daiko Burroughs BRSC-64L. This is the same rod that's reviewed on Tackle Tour. It's rated for 1/8-1/2oz, which is probably around the same range you're looking for in a dropshot casting rod, although I've mostly used it for fishing unweighted plastics and light jerkbaits.

 

From a casting perspective, there isn't any noticeable penalty in distance, and the spiral wrap does seem to reduce the torque on the relatively lightweight blank, which is a twisting stress that most blanks aren't actually designed for. Sensitivity-wise, it's hard for me to say whether there's an advantage or not, since I don't have anything to compare that would make it an apples-to-apples comparison. I have no complaints in this area, however.

 

Another theoretical advantages of spiral wrapping a rod include the ability to use fewer guides, since there's less chance that the line will touch the blank since most of the line rests under the rod.

 

To Garry2R's point about the theory having to do with line flowing off the baitcast reel during the cast, I disagree. I think this applies more to interline rods, where the line is drawn down through the center of the blank. On a spiral-wrapped rod, the line is flowing through the guides, so really, the best one can hope for is that the line doesn't get impeded by the arrangement of the guides, and not a farther cast.

 

For vertical applications, I think a spiral-wrapped guide won't hurt, the line still comes off easily with little friction. (It's a different story for interline, which is good for distance casting, but in my opinion, not so good if you want to use it for paying out line easily.) Keep in mind though, for dropshotting with a casting reel, you'll want something that is well-suited to finesse techniques -- like a Daiwa PX Type R or a JDM equivalent.

[Terry]

Thanks Garry. I forgot to mention in the original post that I plan to use a baitcaster set up for drop shotting. I prefer casting reels over spinning and this application might make the casting reel work better for ds by getting the line under the rod. I know most use a spinning reel but I have been using my baitcaster for dropshotting and have had no problems. I'm just thinking outside the box sort of. Thanks for the reply.

 

glad I am not the only one that uses a caster for drop shotting, no line twist

[fish_fishburn]

Exactly Terry.

[DRIFTER_016]

A spiral wrapped rod will counter the rotational torsion of having the reel mounted on top of the rod. A conventionally wrapped bait caster will try to fall to the side when under load because of the tortional twist on the rod as well as the weight of the reel on top. A spiral wrapped casting rod counteracts these forces and when under load the rod does not tend to want to fall to one side or the other.

 

I too have been using the Fenwick twist rods for 20 years and build quite a few spirally wrapped bait casters. I even build spirally wrapped heavy ice fishing rods for big trout.

 

[Garry2Rs]

Here's a link that talks about spiral wraps and the theory behind them.

Spiral or Acid Wrap

My first thought is a lot of this torque that is talked about isn't that big a deal on a bass size outfit.

When casting, my reel matches the rod, so it's not top heavy, and I'm palming it.

Perhaps on the retrieve a little torque to the right just puts the crank a little firmer in my fingers???

In a rod holder, trolling could be a different story, especially with a big line-counter or saltwater size reel.

A lot of smart people seem to think this is a hot set-up.

Next month I just might build one to see what it's like to cast with.

On the other hand, I won't put the hard finish on the spiral wraps until I'm 100% sold on the idea!

If I don't like it, all I've lost is a few yards of thread...GRIN.

Garry2R's

Edited December 2, 2011 by garry2rs

[BucktownAngler]

i was thinking about a spiral wrap baitcast ice fishing rod for this winter.

 

 

did some searching and found one made my clam.

 

http://www.thornebros.com/shop/pc/Clam-Jason-Mitchell-Walleye-Rod-28p2657.htm

 

anybody use one of these? feedback? ive never seen these locally

[DRIFTER_016]

i was thinking about a spiral wrap baitcast ice fishing rod for this winter.

 

 

did some searching and found one made my clam.

 

http://www.thornebros.com/shop/pc/Clam-Jason-Mitchell-Walleye-Rod-28p2657.htm

 

anybody use one of these? feedback? ive never seen these locally

 

 

I build my own.

 

 

Built a few for others as well.

 

 

[kemper]

Makes a lot of sense on longer rods such as bait cast float setups or trolling sticks, but I'm not sure you are going to see a huge benefit on a lighter/shorter rod such as a dropshot setup.

 

I've always figured that the bumper guide probably places some undue stress on the blank as well. Realistically, the torsion on a bait cast setup is hardly noticeable.

 

That said, I'm a fan of building anything once - so give it a rip and let us know how it performs.

 

You will enjoy those guides, I put Batson components on all my rods.

[DRIFTER_016]

Makes a lot of sense on longer rods such as bait cast float setups or trolling sticks, but I'm not sure you are going to see a huge benefit on a lighter/shorter rod such as a dropshot setup.

 

I've always figured that the bumper guide probably places some undue stress on the blank as well. Realistically, the torsion on a bait cast setup is hardly noticeable.

 

That said, I'm a fan of building anything once - so give it a rip and let us know how it performs.

 

You will enjoy those guides, I put Batson components on all my rods.

 

It is quite noticible with larger reels under pressure (ie when fighting a fish).

A conventional rod will try to fall over towards the reel handle side due to the torque and top heavy weight of the reel. This issue disapears with a spiral wrap.

 

All of my rigger rods have been spiral wrapped since the earl 90's. It makes a big difference.

[capt bruce]

It is quite noticible with larger reels under pressure (ie when fighting a fish).

A conventional rod will try to fall over towards the reel handle side due to the torque and top heavy weight of the reel. This issue disapears with a spiral wrap.

 

All of my rigger rods have been spiral wrapped since the earl 90's. It makes a big difference.

 

As a charter guy , I get alot of how do you say "Inexperienced" people . The first year I started (long long long ago) I had large spinning reels ,Ya guys reeling in against the drag , can you say megga line twist .. So we changed to bait caster type reels, line lieing on the blank ,lots of brake offs due to this and people getting their thumbs into the line , line burn hurts I have seen the results .. When the Fenwick rep came and showed the spriral wrap , problam solved.Now if i can only teach guys to back off on the hook sets , too many rods broken on the bridge when a huge hook set slams the rod into the flying bridge .. lmao .. but where did these people get this from .. T.V.shows ahhhhhhhhh ....

[Snidley]

I had an acid wrapped floatrod, a GL3 1263 and it was an awesome set up.

[DRIFTER_016]

As a charter guy , I get alot of how do you say "Inexperienced" people . The first year I started (long long long ago) I had large spinning reels ,Ya guys reeling in against the drag , can you say megga line twist .. So we changed to bait caster type reels, line lieing on the blank ,lots of brake offs due to this and people getting their thumbs into the line , line burn hurts I have seen the results .. When the Fenwick rep came and showed the spriral wrap , problam solved.Now if i can only teach guys to back off on the hook sets , too many rods broken on the bridge when a huge hook set slams the rod into the flying bridge .. lmao .. but where did these people get this from .. T.V.shows ahhhhhhhhh ....

 

 

Yep ,I sitll have a bunch of Fenwick rigger sticks.

The hooksets come from watching too many bass fishing programs.

[Garry2Rs]

After this post first appeared, last Winter, I built a couple of Spiral Wraps and used them for Pike fishing in the Spring and for Bass last Summer. These were built on two piece IM6 blanks and my intention was to remove the extra guide and convert them if I didn't like the feel etc.

 

What I found was that they cast very well and were not inconvenience in use. I placed the bumper guide (the guide that sits at right angles)on the same side as my reel handle so that, when the rod was laying on the deck, the extra guide was facing up, out of the way.

 

I liked them well enough that this Fall I built a new one piece rod in this fashion.

 

Although it isn't a big deal on a Bass rod, one of the practical benefits of this design is that, when fighting/lifting a heavy fish, the rod doesn't want to roll over in the hands.

 

This would seem to be an attraction that folks using 7000 Abu's, or any of the other large round reels, might really appreciate.

 

PM me if you would like to see pictures etc.

Garry2R's

[BucktownAngler]

After this post first appeared, last Winter, I built a couple of Spiral Wraps and used them for Pike fishing in the Spring and for Bass last Summer. These were built on two piece IM6 blanks and my intention was to remove the extra guide and convert them if I didn't like the feel etc.

 

What I found was that they cast very well and were not inconvenience in use. I placed the bumper guide (the guide that sits at right angles)on the same side as my reel handle so that, when the rod was laying on the deck, the extra guide was facing up, out of the way.

 

I liked them well enough that this Fall I built a new one piece rod in this fashion.

 

Although it isn't a big deal on a Bass rod, one of the practical benefits of this design is that, when fighting/lifting a heavy fish, the rod doesn't want to roll over in the hands.

 

This would seem to be an attraction that folks using 7000 Abu's, or any of the other large round reels, might really appreciate.

 

PM me if you would like to see pictures etc.

Garry2R's

 

post the pics here for everyone to see

[kemper]

It is quite noticible with larger reels under pressure (ie when fighting a fish).

A conventional rod will try to fall over towards the reel handle side due to the torque and top heavy weight of the reel. This issue disapears with a spiral wrap.

 

All of my rigger rods have been spiral wrapped since the earl 90's. It makes a big difference.

 

 

Yup, on rigger rods I absolutely see the benefit.

[DRIFTER_016]

Yup, on rigger rods I absolutely see the benefit.

 

Same goes for any rod with a larger reel.

Not nearly as noticible with low profile bass reels.

Helps a lot on short ice fishing rods too.

Especially when yer goin' after the big ones!!!