My 9'7" rods are almost finished

Harv is almost finished with my custom rods. The butt section is still in rough-cut mode cuz he is getting ready to add a balancing system. At 9'7" and then adding a 10oz. bait to the mix, it will certainly be a tad bit tip-heavy. :)

We decided not to go with Fuji guides but instead we went with a more beefy guide that can handle ice removal much better. The only problems I ever have with my rods is keeping the guide inserts from popping out during the ice months.


http://www.grizzlygary.com/threads/1...stom-quot-rods..

I would like to see how far I could fling a jerkbait with that thing.

I am very interested in seeing how many more boatside fish can be converted by having a much deeper fig-8 without getting on my knees to do so.

I'm right there with ya Red. I can't wait to give the 9'3" Okuma a whirl this Spring. I'm thinkin that I'll barely even have to lean over to do a decent 8. LOL I'm just really psyched to have that Revo Toro Winch on there to finally start chuckin some big blades with regularity.

Kneeling going into the 8 or "Kneeling to the musky gods"... I'll have to give that a try with my stubby little 8'-6" rods... Hahaha!

With my luck, I would kneel down, hit a boulder with the tip of the rod and jam the butt end right into my trachea.

LMAO My "best" one with a kneeling figure-8 was with a BIG fish following with the tail of the bulldawg tickling its nose. As I came out of the first turn, the handle of the reel caught on the side of the boat and brought the whole maneuver to a complete stop. I swear it felt like that bulldawg sat on that Musky snout for 30 seconds before I got it going again. Of course the Musky was pretty much laughing its butt off and just SLOWLY drifted back out of sight never to be seen again. That was my first experience with a suspended fish too.

Looks like a nice rod. That's definitely going to be nice on the 8.

How's the build coming on your 10' 2-piece? I'm anxious to see how the rod comes out with so much material trimmed off the butt.

jeremy

Just talked to the Croix factory guy on Monday again and he said I would be in good shape using the 12ft Premier Surf rod (XH/ 4 to 16oz/2 piece) and then removing the 2ft from the butt section.

I am going to wait until I try these 9'7"'s out first before I do anything. If these work out well, I may only chop off a foot from those 12 footers and make them an even 11' but move the reel seat forward to about 18-20 inches so I am not being out leveraged (when casting) by the increased length. I like the idea of a 10-11' rod that is a 2 piece deal. If PA ends up going to a 3-rod per man regulation, those longer rods would come in very handy for guys who do not use planer masts.

Still pondering.

Sounds like it could end up being a pretty sweet rod. There are a growing number of musky fishermen out there looking for longer 2-piece rods. Hopefully we'll see something offered in the near future.

jeremy

The finished photos:


http://www.grizzlygary.com/threads/1...-s-custom-rods..

Red, those look fantastic!! I've been lovin the Okuma 9'3"!! If those rods perform well for ya, I'd be willing to purchase the new "Red Childress Signature Kick Ass Esox Stick" when they become available in a heartbeat!! ;D

They do look nice Red. I also saw that he posted the pics on OntarioFishing.net. I'm jealous!

I just picked up 2 Gander Mt. 8ft rods....they were marked down to $39!!! I bought the only two that they had left.

You just can't argue about a 39 dollar rod. Heck of a deal.

I see there web site has the advantage model for $39.99 two models Medium-Heavy and Heavy. Of course there would be shipping on top of that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HD Fatboy

I see there web site has the advantage model for $39.99 two models Medium-Heavy and Heavy. Of course there would be shipping on top of that.

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The Advantage rods are only 7' models, unfortunately. Whatever 8'er he got for $39 was a good buy! I'm assuming its the one that normally sells for $80. There's a black one that sells for $100.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by catchandrelease

The Advantage rods are only 7' models, unfortunately. Whatever 8'er he got for $39 was a good buy! I'm assuming its the one that normally sells for $80. There's a black one that sells for $100.

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Thanks for the info!

The 9'7" rods were delivered to me yesterday and I am just a little excited to test them out this weekend. The fatter cork on the fore-grip is going to be super nice.

I'm anxious to hear how those rods did for you. What blank were they built on? I'm assuming it was one of three: Sling Blade, Big Dawg, or Big Nasty.

jeremy

It was built on the Big Dawg blank and with the extra length added, it launches DC's as well as MagDawgs very nicely. When I work Mantas/Hellhounds/Phantoms, I put about 20 inches of the rod tip in the water while working them and can get them deeper while still working them quickly with hardly any noise. The smallest baits I have thrown with it so far has been the 6" soft-tail Phantoms and it handles them just fine. The best way to describe them is a longer version of the Big Nasty but with a little more backbone.

I had debated in only ordering 1 of them but decided on 2 and I am so glad I did. (1 rigged with the Toro HS 61 and a Luna on the other.) It is an incredible all-around stick. I could not be happier.

There might be a Big Nasty and Sling Blade for sale on here pretty soon.

There's nothing like taking a new rod out for some break in time and loving it! I've been slowly converting most of my rods over to longer stuff also. I like a 7'6" for bass and I love my 8'6" Lami musky rod.

jeremy

After about 11,000 casts so far this summer, these rods are holding up great. It is so nice having the extra length to keep those followers away from the boat on the fig-8. Harv (the local rod builder here in Warren County) is making a few more sticks for some of my clients that have tested them out this summer. Some of the rod themes/colors include: Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders. Harv can do it all.

After casting larger/heavier baits since October, I think I am going to have the reel seat moved forward another 2 inches or so. These heavier baits (in conjunction with 101 inches of rod ahead of the seats) are out-leveraging my 43 year old wrists. I think if I have the seats moved forward a couple of inches, the pain will lessen.

Red, Do you have any details or pics of your balancing system. I am trying to put something together for one of my 9' rods and just can't get something I like.

All I mainly use are the "Balancers" sold by Bass Pro. My current butts (until they get refurbished after testing them out this past season) have giant shrink wrap tubing over the cork and onto the Balancer itself to keep it in place. I used extra lead for these longer rods to help alleviate "tip heaviness". The more I used the "rubber coated butts", the more I liked them but I am still going to have them switched to syncork for next season.