I have a question on cutting jigging rod blanks....

[JerseyBrian]

So guys, say I wanted to buy a jigging rod blank. It is 6ft long, rated for PE 3-6 and for use upto 300g jigs (MAX).

Now say that I wanted to cut it down anywhere to 5'4"-5'6" for my intended use...

Now, will all of the length that is going to be cut off the blank be from the bottom of the rod? Sorry for the newbie question

But, how will this affect the original rating of the rod? Will the max lure rating increase or decrease from the original rating? How will the max drag rating of the blank be affected?

Thanks in advance.

Brian

[Banshee]

I would vcut it off the butt end. I have not built a jigging rod yet, but plan to. I have cut down other rods. go for it.

JW

[paul708]

cutting the butt will slow the action
cutting the tip will make it a little faster
sometimes we cut both ends..to keep it the way we want it

some blanks are better when not cut

if you cut the tip, it may be able to work a heavier jig
if you cut the butt you may be cutting all the power away

most blanks are built to be used at the rating they were built for
which is why there are so many blank choices
cutting usually voids warrenty

we cut alot of surf rods for tog and cod rods
and of course i cut OTI and JM rods for jigging rods

[Finesse]

Help
I'm not familiar with these jigging blanks, So that being said, 6" off the butt will affect these blanks that much ??

[paul708]

Originally Posted by Finesse

Help
I'm not familiar with these jigging blanks, So that being said, 6" off the butt will affect these blanks that much ??

depends on the blank,
most times when you cut will effect action,

you may not notice 6" off.
but remember, voids warrenty, and not as designed to be fished
rodbuilders cut blanks and find out, they dont work..or do work,
and how they work
and we pass the custom cut rods along to the user..

just keep in mind when cutting a blank, it is not being used as intended..

[FESS]

Not to be argumentative...just curious.

Wouldn't cutting the butt make it faster
and...
in turn, cutting the tip make it slower?

Reasoning being: cutting the butt leaves more of the thinner tip section and less backbone....making it more bendable overall(??)...faster

and then cutting the tip portion, would leave more of the stronger butt, making it slower to bend and stronger overall(??)...slower
Help me out...I'm no rod builder.
Thanks in advance Paul.
allen

[shoefish]

Good question Fess, and I'm looking forward to what others have to say.

I think the answer to your question is it depends on the original blank. A blank is fast if the tip is "whippier" up at the tip and then loads quickly (think west coast style rods, popping rods, etc). A slow blank is one that the tip isn't "whippy" and the load is spread all the way back to the reel seat (think jigging rods).

So you can classify a rod "fast" or "slow" based on where that transition point from "whippy" to "stiff" is and how wide the transition is; generally the further up towards the tip, the faster the blank, and the further towards the but, the slower it is.

So now let's take a blank that the transition point is half way. If you cut from the butt, that transition point moves closer to the butt, making it slower (and less powerful). If you take the same blank and cut from the tip, the transition point moves closer to the tip, making it faster (and potentially more powerful).

Does that make sense? Probably not...I'm dizzy after all that thinking...I need to lay down

[mannysmate]

Get a rodholder without bottomcap, slide the blank up or down to the point ya think ya want to cut the butt-section and do yur static tests (it will give ya a basic idea what the blank is gonna do after been cut-down)

Do the same with the tip by "sliding" yur tip-top up or down the blank (I use cut vinyl tubing)

This method has worked for me in the past and WILL give you a basic idea how the blank will perform after been cut down. Make sure ya do yur static tests with ALL guides in place

This might not work with all blanks but it works on most I use

[JerseyBrian]

Originally Posted by shoefish

Good question Fess, and I'm looking forward to what others have to say.

I think the answer to your question is it depends on the original blank. A blank is fast if the tip is "whippier" up at the tip and then loads quickly (think west coast style rods, popping rods, etc). A slow blank is one that the tip isn't "whippy" and the load is spread all the way back to the reel seat (think jigging rods).

So you can classify a rod "fast" or "slow" based on where that transition point from "whippy" to "stiff" is and how wide the transition is; generally the further up towards the tip, the faster the blank, and the further towards the but, the slower it is.

So now let's take a blank that the transition point is half way. If you cut from the butt, that transition point moves closer to the butt, making it slower (and less powerful). If you take the same blank and cut from the tip, the transition point moves closer to the tip, making it faster (and potentially more powerful).

Does that make sense? Probably not...I'm dizzy after all that thinking...I need to lay down

Shoe, from your description, my blank is definitely a jigging rod. VERY parabolic and bends all the way to the butt. I've asked the owner of the company on his recommendations as to where I should cut the blank if I wanted a 5'4"-5'5" rod with his 6ft blank. I'm excited to get this blank. She weighs in at a hefty 146g however I'm looking at a 1-2 month wait. Here is a photo of the blank deadlifting 15kgs (33lbs).

[FESS]

Shoe...I think u summed it up nicer than I did or tried to do.

What is that blank made of...what material...fiberglass, boron, graphite etc.??? Composite? It seems to be too slow for my tastes...unless you're fishing 20 lb or lighter...ok, I'll go to 25lb....not enough back-bone IMHO...but to each his own...I'm just too picky maybe. If you'll be trying to pull groupers outa their lairs the bend alone may have them rocked up before you can say Bob's your Uncle...but maybe you're jiging tuna in a more mid-level style or approach.
What pound tackle do you plan on using and what's the target species and depth.....braid, dacron or mono?
You've got my curiosity going now...

The backbone seems to start about where that blue vertical sign is on your fence...or about 6-8 inches in-front of your upper hand...I'd like to see it a good 12-18 inches in front of that...depending on pound test tackle, to some extent, you'll be using.
allen