Spinal SPM8 Custom

[FishNaddiction]

I finally completed my first tuna casting rod. I don't have any good pics of the wraps so I posted the best pic I took. It is blue nylon over metallic silver. No color preserver was used allowing a bit of the metallic to shine through in sunlight. I'm going to call this one "Big blue" since it is the beefiest long stick I have. Spinal makes one heftier than this but I would not be able to do battle for long periods on anything stiffer than this. I would like to one day do a 200# or better BFT solo and this is my weapon of choice.
Spinal SPM8 Blank
Fuji ICMNSG Guides
Fuji DPSD Reel Seat
EVA Grips.

[tankerfly]

Looks great. Good luck with it.

[FLATLINER]

Great job! now go get some pullage on it!!

[sticksnbones]

nice looking rod. nice color scheme. i like the handle, it stands out. what guides did you use? what was the guide layout? did you use the ngc?

[FishNaddiction]

Thanks for the compliments. The guides are Fuji ICMSGs 40,30,25,20,16,12, and 12T@5-1/2, 10-3/4, 18-1/8, 25-5/8, 34-1/8, and 48-1/8". The EVA was cut on a miter saw @22.5*.

[sticksnbones]

I have not built one of these rods. Is there a reason for the guide selection and layout as opposed to using the New Guide Concept system for this type of rod? I am curious if this type of rod has different needs, applications, or stresses than other spinning rods.

[FishNaddiction]

Rod building, like everything else has a lot of compromises. Most tuna casters I saw use 6 guides. More guides equal less line slap and better rod loading but at the price of addded weight. I came up with the spacing by taping the guides on and doing some back yard casting until I found a placement I liked. A big influence on the placement of the guides is the big spool on my Stella 20K. I know there are guys out there that know a lot more about this than I do and may be able to offer more feedback or have better ideas on placement. The NGC is a good starting reference I'm sure, but I don't think you can make a standard chart to work with all blanks as each one has its own characteristics of how it loads up. I have never been known to follow all the rules which is part of the reason why I build my own rods.

[Raymond Adams]

Interesting grips! Clean guide wrap too.

[sticksnbones]

thanks for the reply. i build mostly lite tackle. i am learning about the offshore rods and their requirements. i could see the cone of flight guide set up and wanted to know if there was a reason for using this type of guide setup for this type of rod.
the new guide concept system does not use a chart. it is based on the spool diameter of the reel used. it typically uses no more than 3 guide sizes

my questions were for this type of rod as i am learning about these offshore rods and their requirements.

[FishNaddiction]

The requirements are different as offshore guys use heavy braid. This means heat buildup on long blistering runs. They must also be double foot due to the loads and casting knots through the guides. SIC is the best for this application to my knowledge for the heavy braid. I would like to try the K frames (high frame) but not sure how they will hold up and $$$. I see some guys are using them.