bushido rod blanks

[bobbymalone]

anybody ever use one? they come from american tackle company and are available at that mud place for rod building supplies.

I'm thinking of building a cat rod on one of their light saltwater models. I like the mod-fast action for circle hooking. it would be a channel cat rod, with the exception of flatheads that like cut bait.

I've got a gorilla glass blank I'm turning into a cat rod, but I really don't like the huge diameter on the butt of that thing. getting hypalon grips on there is a bear. I still haven't figured it out and I'm a bit scared to just go for it, because once the epoxy comes out you are sorta committed to getting that grip on there.

any tips on getting a grip on an inch plus diameter rod butt would also be appreciated

[Brad B]

Could you just ream the grip out like you do with cork grips. The epoxy would fill in any gaps. Another Thing to do is use a epoxy that has a longer working time. If you do this the epoxy will act as a lube for the grip as you put it on the blank.

[A.W.Wolfram]

any tips on getting a grip on an inch plus diameter rod butt would also be appreciated

Start with the closest match on the ID.

Do a search for the "rubber cement Technique" I think Salty Dog put up a video on it.