Building The Best: A Tog & Fluke Combo Rod - The Fisherman

Building The Best: A Tog & Fluke Combo Rod

giants
When you are chasing giants a custom rod can give you the edge. This 19.58-pound jumbo tautog ate the wrong jig and fell victim to a Garone Custom Rod built on a Black Hole CB701L blank.

Build your ultimate fluke and tautog inshore bottom jigging rod.

Light tackle jigging for fluke and blackfish has exploded in recent years. It’s no surprise since these techniques are incredibly fun and effective.

But what do you do once the fish stop biting in the frigid winter months? If you are anything like me, you pray for spring, daydream about doormats and heavy white-chins while building a custom rod to catch them. Not only does rod building scratch the fishing itch during the winter, a well-made rod can put more fish in the boat.

assembly
This is what a custom fluke/tautog rod looks like before it’s a custom rod. This is a United Composites US70LM blank (my personal favorite), Fuji Titanium SIC guides, DPSD 17P reel seat, GRC19 butt cap, flor grade cork rings and an array of Fuji threads in both NOCP and
Ultrapoly.

Why Build Your Own?

There are many great off-the-rack rods, so why bother building one? Custom rod building isn’t just a fun way to pass the time, it’s an opportunity to optimize your fishing game. A well-made custom rod is a tool that works as an extension of the angler. By carefully choosing your components and assembling your build with purpose and attention, you will create a rod that you’ll be proud to fish with for years to come. Even though I’m more of a hoodie kind of guy, I often use the analogy of comparing a rod to a suit; sure you can find a suit at a department store, but a custom-tailored suit will fit you perfectly. Not only will it be more comfortable and reflect your personal style, it will make you look and feel like a million bucks. A well-made custom rod is all of those things.

trim-bands
Wrapping trim bands on a guide wrap. Only 100 or so more inlays to go!

Selecting the Blank

The blank is the foundation of your custom rod, arguably the most important component, so choosing the right one is key. I often see questions on social media “What is the best ____?”. This a loaded question because no two anglers fish exactly the same. No rod blank is perfect for everyone. The key is finding what’s perfect for you. When you compare different fishing styles it’s easy to see why. For example, the best fluke 2-ounce bucktail rod for Joe might be much too stiff for Mike. How could that be? Well, Joe jigs very quickly with a teaser above the bucktail, but Mike fishes a single jig and prefers to swim it at a slow, methodical pace. Joe needs a rod with a stiffer tip that recovers quickly to account for his faster jigging pace and added drag of his teaser. But, Mike can get away with a softer tip and still achieve the desired action.

Below is a chart with rod blank recommendations based on different conditions and fishing styles. There are plenty of great blanks I didn’t mention here, but these are proven producers. A good rule of thumb is you want a rod blank around 7 feet, rated for 8- to 17- or 12- to 20-pound line with a fast or moderate-fast bend. Most rod blanks in this range will bend enough to keep big fluke and tautog from coming unbuttoned while still featuring the lifting power to move them up and away from structure.

Cut Out The Fat

The enemy of any rod used for an active style of fishing is excess weight. A lighter rod is more sensitive, allows you more time at the rail without fatigue, and is generally more fun to use. How and where you save weight also has a tremendous bearing on how the rod performs. For example, reducing the weight by a quarter of an ounce at the tip will be much more noticeable than right above the foregrip. That’s why adding a little extra weight for artistic embellishment above the foregrip does not hinder the performance of the rod very much. Here are a few ways to save weight and optimize weight distribution while balancing durability and other practical concerns.

1.) Use the smallest and lightest guides possible.

I use the Fuji KR concept style layout for almost all light tackle spinning rod applications. This system excels with braid: the combination of a high-frame, small-ring stripper guide with lightweight running guides that rapidly reduce in size, quickly eliminates any of the oscillation from the line peeling off the spool. This layout takes into account the reel size, line type and weight, rod length and reel face location to give a great starting point for guide placement. I still recommend using static deflection to tweak the location of your guides to assure optimal guide placement on your rod blank. This is especially relevant toward the tip. To input your build specifics visit the following link: anglersresource.net/kr-guide-placement-software/

layout
The KR concept guide layout shaves weight and quickly controls line oscillation off the spool.

Component selection is a key step in the rod building process. Here you can see the difference in weight between the same set of guides in stainless steel frames with Alconite rings versus titanium frames with SIC rings (remember to use an additional KB choke guide along with the other guides listed).

Component selection is a key step in the rod building process. Here you can see the difference in weight between the same set of guides in stainless steel frames with Alconite rings versus titanium frames with SIC rings.

Component selection is a key step in the rod building process. Here you can see the difference in weight between the same set of guides in stainless steel frames with Alconite rings versus titanium frames with SIC rings.

This guide train uses more guides than traditional layouts but overall weight is significantly reduced. The small, relatively short, guide feet do not require as much thread and finish to cover them, shedding even more weight. The added points of contact between the line and the rod force the line to follow the blank’s natural curvature resulting in increased sensitivity and power. As a general rule of thumb I recommend using size seven running guides for tautog jigging rods to accommodate heavier leader line and large knots that will not pass through “micro” guides. For fluke-specific jigging rods with light leader and slim knots like the FG, I go down to a size 5.5 guide to save additional weight. 

2.) Graphite reel seat arbors

Using graphite reel seat arbors can save a significant amount of weight with light tackle applications. This is especially true with very thin blanks where a lot of epoxy and tape would have to be used to fill the void between the outer diameter of the blank and the inner diameter of the reel seat. They are not only easy to use, but have the added benefit of enhancing sensitivity.

3.) Lightweight grips and reel seats

One of the mistakes I made as a beginner was to put a metal reel seat on a light tackle spinning rod. Although anodized metal seats look great, there is no practical benefit and they add unnecessary weight. If you plan to jig tautog in the cold, they also draw heat from your hands much faster than a graphite reel seat. For grip materials try to stick with lightweight options such as EVA foam, cork, and carbon fiber. Stay away from hyperon or its replacement EPDM.

complete-wrap
Completed guide wrap.

Ergonomic Optimization

The ability to customize your grip length, shape and material is a major variable in a rod’s feel and performance. It affects weight distribution, as well as the angler’s mechanical advantage while casting and fighting a fish, and overall comfort. For light tackle applications, you typically want the butt of the rod long enough to be even with or slightly past your elbow while holding the rod. This allows you to tuck the rod butt into your armpit if you need additional leverage while fighting a big fish, but still short enough to easily underhand cast with two hands. I prefer to turn my own grips so the diameter of my reel seat and butt cap match perfectly with the grips. This allows for my hand to easily move up and down without variation. I also like to carry the thickness of my foregrip to the top on the grip, so I have enough material to grasp without fully closing my hand.

If you don’t have the means to turn your own grips, there are several grips on the market with vastly superior ergonomics than what was readily available just a few years ago. A great starting length for the rear grip on this style rod is 12 inches measured from the butt of the rod to the top of the rear grip when using an up-locking reel seat. Most anglers rarely use the foregrip on this style rod, but I still like a 2.5-plus-inch foregrip in case you hook something unexpected and are in a prolonged fight.

Fit & Finish

Although the main focus of every rod I build is performance, I want my rods to look as beautiful as they perform. There are an infinite number of ways you can embellish a custom rod and there are no rules governing rod art. However, there is a fine line where too much ‘bling’ takes away from the overall aesthetic of the rod and often causes an appreciable decline in performance. Keep that in mind when adding thread inlays, cross wraps, feather inlays, marbling, dragon scales, snake skin and exotic handle materials, or anything else you might dream up.

One of the most important, and sometimes difficult, skills to master is achieving quality finish. We all strive for a flawless, glasslike finish, but it can be temperamental. Each epoxy has unique attributes that you will have to learn to work with to get the best results. As a general rule of thumb I apply multiple thin coats of high-build finish using my power wrapper. With the first coat I try to “flood” the wrappings so the thread is completely wet and the finish flows into any voids like the “tunnel” that is created where the thread and guide foot meet. After the first coat has cured, I trim any ‘stick ups’ and apply another thin coat. It normally takes me four to six coats to adequately cover the guide wrappings and artwork. Depending on your application technique and finish brand, it may take more or less. Great finish work, not only looks superior, but serves a practical purpose; it saves unnecessary weight while encapsulating and protecting your wrappings for the life of the rod.

wraps
Custom rod building has no rules set in stone, you can make it as mild or wild as you want.

If you made it this far, I must have really grabbed your interest, or you loved rod building already, if that’s the case, grab a blank and start building! In all seriousness, I hope you enjoyed this article. I have been blessed by the generosity of wonderful rod builders from all over the country who have shared their knowledge with me. I hope to do the same for you. If you don’t know where to start, have any questions, comments or topics you would like me to cover, please reach out to me at garonerods@gmail.com.

finished
Completing a custom rod is an immensely rewarding experience which is only amplified when you land your first fish on your rod.

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Rod Blank

Rod blanks are the bare shaft all rod are built on. They are made from sheets of carbon fiber (graphite), fiberglass or a “composite” of the two which are pre impregnated with resin, cut into flags, wrapped around a steel mandrel, wrapped with cellophane, and then baked in an oven to cure the resin. They are then pulled off the mandrel, cut to specified tip size and length before final prep is done for coatings or paint. There are several key metrics to consider when choosing a rod blank. We discuss these terms in additional detail below including power, action/taper, and lure rating. It is important to know there is no standard measure for establishing rod ratings through the industry so they can vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer.

 

Modulus

Simply put, the stiffness of the material used in the blank. There are different modulus of carbon, as well as fiberglass. Carbon has a higher modulus than fiberglass. The higher the modulus the stiffer the material. As a result, less high modulus material can be used to achieve a desired power. This equates to a lighter rod blank that transfers more energy from the tip of the rod through the butt to the angler. What’s not to love? Well, as with most things in life there are tradeoffs. Less material used in high modulus blanks means they are typically less forgiving to abuse. However, new resin systems and advances in mandrel and pattern design have helped mitigate some of this. Fiberglass translates the least energy to the angler, but is the most forgiving to misuse. Today’s more advanced fiberglass rod blanks are not the cumbersome meat sticks you may have used years ago; and are an excellent option for certain anglers and situations. Composite blanks blend the attribute of both materials.

 

Sensitivity

I didn’t use the term sensitivity above when referring to modulus because some people use it to describe how much is felt in their hands through the line and then the rod. Others refer to sensitivity as how much the tip of the rod moves when a fish strikes your bait or lure. This is an important distinction because they are often the polar opposite of one another. I use sensitivity to refer to how much is felt through the rod, but if you are building a rod for someone other than yourself it’s important to understand how they define sensitivity.

 

Action/Taper

How the rod blank bends. Fast blanks bend mostly in the tip 1/3 of their length. Moderate blanks have a deeper bend with the majority of the flex coming in the tip 2/3 of their length. Slow action blanks have a mostly uniform bend from butt to tip. Extra fast means the majority of the bend is more in the tip than fast. Moderate fast is somewhere between moderate and fast. Although it’s pretty self-explanatory, it is important to understand there is no standard between manufacturers so one brand’s Fast action blank might bend like another brand’s Moderate fast blank. For the build we are discussing in this article most rod blanks that perform well for this application are going to be fast action or moderate fast action.

 

Power

Power ratings (i.e. light, medium, heavy, etc.) is a subjective metric of rod ratings. I prefer to look at the line ratings because it is a more standard indicator of power from manufacturer to manufacturer.

 

Guides

Guides are also known as eyes. Today’s guides are typically stainless steel or titanium framed with ceramic inserts. Most modern ceramic inserts (all of Fuji’s) are braid safe with the more expensive rings, having higher performance characteristics.

 

Tip Top

The guide at the tip end of the rod is the tip top. A properly sized tip top’s tube should fit the rod blank snuggly but not tight. Most of the length of the tube should slide onto the blank leaving just enough room for a thin layer of tip top adhesive. Some tip tops have a tang similar to a guide foot which can be wrapped on for additional security from the tip spinning or otherwise coming loose. The ring on the tip should be sized so the path of the line though the guides is not altered from a straight line. For this build we will be using the same size ring on the tip top as the ring of the running guide. For certain heavier applications, I will size up the tip top ring one size to help with knot clearance and to keep the path of the line straight (when the rod is not flexed).

 

Epoxy

In rod building epoxy is the adhesive used to secure the grips, butt cap and reel seat when assembling the handle. It is a two part product that is available in liquid and paste formulations. For general assembly I prefer U-40 Rod bond paste. It doesn’t run, is easy to measure, mix, and apply. Plus, it has a reasonable work time. You do not want to use five minute epoxies because they don’t offer adequate work time. Generally, quick cure epoxies also tend to be more brittle.

 

Finish

Modern two part rod finish is an epoxy product that is designed to encapsulate your guide wraps, artwork, guides, and bond them to the blank. Proper finish application will protect your thread wrappings and designs as well as prevent your guides from moving or being pulled. It should be noted that it is not designed as an adhesive product.

 

Mike Garone is a fishing maniac, Fuji Global rod building ambassador and the owner of Garone Custom Rods and Tackle. You can contact him through his website and social media channels: garonerods.com, on YouTube @garonerods, Instagram @garonerods and Facebook, Garone Custom Rods and Tackle.

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