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 Post subject: A Loooong Spinning Three
PostPosted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:46 pm • # 1 
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Joined: 07/20/19
Posts: 138
Location: North Central Indiana
Title says it all for my UL spinning system, it’s an original 9’ 3 wt SC Avid blank built as a spinning rod. Split-T handle with a seat, nice balance, incredible fun. Excels as a UL bobber rod, but I use it for most anything. The “quiverability” of a 9’ 3wt blank is without peer when one wishes to shake an offering a bit. The actual fish catching part, on the other hand, is dreamy. Arguably the best idea I ever built-out for my love of UL fishing, whatever limitations it has are vastly outweighed by it’s enjoyable qualities.

So I decided to set the flyrod down for a bit, hit a pits, and see if the F’n’F bite was gonna happen today. Windy, but nice. Managed to get a few half-hearted takes on a 1/12 oz craft hair jig and finally hung a modest size bass.

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Wasn’t all that enthralled with the progress and the practice of meditating on a float across such a sunny conditions just wasn’t very compelling for long. Decided to switch it up with some my own bizarre approach to dropshotting (really more like dragshotting) and save my eyes. Bait of choice was an obnoxiously green PetsSmart Anemone worm which makes a surprisingly good lure. This aquarium ornament has super stretchy silicone, great action, and stays on a hook better than any plastisol bait I’ve ever poured. Small fish today, but they ate it…

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I like both J’s or circle hooks on UL dropshot and while using traditional weights doesn’t offend me, I’ve taken to using nail weights (yes, literally) as they skid across substrate better and even let me swim the baits for a bit. Often incorporate regular d-shotting techniques, however, this rig has a diverse potential and I like to mix it up and cover water.

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Elastic baits are dandy, but being an experimental tackle maker it’s never long before the “wonder if” thing starts gnawing. In this case, the wondering was about whether those dyed chamois strips and feathering ideas would be feasible for a dropshot rig. And why not? They make good trailers across all my tackle be it jig & pig bassin’ or micro-leaches for flyrod suckers. Got as much action as elastic and in some ways much more natural texture to the material.

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Got a few more bass of about the same size and some stocker ‘bows which had apparently been dumped in a few weeks ago. Small trout, but fun and was nice to see them go for the chamois nymph.

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Started the day kinda late with a blank slate due to it being late March which is hard to predict around here on gravel pits. Mulling over it, I’m definitely going to pursue more dropshot chamois ideas and size a few “heads” to run some of these dyed strips off of. The modularity of them is nice. While I just played with a circle hook (#8), one can see the potential for treating the rig more like a head + trailer system and at some remarkably diminutive sizes.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:02 am • # 2 
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Joined: 06/13/16
Posts: 936
Location: Southwest Florida
Hmmm. That anemone worm sounds interesting!

Great post. Do you have pics of the rod?


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:16 pm • # 3 
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Joined: 07/20/19
Posts: 138
Location: North Central Indiana
strummer wrote:
Do you have pics of the rod?


Didn’t, but I went upstairs and made some.

Split-T and a Symetre 1500 FI which is a relatively heavy relic of the past and begging for downsizing upgrade to a lighter reel. I’ve long arms and have no problem with longer handles, they make it a bit easier to set the fulcrum on a long blank.

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Due to the flex characteristics of long flyrod blanks, my guide sizing and spacing is a bit different than what most rodbuilders do. Below is an older 9’ Steelhead rod (L) and the 9’ UL side-by-side for size/spacing comparison. Note the difference between the 30mm Fuji BLYAG and the 16mm BLYAG on the respective rod, it works better for me when the rod is under load of a fish. These light blanks bend so deeply into the butt that a high frame/large ring butt guide drops waaaay below the reel level and creates an awkward “wobbly” feeling under fighting loads. Also don’t like how the line angle shifts for reeling onto the spool, either. Using the smaller 16mm closer to the reel remedies this quite well. I stepped-down quick into an 8L BLYAG, two BLAG7, six BLAG6, tip. Light braids allow this and function well, mono/fluroro might not like being squeezed as much and as quickly into a guidetrain depending on the attributes of a given product or brand.

Above may sound odd and many will say "One doesn't reel under much tension, we reel down and pump, so what's the point?" I say video record oneself catching large fish on light tackle for testing purpose and see how those butt guides migrate down from the straight plane in real fishing (especially catching!) scenarios. Temp taped a lot of guide configurations, went out back and tangled with bass and carp in front of a running video. It was quite revealing to say the least, but something we rarely notice in the excitement of the moment. Light fly blanks flex deep and easily and we're often reeling at the same time.

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I use PowerPro original in 1/8 or 2/10, tried Nanofil 8 lb many years ago and it ran through the guides just fine. Nanofil didn’t last very long (it unfusioned/frayed) at the fish end easily, but did cast very nice.

This is an old build, Alconites on an original Avid blank. With the components available today and advances in guide tech, what one can do with UL spinning fly blank builds is beyond insane. It’s a concept which really does favor newer micro guide sizes and (lack of) weight especially for use with light braids.

Kinda eyeballing the Shimano Vanford 500 size for this rod, at 4.9 oz it’d be a much better fit versus the Symetre 1500 FI. Ever since the merger I’ve had no luck finding anything from Cabelas/BPS that I want to buy. But they do have Vanfords and guess who has well over $300 in Cabela’s bucks accrued? Sad state of affairs for two once great companies, but it’s a (very nice) free reel and I gotta spend the money somehow. ;)


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