Calstar Rods for Kayak Fishing

I buy components from Mudhole tackle, Angler's Workshop, and Merrick Tackle.  I have wholesale accounts with all of them.  I can sell anything that Merrick Tackle offers and have it drop shipped to your door.  I'd be happy to give quotes on anything in their catalog.  http://www.merricktackle.com

Hi Eric,

I suppose it's a bit late right now, as I already have the blank, but what do you think about a Calstar GF600L, flocked tube over foam grip and titanium frame spiral wrapped guides for Alaskan Halibut from the kayak? For this application I have no desire for a long rod to allow for getting the line from one side of the kayak to the other.  I chose this particular blank after seeing a buddy pull up a good sized (120 lbs or so) butt with the fiberglass equivalent.  I went with the Grafighter simply to save weight. If you  can supply me with all the acoutrements to finish the rod with a single order, I'll go for it.

Scott                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 Scott, I've fished the Grafighter 700L and 765L on my yak, you should be fine. Unless you have "Ama's" or an outrigger on your yak ,that rod should handle all the drag you'll be able to set without capsizing. They will haul in big fish...

Hi Eric,

I suppose it's a bit late right now, as I already have the blank, but what do you think about a Calstar GF600L, flocked tube over foam grip and titanium frame spiral wrapped guides for Alaskan Halibut from the kayak? For this application I have no desire for a long rod to allow for getting the line from one side of the kayak to the other.  I chose this particular blank after seeing a buddy pull up a good sized (120 lbs or so) butt with the fiberglass equivalent.  I went with the Grafighter simply to save weight. If you  can supply me with all the acoutrements to finish the rod with a single order, I'll go for it.

Scott             
                                                                                                                                                                                          
[/quote]

I have never fished a 600 L but have fished a GF 700L and it should be fine. I would go with a 12" rear grip and 12-16" foregrip. Although the yak allows for fishing rods with heavier line, I wouldn't go over 50# if fishing main line spectra. I know EK uses titanium frame guides, but with a 6 foot rod, the weight saving may not justify the extra costs, IMO.

scott

Scott... for this heavier rod, I'd use Fuji Silicon Nitride II guides.  They are heavy duty and the finish holds up really well in saltwater. 

If you were going to go with titanium guides, you'd need the TNSG's (only available from Japan) which are heavier framed than the TLNSG's that you get in the US.  The guide set would probably run you about 70 bucks or so.

EK

Scott, last year Chris from Seward came to Valdez with a 5'6" rod.  He too prefers the short rods for the butts.  It was a pretty sweet setup I must admit.

When I went up to Ketchikan a couple years ago, our good friends in the TSA decided to shorten my GFX700M by 6 inches.  And then they proceeded to claim innocence.   

Not sure where I'm going with this post other than reliving past short Alaska rod experiences ...


-Allen

Eric,

I remember you mentioning that you were getting titanium guides out of Japan. It looks like Mudhole has TNSG guides, but only down to size 10. I assume that I'd want size 8 for the last three/four guides (assuming 6/7 guides, depending on how the rod loads up)?  I'm interested in titanium a little bit for the light weight, mostly for the fact that corrosion would never be an issue, and then there's the "gee whiz" factor I understand that there'd be a price premium for Ti.

Scott,

I am seriously considering going without a fixed reel seat. I have a Terramar rod that works this way, and like the fact that with a big baloney shaped one piece grip, I can fiddle all I want with reel position. Total grip length is feeling like it will be in the 26" range, at least so far. The center of the reel is feeling like it will be 15" or so from the butt. I've also been using 50-65 lb braid on my hog bottom fishing reels. So far, I've not tipped over, but have managed to pull up one %$#)!! of a rock from the bottom.

I didn't mention this before, but your rods shown above look sweet.

Allen,

Sounds like you now have a GFX660H   Do I need to mention that in my rod-looney madness, I thought about taking 2-3" off the tip of the GF600L?

Regards,
Scott

Scott... you're right... mudhole has those guides.  It was the size 8's that I had to order from Japan.  I believe I have a bunch in my inventory.  I'll see if I have a full set.

If you want to go with a reel seatless design, there are a number of options for attaching the reel.  Pros and Cons to each.  I personally prefer a reel seat, especially for heavier gear.

EK

For fishing over 40# test I use aluminum reel seats because if you are pulling over 15# of drag, this puts alot of strain on the reel seat, reel clamp and blank. My thinking is that the aluminum reel seat helps distribute the stress on the blank over a larger area and provides for more secure attachment.

scott

Allen,

Sounds like you now have a GFX660H   Do I need to mention that in my rod-looney madness, I thought about taking 2-3" off the tip of the GF600L?

Regards,
Scott

Yeah, I figured one of these days I'd put a tip back on that rod, but I really don't need anything that meaty.

Why 2-3" off the tip.  How about taking it off the butt?

-Allen

Well, a phone conversation with EK has resulted in my regaining sanity. I'm going with an aluminum seat, but will stick with the Ti guides. I'm going to put an old Unimat lathe that's been essentially doing nothing but gather dust for 30 years to some good use, and turn it into a semi rod-lathe. It will be suitable for shaping grips, but not for winding.

Allen,

In my madness, I thought about a "Medium Light" stick, but will just go with the stock 6" length.

Scott

Allen,

In my madness, I thought about a "Medium Light" stick, but will just go with the stock 6" length.

Scott

What's the actual rating on that blank?  I see different numbers when I do a Google search?  If it's 15-14, then yes you were stuck in a bit of madness, because it seems just about right to me.     I was thinking take it off the butt to get shorter and maintain the rating.

-Allen

The GF600L is a 6' rod with a .83 Butt and 6 Tip rated 15-40 # test. Personally, for barn door halis I use a GF765XL 6 1/2' rod  .85 Butt and 8 tip rated 20-50# because I think it loads better with 60# spectra. I fish 2 speed reels so the 6.5 foot length works for me. The real issue IMO if you are fishing way over a rod rating with spectra is having a 2 speed reel and backing off the drag when the fish is close to the boat. I have seen my share of Calstar and Seekers broken and it usually comes down to #1 highsticking, #2 fishing spectra with too much drag for the rod, #3 cuts and nicks to the blank. For halis, the violent head shake or last ditch burst of speed when close to the boat is where line, rods and reels are broken. For pelagics, they can break tackle in any stage of the fight. Just my 2 cents.

scott

Forgot to say, I would stay with the stock 6' length or take an inch off the tip if fishing 60-80# spectra to increase the tip to size 7.

scott

My last 2 cents, if using lighter titanium guides on 60-80# test, you may want to consider not going below a size 10 ring. EK would know this better since I don't spiral wrap, these guides were not designed for an inverted installation and the guage/strength of the frame is proportional to the ring size. I would also triple wrap and coat with 2-3 coats.

scott

Have you guys seen these aftco lightweight roller guides?

plastic and titanium, so no rust. you can cast with them too according to the aftco site.

can't spiral wrap obviously.