I Dont Really Need Another Rod.....

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.....but what the hell! Hahaaa!!

I took a few rods over to my local money-draining tackle shop and figured "Well, I'm here.... I guess I could pick up another blank. Why not." Hahaa!



This will get the usual triple-wrap in my usual lame colors and the plan is to pair this up with an Accurate 197. I'll add the pictures of the wraps I usually go with.

I dropped off a unique Calstar 6470 that's white and not black or graphite. That one will be getting wrapped in the same colors that my Grandfather had on his rods. When my Grandpa passed away, my Grandmother handed some of his things to close friends and several other family members. My mother was able to grab one fishing rod which she held onto for years. One day out of the blue, she gave it to me.

I stripped that rod down and had it done by a different shop years ago and it turned out pretty nice. So I figured I would duplicate my Grandfather's original rod with this second white Calstar 6470.

As things progress, I'll post up some pictures. Stay safe and tight lines!

Henry

 

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So the new Calstar Graphighter is in line at the shop with all the hardware picked out and the thread colors chosen. And of course I needed a new reel to put on it..... I'm blaming you for this one Skia!

Spooled it up with 50lb brand and a little mono top-shot. As soon as the rod is finished up I'll marry the two.

The guys were a little curious about my white Calstar blank and said they believed it could be a Sabre based on the wall thickness at the butt of the rod. Since the thing was painted, they seemed hesitant to tear into it. No big deal, demo seems to be my specialty. So I took it home and got to work.

Some guys are fans of the cork tape grips but I am not. It looks a little too "Unfinished" to me. As I started to strip things down....look what I discovered.....

So it IS a Calstar! I spent Father's Day weekend working on the house and relaxing a little bit and I was able to get this torn down to the bare blank. No more 70's red and white Christmas-like thread wraps on this sucker!

I'll take this blank back over to the shop this week and drop it off along with my Grandfather's rebuilt rod for the guys to duplicate. This blank will get a silver aluminum Aftco reel seat and it will have pearl, silver and blue thread wraps with chrome guides. I'll probably pair this one up with an Accurate 270 when it's all finished up.

As always, thank you for checking in and for following along!

Henry

 

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I forgot to include the picture of the blank showing where it was painted. I dont know if this was done at the Calstar factory as a special request or if it was painted by a rod builder. Either way, I rubbed some acetone on a small section of the white paint and it didn't wipe off. So I'm not sure what paint they used when they painted this blank. Oh well!

The smudges you see where the white color ends was like that when I removed the grip tape. That didn't happen from me wiping the blank down. I just thought I'd share as I think its an interesting discovery.

I'll post up some more updates as soon as I can. Stay safe!

Henry

 

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I stopped by the shop over the weekend and they are making progress on my Calstar. This is the 800XL in the original photo of this thread. The idea was to build a really nice casting rod that was a little bit different. I wanted to give the store owner some freedom to do what he wanted to create something a little more unique. As if the girly pink thread wrapping wont be unique enough! LMFAO!

This rod will have an exposed blank below the reel seat and grip and above the small butt grip he came up with. Overall I am stoked with how this is coming along! It's only going to get better (And prettier!), from here on out! Looking forward to getting this finished up and mating it up with the new Tranx reel! Boom!

Of course I had to snag another new Shimano baitcasting reel for a different Seeker rod I have..... Damn addictions.

Have a safe holiday week and I hope everyone has a wonderful time! Thanks for checking in!

Henry

 

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So? Let’s see.

 

[Xring01]

I have been building my own fishing rods for about 8 years now..
Its easy, fun and cheaper than buying a factory one..

Most of my offshore stuff is the Calstar Graphiters...
But i have alot of graphite rods also..

 

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Boom!

Well worth the wait!! This rod turned out absolutely amazing!! It is one of the lightest rods I've ever had built. I can't wait to get hooked up! Thank you Bobby and Pat and crew!

If you're in the Pasadena area, hit these guys up for your tackle needs!

Thanks for following along!

Henry

 

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Here are a few more pictures. One showing the butt of the rod and the style of grips we went with, and a picture with the reel mounted on the rod. It sure feels good!!!

 

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I have been building my own fishing rods for about 8 years now..
Its easy, fun and cheaper than buying a factory one..

Most of my offshore stuff is the Calstar Graphiters...
But i have alot of graphite rods also..

My hat's off to you! I wish I had the skills and the equipment to wrap my own. Lord knows I could save some money doing it myself. Having the blanks wrapped by other people costs me more in the long run but then I end up with something unique. In this instance, I have a rod built for a specific "Want" and its built with a specific reel in mind. If I can continue to put together a decent arsenal of gear, by the time I retire, I should be "Good to go" to catch anything I'd be interesting in battling.

 

[Xring01]

My hat's off to you! I wish I had the skills and the equipment to wrap my own. Lord knows I could save some money doing it myself. Having the blanks wrapped by other people costs me more in the long run but then I end up with something unique. In this instance, I have a rod built for a specific "Want" and its built with a specific reel in mind. If I can continue to put together a decent arsenal of gear, by the time I retire, I should be "Good to go" to catch anything I'd be interesting in battling.

I was in your position 10 plus years ago...
I needed to buy 5 big trolling rods for my boat...
New Calstar 6455's are pricey...

I knew I would need/buy 10 rods in the next few years, I just bought a wrapper at Squidco in San Diego, talked to some guys on Bloodydecks, watched videos, and bought a book..

I saved a ton of money buy building my own... and I got better components on the rods that what I would have on the "factory made" ones.., the wrapper paid for itself on the first 3-4 rods in the $$$ I saved.

If a Calstar, Seeker, United Comp, etc costs $350 at the store, You can typically get the blank for $100, guides from $20 - $100, seat $10-$40, then its just epoxy, thread, and finish.

Its alot easier than you think, I truly enjoyed it, made several rods for friends/family as gifts over the years.

Buy all the components on line, assemble at your house, if you interested in learning how to do it. PM me... I live in Murrieta CA, we can have beer or 2, and I can show you what I have made and the process..

 

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I really appreciate the offer thank you!! I may have to take you up on that when my crazy schedule eases up!

About 23 years ago, I bought my very first West Coast custom-wrapped Seeker rod from Ed's Bait and Tackle in Temecula. I still have it to this day! It's partially his fault I am the way I am!

 

[Essexive G's]

View attachment 676521

Boom!

Well worth the wait!! This rod turned out absolutely amazing!! It is one of the lightest rods I've ever had built. I can't wait to get hooked up! Thank you Bobby and Pat and crew!

If you're in the Pasadena area, hit these guys up for your tackle needs!

Thanks for following along!

Henry

Those colors look great against the grey. You’ve piqued my interest, with the extra fast tip and the exposed rod butt, what are you targeting that the bite is so light that you need to have the extra sensitive in the tip and the butt?

 

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Thank you! I wanted a light Calico bass specific rod that I could also use for largemouth and smallmouth. I also wanted a Calstar that wasn't run of the mill and was a little bit different than everything else you see. Should be able to fling a chovie a pretty good distance without throwing him off the hook.

 

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Good afternoon Folks!

I just picked up the old white Calstar 6470 that is shown earlier in the thread. Here is the finished product!

It turned out a lot better than I thought it would! There was only one mistake on the rod, and that is an easy fix. They simply mispelled my Grandfather's last name on a label. Everything else looks really good!! I paired it up with an extra Accurate reel I had and it feels pretty good! Now I just need to find some time to put it to good use!

Stay safe and thank you for following along!

Henry