Rod building for linear fishing

As seen previously in the article ” Zander fishing in linear “, I used for the first day of the Zander Pro (vertical forbidden), two blanks for fishing in linear : the NFC SJ703 X-ray and the Rodbuilders Republic Statement 724.

703 Casting !

For the 703, I opted for a casting setup. I am particularly attached to casting for linear fishing for the following reasons:

The grip of the reel and its position allow me to make strong strikes with a better amplitude.I take a lot of pleasure in making a strong strike, especially when it is violent.
The control and the animation of the lure: the thumb on the spool allows to be operational as soon as the lure touches the water.

A difference in setup providing performance

Small particularity on my setup, the guides are arranged in a spiral casting (Brazilian setup), which means they turn around the blank.
The interest of this setup is the stability during the fight. Unlike a traditional casting, the line never touches the blank, it turns around and there is no friction. Moreover, the direction of work of the blank is stable and does not cause imbalance.
The advantage of a guide arrangement like this one is mainly the limitation of the friction of the line, as opposed to a classic setup where you have to increase the number of guides.

Technical specifications of the casting setup.

Here are the rotation angles I chose :

0 being the top of the blank (wire guide of the reel).
20°/70°/135°/180°/180°/180°/ 180°/180°(tip guide),

Spacing : (measurements taken from the tip guide)

12/12,5/13,5/14/15/17/19/23

Casting with a rod in a spiral configuration.

Regarding casting distances, they are similar from one setup to another for this main reason: there are fewer guides on a spiral, so less friction of the braid on the ceramic, which compensates for the rotation of the latter around the blank compared to a conventional setup.
I equipped my 703 with a KR casting spiral titanium torzite pack, certainly the best in terms of guides technology, lightness, sensitivity, design to increase casting distances.

The choice of handle elements

The 703 is equipped with an ALPS MVT TORAY reel seat, made of an alloy of carbon and nylon. It allows to reproduce the slightest details carried by the blank. Its ergonomics is also an asset of this PM: the grip is perfect!
For the rest of the handle elements, carbon was, in my opinion, essential, so an EFX SPLIT GRIP CARBON 3K 2.0 from NFC was used to complete the “FULL CARBON” set-up, which combines exceptional lightness and sensitivity.

Handle length (butt end to PM trigger) : 32 CM
Weight : 103 gr

Specificity : I cut the reel seat by 1 cm
My personal opinion : I am completely crazy about this woods, it is associated with a lew’s custom lite and the set weighs 242 grams

My 724 for linear fishing

Statement 724… The MUST of all fishing rods, a monster of lightness and sensitivity due to its beautiful conicity. This rod is perfectly adapted to linear fishing, a remarkable tip action, a perfect length in my opinion for this type of boat fishing: in short, my favorite blank, and I will explain how I built it.

Spinning setup for the Statement !
For the Statement 724 setup, I opted for a spinning setup, simply because it will be a little more versatile and will go with me in saltwater. I also enjoy fishing for zander on a linear spinning rod even though I have a slight preference for casting.

Technical specifications for the placement of the guides

For the same reasons as for the 703, I chose a kr spinning titanium torzite pack.

Spacing : 10,5/10,5/11/11,5/12,5/13,5/15/17/23

Nothing special for this specs, except that it is the one recommended by Fuji.

The handle of the 724

The handle is also in full carbon. I chose a complete handle kit (1K-SILVER KIT IPS CARBON ) available on the rodhouse.fr website. I have total confidence in the experts who work at Rodhouse to choose the most suitable elements to compose a quality handle.
The handle is composed of an IPS dark Emperor reel holder, with IPS soft touch carbon NFC grip. The reel will be tightened by a KDPS clamping ring. All the elements of this kit fit together perfectly and are all compatible.

Handle length (from butt to reel base) : 34,5 cm
Weight : 101 gr

Particularity : The reel holder has been slightly cut for a perfect finish with the clamping ring.
Ligatures have been made with Fuji ultra poly thread requiring a color preservative to preserve the brightness and tints.

My opinion on these two rods

The 703 and the 724 gave me a lot of pleasure. I loved to take part in the reflexion of the specifications, in their realization and their use during this adventure.
The chosen setups were exactly what I was looking for and they were complementary depending on the situation.