# ersatz acid wrap



## hamlet (Sep 4, 2007)

Im not really a rod builder, but I did an easy mod to a little-used casting stick I have and got an ersatz spiral wrap. I fished it last weekend and it worked quite well... I couldnt really tell any loss of casting distance (I am not all that long on the cast, but it didnt seem different to me).

I took 8'6" Daiwa Firewolf rod and removed the tip top. Put a new tip top on with it twisted left one quarter turn from the other guides.

Its a 2-piece rod, so I put the end half on the rod with another 1/4 turn to the left. This ends up giving me the first guide set at the normal angle (up), the next 6 guides over left 90 degrees, and finally the tip top pointing down.

I like it. No hard angles in the line, it doesnt hit the rod anyplace.

Of course, I wasnt fishing for anything large, but as a life-long spinner I did like the feel of the line putting the pull under the rod. To tell the truth, most of the time using the rod I didnt even notice it was not conventional.


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## hamlet (Sep 4, 2007)

*pics*

Poor images but these show the basic structure..

tip twisted 90 degrees

http://www.unc.edu/~stotts/gear/tip.JPG

install top end 90 degree twist at ferrule

http://www.unc.edu/~stotts/gear/ferrule.JPG


Im sure there's nothing particularly unique about this, but I was surprised at how well it works for how easy it is to do.

In particular, it doesnt take any wrapping gear. It takes hot glue or epoxy only for tip installation.


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## rsieminski (Jun 13, 2005)

What's the purpose?


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## Clyde (Oct 18, 2003)

you'd be better off to just flip the tip section completely upside down, then all the guides on the tip are underneath.


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## hamlet (Sep 4, 2007)

By "what's the purpose"...

If you mean why did I try to fake an acid wrap, then it's because I dont have any wrapping gear and I wanted to try a spiral wrap rod... or as close to it as I could manage. I tried it, it seems to work great, and I am passing along the easy method.

If you mean what it the purpose of spiral wrap (acid wrap) then it is a way to get the line to hang under the rod (like on a spinner) on a conventional. This gets rid of the torque you get on a conventional rod when the line is under load. When fighting larger fish, this torque is tiring to your wrists and forearms.


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## hamlet (Sep 4, 2007)

Clyde said:


> you'd be better off to just flip the tip section completely upside down, then all the guides on the tip are underneath.


You dont think the transition from the first guide to the second (180 degrees) would cause the line to rub the rod?


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## OBX_Nomad (Mar 8, 2005)

Apparently I'm not fighting big enough fish because the torque of a conventional has never bothered me.


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## skunk king (Mar 25, 2008)

Instead of doing the acid wrap, why not use a left handed reel and reverse the gears? So you cast like a conventional reel and then just flip it over for the fight or retrieval? Best of both worlds, cast like a casting rod and fight like a spinning rod. 

But the torque of fighting fish has never bothered me either.


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## hamlet (Sep 4, 2007)

I had actually thought of the "hang a conventional under" idea... tried a few configs and it will only work with a level wind... hadn't thought of reversing the gears, sounds like a fun experiment. I tried reversing the way the reel fits in the seat (back to front) and of course that fails because the line then winds on the spool on the rod side, too close to get fingers between rod and line.

The torque doesnt bother me either. I was just noting the arguments that are given for spiral wrap rods. But then, I dont tend to get into large enough fish for long enough times to really feel it. I was/am interested in spiral wrap "just because".


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