There are tools on the market, referred to as "spine finders" that allow you to do this quickly and easily. https://mudhole.com/products/crb-spine-finder-deflection-system-crb-sf. Place the butt of the blank on a smooth surface. Support the extreme t

There are <a href="https://mudhole.com/products/crb-spine-finder-deflection-system-crb-sf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tools</a> on the market, referred to as &quot;spine finders&quot; that allow you to do this quickly and easily.<a href="https://mudhole.com/products/crb-spine-finder-deflection-system-crb-sf" id="isPasted">https://mudhole.com/products/crb-spine-finder-deflection-system-crb-sf</a><h3 id="find-a-blanks-spine-without-a-spine-finder-tool">Find a blank&apos;s spine without a spine finder tool</h3>Place the butt of the blank on a smooth surface. Support the extreme tip end with the fingers of one hand. With your other hand, apply pressure to the middle area of the blank. Put a decent bend in it. As you do this you will find that the blank attempts to roll into a position where it wants to stay put. Any attempt to move the blank out of this position, while it is under pressure, will result in the blank trying to remain or returning to this same position. The OUTSIDE of this curve is referred to as the &quot;effective spine&quot; and should be marked for reference.

How do I locate the spine of the blank?

You would want to spine them the same way as you do your other sections. However, these short and stiff sections can be difficult to bend easily enough to find the spine.Since most of the spine effect is generated by the top half of the rod, sight do

You would want to spine them the same way as you do your other sections. However, these short and stiff sections can be difficult to bend easily enough to find the spine. Since most of the spine effect is generated by the top half of the rod, sight down/along the butt section by eye and determine the blank&apos;s natural bend or curvature. Mark the outside of that curve as the effective spine. It won&apos;t be exactly on the spine, but it will be more than close enough.

How do I spine the short, stiff butt sections of my multi-piece rods?

Locate the spine for each section individually. Mark each piece accordingly and assembly the rod aligning each spine mark. The ferrule overlap may result in a slight change in overall spine effect. Since you are going to be fishing the rod fully asse

Locate the spine for each section individually. Mark each piece accordingly and assembly the rod aligning each spine mark. The ferrule overlap may result in a slight change in overall spine effect. Since you are going to be fishing the rod fully assembled, adjust for any slight deviation and remark the sections as needed.

How do I find the spine on a multi-piece rod?

There is no wrong position to locate your blank's spine. Where you do put the guides in relation to the spine, however, will result in certain performance characteristics being either enhanced or reduced. There are three viable options as to where to

There is no wrong position to locate your blank&apos;s spine. Where you do put the guides in relation to the spine, however, will result in certain performance characteristics being either enhanced or reduced.There are three viable options as to where to locate the spine:<ol><li style="font-size: 16px;">Spine on top - This option gives a bit more power on the forward cast but a bit less for line lifting (fly) and fish fighting.</li><li style="font-size: 16px;">Spine on bottom - This position puts the spine into strong play (better tracking) on the forward cast and gives you slightly more power for lifting line off the water (fly). Opponents of this method say this position will lead to rod twist when fighting a fish. This is not true, however, as guide position alone determines rod stability. (More on this topic can be found in the next question.)</li><li style="font-size: 16px;">Spine on stiffest axis -&#xA0;Disregard spine and locate the rod&apos;s stiffest axis so that the fish is pulling against it. A blank&apos;s softest and stiffest axis are not necessarily 180 degrees opposite each other. This usually locates the blank&apos;s natural bend in such a way that the butt and tip are &quot;up&quot; and the belly of the blank is &quot;down&quot;. This puts the maximum amount of power into play for fish fighting but may result in slightly less casting accuracy/tracking.</li></ol>

Spining Rod Blanks

How do I locate the spine of the blank?

How do I spine the short, stiff butt sections of my multi-piece rods?

How do I find the spine on a multi-piece rod?

Where should I locate the spine on my rod blank in relation to the guides?