In 2017, with feedback from our prostaff, we needed an SPJ rod to cater to fishermen on long-range boats.    

The main issue fishing on an LR boat is line cross, which is attributed to rod length and the ability to control the fish.   So we identified two main elements of a traditional SPJ rod that requires redesign.   A longer and beefier rod.

We needed to design a rod at least 7’6″ but no longer than 8’0″ with considerable backbone to control the fish.    Existing SPJ rods are mostly butt joints or one-piece rods; upsizing them will result in a heavy and awfully off-balanced rod.  

There are three main elements we had to consider for this design:

1. 1. Backbone – A rod’s backbone is usually between the foregrip and stripper guide.
   2. Soft Tip – A soft and parabolic tip is essential in SPJ for jig presentation
   3. Length – Longer than usual for LR boat use.
      
      

For this design, we decided that the joint has to be at the transition where the stiff backbone progresses to the parabolic top section.   However, spigot joints cannot handle the excessive stress; they tend to crack and split at the female ferrule.   As such, we placed the joint at the position of the stripper guide because the wrappings on the guide’s feet will reinforce the female ferrule.

This 2/3 joint system addressed all the elements required for this rod design.   The shorter section has a thicker blank which translates to more backbone, and the longer top section allowed for a progressive parabolic action required in SPJ rods.   Both sections joined together fulfilled the longer length that we wanted.