Line Up The Dots

I would like to put section alignment markings on three of my fishing rods. What paint should I use as I do not want to damage the fabric of the rods.
B. Furlong

Peter Cockwill replies: Alignment dots or markers make connecting multi-section fishing rods a breeze, but if your rods don’t already have them it’s easy enough to add your own.

Humbrol enamels, commonly used by coarse anglers to colour the tops of their floats, will do the job. Apply a small blob with a very fine brush, or cut the point off a cocktail stick, dip the now blunt end in the paint and apply a small dot to the fishing rod section.

Makers of custom-built rods often write names on the blanks using a gel-type pen. I use one called Hybrid Gel (available from good stationers) and after letting it dry hard I put a layer of epoxy over the top of the writing. But if it’s just alignment dots then a layer or two of Superglue will do the job.

Reprinted with permission of Trout Fisherman magazine.