I need to know everyones opinion on what company, they think, builds the best fly rod blanks today. What series? Who makes the best seats? (no wood inserts) Thanks Jim

Jim,

That is a loaded question with almost no good answer. The term "best" needs to be defined a bit more. After all, what is best for my tastes, casting and fishing style will not be best for someone else's taste, casting and fishing style.

Example - I have always been impressed by the quality of the Graphite USA blanks. Beautifully straight and finely finished. But I hate their fly rod blanks. They're top quality, but they don't suit my useage. Other guys rave about them. I know several who are using these to build their name brand rods on. They will tell you that these are the best blanks on the planet. For them they might be, for me, and maybe for you, they aren't.

I have always leaned toward the Loomis GL3 fly blanks and in the past few years have really started to like the St.Croix SCIV series. They suit me. I built a rod on a Lamiglas Perigee last year and was impressed with it too. I think this is a question with no good answer. Among all these brands quality is similar but the designs are different and again, what is best for me may not be best for you. If you choose a blank soley by price, prestige, image or other's impressions, you will be sorely disappointed.

I greatly prefer Fuji reel seats but I always cut mine and install some type of insert, be it cork, wood, phenolic, etc.

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I've only used a few brands, but I really like St. Croix and Sage. There are many good brands out there and a sign of a good blank isn't always the price tag. Brands on my to-do list are Lamiglas (Perigee), Gatti, GLoomis, Graphite USA, and Rainshadow. It'll take me years to get through this list.

At the conclave in January, someone asked Gary Loomis who he thought made the "second best" blanks or rods. Gary said that he thought St. Croix made very nice blanks and that they were very innovative. I guess it's obvious who he thinks makes the BEST blanks.

I have to strongly agree with Tom.

Your question really does not have a proper answer.
Most of the blanks availble out there are ok !

Some blanks do things better than others and not nessesarily all the blanks from a given company will do things well.

Im no expert caster but many of the blanks I really like were rolled in small shops as opposed to a major mfgs.

If you ask for reccomondations for a fly rod blank for early spring nymph and streamer fishing you may get several different answers!

ask about a short blank for dry fly fishing on spring creek may get several different answers again.

Happy wraps "John"

1) Powell LGA / AXS series.-
2) Sage XP
3) SC4 Great Value !

Seats:
Rec. !

Anyone ever tried the Shikari blanks in the SHX series? Do you like REC better than Struble?

Go with a St. Croix. If you want to save a bit of money though Rainshadow has really nice low cost blanks