I noticed Winston Rod company is sold on the idea of spigot ferrules, claiming that multi-piece rods using tip over butt ferrules are full of dead spots. They appear to be alone in this accusation. Any wisdom from the board?

Subjective question: Are there 4-piece blanks you would rate better than Winston's--coming from those who have used their blanks or rods? They are beautifully finished and have great action but seem heavy in the hand to me.

Rob,
I once spoke to a very expierenced and knowledgeable blank designer and manufacturer who has worked for several of the larger firms, and he had a very good explanation on the design and use of spigot ferrules. He told me that "Yes" spigot ferrules can provide a slightly more eficient transfer of energy throughout the length of the rod, but to do this you have to weaken the integrity of the ferrule itself. So then you beef up the integrity of the ferrule so it wont break and you are left with a rod that has more flat spots than one that uses the tip over bitt design, so it is a no win situation. Scott uses spigot ferrules as well as did the now defunct Fisher Co. for the reasons cited by Winston. I however believe that this has to be mostly marketing hype. Just ask Ralph O' Quinn and he'll tell you that he has repaired more tip sections of Fisher fly rods that broke at the spigot ferrule than any other brand or design.

Andy

The tip-over-butt design has several advantages. It is a bit more expensive to design and produce, but most have moved towards it in the past few years.

Winston offers good blanks. There are others which I feel are better or at least better suited to my own tastes. And quite often for less money. I would suggest visiting some shops and casting a few. After awhile you'll get an idea which brand suits you the best. It may be Winston, it may something else.

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