Looking if anyone has experience building the 8'6" 5 weight or 9 foot 5 weight or 6 weight Cabelas Stowaway 5 pce, and could possibly give some insight into what to expect if I dropped the butt section to make something about 7 foot in 4 pieces. Looking at this for the UL/L spin/fly travel rod I have in mind.

Have found Steve Kartalia's CCS data for the 2004 Forecast 865-5. Anybody have the 9 ft 5 or 6 weight figures they'd care to share? The Stowaway and the Forecasts are about the same in price. Just juggling ideas.

Ted, I have no experience with the blanks you name, but in general, do not expect the rod to lighten up just because you drop the butt. If you intend to throw trout spinners I would get the lightest blank available, say a 2 or a 3 weight. Jann's has a Tennessee korkalon grip that I used with slip rings with my version of your project built on a Dan Craft 2 weight. Bass Pro has a microlite spinning reel.

Ted if you drop the butt section of a 9' 5wt 5 piece forecast blank you will end up with an 88" four piece rod with a butt roughly 9mm thick. How this rod will perform as a spin rod I have not a clue. I can say that the rod performs quite well as a fly rod without the fifth butt section..Bob.

f905-5 butt0.417 tip 4.0 mod-fast wt 1.80 oz
cp

Trout spinners, micro cranks/topwaters, 1/16 oz curltail grubs. Also close quarters fly fishing for trout and barbus carp. 4 pce, about 7 ft to fish lues up to about 3/16 oz. Tennessee handle with sliding rings, or spin/fly add screw-in butt. Looking at the 8 1/2 ft 5 weight (I'm guessing about 6'10" without the butt), but if the 9 footer gives 88 inches (7'4") I'll look at that too. For a trial effort, a $30 blank ain't breakin' the bank.

And the obvious is just so....OBVIOUS!! If I go with the extra length, any opinions on how the 7'6", 4 pce, 2003 Forecast would work out? CCS data gives AA of about 3.5 and ERN in the upper 50's, if my memory serves correctly. All input seriously appreciated.