Awhile back there was a post with quite q bit of discussion about the Dan Craft FT blanks being built as a swtch rod. I built a Dan Craft FT 10 wt 10 ft 4 pc as a switch rod and followed the advice of Bob Meiser and used only 8 guides. It will cast a Delta Spey WF 10/11 line 80 feet with no problem. Started out with a guide on each ferrule and used the static guide placement method for the others.

Butt Section: No guides
Section 2: 2
Section 3: 3
Section 4: 3

Guide Spacing: 5 5/8 19 29 1/4 39 1/2 49 59 /12 74 1/2 87 1/2

Ring Size: 6 6 8 8 8 10 16 20

Based on this rod it would seem to me that maybe it would be possible to reduce the number of guides on other weight fly rods. I just received a FT 3 wt 10 ft 4 pc from Dan today and plan to test cast it with less guides before final wrapping and finishing. BTW it won't be a switch rod.

The grip is a stained full wells, A8 reel seat hardware with a Redwood insert and a 3 1/2" Redwood butt.

Would like to hear from some others who have done something similar with the FT.

Bob




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2005 12:36PM by Bob Crook.

What's a switch rod? I've heard of spey, but not switch.

A switch rod is fly rod that can be cast one handed as a regular fly rod or used two handed as a spey rod. It has a butt that is usally shorter than that on a spey only rod.

Thanks for the Info on the FT switch rod Bob. I'm in thr process of gathering up the parts for one as well. Mine will be
a 10' 7wt. I would like to use a Nickle Silver reel seat with a cocobola reel insert like the one on the R.B. Meiser site
located on Dave Veith's Photo's page. Does anyone know what type of reel seat that is and will a cocobola insert
stand up to 10 or so trips to the River a year?

Thanks
Joe

I have a Meiser clone switcher based on the 7wt FT. Michigan in too frozen to have tried it as a fly rod yet but I have had it out as a steelhead rod using bait and spin reel. Don't think the blank was designed to switch that far. And for this use the tip is a bit fast. But it is wonderfully light in the hand and handles a hooked fish masterfully. Ohhh Spring where art thou. I am going to throw streamers the size of kittens this year.

Jeff