Hello all . I am going to build my first flyrod and would like some advice. I am new to the sport and would like to start on panfish. I have looked around at rods by Sage, St. Croix, Loomis etc. but am hesitant to spend that much for a first rod. I have read quite a bit on this board about Rainshadow blanks and was considering an RX7 blank in either IF 864 or IF 904. Does anyone have any opinions about these rods? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom.

well, if you're going to build one fly rod, you might as well believe you'll end up building more and More and MORE fly rods after that, so it wouldn't hurt to start off with a low cost blank. many suggested (from my reading and directly to me) that mistakes will be made on the first and you'll get better as they come down the conveyor belt.

i approached it with the attitude to simply get that first one over with, take notes and learn from the "inevitable" mistakes. i used a cheap 2003 forecast blank with a nice but inexpensive reel seat and single foot wire guides. probably around $40 for everything, plus @#$%&'d hand wrapper and separate dryer.

the new forecast and tiger eyes would make nice first blanks to build, from what i've gathered and seen. the rainshadows (batson) and similar rainforests (pacbay) would be a nice step up and not what i would consider overdone at all. overdone would be using a "name brand" like a sage XP blank for your first. in this newbie's eyes, those two blanks you listed would be nice starters. nice enough to consider "go-to" rods, again form what i've read. sorry, i'm hardly a knowledgable source, but i cannot help buut chime in when another new builder is covering ground i just recently waded through myself ;-)

eric
fresno, ca.

Tom:
Hello. I just completed a St. Croix SCIII 8'6" 4 piece 4 wt. This is a great light trout, bass, and panfish rod. It has a nice medium fast action that is a real pleasure to cast. I recently bought one of the Cortland SYLK WF 4 F and it fits this rod like a glove. A wonderful combination. I have assembled a few rods on Rainshadow blanks and thought they were alright, but I think St. Croix blanks are superior. Sage, Loomis are fine rod/blank makers but for the money I think St. Croix is the best value. The above blank I mentioned is $105, a great deal for a 4 piece blank (of high quality) and the 2 piece verision is $68. The most important thing is how a rod cast to you. I would try to cast the rods you are considering. I do not think Rainshadow sells built up rods but St. Croix and the other rod makers have numerous models to cast and sell blanks for.

Lanny

The Batson line of Rainshadow / forecast blanks are great deals. Excellant quality. If you do the Forecast go for the 2004 models

I've used Forecast blanks for many flyrods, especially the lighter ones and have found them to be great blanks. I personally love casting the 7'6" 5 piece and the 8' 4 piece 4 weights. I built one for my buddy and another for my wife, and will continue to use them. I like how they cast, so I haven't found a reason to go up to the "better" blanks yet. The one exception is a Dan Craft Sig V that I am getting ready to build, and I do like the light weight feel to it. I'm sure it will be a great rod when it is done.
BTW, what's the problem with the 2005 Forecasts?

Pac Bay Rainforest. A little more than the Forecast (very comparable to the RX7), but lighter in the hand, beautifully finished, and has an incredibly sweet , forgiving, moderate fast action. Use ceramics.

In 2004 they changed who makes the blanks. I don't care for the 2003's I would guess the 2005's are even better

Thanks for the clarification. I thought you were saying the 2005 models were bad. I have to agree--the new models are very nice!

All there stuff is nice!

Thanks for all the advice. I was considering the St.Croix SCIII as one possibility, as a "mid" priced blank but thought the Rainshadow blanks were more affordable as a first rod. I have gone to some stores and handled different rods and I guess the problem is that the high end stuff feels the best (I guess that is why it is high cost). I fully admit that as a beginner I wouldn't know the difference but it makes choosing a blank difficult. I have yet to find a Rainshadow rod but there are some shows coming up soon so hopefully I will find one.Tom.

Tom. You are right to stay with an inexpensive blank. I would also suggest that you use only CP on the wraps of the first rod. Then go fish it. After you have finished a couple of more rods with CP only (and you will build more rods) you can go back and re-do them as you become more experienced. I would think hard about starting with varnish after you graduate from CP, but practice with epoxy off rod. The learning curve is pretty steep in rod building.

Tom,
You won't be disappointed with the bit more cost on the SCIII blanks from St. Croix. They are superior in lightness and sensitivity and domestically produced with the backing of St. Croix in Wisconsin....U.S.A. made. If you want a blue blank, consider the mid range price point domestically produced Elite Series from ATC.

For mid range inexpensive import blank of the hightest quality, check into the American Tackle Matrix series. Emerald Gloss Green with the woven 'matrix' butt. Beautiful and funtional blanks for the money. There is also a nice mathching reel seat to blend in with these.

Rich Garbowski

Richard's Rod & Reel

email: info@rodreel.com

The Pac Bay Tradition 7'9" 3 weight I built is a very nice rod, and a bit less expensive than the Rainforest. I'm building an Amtak Matrix 8' 3 peice 4 weight right now and I'm really impressed with the lghtness and action; stiff butt and a soft tip. Once I finish it, I'll CC it and add it to the database.

I think Don's suggestion to use only CP on the guides is an excellent one. Go to a flea market and find somebody selling rods. The rods will most likely be junk and they'll want too much money, but ask them if they have any broken ones. I did this last fall and got about 2 dozen broken rods for $5.00. They're probably the most useful investment in rod building I've made. Not only do I have lots of test material for wraps and marbeling, but plenty of repair material since I got 4 solid fiberglass ones in the mix.

Don, what did you mean by 'think hard about starting with varnish'? Is that a warning or a recommendation? I've recently started rodbuilding (flyrods for now) and have been playing around with different finishes on my first (an inexpensive kit), and am wrapping guides on my second (a pricey St Croix). I'm hoping I learn enough from the first to feel comfortable I'll be happy (enough) with the results of the second.

Re: your comment to Tom Lusis that he will build more rods, I'm already thinking about my fifth.

Tom,

You should not overlook fiberglass blanks as a choice in your first rod. In some ways, fiberglass is more pleasureable to fish than graphite. If I was building a panfish rod, that is what I would use. I can highly recommend the Lamiglas blanks. They are reasonably priced, made in USA, and have a great reputation. Also, as a beginner, you will find that the larger diameter of fiberglass blanks will be a bit easier to work with.

Tom. Since you are on this board you know the problems with epoxies. Varnish (like Helmsman Semi-gloss) is very easy to work with, as it is thin and does not thicken up in the mixing cup (use it out of the can). Hand turn the blank for 30 minutes and set it aside. No footballs, fisheyes, tunnels, tackiness, etc. It will take several coats to finish a wrap, but they will look nice. Also, try using no CP at all for a deeper look. I apply varnish with a closed foam grey brush from the hardware store, cut into strips 3/4s the width of the wrap. The big downside is that varnishes will skim over in the can. I am currently storing one can upside down to see if this helps. Klass Kote epoxy paint (sponsor) is even better than varnish, IMO. Thin like a varnish, but covers in only 2 coats. As an epoxy, it comes in 2 parts and must be mixed. Has a pot life of hours. In fact, it is said you can put the unused portion in the refridgerator and use it the next day.

My advise from one newbie to another would be to go with an inexpensive blank for your first project. I bought a fairly expensive blank for my first project and wish I had not. The rod turned out OK and I do still fish with it - but my last couple of rods have turned out so much better. My second project I built an 8 foot 5 wt Forecast for my son and it turned out MUCH better cosmetically than my first rod (I have now built 3 fly rods). An added bonus that I did not expect is that the Forecast blanks make a very nice casting and good looking fly rod at about the least expensive price out there. In fact I can't tell any difference in it and the 2 more expensive blanks I have used.
Hook and Hackle has extremely good prices on the Forecast blanks and kits.
I have also heard the tiger eye are good inexpensive blanks and I may use it for my next project. But they are a little higher than the forecast.
Hope you have as much fun as I have had with this!
Greg

Tom Lusis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for all the advice. I was considering the
> St.Croix SCIII as one possibility, as a "mid"
> priced blank but thought the Rainshadow blanks
> were more affordable as a first rod. I have gone
> to some stores and handled different rods and I
> guess the problem is that the high end stuff feels
> the best (I guess that is why it is high cost). I
> fully admit that as a beginner I wouldn't know the
> difference but it makes choosing a blank
> difficult. I have yet to find a Rainshadow rod but
> there are some shows coming up soon so hopefully I
> will find one.Tom.


My favorite trout rod is a two-piece Avid 8' 4wt. It is a plain-Jane production rod, but the action is smooth as silk. One can easily feel the rod load, but it is not mushy like a lot of the rods in its class.

With that said, I too am in the process of building my first two rods (6' 2/3wt Tiger Eye and 7' 4wt H&H IM6), and, like you, I am working my way up from the bottom in price.

Mark