I have had a couple frustrating days and figured some of you could either relate to or benefit from something I wrote yesterday. A friend of mine, for whom I have built many rods recently picked up a blem fly blank on @#$%& or somewhere on the internet. Names and brands have been ommitted to either protect the innocent or avoid confrontation with the guilty. Anyway, he sent me the blank to build wanting it to be a 4/5wt. and the first thing I did was test the blank with CCS. I told him my findings, he questioned the guy who sold him the blank, the guy got angry and beligerant, then my friend asked me to contact the seller and explain my testing method. Here's what I wrote to my friend about the whole episode and some parts of it may be useful to you out there who may be dealing with folks who have never heard of the CCS ......
For the record, the blank my friend bought has an ERN of 7.6 and an AA of 64. The Fisher my friend is trying to replace has an ERN of probably 3.2 and an AA of around 58-60 (typical classic 4/5wt. early graphite rod)
___,
What would I say to ___? Would you want me to try and exchange it for a less powerful blank? I have bought blanks from ___ but obviously not this one. I regard him as totally honest and I'm sure your seller is also. My testing method is called the Common Cents System for measuring rod power and action. It is a new system that came out about a year and a half ago in RodMaker Magazine issues 6-2 through 6-4. In a nutshell, what you do is assemble the rod and secure the handle in a horizontal position. Then you suspend pennies (hence the name Common Cents) from the tip top in a small plastic baggie until you deflect the tip downward a set distance based on the length of the rod. Based on the number of pennies you have in the bag, you assign the rod a relative power rating. This takes the subjectivity out of rating power and allows you to compare all rods on a relative and quantitative basis. The action of the rod is determined by measuring the angle of the tip during the deflection using a protractor. Again, it's quantitative and not subjective. I'm not making any judgements, I'm just taking measurements that anyone who learns the testing system can reproduce for himself.
Here's what you probably already know. One company's 4 wt. could be another company's 6wt. or another company's 2wt. Anybody can label any rod anything they want to and there's nothing dishonest about it. However, this lack of standardization can make it frustrating for fishermen and rodbuilders. What I can tell you is this. I have measured most of your rods and I also know a lot about how many "classic rods" rate in terms of power using this system. If I build this rod for you, it will be WAY, WAY, WAY more powerful than any of your other 4 or 5wt. rods. I will do whatever you want me to with this blank but I just wanted you to know what to expect in terms of power. Of course it will cast a 4wt. line or a 5wt. line but so will any rod. Your Legend Ultra 8wt. will cast a 4 or 5wt. line a mile but it won't load very well in close. I'm just saying that this rod will be a very powerful rod for that purpose and based on the type of rods you like, and based on the Fisher you are trying to replace, this rod will not be like any of them.
So, here's what I think. The blank is what it is and I'm not saying that it didn't come out of a _____ factory as an 8' 4wt. blank. I am also not accusing anyone of mislabeling or misleading. I am just telling you what to expect if you have me build this rod for you. After you read this and understand where I'm coming from, give me a call.
Steve
sdkxc88@wakeforestsports.com
