I've been looking for a deep-action 12' - 12,6' #5-6 blank for a two-handed very light, traditional spey rod, but haven't really found the one for my needs. The modern blanks/rods seem to be so fast-action that I'm not comfortable with them. Any blank suggestions btw?

But here's the subject's question: I have a few years old, anonymous cheap blank (11 feet #7) in my hands and I got an idea to add an extra feet or even a bit more on the butt. So I'd take a suitable piece from an old rod and attach it to the butt (like a ferrule joint, but of course solidly glued/wrapped), and then build the normal two-handed cork handles and reel seat all over the joint and this "extra" section. So the difference compared to the "original" would only be a feet or so longer butt section, otherwise there wouldn't be any abnormal on the outlooks of the rod.

But what do You guys think it would do to the physics of the blank? The original is somewhat between fast and moderate-action in my opinion, and you could think that it gets a bit softer/deeper in the process. That's what it seems at least when you swing the rod in your hands, and then change the upper-hand grip downwards to the place of a presumed upper-corkhandle-to-be (hope You understand what I mean here... ) It could also lower the weight class 1-2 steps, maybe.

The blanks are of course designed to be as they're designed to be and so on - so I think basicly anything can come out of this. Anyway I've no other use for the blank, so I'll probably just do it and see what comes out... But give me comments, ideas, points to consider of ? Anyone ever tried something like this?

It would make the action faster - extending a blank from the butt with a piece at least as stiff as that area, always makes the action faster.

A complete article on extending blanks was in the volume 6 #3 issue of RodMaker.

............

While I can't help you with extending a rod, I do have a suggestion for a blank for a smaller spey rod.

I was looking to build something similar to what you are suggesting a few years ago. It was suggested to me to use the St. Croix Wild Salmon 11'6" drift rod blank (WS116LM2) as the basis for a 5-6 wt. spey rod. I never made the rod unfortunately but I would still consider it. This blank is made from St. Croix's SCII graphite and is rated as a moderate action. The rod would be minimally shorter that what you are looking for but it should do fine.

Also, Cabela's makes or used to make a 12'6" 6 weight spey rod. It is really more a 1 1/2 handed rod instead of a 2 handed rod. I bought it on special and like it. I think this is why I never got around to making the above rod.

Hope this helps.

-John

You would like your extention piece to extend past where the reel seat would be inatalled.

Tight lines,
Art
mrparramoure@yahoo.com

You would like your extention piece to extend past where the reel seat would be installed.

Tight lines,
Art
mrparramoure@yahoo.com

Thanks for replies, all.

Tom Kirkman mentioned earlier an article on extending blanks, in the volume 6 #3 issue of RodMaker. That sounds very interesting, now does somebody by any chance has that article on electric form, or maybe could scan and e-mail it to me, please. You see, where I live (northern Europe) it's practically impossible to find any special magazines like that in the news stands or anywhere for that matter. But, thanks anyway.

I have extended one of the Wild River blanks already mentioned in this thread. I think the key was matching the flex pattern of the rod with the flex of the extension. I tried it at first with a pretty stiff piece of graphite, maybe a foot long, and it came out absolutely awful. It had a nasty hinge feeling right in the middle of the grip. I then removed it, put a new piece of fiberglass in there, and was set to go. It was quite an easy process all told.

As far as the action of the rod, I don't think you'll notice much difference if you're only adding a foot or so to it. The Wild River 11'6" became a moderate-action 12'6" which speyed decently with a DT6F.

paljon onnea sulle...

Jan,
Back issues can be bought at the Rod Maker site to the left, european subscriptions to the magazine can also be ordered there.