would like a 7or 8ft fly rod 3 to 5 wt want to pay no more than $100 Im not a name dropper want the best bang for my buck. heard sooooo much abt where to put the guides on the spine or 180 from the spine,in my experience it makes a condiderable difference in the action. Love constructive criticism like to hear many points of view. thanks

sorry made a big mistake want a BLANK not a rod

Based on the number of consistently excellent reports posted on this board regarding his blanks I would head straight to Dan Craft without any hesitation. He is noted for being most generous with assistance so I'm sure he'd help you deal with the spine orientation. Run a search on his name and read for yourself. He is a sponsor of this board and a frequent contributor to it. Although I have no personal experience with the man or his blanks, I look forward to doing so soon. The prevailing wisdom of this board is that his blanks match up very well against those which cost far more; even exceeding the qualities of some of the very costly status brands. There are too many knowledgable builders here for anyone to gain that kind of regard without having earned it.

Another route to consider is the discontinued Allstar blanks that Andy Dear has noted he will be offering very soon at big discounts. Read the post just a short way down the board. He too is the kind of guy you'll be happy to deal with. If he has a blank of the length and weight you are seeking you will undoubtedly get a real bargain on a fine blank.

I hope my two suggestions help you and I wish you the best in this project. Dave

Bill,
The Dan craft blanks I've built are already marked fo spline with a white china marker when you receive them. The Sig III and Sig V blanks are lighter in weight then many blanks out there and just about all are configurations are less than or within your budget if you throw a ticket to Star Wars in there also. The FT are heavier, about the same weight as a Allstar or Rainshadow blank in the same configuration and are faster actioned than most blanks, the 10 ft models less so than the 9 footers.

Action is not going to be affected in the least by spine orientation. Spine orientation will have no effect on where the rod initially flexes - that is a function of the rod's design; taper. You cannot change any of that by putting the guides any certain place or orienting the spine in any particular location. Nor is casting accuracy nor rod stability affected by spine orientation.

There is a tremendous number of excellent blanks in the under $100 category. The best for the buck really depends on what you like in a rod. I would think that getting the blank that personally suits you the best might be more important than just getting a "good buy." There are just so many good ones to choose from within that price range. If you have a rod now that you know you really like, you might run some CCS numbers on it and then compare them to Bob Hesser's CCS database to find something similar within your price range.

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

i am building a few rods on dan craft blanks. one of my favorites is the sig iii 9' five pc four wt. dan also has an 8' 5pc three wt in sig iii. if its anything like the 9' 4wt it will make a great fly rod. maybe my next project. well within your budget.

just been to Cabelas and I must say I was quite impressed with their FT series. Has anyone tried this blank? How does it match up to the Dan Craft SIG V?

Bill, I have no experience with the Dan Craft SIG V but I'm sure it is a different animal than the Cabelas FT. Cabelas FT is somewhat like the Loomis GL3 -- it has a moderate-fast recovery speed, IMO. "They" say the SIG V has a quite fast recovery speed.

Bill--you're in under your budget with almost all Dan's blanks. I'd recommend the 8' 3wt 5pc Sig III, the 8' 4" 3/4wt 3pc Sig V, or the 8'6" 3wt 4pc FT, depending on what you're looking for in terms of feel and blank characteristics. We've posted a brief introduction/explanation to the different series here if you'd like to read up a bit on them: [www.rockymountainrodbuilding.com]. Drop us a line or give us a call at 1-866-FLY-RODS if you'd like to get some additional feedback and suggestions on what might be the best match for your needs. And of course, should you purchase a Dan Craft blank from us and not love it, we'll buy it back--so there's no risk to you.

Warmly,

so john, uhhhh, errrr, does that mean you sell used dan craft blanks at a markdown???? ;-)

eric
fresno, ca.

having just completed a 904-4 ft ( and love it ), me thinks john has never had to buy one back.

Bill.....

First.....Get the Dan Craft Sig V 8'4 3/4 wt
Second....pair it with your favorite 4 wt line
Third....Match it with you favorite components
Fourth....Don't look back...because you just built the smoothest, best-casting, most awesome light trout rod out there.

Oh...Fifth....Thank me, John Launstein, and Dan Craft later.

Keith

My favorite little rod is an St. Croix SCIV 7.5' 3wt. Since I'm fishing it at short distances, I use a 4wt. line on it most of the time. Mine is a two piece that I bought before St. Croix retooled the entire line of SCIVs with their IPC technology. I don't know if they still have this blank in a two-piece. But, the SCIVs have always impressed me--I don't think you can go wrong with them. (The only issue is whether or not you can stand the spruce green color.)

The other three small rods that have really impressed me are the Rainshadow RX7 8' 4wt. 2 pc, the Rainshadow RX7 7'9" 3wt. 2 pc., and the Pac Bay Tradition 7.5' 4wt.

The best of all these rods (by far) is the SCIV. It's amazingly light and crisp. The Rainshadows are also incredibly nice for the price--fairly fast and plenty powerful for small rods. The Pac Bay Tradition is a more moderate action blank, and it's just incredibly smooth--a pleasure to use. Both the Rainshadows and the Pac Bay are available in really nice colors. The Rainshadow is a light olive color and the Pac Bay is a beautiful plum color (kinda' burgundy).

pac bay has done away with the plum color and now offers the lineup as the Tradition II in matte grey. i'm pretty sure.

eric
fresno, ca.

Keith--nicely put! :)

Eric--I must be a bit thick...totally miss that implication! :) We sell DC blanks for the same price Dan does--I was just referring to our "satisfaction guarentee".