Hi,

I just purchased an 8' 6" 4 piece 4 weight 2003 Forecast fly rod blank. It is perfectly acceptable in every regard except that once assembled It is 2 1/2 inches too short at only 8' 31/2" long. Now, I'm used to small 1/2 inch or less descrepency in blank length, but this is the first time I've had a blank that was short by a couble inches.

I was wondering if this is normal for this series of blanks. ?????

Thanks,
Kevin

P.s. The rod already has a grip installed and most of the guides wrapped so the blank is not going back.

The 2003's were stopped and Batson went too a different maker. From the 2004's up they are a better blank.

Kevin,
That is ONE of the reasons we discontinued The Forecast 2003 models, the blanks came in very inconsistent. We have been using this new Vendor now for a few years and have nothing but great products with consistency.
If you ever have any questions in regards to the Batson Enterprises - Rainshadow/Forecast product line please feel free to contact us.
Thank you everyone for your support
Bill Batson
CEO
Batson Enterprises
Rainshadow/Forecast Products
877-875-2381
www.batsonenterprises.com
bill@batsonenterprises.com

Kevin,
Just to back up the other guys, the 04's are great blanks ! I just bought a 7'6'' 3 wt. 2pc. that I'm in the process of building out and I've been very impressed with the responsiveness and lightness of the blank. They are definitly an improvement over the 03's. My congratulations to Bill and the team at Batson for providing us rod builders with this great blank at such reasonable prices. I've also been impressed with the new Rx8+ and Rx7+ series. I would highly reccomend them if you are looking for a powerful yet responsive blank.
Andrew
A.J. Rod Co.

To answer your question a little more directly, I built a 8'6" 4wt Forecast '03 blank and it measured 8'4". So yours is not the only one out there.

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]