I have someone looking for a 10' 12wt for the surf. In all the catalogues I have, 9' 12wt is as close as I can find. I've extended blanks for other rods but never a fly. Am I breaking some kind of rule here. I would assume the first 12" of a 12wt is nothing but handle and would have little effect on action. Yes?...No?...

Thanks
Bob

The action would become faster, just as it would on any blank you extend. You'd also end up with a slightly more powerful overall rod.

You will also move the ferrule farther up the rod, but that is not necessarily an issue of any concern.

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I don't build rods for others, but if I did, and I were in your shoes, I'd try to talk him into a 9' blank. I have a pair of 9' 10-wts that I use to fish the surf, and I can't imagine that an extra foot is going to make much difference in performance. I don't think that you're going to cast farther, and I can't think of an advantage in fighting a fish, either. There probably is a difference in casting difference between a 14-foot, two-handed spey rod and a 9-footer, but that's not what he's asking for. I know that if I were building one for myself, and a 10-foot blank were unavailable, I'd certainly prefer a 9-footer to one that i extended.

Just my 2 cents....

He will certainly give up some leverage to the fish by going with a longer rod, but perhaps there are other reasons that he wants a 10 footer.

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R.B Meiser to the left sells a 10 ft 12 wt blank. Fast actioned fly blank in his switch rod section.

I bet the Dan Craft FT 10 foot 10 wt would be an excellent choice! The 10 footers have a very stout butt that can handle large fish and huge flies. I dont have the 10 weight, but I've fought plenty of heafty king salmon up to 30 lbs on the 10 foot 8 weight...........Check the CCS #'s on the FT's for a better idea of their power. You can also build these blanks in a short two-hand (switch) config. for single & double hand deliveries. I cast better single handed with my switch FT1008 than with my "normal" FT1008. The longer grips balances the rod very well. Its my go-to rod when casting distance OR rollcasting is premium. Great blanks.

Ray Vinzant,
Juneau, Alaska