One of my Bass fishing friends called me today about a Kistler(sp?) Helium rod with Forcast guides he bought. He told me the rod is filled with helium to make it lighter. What information can youall give me about Kistler Helium rods? Ralph

Please ??????

I just repeated what me told me. I still need info on Kistler(sp?) Helium Rods. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I would have to check myself Ralph. But it don't sound like hype to you.

It's just a promotional statement meaning that with the materials used in making his rods that they are "lighter than air". There is no helium in the rods. Look at his website for more information on his rods.

The website is www.kistlerrods.com
I have competed with them a couple of times. The Helium is just a tradename for a lightweight rod. They really do a good marketing job, though. Some people on some fishing boards here in GA just swear by Kistler rods.
I think there rods are made on blanks provided by one of the suppliers here.
Steve Broadwell

I have heard many good things about there rods.

I did. LOL. It do. But, this friend of mine is dead serious, though. I need to let him down easy. I looked up the Kistler site. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I just searched around a little bit.

Kistler has a web site, and a network of dealers around the country.

It is unlikely that the rod is filled with helium, as helium will actually diffuse through most solids over time, due to the small size of the molecule. The blanks would need a very expensive liner (that would add weight) in order to contain the gas for a practical amount of time. (FYI, blimps use helium, and replace the helium lost through the bag of the blimp via compressed helium tanks carried onboard the craft.)

Also, the amount of helium contained inside the empty space of a rod blank would not produce a (realistically) measurable amount of weight savings.

Kistler does not claim that the rods are filled with helium.

Helium may be used during the manufacture of the carbon fibers used to make the mat from which the blanks are rolled, however Kistler does not claim that they use helium in their production process.

Unfortunately, Kistler does not reveal any information regarding the manufacture of the rods.

I don't know why they call the rods "Helium". However, it does look like the rods are very popular among fishermen who use them.

(I don't own or use a Kistler rod. If you know me, you'll know it's because I'm too cheap!!)

-Rob

Old Helium rods. The original line of blanks they were using were filled with Hydrogen. Rogue was making most of the blanks at the time. There were two tradgedies down south - one in South Carolina and one in Tennessee when two different smokers were killed when their rods exploded. Kistler then left Rogue (the two lawsuits were filed against the blank company and not the rod manufacturer) and went with Batson. Batson decided to use the safer Helium gas to fill their rods with because the lord would not have approved of any further deaths. The only down side to the helium was it made several models break between the first and second guide. Actually, this was a problem with some of the hydrogen rods too. Kistler decided to keep the Helium name, but they started injecting the blanks with oxygen so the tips would not break off anymore. That's the story I heard. I also heard the new grip material on the Helium 2 rods was made with radioactive by products and several fishermen have become sick after using them. The only cure is to buy more Kistlers.

Tell him that due to many rods floating away from the dealers' racks and their inability to tie them all down and still provide customer access, the helium filling had to be discontinued.

I understand that many floated up and into the ceiling fans of owners. As you can imagine, they were none too happy. Many have had to resort to keeping a small anchor attached to the rods when not in actual use.

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

Take off the butt cap and inhale....if you talk funny then you know it's filled with helium....LOL!!!!!

and to think --- i was actually seeking advice from you guys!!!! LOL Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The Helium in the rod will reduce the weight over air by 0.00000000001 ounce. That is at sea level naturally. If you are fishing in the Dead Sea at 2000 ft. below sea level the weight savings would be much more, about 0.0000000001 ounce. However, if you are fishing in the lakes in the Himalayas the saving would be much less, only about 0.000000000001 ounce due to the thinner air.

I bought one of those Kistler Helium rods and I use it all the time. I like it but it hasn't floated away as yet. LOL...actually, that rod is what got me into rod building. I paid $230 for this rod...thats at least $100 more than I had ever spent to that point on a rod. Sure, it was light, but it wasn't pretty. Wrapped all in black with the only color being those blue guide inserts and tiny trim bands in blue....I needed a lot more flash for my bucks....You'd understand that if you knew me well....LOL...anyway... I took a perfectly good Kistler rod without a thing wrong with it....stripped off the guides...cut it down to a split grip...and re-wrapped it spiral.....Now it's a danged good worm rod and I use it all the time. If there was a way to actually put helium in the blanks, I would want the patent on that one for my own rods...

Steve Buchanan

Steve's Custom Rods

Kistler Helium rods may be as hard to pin down as Orvis Zero Gavity rods that also need to be tethered to keep them in the rack.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

Kistler is following Rich Forhan's teaching to the max and capitalizing on very good marketing skills to the bassers! He is building lite with split grips and nor foregrip. The last ones I saw even had a hacked up seat to remove material. Trey is one production guy who is presently maintaining price stability with inovation. The higher the rods fly the higher the price tag!

Gon Fishn

Trey is one fine fellow. Several years ago while I was still selling rods he offered his help. If I ever ran short of parts, I could drop by his place and buy them from Kistler. They make fine rods. As for my rods, I fill them with methane that I generate in my compost pile. It keeps people from smoking on my boat.

I know this is off the topic but does Kistler offer the blanks by themself? I have a friend that uses the Kistler for Bass and swears by them. They do seem to be lighter than my St. Croix's but I like to roll my own if you know what I meen. Mark

Ellis,
Are you sure that the methane is coming from your compost pile and not from you? Sorry, I could not resist. Now you can take a cheap shot at me and I will not say a thing.