Hi Folks,

a couple of weeks ago I bought a four piece Loomis GLX Blank 9´, 6 wt. When I finished the rod I was unhappily suprised how soft and weak the rod worked. Not as fast and stiff as I know the factory built rods that I have been casting before. It seems to me that I held a totaly different kind of rod in hands. So does anybody has an idea what happend or if Loomis changed the blend of the tapfer for the custom blanks vs. factory used ones?

Glad to receive your answers.

T.L. Frank

Don't they have a couple different tapers in the GLX line now? I think I've seen GLX in different store bought rod lines designed for different situations. It's getting hard to kep up with what's going on in the field now with all the specialization, or perceived specialization anyway. I have a 6 wt GLX form the very early day of the line and I wouldn't classify it as soft and weak, but it is rated very closely to it's line rating if I remember correctly when I CC'd it. There is a possibility it was also mis-labelled at the factory it could be a 5 wt or something.

Thanks for responding. Well, it might be so that they have different tapers (now) for different kind of fishing. But I think it concerns primarily the Streamdance-Series. In my opinion the classical GLX-Series was developed stringent to the weight classes (maybe I´m wrong). As well I thought the blank was mis-labelled but I tried different fly lines (5, 6 and 7 wt) and find out that the rod works best with a 6 wt. But much softer then I wished.

T. & T.L. Frank

Frank,
If you are comparing a factory made GLX to the a rod that you made with the identical blank then the rod that you built will feel less crisp and less responsive if you have added more weight with your guides, wraps and epoxy than has been added to the blank on the factory rod. It is surprising how little additional weight that you will be able to feel. The additional weight, particularly weight added toward the tip of the rod, will lower the rods resonant frequency and you can feel a small increase in the resonant frequency.
I am not suggesting that you necessarily did anything wrong. I am just suggesting what may be the difference in what you are feeling in the two rods if they were both made from identical blanks.

Emory makes a very good point that you should consider. How did you outfit the rod? What components did you use. Did you add uncessary weight? In most instances, you can save weight over the factory version and have a rod that performs better. that reacts and recovers more quickly.

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Thanks for your answer.
Well, I have to say that I´m familiar with the circumstance that the number and kind of guides, the thickness and number of epoxy layers and so on playing a major rule and affect to the way a rod works.
So it´s up to me to give you some more details and discribe how I built up the rod (sorry for giving that information a little bit late).

I used Recoil RSFX single foot guides and wrapped them on the weak side of the spine and added two Fuji titanium strippers size 10 + 12. As I know Loomis usually put the strippers on the stiffer side of the blank to provoke a little faster response of the rod. Anyway. In this case the rod reacts with a little more power in the backcast and has more reserve to play a good fish if neccessary (I built the rod for a journey to New Zealand). I just used two thin layers of epoxy for the wrappings to also reduce weight. And I lengthened the rod for 2 inches. All right. That might be a matter of additional weight and maybe a little more speed. These are the details and modifications, but summary I stick to it that the taper of the rod is a different kind to what I felt befor casting a factory built GLX. And I´m proud to say that the guys arround say that I have an excellent sensibility to evaluate how rods perform. That´s why it worries me that I can´t explain the handling of that rod to me ;-)

T. & T.L. Frank

Okay, if you have the guides on either side of the spine, the blank's most powerful axis is somewhere off to one side or the other. Loomis mounts their guides on the straightest axis (most powerful axis) and lets the spine fall off to one side or the other. This will account for a little difference, just a little.

Action is not affectedor changed by weight, but response and recovery certainly are. I doubt you've added enough weight to make any large difference. In fact, I'm not sure what you've done would add any more weight than the factory items do. The extra 2 inches could result in a little less responsiveness as you're moving more rod out beyond your point of effort.

Beyond that, it is also entirely possible that Loomis changed the design of the blank. Often, running changes are made as input from customers and field testers come in and they feel a need to tweak the design for better acceptance. You might want to make a call or send an email up to Loomis and just ask.

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Thanks for answering, Tom.

To be honest, I thougt a little bit naively that things like that would be handled like a major state secret and I´d never get an answer. But maybe your right and it´s the real easiest way to ask Loomis directly.

Thanks again.

T.L. Frank

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Common Cents System here. You could measure both rods and tell to the EXACT degree what the action of each is. Same with the power. You'd be able to tell if they were actually different and if so, then by how much. Nothing against your own refined sense of feel, but taking these measurements would confirm or refute what you think you are feeling. Just an idea that seems good to me.

Good point.

Also worth mentioning, is that no two blanks are going to be indentical - too much hand labor involved in making blanks. But they should be close, unless something has been changed.

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Thanks, Shawn. Well, I checked the CCS data meanwhile and it congruents my impressions of my GLX. But I´m sorry, I have not verified it yet and beg for your forbearing, it´s pretty difficult to get US-Cents in Hamburg, Germany ;-) A friend of mine spent some time in converting the CCS data in €-Cents and then collecting enough of them to continue. Thanks at this point, Ole! As soon as we are ready we´ll verify it with CCS.

But anyway, Gents, the differences between a factory built GLX and my one are massiv so I keep on looking for an concluding an for everyone satisfying answer in case of that mysterious rod. Thanks to you for your commitment.

To be continued.

T.L. Frank