I want to treat myself to a great 9' 5wt. rod. I have considered a G-Loomis GLX , or a St. Croix SCV. Also there is the Hook and Hackle HHX , Batson RX8, or G-Loomis IMX. Let me know if you have any experience or thoughts on these blanks, or if you have any suggests on these or other blanks.

Thanks,

Al

Sage makes a really nice high end blank. I have fished the mfg. rods and I really really like them. I hope to wrap one as soon as the skill level is there.

Scott

Hi Al,

I would tend towards Sage if money is not an issue, a little cheaper would be the CTS blanks and also very nice. The new RX8 4 piece shoule be also really nice if similar in action and behaviour like the former RX8 in three piece which I built up in 9ft class 5. FYI: my one turned out to be a little more a 6wt than a 5wt.

RGDS,
Ole
Ellerau/Germany

if you chose the GLX I'd underwrap the 1st 30" of the tip section. I much preferr the IMX to the GLX as they are extremely brittle, but even my IMX choice would be an older IMX before Shimano bought them out. The High end St.Croxi's are are fairly nice in the wt you want, if you look close you will see a trend with all their IPC instilled blanks (or series) there is not much taper ther to make those uniform tranisition points difficult to manufacture, they are lighter and they made that up in the butt section by reducing dia there. In 7 wts and up, I like a butt section that measaures up into the .400"s, but never over .500" Scott rods are another blank to look at, but I like Sage also.

Al

Loomis Sage and the others mentioned are all fine blanks. One option that hasn't been mentioned is Burkheimer. I have one of his 6 wt. rods on my wrapper right now. Kerry not only makes spey rods but he builds fine trout blanks too. They are available in gray, blue and green . I outwrap for Kerry, so I may be a little biased but I also wrap for several other companies too, and I have seen his whole line of blanks. Kerry is a perfectionist and it shows in his products.


Thomas F. Thornhill

I have a Loomis GLX in 9' 5wt and it is my all time favorite. Nothing about it seems brittle. I've tromped it up and down NY and into PA on back packing trips and caught a ton of trout on it. My very favorite fly rod.

I also have a Burkemheimer and it is one of the easiest casting rods you'd ever own. But compared to the GLX it seems very heavy or clubby. But it is EASY to cast.

I've had a GLX 6 wt since they first came out sometime I believe in the real early 90's, it's been to Alaska many times, Mexico, Florida and all over the west. Never a problem, always fishes and casts well. One of the special rods I've fished was the 8 1/2 ft 5 wt. The good way to get a great rod is to go to a few fly shops, cast what they got with your reel and line, and go from there.

The RX8's that I've built have got excellent reviews. One 8 has been around the world now. One customer was a dedicated user of one of the other brands mentioned and now won't use anything but the Rainshadow RX8. Great blanks, great price.

Under wrapping the first 30 inches of the tip section on any 5 weight fly rod would certainly effect the characteristics and casting performance of the rod in a most negative manner.

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

I have two Burkheimers.

And another on order, enough said.

His Cobalt Blue blanks are spectacular!

Like Stan said. I have 3 GLXs, 1 fly, 1 casting, 1 spinning all have held up great without extra thread or finish anywhere.

AL:
GLX is my choice then the IMX. The IMX is more of a "parabolic" flex as compared top the GLX. And one thing...DO NOT UNDERWRAP THE FIRST 30" of the ROD! That is a sure way to make it feel like an Ugly Stick! just my .02

Also, the GLX is not brittle. I didn't know graphite was. When I was on the Pro-staff with Loomis, Gary was very quick to correct people who would say that graphite was brittle! I also think that the GLX graphite is still the baraometer for the industry. The R&D (research and development) at Loomis is second to none...

Respectfully,
Paul

Having fished IMX and GlX fly rods almost exclusively for several years I agree that the GLX remains a barometer for me when comparing rods. As Paul states, "the GLX is not brittle". It's use of high modulus material allowing thinner walls makes it more fragile to impact than similar rods with lower modulus and thicker walls. While I enjoy the characteristics of GLX rods I found the IMX to more able to withstand damage from beadhead flies and other sources causing impact damage. The Ugly Stick is the opposite extreme in that it might inflict damage on a car door.

When looking for the perfect blank you will search forever as there are only trade offs available. Set your priorities and pick accordingly.

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2006 12:34PM by Stan Grace.

Paul,
As the modulus of elasticity of any elastic material like carbon fiber increases the area under the stress/strain curve, the strain energy or toughness, decreases, assuming that the tensile strength remains the same. Because the Loomis GLX is a blank constructed of high modulus of elasticity carbon fiber it will be less tough or more fragile than blanks constructed of lower modulus of elasticity carbon fiber. The higher modulus of elasticity results in less weight and higher resonant frequency which intern results in a number of advantages including higher sensitivity or feel, faster damping, and less casting effort, however, the disadvantage is it results in a rod that is not as tough.

i think you outta check out the diamondback classic, either trout or the faster western model. and let me know how it turns out! ;-)

i've heard good reviews about the batson RX8 (+?). dan craft signature Vs are nice too. what kind of fishing do you do and what kind of feel are you looking for?

eric
fresno, ca.

Emory...

Sir, as you are 100% correct and I agree with you chief, the rod is still not "brittle". Ithe rod is less durable than others in terms of "impact resistance".

And yes, i agree that the IMX is more durable than the GLX. I own every 10 foot model made-and they have taken more of a beating than I did in back in my Catholic school days.

Repectfully,
Paul

Paul,
I know that it is a little confusing but a rods resistance to impact is a different property of the rod than how tough or brittle it is. The toughness is a function of the strain energy which is determined by the modulus of elasticity and the tensile strength (the area under the stress/strain or modulus of elasticity curve). The lower the modulus or the higher the tensile strength the tougher the rod will be (the more area under the stress/strain curve). You can think of the toughness as how large a load will the rod take or much will the rod deflect before it breaks or how brittle it is.
Impact resistance is a different matter. Carbon fiber is actually a fairly soft material and the outer layer of material can easily be damaged by hitting it against something hard. The problem is that when a load is applied to a rod and it deflects or is bent the load on the layers of fibers is not distributed uniformly through the layers. The load on the layers of fibers drops off at the fourth power from the surface layer to the inner layers when the rod is bent or deflected. Because the load is so much higher on the surface layers only the surface layer needs to be damaged by an impact to significantly weaken the rod. Often a rod will be hit on something but later when the rod is under a significant load it will then break at the spot where it was hit even though only the outer most layer of fibers was damaged.
I hope I said that clearly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2006 08:37PM by Emory Harry.