I am looking for some recommendations on a fly blank.

The majority of my fly rod knowledge, which is limited, is with 6 – 10 weight rods. Bass, Pike, Muskie.

I’m looking for a fun rod right now. 4 weight…maybe a 3 weight. For fishing big Sunfish and Crappie. I fish from a boat the vast majority of the time on lakes from 300 to 15,000 acres. I’ll have plenty of elbow room for a longer rod and I will probably have to deal with the wind occasionally although this fishing would be on calmer days. A 2 piece rod is just fine as I don’t have the need to shorten up my rods any more than that. Even my boat has 9’ rod lockers so rods can stay fully assembled once they’re in the boat. Probably middle of the road graphite or better. Something that loads well with a wide variety of offerings. I don’t think I’d want a really fast action rod here. I like fast rods when your flies are the size of hamsters but am unsure if I would like them with smaller offerings.

I’m planning on using ceramic guides on this rod.

Thanks for your input



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

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

I just built a Lamiglas Perigee 9' 4/5 wt. that's quite nice. It would work well for what you're describing. I don't have the CCS data, but it "feels" much more like a 4 wt. than a 5 wt. It's mod-fast, and would work great with little popping bugs.

I'd steer away from ceramics on a 3wt, and on some 4wts as well, unless you use ultra-light weight guides. You generally won't be fighting big fish or casting a long way with rods in this range, so why sacrifice sensitivity in the tip by adding a bunch of weight?

The Dan Craft 9'0" 4wt V might be worth a look.

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

Deffinately not ceramics. Even with Ti frames.
Herb Ladenheim

I agree with Scott. Single foot snakes will keep the weight down. With so few requirements to fit your needs, let your pocketbook be your guide. There will be plenty of really great blanks to choose from, depending on the "action" you want/like (CCS guys, take it easy!). Browse the sponsors and see what deals look good. I own 2 3wt rods, one a Pac-Bay Pro series 7', 9" and a St Croix SCIII, but that is a very short 6' 6" rod. A 4wt might be a better choice, allowing you to toss some poppers a 3wt may have trouble with. I've built alot of this weight in longer sizes & can safely say that there are bunches of nice ones out there to choose from...browse & enjoy!

2 cents,

Tim

Matt,
I am currently building two fly rods for a friend that will fish for bream and small bass on a farm pond. Trying to stay within a certain price range, I chose the Tiger Eye blanks from Blackdog Tackle. One of the blanks is a 6/7 blank with a AA of 65 (mod. fast) and an ERN of 6.62. The other is a 4 piece 5/6 wt. blank. I have not done the DBI on this blank yet. For the price of those blanks I don't think you will find a better product in a moderately fast blank. If you wanted a top of the line lighter blank then I would suggest a CTS product. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to test cast some Sage, TFO, and Echo products and I feel that my CTS fly rod is just as good or better. You can go Tiger Eye and build you a good rod for what you want to fish for around $70 retail.

The very last thing I would do is put ceramics on the rod. The guides will dampen the action tremendously. IMHO, I would stick with REC single foot guides due to the huge weight savings and muss less dampening effect they would have on the blank.

As far as blank weight, I would go with a 4 if the lake is in a windy area, as 3 wt's have less power. Maybe even a nice med-fast 5 wt depending on size of fly or poppers you are throwing.

Lenght...well ya don't have to mend line if at all, so a 9 footer would be the minimum and then my perosnal preference is a 10 footer.

GOod luck!!!

Paul

To each his own. I have a 6 1/2 ', two weight that I put #6 alconites on and it handles like a dream with a WF3F line. I taped on single foot Rec's to try it and definately like the ceramics better. There are no firm rules for choosing components for rods. Your blank action and fishing preferences will have more bearing on what works best as the weight differences in the guide choices are measured in grains or tenths of grains.

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

It sounds to me like you are going to be covering a lot of water, witch equates to longer casts. So IMHO I would think about a 10’ 4-7 wt depending on your expected conditions, (Mr. Wind). I do this type of fishing, usually for LARGE trout from a float tube, and I use a 10’4wt most of the time for everything subsurface, (nymphs, emergers, and streamers), and I carry a 9'3wt for most of my top water. Unless you’re planning on just trolling in which case it wouldn’t matter much as far as casting, I would recommend a longer rod.
Keith

If you really want to have fun with small fish, I would suggest the Lamiglas fiberglass rods. I wrapped the 6'6" 3 wt last year and it was my favorite rod last year on smaller waters. I used it for some lake fishing as well when I didn't expect huge fish. The fiberglass has very slow action, but is a breeze to cast with. I own about 8 or 9 flyrods now, but used that little rod over 50% of the time last year. It would be a blast for crappie fishing. I used single foot fly guides and used Permagloss for a finish.

I did catch a few bigger fish on it as well, in the 15 inch range, on a river and had no problem handling them. It is a problem in a strong wind, but then anything is - that's the nature of fly fishing with so much line in the air. A heavier line to throw into the wind makes casting easier, but it's still no fun. And I can cast 40 feet with this rod with no problem without the wind.

Wayne

I agree with Wayne...A 10 foot 4 weight would be a favorite of mine as well. It will get the job done WHEN the wind comes up much better than any short-slow rod will, and with less effort. (I'm not bashing short slow fly rods, just stating the facts.) Just remember, lakes are windy and will make casting anything under a 4 somewhat troublesome depending on the level of your casting skills.

Do you know how to double haul? If not the heavier weight rod will be better. If you do know how, then the wind will be a less of a problem. Just make sure the boat driver positions you well or fire him! LOL Good luck...

Paul

I have two 4 wt rods that I used single foot titanium guides all the way up on. Would not have them any other way. They do help casting with a 4 wt and they are as light or almost as light as snake guides and that awful wire loop top that weighs a young ton by itself.
I would suggest trying a 8.5', 4 wt in maybe a GL3 or the St. Croix Avid line.

My favorite way to save a little weight and money and still get some benefits from ceramics is to use ceramics up to the tip section and then use recoil single foots and a recoil tiptop. That way the tip is real light and the rest of the rod where the weight does not matter so much is real slick from relatively inexpensive ceramics.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2007 02:17PM by Bill Moschler.

One caution about attempting to keep guide weights and tip tops as light as possible. Be certain that the weights of the various guides and tip tops are measured and not assumed. A relatively low priced reloading powder scale will be of benefit. Many times relative weights are quite obvious at a glance but some times they are misleading. I have weighed several wire tip tops that out weighed alconite and sic ceramics. All things being equal the lightest guides are usually desireable but when line wear and other considerations are weighed in your final decision a slight reduction in guide weight may show diminishing returns in performance.

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

Excellent point Stan...

Paul

I didn't mention this in my initial post, but I think you're absolutely right to use ceramic guides. I've not used wire snakes on a rod in years. There's just no advantage that I can see. If you're really worried about weight, use Fuji titanium/SiCs.

Matt,
One concern is your choice of line weight. My favorite fly, and the one I think most productive, for panfish is a small cork popper. I don't know if a three weight line would turn that over, especially on a windy day. When I think three weight, I think about dry flies and small nymphs. Spring creek and free stone stream sorts of things. Of course, that may have as much to do my skill level as the rod, nonetheless... While many might think it overkill, I still believe a six weight may be a better choice, depending on what you have in your fly box.
Tight lines,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

Longer rods tend to be effected more dramatically by weight towards the tip section... so where ceramics might be great on a 6'6" 4wt, I would not like them on most 9'0" 4wts.

But the only way to know for yourself is to try both - buy a set of nice ceramics and a set of good chrome snakes. Tape one set on, test cast, and then tape the other set on.

You'll be able to tell which YOU like instead of relying on a bunch of anonymous internet guys. Sure, it'll cost a couple dollars more to buy a set of single foot wire guides, but paying $10 to make 100% sure you have the best possible setup is more than worth it in my mind.

Good luck on your build!




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