I got a great deal on a 4-pc/5-wt fly rod blem which appears perfect except for a substantial kink about 2" from the tip. Unfortunately, the bend is not in the same direction as the spine (nor 180-degrees from it). Otherwise, the rod is pretty darn straight. Should I:

(a) ignore it and build the rod normally, aligning the guides to the spine?
(b) place the guides in line with the bend, and ignore the spine on the tip section?
(c) Cut off the uppermost 2" and buid the rod normally?

I figure (c) is a no-no, but I though I'd throw it out there anyway. Any/all help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Tom

You're probably better off aligning with the spine and moving ahead. The spine may have more effect than the crook does.

I know you didn't ask, but the "blem" part of your blank may be that crooked area. There is usually a price to pay for getting a great deal. You might be better off with a first quality blank in one of the more economically priced blank series.

Again, don't mean to give answers or advice you didn't ask for, but it might help the next fellow down the road.

..........

Tom,

Blems are just what they are advertised to be. They all have a defect that made them a blem and as such unsellable as a quality blank. I believe their best use is as a teaching tool. They are great for beginners to learn on at a reasonable price, in case of mistakes. My point being that you really can't be disappointed in a blem. I have built on them also when I was starting out. Truth is, I still have a couple of them. I think you'll find, that if you go ahead a build it the proper way, you'll find that once the guides are on it you'll have a hard time seeing the crooks. I built a Lamiglas blem once that had an "S" curve near the tip. After the guides were installed, you couldn't tell it from a standard rod. I have fished it for a couple of years and it fishes fine. My thinking was if it was this good as a blem, imagine how good it would fish as a first rate blank.

Ray Alston

Tom,

It may not really matter if you choose A or B. Many people align guides with or against the spine. Some align with the straightest axis. Both methods work. Personally I use the spine for my guides. But, my dad built rods for years on the straightest axis and he's never had a problem.

as said above, blems are what you make of them. A friend and local shop owner goes to the big show in eastern PA/harrisburgh every year. About 3 years ago he came back with some loomis and lamiglas blems. I bought 2 8'6" loomis blems and 2 7' lami blems. The fly rod blanks (8'6") turned out to be GL4 blems (we figured it out by process of elimination) and make incredible rods. To date it is my best casting 6 wt. I ordered 2 lami blems from Mudhole about a year ago. One was an 8' 5 wt 3 pc fiberglass blank. The other was a 6'6" light casting blank. Both are phenomenal rods. The blem for both was a problem with the finish. The fiberglas was discolored and the casting rod was scratched around the butt. All told they are some of the best casting rods I've ever had. So, blems are what you make of them. Just check to find the blemish, if you can, before you build it.

Rick Koontz
rkoontz@andrew.cmu.edu