Was looking at a Sage Z-Axis 5 weight the other day at a fly shop and ......well..you know the drill. I now wanna build one. But I don't want to spend $315 for the blank and I don't want a 4 / 5 piece rod. Anybody know if there is an equivilant blank out there in two piece? Most of the faster action blank makers have gone to travel rods and Kerry Batson tells me they are no exception. I can find moderately fast actions in two piece, but no specs that seem equal to the Sage. One fellow here, don't remember who, said the std Batson RX7 casts as well as his Winston.

Check out the CTS blanks at Fishsticks4u. I have built two fly rods using those blanks and are very nice.

Not a two piece in the lot, Ellis. I guess they took two piece out of the line

You pay for the NAME !! Look at some of the suppliers here such as Batson.
heck it's your money.

Bill - willierods.com

Bill

I've ben in contact with Karry Batson. he has been kind enough to reply to my questions. I am looking at their Standard RX7 in 5 wt. Very Affordable, but I've never handled the blank. The Batson RX7+ or the RX8+ would get the nod from me but there are no two piece rods in that lineup.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2009 09:09PM by David Swiderski.

Remember that the Winston's and Sage's are made with the same materials and by the same process that other blanks are made with. So don't rule out getting a top performing rod just because they don't cost an arm and a leg.

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Thanks Tom. That is mainly my reason for the inquiry. I've been at this for a long time, but mostly for a few friends and myself. The Loomis SCIV might fill the bill for a fast 2 piece five weight at a more reasonable price. I know there are a number of less expensive blanks out there, but most are rated moderately fast and I already have that. The other variable is the ratings game. One guy's fast is another's moderate.

Oh well, the learning is part of the journey

Not if you use the CCS system - it's purely objective and based on a relative scale. You're correct on all else - the manufacturer ratings are just subjective opinion.

By the way, I'm sure you'll realize this once you see it, the SCIV blanks are made by St. Croix.

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I knew that. I hadn't given St Croix a thought until I started doing more searches tonight. I found them just before I responded the last time. And you have to have blank in hand to use the common cents system.

How about Dan Craft Ent

Bill - willierods.com

Bill,

Nice stuff there according to the reviews..But no two piece 5 wt on the web right now. The five rivers blanks have gotten some nice reviews

The two-piece Gatti blanks provide about as fast an action as anyone could want. The trade-off for the performance of this blank at distance is you may find yourself handcuffed at close range unless you overline the rod considerably.

Phil,

Thanks. I expect that will be the case with most if not all of the fast action blanks.

Dave,
You might check the CCS data page and see if the rod blaks you are considering or comparing are listed. They list the Action Angle which is a relatively good measure of the action. You can find the CCS Data page on the left hand side of this web site.

Mike Blomme

Mike,

Thanks for the tip. Wouldn't you know it there are no Z-Axis listed and the St Croix does not have the configuration I'm looking at either. Such is life!

Dave



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2009 08:21PM by David Swiderski.

There is a 4 piece 9' 5wt z-axis blank listed on the common cents data page.
Z Axis 5, 9, 4, 5.65, 67 Gil Mc Millan (mfg line wt, length, pieces, ern, aa)

Mike,

I missed the Blanks page. Thanks. The ST Croix and ZX are very close with their numbers.