Im building my first ultra light rod...Probably around the 6' range
Im use to builidng bass rods in the med-heavy 6'6'' to 7' range..

Is there anything special to consider in making ultra light rods, besides blank diameter?

Thanks

Walker

The rule of thumb about using the smallest, lightest, & fewest guides possible to do the job really comes to play with the lighter rods.

Don't automatically drop the grip/seat diameter just because the blank is smaller. Like Dale Clemens said in his video and has been said on this forum many times, smaller grip diameters are inherently less comfortable. I have small hands and even I find skinny grips uncomfortable.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

HI WALKER,
I build alot of ultra lites, most 5 ft. I would be against fewest guides are best, The top half , or third is so small and light you need enough guides to spread out the load on this portion of the rod.
weight ? I use FUJI TITANIUM guides, the only way to go, you could use TLSG5.5J for the upper section of the rod. As close as 3 in. from tip, then down 4 in. next 5 or 6 in. tape some on and load the rod you'll see. I've caught some good size bass & pickerel, This rod is great in an overgrown trout stream, with a reel spooled with 6 or 8 lb. braided line, it's like 2 lb. mono dia.

Dave von Doehren
PRRODS......If man built it , man can fix it.and if man built it man can break it !

For whatever it might be worth to you, there was a special article on all aspects of Ultra LIght Rods in RodMaker Volume 10 issue #1.


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David von Doehren Wrote:
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> HI WALKER,
> I build alot of ultra lites, most 5 ft. I would be
> against fewest guides are best, The top half , or
> third is so small and light you need enough guides
> to spread out the load on this portion of the
> rod.
> weight ? I use FUJI TITANIUM guides, the only way
> to go, you could use TLSG5.5J for the upper
> section of the rod. As close as 3 in. from tip,
> then down 4 in. next 5 or 6 in. tape some on and
> load the rod you'll see. I've caught some good
> size bass & pickerel, This rod is great in an
> overgrown trout stream, with a reel spooled with 6
> or 8 lb. braided line, it's like 2 lb. mono dia.

David,
I wasn't suggesting one use LESS guides than needed. Placing a guide 3inches from the tip top is to close IMHO

Walker,
I like the Fuji Ti guides David mentions but there are others to consider as well. REC Recoils, PacBay Minima, and Batson Alps are a few I would look at.
The "Micro" guides & tip tops would be my first choice unless there are conditions that would preclude their use.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Thanks guys for the help...I got another rod to build before this one,so I got plenty of time to shop my options...I take all the adivice into consideration while doing this.

Tom-I plan on subscribing to the magazine soon...but with Christmas and all,lol,well Im sure you understand

I wasn't trying to get you to subscribe. That article might be found in a back issue at your local public library or you might have a rod building friend that has it.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> I wasn't trying to get you to subscribe. That
> article might be found in a back issue at your
> local public library or you might have a rod
> building friend that has it.
>
> ................

Oh I didnt take it like that,Tom...lol...,I've just been wanting to subscribe for awhile now is all.
I know the articles in it would help me greatly...Thank you

Ray,
In deference to your comment with respect to placing a guide 3 inches from the tip.
I have to agree with David's comment on possibly placing a guide at 3 inches from the tip.
I also have built a lot of very light tipped rods - both ultra lights as well as ice rods, and it is very common to require a guide at only 3 inches from the tip for adequate line support.

Remember, some of these very light tipped rods are hardly heavier than limp spaghetti.

Of course, it is a real pleasure (NOT) to wrap small guides on these very light action sections of blanks.

Take care
Roger

So what guide size do ya'll recommend?
This will be a spinning reel seat and the length will be 6'

Thanks

W

If you have not tried it before, consider using a 7 1/2 foot 3 weight fly blank for the ultra light. At 7 1/2 feet it will cast like a bullet with light lures, hook set is not an issue as it is with many short ultra lights, and it will be the most comfortable rod you have in your collection. I built one on an American Tackle AMF763 blank and it has become my "go-to" rod when the fishing gets slow and tough. I've caught bass to 19, walleyes to 22, and tons of hybrid bluegills and specs with the small cranks that cast so well with the rod. I used micros on the tip and they work well if I don't try to have a knot go through them. I built a light grip/reel seat using a skeleton seat with a cork insert, Batson reel seat shims for ramps at the end. Check it out at Batson's web sight tech forum on my public album-it is also shown on the photos on this forum, but I cannot find it right now.

After using short ultra-lights for years and having trouble setting the hook and having poor casting performance, this rod is like "ultra light magic" and I cannot understand why more people don't try a rod like this. Blanks are relatively cheap, two piece so they travel well, and it just plain works.

Michael,

You have stated some things here that I know to be fact, although many will argue that the numbers make such a thing impossible.

In the article on Ultra-Light rods in RodMaker, I recommended that people try building longer UL rods for 2 main reasons. The first is that since the goal of an UL rod is to maximize the fight from the fish, a longer rod hands the fish a longer lever to use against you. Suddenly, even the smallest fish feel like whales. And, you do get a better strike to hook-up ratio. Longer rods, even very soft UL rods, will set the hook better than shorter rods. It has little to do with stiffness and everything to do with rod sweep.

Great suggestion. Thanks.

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Tom, I remember you offering a rule of thumb for casting weights on a fly rod. Do you have one for what line class they could fish? My only real experience with fly rods is limited to fesh water bass with popping bugs. I typically fished a 7 weight and a 4/6 pound tippet. I am getting the impression here that for an UL spinner a 3 or 4 weight would be about right for 4-6# test. Would that still hold true for fish like bonefish?

For Mr. Nelson about all I can add is to suggest getting the best blank you can afford. A great UL rod can quickly become your favorite fishing machine.

You can equate rod power to lure casting weight better than line weight. But I wouldn't run more than about 8lb line on most 4-weight fly rods. I think a 4 to 6 pound tippet would be excellent. Most 4-weight rods will cast well with from 3/16th to 5/8th ounce lures. But remember that there is no such thing as a standard 4-weight fly rod - they vary widely in power.

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