Hello! Been reading this forum for a while. I finally registered because I'm about to build my first rod. I've been looking at the Dan Craft blanks and they've been highly recommended but I'd love to find one nearby to cast. Hate to buy a rod without casting it. That's what makes me nervous about building.

While i have dozens of fishing rods - spinning rods and conventional surf rods mostly, I only have had one fly rod for the past 11 years - a custom 8'6" 4wt with a moderate action (don't know the blank - bought it from a local shop - i'm guessing its a batson though). Its a bit too slow for my style of fishing - 75% nymphing - some streamers, and some dries when i can't resist the risers. I do a lot of short rollcasting, high stick nymphing etc - but i want a rod that isn't pigeon-hold as I can't afford to have one rod for each application!

I want a rod that is more sensitive for nymphing, faster action, give me the ability to fish some bigger water (delaware, lehigh, possible trip out west) yet also present a dry fly when needed and not so stiff that it doesn't protect 7x tippet if needed and still make the small trout fun on the streams i usually fish (little lehigh, monacacy, various wild trout streams).

I'm located in eastern pa - in the lehigh valley area. Anyone have a Dan Craft blank to cast nearby? I'm interested in 9' 5wts. would like to try any of the following: signature V, FT, FTL, and FTXL 5 wts so I at least have a reference point.

Thanks in advance for any info!

If Dan has an FT902-4 still available you can get it at a discount as he is phasing them out and will be carrying the FT904-4 as the lightest blank in that line. There is actually very little difference between them. The main reason for diiscontinuing the 2 and 3 weight in that series. The Ft's are the fastest actioned and most versatile rods that he now carries. The FT904-4 in that series is one of my favorites for nymph fishing using a 6 weight Rio Nymph line. I have a FT902-4 also and it handles a 5 weight line well.

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

I just casted a bunch of rods (have a friend with over 30 rods) - rod i liked best was a 9ft 5wt Sage XP. Guess the question is - which dan craft blank would be closest to that action/feel? I've tried comparing the CCS data, but i just don't trust it - there are 3 FT 4wt entries all with very different numbers, and there are 2 FT 5wt entries with different numbers.

Besides - even if the numbers were consistant , i'm not sure i could translate those numbers to the "feel" i have when casting.

Based on the CCS numbers that Dan has listed on his website the closest to the 9ft 5wt Sage XP would probably be the new 9ft 5wt FTXL model but it hasn't been out for very long so I doubt you will find too much feedback on them yet.According to Dan's measurements they have very similar CCS numbers to the XP's and old GLX's and will probably be as light or lighter in weight.If you have never held a Dan Craft SIG V or FTL in your hand before you will be pleasantly surprised with how light weight and crisp they are.I have a old 3pc 9ft 9wt and it's lighter than most 9ft 5wt blanks I've compared it to.

I will say this,I have a few XP's and a bunch of Dan's older 3pc 9ft 5wt SIG V's(plus several FT's and FTL's) and while the 3pc SIG V's weren't quite as much of a tip flex blank as the XP(the SIG V's AA'a were usually in the mid 60's I think while the XP's tended to be in the high 60's to 70),to my hands the SIG V's felt lighter weight and slightly faster recovery.I know the new SIG V's have similar actions to the old ones,but they are lower in power so to get a similar rod to the old 3pc version one would probably need to go up a line weight when choosing a SIG V blank.

The FT's are both much faster and much more powerful than either of the SIG V's but are not as light weight.They are a very versatile blank but very different from the SIG V or the Sage XP.

Personally I think the new FTXL sounds like the perfect fit between the current line of SIG V's and the 9ft FT's in power and action and that it would be as close to the XP as you could probably hope for.I wouldn't hesitate to buy one(I plan to as soon as I can afford one) as I have no doubt that it will be a great blank(all of Dan's blanks are),that said,if the XP really has you hooked and it feels like your perfect rod,I would shop around a bit and try to find one.They are discontinued and most are probably long gone but they still pop up on @#$%& sites every now and then and I'm sure some shops out there must have the odd one left.The 9ft 5wt was probably their most popular rod so it may be hard to find one.Then again most distributors probably had a good number of them in stock so who knows.

Another couple of options you might want to look at are the Rainshadow RX8+ and the blanks by CTS.I have no experience with them but others rave about them.They may have something very similar to a XP(it's worth a look).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2010 04:21AM by Tony Dowson.

Thanks for the info Tony!

Has anyone actually built an FTXL?

Hi, Tony.

I know it has been a long time since you had this conversation, but I have a 10 weight FTXL and even Dan Craft himself does not have any experience with this particular weight. Would you say the FTXL is "true to weight"? Dan Craft said use a line that weighs more to the "higher end" (of the 10 weight slot).

Thanks,

Tony