I, like others on the forum have been looking for an 8' 6 - 8wt rod blank similar to what Sage and others sell as complete rods aimed at bass fisherman. Well I finally found what I think is a pretty good option. TFO sells an 8' 6-8wt or 8-10wt blank under their salt water series. I checked it out at the Marlboro MA fly fishing show and it look pretty good. It uses the TiCrX coating and is a carbon fiber/eglass blend. Weight is not too bad but the price is higher then I hoped for at $125. I am ordering one this weekend in the 6-8wt option. Since my main purpose for this rod is pulling bass out of lily pads in my float tube, the saltwater lifting heritage might just be the ticket. Let you know how it works once the snow leaves the northeast...

Quinn

Quinn.........
Aren't you all about to get pounded again? You should have plenty of time before ice out to that the rod finished LOL.

Not until next week sometime. We have two main winter fishing options up here (other than ice fishing) and all of this snow is making both tough. We already have had 60" of snow this year. Salmon river area in upstate NY (on of the typical winter fishing options) has had about 10 feet (yes feet)!



Quinn

Quinn, I feel you pain, I'm in the Upstate NY area! I do a lot of float tube fishing, mostly Adk ponds for trout, but once the warmer weather rolls around I hit the bass ponds. The one thing that I noticed is that the extra length in 9ft rod will keep the line off the water a lot better than an 8-6 will. Remember, your a lot closer to the water line when in a float tube. If distance is not a factor when working the weed beds, then the 8-6 will be fine in the 8wt. I know the options are real limited in that configuration, so maybe a 9ft 8wt will work just fine. The amount of decent 9ft 8wts out there is endless. Oh, by the way, the 8wt will be perfect to target Carp! Now there is a challenge on a fly rod! Mass has a lot of good lakes for them too. One thing, I would stick with the 8wt no matter what length you choose. The extra power will be a big benefit in getting them out of the lily pads and casting the larger flies, especially the big poppers.

I have been looking, too. Global Dorber has an 8' 8wt bass blank, I have not tried it. I built a 7' fly rod from a spinning blank, but it was just too short, the Dahlberg Diver flying past my ear bothered me. I stripped it and turned it into a spinning rod. The TFO should be good, let us know.

Bill,
Regarding the short rod and float tubes.... I've heard the same comment about wanting a longer rod while in the tube but that just has not been my experience. I've used 7, 8, 9 and 9.5 foot rods and never had a problem casting any of them I rarely need to cast more than 40' from the tube usually less. Thats part of the beauty of the tube. What I do find is that landing and removing fish (especially big or toothy) is much easier with the short rod. I much prefer the tube to a kayak because it is easier to fight the wind and get into tight spots. I even use it in saltwater (estuaries).

Quinn

Quinn,
I've also been looking for short heavy fly blanks for line weights of 8 or greater.
I've resorted in most cases to use spinning rod blanks in the 7-1/2' to 8' lengths and relied on blank material selection and butt dia to put me in the ball park.
For instance
8' IM7 butt dia approx .325 will cast a 6 weight line
8' IM7 butt dia approx .360 will cast an 8 weight line
8' IM7 butt dia approx .400 will cast a 10 weight line

If the blank material changed to IM6 the line weight will decrease by one line size
If the blank material changed to IM8 the line weight will increase by one line size
If the length is reduced to 7-1/2' the line weight will increase by one line size.

The above data is only based on my calculations.
My only recourse has been to use the above and verify by test casting as each manufacturer has their own implementation of where the tapers are located. If you would like to contribute practical build data to futher this I would be most appreciative of any finding you might obtain.

Eugene Moore

Diameter does not guarantee any particular amount of power/stiffness. A smaller diameter, thicker walled blank can possess the same power/stiffness as a larger diameter/thinner walled blank (although the former will be a little heavier for the same stiffness).

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