Suppose you were to build a fly rod for a guy that was never going to be a very good caster, but just wanted to have a little fun with it. Sun fish with poppers on the Mississippi back waters and maybe an occasional smallmouth on the Root River down in SE Minn. What weight, what length, what material etc. I would be that hack.

Thanks

A six weight. I would make it 8'9" to 9'0" if fishing in water with plenty of room for casting in the back country. If you will have limited room I would go down to 7'6".
I would make the longer blank, of course, a CTS Affinity-X or Affinity-MX. If you go with the shorter blank I would make it the Affinity-MX.
Two pieces if you don't mind the length. 4 pieces if you need to travel or put your gear in the trunk of a car.

Why do you say you will never be a good caster?? You might surprise yourself and love the learning curve.

On the other hand if you are convinced that it is just a plaything you will not wish to spend the $ for a CTS.

Herb
Distrib. CTS Fly Blanks
Rodbuilding.org Sponsor

I think the Batson RX7 blanks are hard to beat, any kind of reasonable effort on your part delivers surprising results from the blank.

this is typically the kind of situation where a fiberglass may be the ticket.
I would look for a 7'6 4wt (you can go CTS or Epic for top modern glass). I think such rods are actually easier to cast, and with a fish on they'll be a blast.
plus, they're extremely rugged.

_______________________________________________
If I'm not going to catch anything, then I'd rather not catch anything on flies.

Prostaff Rodhouse
[www.rodhouse.fr]

Laurant,
Good alternative. I don't easily think of glass as something I would want to fish - but many do that like the soft action of bamboo.
CTS has the "Vintage" model which mimics bamboo but is still graphite. But then they have the "Quartz-Fly" which I think is softer yet and is lighter than the old woven E-Glass.
The Quartz-Fly is also half the price of graphite.
Herb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2013 07:41AM by Herb Ladenheim.

Fiberglass would be fun but new glass isn't cheap.
up here the hot 6 wt that i've built a ton of is the Batson f866-4 or 866-2. a little shorter 6wt but a great blank.

You also don't need a fly blank to cast a fly line
If you can find a spin or cast blank to fit a 5/6 wt 5/16 - 6/16 oz lure Or 3/8

Bill - willierods.com

I'm a hack too. My advice, wait untill Utmost has a 2pc 5 weight on closeout. Might even want to make it a 3 or 4 weight as the 5 weight I got from them is way more rod than you need. Price will be right as will the quality.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

depending on how you like to cast or the FEEL of the rod or blank
I have found that any even a Fast Action IM 6 blank was what I would call MUSH
i like a rod or Fly Rod with good butt power and a flexible tip Where the tip flexes only into MAYBE half of the rod
That is why I suggested a spin or cast blank

Fly line or lure -- it is all weight that loads the blank

Bill - willierods.com

Jim,
Don't sell yourself short before you begin.
In your case I would build on a 7' light action spinning blank probably glass.
Use a 5" rear grip with a #16 spinning seat and a 6" cigar fore grip.
Build as a spinning rod but use a fly rod guide chain.
The blank should cast an 8 weight fly line or can be used as a spinning rod.
Use a fly tip top and if it grooves either replace or use a TFAT tip top.
Dual stripper guides #16 and #10 with 5 fly snake guides the top 2 being single foot light frame titanium.
Nice thing about blue gills is the other possibilities in the water.
5# bass or 8# cat's will also hit a variety of gill patterns.

Have fun learning or bring along the spinner. Either way you fish.

Gene

If you go with a cheap IM6 blank, you might want to CCS test it. I have built a few low-cost fly rods, on sale that advertised 4 or 5 wt and ended up being 3 and 4 wt with a very slow action. Not at all what they advertised.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Jim,
I'm assuming that you are accustomed to spin-casting and/or bait-casting, and, therefore have a fast casting motion. In my opinion, you would likely be more comfortable with a "fast" (as opposed to a "slow") action in a fly rod blank.
Fly-casting is not hard, just different, than what you are used to. The weight of the line is what loads the rod, instead of the weight of the lure, bait, etc. I have watched guides teach first-timers how to fly-cast in the parking lot, just before heading down to the stream. Here's how they do it: Strip some line off past the tip top, say 15 feet. Grab the fly line with your non-rod hand, between the stripper guide and the reel. Hold the rod horizontal to the ground (9 o'clock). Raise the rod quickly to 12 o'clock, and stop sharply. Wait one full second. Lower the rod quickly to 9 o'clock, stop quickly and release the line. The more line you have out, the longer you need to pause, at the 12 o'clock position. Pay special attention not to go past the 9 and 12 positions. Practice in the grass, so you don't wreck your line. Granted, few of these newbies look great, at first, but they are all able to fish effectively, and they do improve as the day goes on. To get more help, contact your local Trout Unlimited or Federation of Fly Fishers. These organizations will be able to put you in touch with a top flight instructor, often just for the cost of becoming a member.
Good Luck!

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2013 11:18AM by George Forster.

My advice ... buy a high quality, fast action blank and build a rod that will be a pleasure to cast/own. Cheap fly blanks are terrible, most are enough to make anyone quit trying to learn.

X2!!!

Thanks fellas for the advice. I have given it all a good deal of thought and figure if I am going to build one I might just as well shell out a few bucks and make it a good one. Length is no problem plenty of room for backcasts. Probably a 5/6 wt.