I am wanting to build a fly rod for catching 10 to 12 inch crappie. I will be using minnow imitation flies. I have never fly fished in my life. I would like your recommendations for a blank and guides and reel, line, leaders and tippits. This will be for unobstructed reservoir fishing while wading. What length of blank plus action and any other help would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind I have never fly fished before. Thanks.

Terry: How deep will you be fishing, and how far will you need to cast to fish effectively, closer to 30' or closer to 70'?

I would start with a 9' 6wt blank. and since you have never fly cast before I would lean more towards the blanks lasted as medium action. The faster action blanks are nice for tossing a lot of line but not something you may want for your first rod. there are a ton of options out there from any of the sponsors. a few that come to mind that I've built on in the past Batson f-906 ,American Tackle amf 906, or MHX f-906. Since this is also your fist build I would maybe consider doing a kit.
as far as the other gear, I would go with a decent single action reel. i doubt you would need a disc drag for Crappie even in that size. you could pick up a gently used classic Pflueger 1495 and be fine.

Gary's suggestion of a 9' 6wt. blank sounds good, especially if you don't need to fish over 4' deep or cast over 60' or so. Beginning fly casters need to feel the rod "load" before they can cast effectively. Beginners prefer medium or slow action rods because their casting stroke does not generate enough line speed to "load" a fast action rod. However, the vast majority of experienced fly casters prefer fast action rods, particularly in open water. If you build a 6wt. rod on a fast action blank you can slow it down to feel it load by over-lining the rod with a 7wt. or 8wt. line. This combination will cast and fish just fine for you. As you become a proficient fly caster you can buy a 6wt. fly line for $40 dollars or less and enjoy fishing with your now fast-action rod, versus having to build or buy a fast-action 6wt. rod costing at least three times as much as a new fly line.

Thanks guys. I will be fishing 4 to 6 feet and won't be casting more than 40 ft or so. I was thinking a shorter rod but I'm glad I asked as I said I am out of my zone on this.

Terry, are you sure a fly rod is the right choice for what you waht to do? By that I mean are others having success using one for what you want to do at your lake?

I think fly rods are a great fishing catching option but they wouldn't be my choice for crappie. But then I'm used to catching them closer to the bottom and/or on minnows. Much easier for a beginner to fly fish with a floating line too. Not trying to rain on your parade, just asking the tough questions to make sure this is a good path for you.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Thanks Russ. I fish quite a bit and do a lot of tourny's for crappie so for those applications I have nice spinning rods. I am just looking to do some relaxing time and have fun with the fish. I see maybe two or three fly fishermen a year at our lakes, going out of my comfort zone for the challenge.

I think an 8' rod in a 5-6 Wt. would work well for you. Try an S-glass blank they are somewhat more forgiving than graphite and less costly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2014 03:30PM by Randolph Ruwe.

Crappie are a blast to catch on the fly rod. I did it when I was blown out of a Muskie trip in WI.

The guide had me use his 9', #6 sage TCR which is a moderately fast rod by todays standards. We used small poppers.

From the CTS menu - if money is not an issue - I would go with a 9'0", #5 Affinity-X or a 9'0" Affinity-MX.

for guides - hands down the REC recoils in single foot ot snakes - your choice. For either of those two blanks - a #12 stripper and down to a #3 for the runners.

For a reel - the Bauer Rogue, Danielsson F3W in a light size, or the Nautilus. Look at one of their light NV freshwater reels.

For a line I would use the Wulff lines (a floater). They will come up to protect their nests and just bang the popper in anger.
have fun.

Regards,
Herb
Distrib CTS Fly Rod Blanks
Sponsor - RodBuilding.org.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2014 03:57PM by Herb Ladenheim.

I have an old GLoomis 5wt - 8ft. long that I use. Well, it's actually a 4wt with 5wt line on it. It's a 2pc. rod. I have even caught some decent size bass on it without any problems. I mostly use dry flies or very slow sinkng flies though.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

I would not go glass. Graphite can give you any action you want and will do it with less weight. I would go no shorter than 8 6, and see no reason in an unobstructed area to go less than 9. Longer is easier to cast for me. I also recommend getting a travel rod (4 piece) so you will be able to travel easily with it if you ever want. 4 piece rods have actions that are not discernably less effective nor are they heavier to a point that we humans would detect it. For a first rod a traditional action is probably best as has been mentioned before.

Terry

if you have a fly shop near you Call them and see if they have casting lessons take several Tell them what you need a rod for Try several rods and see what you seam to like
Once you find a rod you like then get a blank and parts ( if you want to build your own ) and build it
You are going to have to find out what action and power you like
I always liked a fast tip rod with at least one line more You may not

Bill - willierods.com

definitely check to see if there's a free lesson to be found near you. one of our sporting goods stores offers free casting in my town, may be something in your area too. if not, find a fly fishing club, make a call, someone may be quite willing to meet with you at a local park or invite you to the next club meeting where you may be able to cast in a parking lot with some instruction. casting can be very frustrating if you're new and bad habits can form without you knowing better.

a 9 foot rod is standard. start with that common denominator.

eric
fresno ca.