Hello All -

Am in the early stages of my first fly rod build for Tuna. Will be doing a few days out of Venice, LA in late September. This will be my first trip and the main goal is to catch big Yellowfin Tuna on poppers with conventional light tackle gear. But according to our captain and my comrades who do this every year there will be ample opportunity to catch 40#-60# YFT (and LOTS of other fish) that will be chummed up behind the boat. Fish bigger than that are not recommended for fly but I might press my luck a little bit.

As I understand it, casting won't matter much but this will be a fish fighting tool. I have the reel / line / backing situation figured out but am still trying to select the blank. I have a heavy one-piece Biscayne Rod blank but am open to using other blanks. I have read several posts here about this topic that suggested Back Bouncing or other blanks that would do the job and the shorter length appeals to me. I guess I'd like some more specificity. Can anyone recommend a specific model blank? I have never built these style of back bouncing blanks before and have no relative feel for one blank vs. another in this type of line up.

Also, I am planning on ceramic double foot guides all the way out but am curious about size. Are 8s or 10s in a high quality Fuji guide too small? I know they are not too small to pass my knots, but I am concerned about the dead lift load. Any and all help from those who have built these blanks before sincerely appreciated. Thanks!

Bill Falconer
Falconer Custom Rods
Birmingham, AL

Dear Bill,

I am building a tuna rod for a customer on a 7'6", 3pc, #16 on a custom CTS blank. Customer already paid for engineering so subsequent blanks will not incur these charges.

Planned on using the Fuji TKWSG #16 down to #8's.
Donny from Angler's Resource checked with the Fuji engineers and they will be fine. BUT - he did share that Fuji is developing a new set of guides specifically for off-shore fly rods with a special tip-top. We are waiting for this.

Regards,
Herb Ladenheim
Distrib. CTS Fly Blanks
RB.Org Sponsor

Great project. Fly fishing for tuna is a hoot. We use 12 Wt's in Oregon for Albacore up to 30 lbs and they break occasionally so probably at least a 14 Wt for you on Yellowfins.

I'm mixed on ceramic insert guides. Make sure you get titanium frames if you use them and your idea about 8's or 10's is accurate. You'll have a shooting head system with connections most likely.

Good luck!

Terry

Please don't release any YFT over 30# landed on a fly rod.

Please don't release any YFT over 30# landed on a fly rod.

Sorry. Electronic gremlins on strike.

Phil don't worry - if we are lucky enough to boat them I don't plan to release any of them...except into an ice bath in my cooler!

And while I am a novice, the captain does this for a living and gives the same warning. It is my intent to be ethical and responsible. And well fed.

What happens if you release Tuna over 30 lbs. Shark bait?

The back bouncing blanks I've seen used on the west coast are used to throw back into teased fish, but I don't see why chumming wouldn't also work. They are best at fighting the fish and maybe good for no more than 45 ft. or so on the cast. The 17-40 lb. blank class I seems to be the most popular, the Batson XBB964 might be a good compromise as far as power to weight since it's a RX8 design. The Fuji guides hold up well on back bouncing gear rods so I see no reason they won't work for you. I use similar guides on rods with more power than a back bouncer with zero problems, one being an oversized sturgeon rod that has had no failures over the last 25+ years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2014 08:51PM by Spencer Phipps.