Been build spinning rods for many years but now looking for a new challenge. I am planing on building a fly rod for myself. I am thinking a 2 piece 9' 5 weight but open to a 4 piece. This will mostly be used for north east trout in the Westfield, Farmington and swift rivers. Any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations for this build. I am sure I will have many questions as this winter project moves on.

Go for a 4 piece, so much easier to transport and 4 piece actions are just fine. I'll never build another 2 piece.

Are you sure you want 9.5 length? If small streams it may be a little long. Also, I'm not sure about the choices you will have for 9.5.

What action do you want, traditional or fast? Price point? You have lots of options. All the majors make some great blanks.

He's looking for a 9' 5 wt. If you are new to fly fishing i would suggest a more traditional action blank. I would also go with at least a 3 piece if not a 4. for the price difference the multi piece are just easier to handle. a 9' 5 wt is about as classic as you can get. everyone has one. i've built an a bunch of different makes. PAC Bay, Batson, Matrix, and MHX are all good. surf among the sponsors to see what's out there.

I think you'll be fine with that rod blank, it's ERN ( Common Cents power rating) is well in the range that gives a nice casting rod for just about anyone. Lot's of people have learned on my 5 wt. with no problems.

I also have built on all of the blanks that Gary mentioned above. By far, and the one's that I ended up selecting for both myself and my wife is the SHX 9' 5wt 4pc that Karen at Bingham Ent sells. Excellent performance as well as the fit and finish of the blank itself.

Ron Weber

I have to agree on Bingham/Karen's SHX blanks.
At their price point very hard to beat.
Money no object? then look at CTS TFO Eternity2(batson) and North Fork.
All are excellent.
But if i was building a first fly rod and knew enough to make a fair go of it, i would go for the SHX : it will be a quality rod you end up with.

+3 on the Bingham SHX. I bought half a dozen 7 1/2' 4 wts from Karen last year. they sold like hot cakes. I had to set one aside for myself. great blank for the price.