I'm looking to build a few fly rods. I'm looking at a F793-2 7'9" 3wt 2pc Fly Blank and a F908-2 9' 8wt 2pc Fly Blank both by Rainshadow.The 8 wt I plan on using for a pike build. Does anyone know anything about these blanks? As far as reliability?

I have built six RS fly rods, 2 Eternities, 1 RX8, 1 RX7, ,2 RX6 from 3 wt to 9 wt, from 2 piece to 4 piece. No problems with any, and a few have seen some pretty hard use on bonefish. I will never make a 2 piece 9 foot rod again as the 4 piece rods are so easy to transport and I can see no functional disadvantage to 4 piece over 2. All are at the top end of the power rating per CCS evaluations and with my not being an expert long distance caster, I like them with a +1 line weight.

I agree with your preference for 4-piece fly rods and their performance. I also up-line my rods by one weight. Fly rod / fly rod blank companies use the same scheme as fishing line companies to market their products: "Strongest 10-pound-test line anywhere!" - because the line actually breaks at 16 pounds. - "Most powerful 7-weight rod made!" - because it has the ERN of an 8-weight.

Are these like most newer ones that are tip over butt for the ferrule style?

I've built a couple of Eternities, an RX and several of their spin blanks. All have served me well and I'll likely continue to use their product line. Along with that they have outstanding customer service. I'll also agree that it is so much easier to transport 4pc blanks. You won't go wrong choosing any of the Rainshadow product line.........

I have a bunch RX6 and 7 fly rods out there, all are well used an loved. A couple are over 10 years old and used by people who work summers counting fish on isolated islands in Alaska. They flat hammer those rods, none have failed.

Regarding ferrules, yes, all their rods and others being sold today to my knowledge have the ferrule style you describe. There might be some other brand outliers, but I don't know of them.

Sleeve Over / Tip Over Butt is used by nearly all for carbon fiber blanks. Sage at one time did use spigot / internal ferrules but unknown to me if they do now. Spigot ferrules are still common for glass rods.

The carbon fiber resins and technology have improved to the point that you give up nothing with sleeve over ferrules, even for 4 to 7 piece rods, and some manufacturers claim ferrule reinforcing wraps are not needed for their ferrules.

I likely repeat much of what you got above, but here goes.

All models of the Rainshadow line are excellent quality and very reliable! The model selection depends upon your application and budget. The "F" series is the low end cost wise and the most moderate action and power. I really like it for light weight rods, but prefer the Eternity 2 and Revelation for heavier weight like the 8.

Yes all are tip over ferrules. And like many above I much prefer 4 piece and in fact have not built a 2 piece in 10 years. I only build fly rods.

So I got my rods in today. The tips of each rods have a slight bow to them. Nothing huge but still noticable when looking straight down the tip. Is there a way to somehow straighten these?

No. Just build them so that the bow is up. The weight of components will straighten the blank somewhat.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
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> I likely repeat much of what you got above, but
> here goes.
>
> All models of the Rainshadow line are excellent
> quality and very reliable! The model selection
> depends upon your application and budget. The "F"
> series is the low end cost wise and the most
> moderate action and power. I really like it for
> light weight rods, but prefer the Eternity 2 and
> Revelation for heavier weight like the 8.
>
> Yes all are tip over ferrules. And like many above
> I much prefer 4 piece and in fact have not built a
> 2 piece in 10 years. I only build fly rods.

I built on these two blanks in the past year and fished the 8wt with a 30' 300gr. shooting head for stripers this weekend. It chucked line and a weighted fly just fine despite the moderate action. The RX6 on closeout is a @#$%& of a deal.

I'll also add that for some the 2 piece rods may appeal for cost savings, ease of build, and two less ferrules that may come apart while fishing (launched the top of my SP twice on Sunday) ...

Enjoy the ride!