Ben,
You brought up a very good point which I had not considered. Tape will allow a Tennessee handle of any shape or contour while fixed-diameter sliding rings dictate the handle is either straight or straight. Good observation. Even so, I have to admit I am still partial to my composite rings.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

i can understand your being partial to them..they are nice looking rings..good work Mark.

There is little sense in putting a dozen top-dollar guides on a mediocre blank, no matter how carefully you space them.

What Phil said.
You will find out soon enough that life is too short to drink cheap wine, bad so-so food and fish with "price-point" fly rods.
Herb

Herb Ladenheim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> You will find out soon enough that life is too
> short to drink cheap wine, bad so-so food and fish
> with "price-point" fly rods.
> Herb


Yes-but one of the real pleasures of building your own fly rods is making great rods out of carefully selected but (*relatively*) inexpensive fly blanks like Rod Geeks or St Croix. It kills me to pay a Sage price for a rod I can make that fishes as well or better for 1/3 the price. Now that St Croix has given up on the Rod building market, the Rod Geeks are the sweet spot of quality and price. Not that I don't like Sage but the pricing is insane.

I'm actually unhappy that St Croix no longer supplies SCV fly blanks, because those have built into some of my most favorite fly rods. Maybe RodGeeks can bring them back.

Drew

Drew Pollock Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Herb Ladenheim Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > You will find out soon enough that life is too
> > short to drink cheap wine, bad so-so food and
> fish
> > with "price-point" fly rods.
> > Herb
>
>
> Yes-but one of the real pleasures of building your
> own fly rods is making great rods out of carefully
> selected but (*relatively*) inexpensive fly blanks
> like Rod Geeks or St Croix. It kills me to pay a
> Sage price for a rod I can make that fishes as
> well or better for 1/3 the price. Now that St
> Croix has given up on the Rod building market, the
> Rod Geeks are the sweet spot of quality and price.
> Not that I don't like Sage but the pricing is
> insane.
>
> I'm actually unhappy that St Croix no longer
> supplies SCV fly blanks, because those have built
> into some of my most favorite fly rods. Maybe
> RodGeeks can bring them back.
>
> Drew

Drew - agree with you 100% - but my guess is that you have never casted a fly rod built on a CTS blank.
All my customers who were Sage and T&T guys now have their sages in the back on the closet - never to be used again. Or they are relegated to their kids or guests.

The CTS blanks are an addiction once you use one. Lively, crisp, light in the hand.
My history was building and fishing Sage, Dan Craft, Gatti(Italy), T&T, TL Johnson. Andy Dear introduced me to a CTS Maxim blank and I was hooked. Subsequently I built on nothing but CTS blanks. I will admit that every once in a while I will build on another brand - just to satisfy myself that nothing can touch CTS. I am never disappointed. Of course this costs me money - but I can usually get some of my money out by selling them.I fish nothing but CTS' and most who try them will do same.
I do give a discount to members of RB.org - BTW.
Regards,
Herb

A fly caster who does not double-haul won't cast more than 40' or so, no matter what rod he is using - and I have never found a fly rod that won't cast 40'. It is not too unusual to see fly casters who can't cast 40' displaying an $800 or $900 fly rod (!?) for the same reason Minnie Pearl left the price tag on her hat. There are no DOUBLE BLIND fly rod casting comparisons. If there were my money would go on TFO Axiom II blanks and BVK blanks - but only if the results were measured, not "felt".

Phil Ewanicki Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is little sense in putting a dozen
> top-dollar guides on a mediocre blank, no matter
> how carefully you space them.



I agree, but you see the problem is the people who do that NEVER really consider the blank is mediocre, in their mind they are convinced it's a superb blank and for their use maybe it is . You would be shocked at how different peoples opinions range on what they consider " Top shelf " and what they consider "Mediocre ".

it,s fun taking a so-so blank and trying to build a top dollar rod out of it..you would be surprised how close you can come..it,s that feel thing again..lol.

Ben: It should come as no surprise "that feel thing again" is usually reflected in practice by observed measurements and facts - but not in advertisements: "that soulful feeling" or in plugs by touts: "ACME rods are the smoothest casting, lightest feeling, most accurate feeling rods I have found!"

Advertising is tricky , recently on some rod manufacturers websites i find them saying " We have invested more in research and development than any other rod manufacturer" and i never take that seriously because the ones that i find saying it the most haven't been in business anywhere close to some of the others & these others are giants who are known for ultimate tech & development .

I guess i need a lot more convincing lol.

Phil, I know you are a double haul fanatic, but I strongly disagree that you MUST double haul to cast over 40 feet! I consistently, can cast over 60 feet with my CTS 9ft 5wt using a Rio Gold floating line and no double haul.
And, frankly, I think I can double or single haul with the best of them.