Perhaps this subject has been dissected ad infinitum but..... please humor me. I have built fly rods but not in a few years and I would classify my ability as mediocre at best. I am building a 3 wt 10 ft nymph rod as a Covid stay at home project, I have a neighbor who has been building rods for 50 years and is very, very good, he helps me whenever I need it, which is often. He is an advocate of underwraps on all rods regardless of weight and his wraps look beautiful but how important are underwraps on light rods? I do underwrap if a guide falls close to a ferrule but I simply cannot do an underwrap that looks good, I can barely do an overwrap on the blank that is OK. My wraps will hold up to fishing but wont win any prizes for best of show. Are underwraps necessary? Your honest opinions please

Jim Alberts Wrote:
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> Are underwraps necessary? Your honest opinions please

Are they necessary? Think about this... rods were built for more than 100 years without them.

Underwraps are a choice, not a necessity.

I personally don't use them. For my purposes they are simply not needed, add weight, and dampen vibrations or sensitivity.

Some think they protect the blank from the guide foot. Who knows...

If you have a flat and properly prepped guide foot you don't need under wraps.

"who has been building rods for 50 years"

And that is why he is an advocate of under wraps. I'm old and guilty of the same. In my defense I could say it is because I built saltwater rods. It is also a way to add bling easily. Then I came here and got with the times. Now I don't use them on anything under 30# class. I think us older guys bought into "That's the way I always heard it should be".

To you I'd say. That's just the way it is. Somethings will never change. Ah, but don't you believe them.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

My reasoning that under wraps are not necessary.

I am building a rod and it will take 50 yards to apply an under wrap and it will take another 50 yards to wrap the guides BUT there are only 50 yards of thread left in the world, QUESTION, which operation will I be eliminating to complete the rod?

Underwraps only add weight, and enough to be felt on a light power rod. They're not necessary.

................

No way are they necessary on a 3 wt fly rod. I will only use them on offshore and longer beach rods where there will be more force on the blank, Inshore and fly rods, they are not needed especially when you want it light.

Just thinking outloud..use OO thread for under and over wrap on 3wt. and one part finissh, even just CP as a finish(no epoxy)..would that lock down snake guides better than no underwrap and epoxy..lol..still less weight.

Simply put, there is no benefit to under wrap on a fly rod. I'm well over fifty years building and teaching both building and throwing fly rods. Building one is much more difficult than learning to throw one. But equaly fun to do.

Paul, i have read on this site that snake guides are somewhat prone to being pulled out from under the wrap even if epoxy is used..i was just speculating that an underwrap may help better secure the guide in place and that if you used lighter materials you could reduce the weight issue..i don,t think it would be attractive to sell but may work for a hobby builder for their own use..

Guides don't get pulled out from under thread wraps from fighting a fish. Only way to do that is snag the guide on some type of obstruction and yank it out.

............

A couple of Forhan wraps will much diminish the chances of guides "pulling out" from under wrappings. Layers of wrapping and thread art are interesting to look at, and as long as the rod spends the lion's share of its time in a rod holder the added weight of elaborate decoration won't much bother.

Underwraps on a fly rod add nothing but weight, they won't keep a guide from being pulled out!

Single foot guides with the Forhan locking wrap that as Phil mentioned above will keep them in place.

Thank you very much for your prompt and succinct replies. It would seem it is unanimous I will not be laughed off the trout stream for not using an underwrap. I suspected this is what I would hear but it is nice to have it confirmed by people more knowledgable than I am. Thanks again

Jim,
With your respect to your comment about a trout stream.
I would hope that you can get away from the crowds in your fishing adventures, so that you can fish all day in your secluded wonderful trout waters without seeing another person. Happiness is the quiet and beauty of a quiet trout water in the eary morning as the sun is rising or the sun is setting after a great day in the out of doors.

Roger hit it on the head. "Happiness is the quiet and beauty of a quiet trout water in the early morning as the sun is rising or the sun is setting after a great day in the out of doors." Any fishy setting under these circumstances is why I do what I do.

I was being somewhat facetious in my remark about being laughed at. In over 50 years of trout fishing the only time anyone has laughed at me is when I have taken one of my spectacular falls, which I am famous for. AND the ones laughing are my fishing buddies

roger wilson Wrote:
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> Jim,
> With your respect to your comment about a trout
> stream.
> I would hope that you can get away from the crowds
> in your fishing adventures, so that you can fish
> all day in your secluded wonderful trout waters
> without seeing another person. Happiness is the
> quiet and beauty of a quiet trout water in the
> eary morning as the sun is rising or the sun is
> setting after a great day in the out of doors.

Jim,

I fish the North Branch of the Potomac river on the Western MD and WV border. Days like these - not seeing anyone all day while trout fishing - are very, very common. Sometimes I look at my watch when I am fly fishing and realize that I have been in the we same spot for well over an hour!

This is truly God's Country...

Ron B

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jim,
> With your respect to your comment about a trout
> stream.
> I would hope that you can get away from the crowds
> in your fishing adventures, so that you can fish
> all day in your secluded wonderful trout waters
> without seeing another person. Happiness is the
> quiet and beauty of a quiet trout water in the
> eary morning as the sun is rising or the sun is
> setting after a great day in the out of doors.

Jim,

I fish the North Branch of the Potomac river on the Western MD and WV border. Days like these - not seeing anyone all day while trout fishing - are very, very common. Sometimes I look at my watch when I am fly fishing and realize that I have been in the we same spot for well over an hour!

This is truly God's Country...

Ron B

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jim,
> With your respect to your comment about a trout
> stream.
> I would hope that you can get away from the crowds
> in your fishing adventures, so that you can fish
> all day in your secluded wonderful trout waters
> without seeing another person. Happiness is the
> quiet and beauty of a quiet trout water in the
> eary morning as the sun is rising or the sun is
> setting after a great day in the out of doors.

Jim,

I fish the North Branch of the Potomac river on the Western MD and WV border. Days like these - not seeing anyone all day while trout fishing - are very, very common. Sometimes I look at my watch when I am fly fishing and realize that I have been in the we same spot for well over an hour!

This is truly God's Country...

Ron Beloff