Tyler, i,m just curious..how long will this fly rod be and how many collapsable sections will it have and what weight of line are you shooting for..enjoy the process..

I'm shooting for around a 7'(+/-6") 3-5wt, 7-10 section with up to 10 guides including the stripping guide. I prefer cork for the handle and was thinking of using wine corks, but seen how inexpensive the cork rings actually are. So going with those. I have a few busted rods that I'm going to salvage some parts from, like the reel seat and possibly a handle if I can manage to ream out the existing blank from on of my broken rods.

Sounds like an interesting project Tyler..keep us up date..

I most certainly will. I have so say, that many others are like me, where the wallet only allows so much at one time. For the meantime, I'm goin to do my research and find blanks, gather my other resources, and design my plan. This is going to be fun and I have faith that it will turn out the way I need it to. Thank you for all the support. You'll definitely be hearing from me in other threads, as to help others in their endeavors.

So here's the next question. As I've been looking at blanks for the past couple of weeks, every... single... day..., multiple times each day; I've yet to find any manufacturer that is willing to sell cosmetic blems, or even entertain the idea of selling cosmetic blems. Anyone know of a reliable source that would sell some blanks of that nature? I know there's many manufacturers out there that make 8-9' ultralight blanks. I was thinking of using a couple of crappie rods, like that 10' Mr. Crappie. Anyone know of who makes their blanks?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2020 11:13PM by Tyler Arns.

B 'n' M poles sells some pretty inexpensive telescopic fiberglass jig poles.
[www.bnmpoles.com]
Norm

That is very interesting. I'm surely going to add that to my R&D for this project. Thank you Mr. Miller.

B&M are nice poles but not enough sections for a fly telerod.

No, not to use as a fly rod, but to use as a cheap source of fiberglass pieces to make a telescoping fly rod.
Norm

ok..i see what your saying Norm though i would prefer two one piece blanks and alternate cuts from each blank..

If anything, Mr. Miller is onto something. Even though he mention the 2 piece rods, what if I were to use three of those crappie telerods? They're only like, $10-15 each, and not really hard to find the spine in each section. Plus, they would be more than enough for me to make multiple sections. Its basically the same as you both have suggested, but also knowing that the material is going to actually be quality enough since they have passed the QC tests at the manufacturer. Right? measuring would actually be easier, no need to worry about a reel seat or handle already being on them, and did I mention that they're cheaper than most blanks out there? :-)

Here's another site for shorter telescoping rods, maybe the can be repurposed.
[www.allfishingbuy.com]
Norm

Thank you Mr. Miller! I'm going to look right now!

Thank you Mr. Miller! I'm going to look right now!

What makes you think that the $80 completed rod is built on the same bare blank that costs $90?

Never said that Mr. Baylor. Just pointing out that I've been seeing completed rods, that cost less than blanks. But also, why would they charge less for a completed rod, than a blank? Is it because the blank in the completed rod inferior, compared to the bare blank they're selling? All of this is out of curiosity and to decrease my ignorance.

Ahh I see ......... "There are plenty of completed rods that cost less than the blanks do" lead me to believe you were talking about rods built on the same blanks. You really can't compare the prices of completed rods to the prices of blanks, unless they're built on the same blank.

Suffice it to say, all blanks are not created equal.

That sir, I can absolutely agree with. But does that mean the manufacturer is using an inferior in their completed rod, and selling a better quality bare blank?

The word inferior can have different meanings to an individual. If you're building a rod that will be used for fishing live bait under a float, its' blank doesn't need to have the some of the attributes that a blank would have if that rod was being built for bottom contact baits where sensitivity is of great importance. Some would call the blank with the lesser amount of sensitivity, inferior. Others wouldn't. It would be the same with a rod that is going to be used for throwing topwater baits where the strike is visual, and not felt. Some people place great importance (with good reason) on the weight of a blank, where others don't. If the rod will be in a rod holder the majority of the time it doesn't necessarily need to be as light as a rod that will be held in the hand all of the time. Some blanks need to be more durable than others. All of these thing affect the design of the blank, the materials the blank is made of, etc .... all of these things play into the cost. Just because one blank costs more, than a completed rod, doesn't mean the blank on the cheaper completed rod is inferior. It just means they're different

North Fork Composites sells blanks made of at least 5 different materials. Each of those series have different prices. To my knowledge, all of the blanks are made using the same manufacturing processes, If they're all built the same way, none of them are inferior to another in their construction. It's the material cost difference and perhaps some engineering that one material requires versus another.

If you're not comparing the price of a completed rod to the price of the blank it's built on, you're comparing apples to oranges. Both are tasty, but they taste entirely different.

That is a very good point given and completely taken. I honestly didn't think about those factors. It leads me to another question though. What if, the blanks are the same, and the bare blank still costs more? I love this knowledge that I can absorb and pass on to the generation under me, or even others that are around me in general. ????