Michael,
I too have not found any 4-piece UL trout rods or blanks in either your length of 6ft or my 7ft. When it comes to “pac-rods”, it seems as though the fly and bass guys get all the attention which seems odd to me considering how much backpacking takes place in alpine backcountry (trout grounds).
Allow me to offer suggestions for sectioning a blank into as many pieces as needed; the real beauty is the ability to use a blank which precisely fits your requirements/desires. From least desirable to the best:
1.) Metal ferrules are available and range in quality from inexpensive (=cheap) to moderately priced to expensive custom hand-drawn NS. While metal ferrules are the quickest and easiest, they are the worst concerning rod performance as they produce flat-spots in the flex curve of the blank.
2.) Internal “spigot” ferrules can be hand made from solid FG rod. I cannot imagine the patience required to get even close to matching the taper of the blank let alone precisely matching it which is paramount in proper performing ferrules. Although solid, their smaller diameter may make them more prone to breakage. Due to being somewhat flexible and holding the blank sections equally, spigots will not affect the flex curve as much as metal ferrules. They also leave a nice, clean appearance to the blank
3.) Spigot ferrules #2: Purchase a second, identical blank to be sacrificed in producing the spigots. This will insure a better chance of matching the taper of the ferrules to the blank but can be costly depending on the blank(s) chosen. Additionally, a third, again sacrificial blank may be needed, especially with the more sections desired; this is dependent on how slow (shallow) the blank’s taper is combined with the wall thickness as the position of the pieces (spigots) along the sacrificial blank may overlap. While this method will produce precisely tapered ferrules (95% of the time), their smaller diameter and being tubular (hollow) may make them more fragile and prone to breakage. As with the solid ferrules above, these will leave a nice, clean appearance.
4.) Fabricate your own tubular, woven FG CARL ferrules (Constant Arc Rod Link). I have developed a method which utilizes the actual blank itself as the “mold” to produce the thinner external sleeve ferrule and thicker internal spigot ferrule with inherently identical tapers. Any rod builder capable of applying epoxy to a thread wrap can fabricate CARL. CCF testing revealed less than 1% difference in a CARL equipped blank compared to before it was cut! Please find the attached link. If interested further, contact me as I have slightly modified the process.
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www.rodbuilding.org]
Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.
