When you build a fly rod for someone do you ask to watch the customer cast first? If not, what questions do you ask your customer about the practical, physical [opposed to decorative] qualities he/she desires in the rod you will build?

I use a comprehensive interview/checklist format, wherein I ask a lot of questions about their casting. Below is a short list of the points I try to cover.

1. Fly fishing experience; length of time, species and waters.
2. Use for new rod
3. Ability: how they rate their casting.
4. Casting problems, needing improvement
5. Preferred rod action
6. Current favorite rod, and why.

OK here are my answers to your question, tell me what you recommend
1. flyfishing for 20 years. Trout in small streams mostly wild brook and brown trout. some stocked trout. I live and fish in West Virginia
2. Wild brook and brown trout
3. Self taught, I can get it where I want it.
4. Not like in the movies. Large loop is common
5. not fast graphite, not slow glass
6. Helios 2. 8'4" mid flex 2 wt . It just feels good.

I have numerous fly rods. Some that I have built, some that I have bought. The helios is my go to rod. The last rod that I built is a CTS.

What is missing is, the weight of rod your are wanting.

That could be pretty much defined under species and water and usage

Phil Erickson Wrote:
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> What is missing is, the weight of rod your are
> wanting.

Thanks Phil, I read all of your posts and you always make me think about rod building in a different light.. I'm sure that if we could sit down face to face that you would be able to determine what blanks that I should be building for myself. I have many fly rods that I thought I would like but on the days on the stream that I don't take the Helios I always wish that I did. I mostly fish a dry flys, size 16 and 18, my longest cast is probable 40 feet. I think that makes a difference too. I do enjoy your thought producing posts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2021 09:33PM by Randy Hively.

Back in the day much was made of the ideal fly rod actions used for fishing dry flies versus wet flies. I guess this is no longer the case? Where short leaders are necessary short rods are usually required, and vice-versa. Some fly-fishers like to over-line, some to underline their rods. Roll - casters like longer rods. Double-haulers like fast action rods. And these are just the practical, not the decorative differences. I wonder if choice of components is more often the result of emotion-based advertisements or the physical needs of the individual angler?

Randy, for the type of fishing you mention, I think you are well equipped with the Helios 2 2wt. For that type of fishing i use either a 7ft 3wt Tom Morgan glass rod or a 3wt IM6 Winston.

My very favorite rod is a 9ft 5wt CTS Affinity X. For me, rods are like golf clubs................there are those you have a feeling for and those you do not.

And then there is the grip; the caster's primary interface with the rod. Not just the shape (Wells, half Wells, reversed half Wells, Ritz, cigar, torpedo, etc.) but length and diameter ought to be custom to the caster's hand, casting style and expected use for the rod. Frankly, if the grip is wrong the war is lost before battle is joined.

A couple of things that come up
1. - type an size of fish / weight ,
2.- the water , size an type , small brooks , Salt water
3.- the arm length , [ stripper guide ? where to put it ]
4.- type of grip they want ,
5. - type of action they want ? slow, fast , in between ,?
6.- ROD ? glass, carbon , Bamboo ,
7.- Type of guides they want ?
. that comes up in my head on a custom made FLY ROD

If they don't know send them to the local big box store an look around an buy what they want , an they will be happy . I think

William Sidney
AK



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2021 01:20PM by Bill Sidney.

I always go over a bunch of stuff with a potential customer, many of the items were covered in the above posts. Its also a plus when a customer is local, usually have them visit me and test cast a few rods. I also get those customers that know exactly what they want in a blank, they are just looking to get it built out, sure I engage in conversation to see what steered them towards this blank.

Randy, for what you mention as to conditions that you fish, I'd be all over a Glass 7'-9" in either a 3 or 4wt. Glass is not that slow, sure some of the stuff out there is like a wet noddle, but there are plenty of options on quality Glass that are not "slow" by any means, and still feel light in the hand. Another option is Low Modulus Carbon, 33 million, there are a few small companies rolling blanks on that stuff and it is pretty sweet if you like deeper flexing Carbon rods.

Holy Smokes!!! I don't know if you all are too serious or if I'm not serious enough!

Lamiglas once made a blank that was three piece, the tip was glass, the mid composite, and the butt graphite. Blue Creek series I believe was the name..
I'm not so sure many fly anglers really know what they want/need in the world of fast and faster rods there are are a bunch of anglers who love my Winston 8 1/2 ft. 5 wt. WT.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2021 10:21PM by Spencer Phipps.

Phil Ewanicki Wrote:
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> When you build a fly rod for someone do you ask to
> watch the customer cast first?

I have been fly fishing and fly casting for over fifty years, and I am wondering what watching someone cast with a fly rod would accomplish, other than get an idea of whether or not they seem to know what they are doing. As for matching that person with a fly rod (fly rod outfit), how does one make that happen?

I can remember when the concept of the use of graphite first started to take off. What I remember most is how the new technology was suddenly going to make all the either terrible or mediocre fly casters tournament competitors......in their own minds of course. A good or great fly caster is a joy to watch in action. Give a lousy caster an outfit with all the latest technology, and he or she is still a lousy caster! Give someone who knows what he or she is doing an old beat up outfit, and then be amazed.

If someone has some cosmetic preferences, one can comply. If someone has a handle preference....this is a practical issue based on preference that might reflect the physical size of the hand of the angler, or possibly just how the handle shape feels to that particular person. And of course, the rod length and weight line it will likely be asked to launch is a major factor. Many times one may change the "designated" line weight for a particular circumstance. For shorter cast circumstances, the designated line weight may be a little too light to load the rod. If the casting circumstances will be longer casts on average, the designated line may actually be a little too heavy at the longer lengths and overbear the rod. A lighter weight line might then be in order. And all of the former revolves around what the rod is being built to fish for in the first place!

Bottom line....a properly matched outfit.....rod and line....is likely the most important aspect for the potential of good (or better) performance FOR EVERYONE, regardless of skill at the art. The good casters will continue to perform well (or better), and the less adept just need to practice more and not blame their equipment for same!! :-)

AMEN to Ernie! Thanks!

I have hesitated to post because I don't consider myself a fly rod fisherman. I learned when I lived in Tenn for awhile so I have only done the fresh water thing. I always wanted to get into saltwater fly fishing, just never had the time and means.

I think I have begun to realize I was casting entirely wrong. I used a lot of shoulder rotation. It worked well for a cast that would allow the belly of the fly line to touch the water and the rest to unfurl and place a popping bug under overhanging tree limbs. In short it worked for me and nobody commented I was doing it all wrong. Watching some YouTube videos it seems I should be using more of a "chicken wing" type of motion .

Honestly I don't know, and I am humble enough that I don't mind looking like a total idiot asking. Could be that one would employ totally different styles depending on conditions.

I could only imagine half of you snickering and the other half running for cover if you asked to see me cast a fly rod.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

If a person who couldn't cast a fly line 35 feet and was happy with that wanted a rod built I would put all my efforts into the decorations on that rod and ignore everything else. As long as the ferrules and tip-top are secure all rods are equally accurate, and any fly rod will cast 35 feet.

Phil Ewanicki Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Back in the day much was made of the ideal fly rod
> actions used for fishing dry flies versus wet
> flies. I guess this is no longer the case? Where
> short leaders are necessary short rods are usually
> required, and vice-versa. Some fly-fishers like to
> over-line, some to underline their rods. Roll -
> casters like longer rods. Double-haulers like fast
> action rods. And these are just the practical, not
> the decorative differences. I wonder if choice of
> components is more often the result of
> emotion-based advertisements or the physical needs
> of the individual angler?

My belief is that the more a person uses a rod the more they will like it. I think that the user's casting style will change to get the most out of a rod. When I purchased and built the Affinity 2wt I really believed that it would become my favorite rod for 2 reasons. because I built it the way I wanted it, (unlike the store bought the Helios) and because it is a little shorter. But I have taken it to the stream 3 times and so far it is not my favorite. Before the Helios I used and Orvis TLS, which by most fly fishermen was the worst rod Orvis ever sold. I used that rod for 13 years and would still be using it had I not closed in the car door.

Bill Hickey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I always go over a bunch of stuff with a potential
> customer, many of the items were covered in the
> above posts. Its also a plus when a customer is
> local, usually have them visit me and test cast a
> few rods. I also get those customers that know
> exactly what they want in a blank, they are just
> looking to get it built out, sure I engage in
> conversation to see what steered them towards this
> blank.
>
> Randy, for what you mention as to conditions that
> you fish, I'd be all over a Glass 7'-9" in either
> a 3 or 4wt. Glass is not that slow, sure some of
> the stuff out there is like a wet noddle, but
> there are plenty of options on quality Glass that
> are not "slow" by any means, and still feel light
> in the hand. Another option is Low Modulus Carbon,
> 33 million, there are a few small companies
> rolling blanks on that stuff and it is pretty
> sweet if you like deeper flexing Carbon rods.

I have a 4wt Iconoglass blank just waiting on me



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2021 03:43PM by Randy Hively.

Randy, you will find that blank builds out to be a great rod! I built one and fished if heavily in Montana this summer on 3 different rivers and loved how it cast and handled fish, even some quite large ones.

On one trip, the guide said" "holy moly your throwing that line well over 60 feet with no effort" He ended up talking me out of it, so I must build another.