I am a rank novice who has built two spinning rods with extensive tutoring from Norm Miller ( the man is an amazingly tolerant saint ) . I would like to start gathering / reading as much information on fly rod builds as I can so that I might be able to cobble one together over the Winter . In Mr. Kirkman's book , he states fly rod builds are similar to spinning builds so hopefully my limited experience will help some . My first question concerns the blank . My only experience with fly fishing has been with an ancient Fenwick FF857 that I bought many many years ago . I have used this rod with an inexpensive WF 7wt floating line to cast top water flies. Perhaps ignorance is truly bliss but I have had a great deal of fun with this set up . I'll try to list some information / criteria that may help .

1) Being first fly rod build , I would like to spend under $100.00 on the blank.
2) I will not have limited transportation space so I think I would rather have a 2 piece rather than a 4 piece
3) The rod will be used 99% of the time from a boat in open water conditions . ( casting to bank but with little if any restriction in back cast )
4) Primary targets will be small ( < 3 lbs ) largemouth and smallmouth , bluegill , crappie , and white bass ( who knew they were called white bass - we always called them stripers )
5) Primary fly type will be floating but , if possible , would also like to use small streamer type flies ( streamers still on floating line but with 9 ft fluorocarbon leader )

I've spent a great deal of time searching through the archives here and will trouble yall with lots of questions but , for now , I would appreciate any suggestions as to which blank(s) I should consider . So far , my searching has turned up the following possibilities .

A) NFC F 905-2 ( Classic ) - I believe the action is moderate but I have a great deal of difficulty navigating the NFC web site and can't find information on material
B) Rainshadow UNIF865-2 - Again, I believe action is moderate but material is supposedly RX6 and I can't find information as to what RX6 is
C) Rainshadow REVF865-2 - I believe this action is fast and material is RX7 - My first rod build was on a revelation blank and I have enjoyed it a great deal . I understand the concept of action with regards to spinning/casting but am clueless as to which action is best for fly rods given the above criteria ??

Thank you ,
Ron

Hi - I think the first thing I would do would be to determine the line weight you need to cast the flies/lures you are using. When you say floating I presume you're talking large size foam and hair flies like poppers, frogs, etc on large hooks like size 2 and bigger? If so I'd want to use a 6, 7 or 8 weight line, favoring the 7 and 8. Then you can choose a rod blank based on line weight.
I have just made 3 - 9' rods on the NFC classic fly blanks (4, 5, and 6 wts) and the scuttlebutt is these are similar/same as the old Loomis GLX rods with newer materials. I can say they cast and fish great for my uses. The only consideration for a 2 pc rod is you have to be good at lining up the guides compared to a 4 pc.
I have a couple RX6 and one RX 7 fly rods and while they are very good I like the NFC blanks for my fishing conditions and uses.

Edit - since you have been using a 7 wt line on your rod you know how well or poorly it works for your flies and can adjust accordingly if needed. If it works then you may want to focus on 7 wt rods instead of 5 wt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2022 11:51AM by Ed Rose.

Ron,
The online catalog is always the best bet for info, don't use the first site with the black screen for info, it's not there, it is in the catalog on that same site. Your classics are built on Psi, in other words IM, I'm betting the blanks are an improved version of the old G Loomis IMX blanks which were moderate action by today's standards but actually worked very well. Myself I would use a 6 weight for streamer fishing and bass. Material wise the NFC blanks would be superior, that said I have sold an awful lot of 10 ft. 8 wt. RX7 rods over the years to steelhead/salmon anglers that are looking for a rod that is versatile and easy to live with.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2022 12:18PM by Spencer Phipps.

Mr. Rose ,
Thank you very much . I generally use a fly with a hook size no larger than #4 but mostly #6 to #8 with emphasis toward the #8 . Perhaps that is why I was able to enjoy my 7 weight Fenwick ?? I know very little about these things - just that it's a tremendous amount of fun . I appreciate the input on the NFC Classic .
Ron

Mr. Phipps,
Really appreciate your advice . From what I've read , NFC makes a high quality blank but , even looking through the catalog on their site , I didn't find information about the material . Then again my wife has always said I can look right at something and not see it . May I ask what you meant by "easy to live with" in regards to the RX7 rods ?
Thank you .
Ron

The power ratings on every Fenwick glass fly rod I ever measured was considerably underpowered for its weight class using the Common Cents system, you could very be throwing a 5 wt. by what we see on the racks now. There isn't any standard for rod ratings. The info was on Pg 40-41 if you look at the bottom, Pages 37-38 if you look at the actual catalog pages (go figure), anyway it's the second paragraph on the page on the left.
What I meant by the RX7 remark is that the ones I have fished seem to help you more to fish a situation correctly, no matter your expertise. I've had more than one customer after a couple hours or so on the water, or casting pool take their RX7 on the ALCAN and fish their way north and have a ball.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2022 02:55PM by Spencer Phipps.

Spencer Phipps Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The power ratings on every Fenwick glass fly rod I
> ever measured was considerably underpowered for
> its weight class using the Common Cents system,
> you could very be throwing a 5 wt. by what we see
> on the racks now. There isn't any standard for rod
> ratings. The info was on Pg 40-41 if you look at
> the bottom, Pages 37-38 if you look at the actual
> catalog pages (go figure), anyway it's the second
> paragraph on the page on the left.

Found it . Just overlooked as is usual for me . Thank you again .
Ron

Spencer Phipps Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> What I meant by the RX7 remark is that the ones I
> have fished seem to help you more to fish a
> situation correctly, no matter your expertise.
> I've had more than one customer after a couple
> hours or so on the water, or casting pool take
> their RX7 on the ALCAN and fish their way north
> and have a ball.

Mr. Phipps,
Again , I really appreciate your help . Even though the NFC blank may be superior material wise , it sounds like the RX7 may be more suited to someone like myself who has little to no expertise . Not false modesty , just the way it is .
Thanks .
Ron

NFC has a huge Black Friday sale on at the moment, so you cannot get a better deal on a blank right now than on their web site.

david taylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NFC has a huge Black Friday sale on at the moment,
> so you cannot get a better deal on a blank right
> now than on their web site.

Thank you . Will go to the NFC site and check it out .
Ron

Ron,

You may want to check out the Arctos blanks from Pac Bay, you can get them through Utmost Enterprises. They are great blanks in a high modulus with a great entry-point price. I also like the Matrix fly blanks from American Tackle, they have 4-piece blanks in line weights of 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.

Rich

Richard Bowers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> You may want to check out the Arctos blanks from
> Pac Bay, you can get them through Utmost
> Enterprises. They are great blanks in a high
> modulus with a great entry-point price. I also
> like the Matrix fly blanks from American Tackle,
> they have 4-piece blanks in line weights of 4, 5,
> 6, 8 and 9.

Rich,
Much appreciated . I'm new to all this and not familiar with Arctos or Matrix but will check them out this afternoon .
Thanks.
Ron

Richard Bowers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ron,
>
> You may want to check out the Arctos blanks from
> Pac Bay, you can get them through Utmost
> Enterprises.

Rich,
Found both the Arctos and Matrix blanks but it seems that Utmost Enterprises only carries Mr. Batson's blanks now ??
Thanks again.
Ron

You cannot go wrong with the NFC blanks! The "classic" seems to me to be one that fits your needs.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You cannot go wrong with the NFC blanks! The
> "classic" seems to me to be one that fits your
> needs.

Very much appreciated Mr. Erickson . Since Mr. Taylor pointed out NFC's Black Friday Sale , I'm seriously thinking about the F 906-2 Classic . But Mr. Phipps' comment about the RX7 being good for someone like me with limited to no expertise got my attention too .
Thank you .
Ron

Both are nice rods, but with the NFC sale going on, the NFC F905-2 classic is a better bang for the buck than the REVF905-2.
Norm

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Both are nice rods, but with the NFC sale going
> on, the NFC F905-2 classic is a better bang for
> the buck than the REVF905-2.
> Norm

Norm,
I was sort of hoping you'd add a response . Didn't want to pester you for fear of wearing out my welcome . All that's left to say now is "sold" .
Thank you .
Ron

If you are going to buy NFC, and I think you should, you need to buy three blanks to get the best deal. The Xray SJ 736 is a favorite of many across different fishing scenarios but might too heavy in power for your needs. Two of my favorites are Xray SJ 703 and FW 702-2. I'd fish 4# test on the FW and 8# on the 703. The FW 664-2 could do for the SJ 703 at a cheaper price.

I haven't tried any of the NFC fly rods yet but I think a 5 weight would be perfect. Don't be afraid to put a 6 weight line on it.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russell Brunt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you are going to buy NFC, and I think you
> should, you need to buy three blanks to get the
> best deal. The Xray SJ 736 is a favorite of many
> across different fishing scenarios but might too
> heavy in power for your needs. Two of my
> favorites are Xray SJ 703 and FW 702-2. I'd fish
> 4# test on the FW and 8# on the 703. The FW 664-2
> could do for the SJ 703 at a cheaper price.
>
> I haven't tried any of the NFC fly rods yet but I
> think a 5 weight would be perfect. Don't be
> afraid to put a 6 weight line

Russ,
I appreciate the advice . I didn't know about getting a better deal with three blanks . I wish it weren't the case but , unfortunately , as the old saying goes I don't think I can afford to save that much money . I'm sure the RX7, Arctos, Matrix, and other blanks are all fine products but after what you and others here have said I did decide to go with the NFC Classic blank .
Thank you.
Ron

In spite of your desire for a two piece, I recommend a four piece. I doubt if anyone can detect a problem caused by them being 4 piece rather than 2, and they are much handier, even if you don't travel. I think that today the selection may be better , too.

American Tackle Matrix blanks are highly regarded by many knowledgeable builders.