Thanks, Russell. I have an 8 1/2 foot 6 wt fly blank built as a spin, and it does ok with the job on bones at long distances, but short cast accuracy is tough. Too "loose" and "floppy" to get the timing right. On the other hand the actions over 80 degrees are too fast to get the timing right. Seems like about 70 degrees works the best with the light jigs I use.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2024 07:30AM by Michael Danek.

Michael, how much weight are you looking to cast, what type of offering, and are you sight or blind casting? Also fly or spin?

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Sight casting 1/8 to 3/16 max, often in wind. I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I'm at this time dealing with travel rods, 3 piece spin. When the wind is too high or I'm having a bad day with the fly I go to the spin with small jigs tied as flies. I also use the rod for the occasional try for a cuda that shows up, hence the interest in having a little more power than the 15/71 that casts the jigs pretty well.

My 20/80 is great for the cudas, but leaves a lot to be desired in casting accurately the light jigs.

The 15/71 will probably feel very underpowered while fighting the fish, but I think it will work with patience.

When I was in FL in the 80's we used to catch cuda on pieces of a McDonalds drink straws. I think I used my Fenwick FS83S rod.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2024 12:09AM by Spencer Phipps.

I'm not getting the point of the comment relative to this topic. ??

How about a Mag Taper blank? With the lighter tip and stronger butt section, but a graduated power curve, it could accomplish something close to what you are asking for. One of my all-time favorite blanks was the Lamiglas Rogue River series designed for the half-pounders (Jack Steelhead) on the Rogue River in Oregon. My favorite was the RR902MT, 90" 2-piece, rated for line 6 to 12 pounds. As far as I can determine, the last one was produced in 2011, but I have 3 rods built on them that I will NEVER loan out! I can cast 1/8oz lures or 1/2oz lures all day with precision, and feel everything that messes with my lure...

Rich

How about a Mag Taper blank? With the lighter tip and stronger butt section, but a graduated power curve, it could accomplish something close to what you are asking for. One of my all-time favorite blanks was the Lamiglas Rogue River series designed for the half-pounders (Jack Steelhead) on the Rogue River in Oregon. My favorite was the RR902MT, 90" 2-piece, rated for line 6 to 12 pounds. As far as I can determine, the last one was produced in 2011, but I have 3 rods built on them that I will NEVER loan out! I can cast 1/8oz lures or 1/2oz lures all day with precision, and feel everything that messes with my lure...

Rich

"How about a Mag Taper blank? With the lighter tip and stronger butt section" That is what the 20/80 is.

I just built a 15/71 (REV72SMLF) and is does a great job at casting light jigs. Accurate, forgiving, great distance. I think it will be my backup spin rod in the boat next January. And will be my favored Ned rod this summer. Here is a review I did on it if you're interested:

My interest in trying a new spinning travel blank started with my dissatisfaction with my current rod in casting accurately jigs as light as 1/8 oz for bonefish. It is important in sight fishing bonefish to reliably and consistently cast accurately for fairly long distances. My current rod measures 20.6 Effective Rod Number (600 grams) and Action Angle of 80 degrees, and casting it accurately with anything other than a direct overhead motion is problematic. It apparently is too powerful and too fast. The timing of the line release must be perfect in order to cast accurately.

The REV72SMLF was recommended by Rainshadow and I thought it worth a try. On receiving the blank, a 7 foot 2 inch three piece blank with a handsome satin black finish, I was impressed immediately by how straight it was. Build orientation did not have to depend on hiding any crookedness in the blank. I found the least and most stiff axes, and assembled the blank so I could measure CCS and build on the least powerful axis for casting. This was in the interest of loading properly with the light jigs I plan to use and having the highest power for fighting the fish. The difference is slight, but being a custom build I can optimize even the slightest details. It measured 15.1 (400 grams) ERN with an AA of 71. True Natural Frequency (TNF) came in at a respectable 490 cycles per minute.

Since I will be using a size 4000 reel and 20 pound test premium braid I chose Alps IV high frame reduction guides in 20H, 10H, and 7L starting at 19 inches from the reel spool lip and spaced to achieve the “bullseye” when viewing down the reduction guide set. I chose Alps XMK mini guides, Z ring polished, in size 5 for the runners and the XPPALT tangle Free tiptop in size 5. The seat is the up-loading-mounted Batson GS 17-C with silver hood. A two-line static load test led me to using 6 runners for a total of 9 guides plus tiptop. I like the Alps single foot wire fly guide in size 3 for a keeper, easy to access, unobtrusive, corrosion resistant. Taping the guides to the blank allowed me to test cast in the yard.

I was very encouraged by the test casting, finding the rod cast a little farther than my previous rod and was easy to cast accurately either overhead or from the side. The slower action and better power match appear just what I need for the application. Retrieving the jig across the lawn indicated good sensitivity.
I expect the rod to get a lot of use in fresh water, too. I tried it yesterday with 1/10 ounce Ned jigs with the small Ned grub, and it cast farther than any other rod I’ve used for that technique. Long , accurate, casts. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to fight a fish on it.

The finished rod came in at 4.125 ounces, two ounces above the blank weight of 2.1. It feels light in the hand and balances well with the size 4000 reel. Since I used exotic burl for the split grip components; it could have been made a little lighter by using natural cork.
For those interested, the guide spacing I used is, in distance from the tip: 4.5, 8.75, 14, 19.25, 25.5, 31.375, 39.5, 45, 54.375. It should be noted that the reduction guides’ spacing is dependent on the model of guide used.

I'm also an advocate for blanks like Richard B., I have one built and a blank in the rack that may someday be built. Awesome blank for fishing the smaller coastal rivers and tributaries for sea run cutthroat, steelhead and coho where the length isn't a hindrance to getting a good drift and the dark forest green is a pretty color. The lower modulus blank is in no way a hinderance and works well in close quarters combat.

I'm also an advocate for blanks like Richard B.

That's what the 20/80 is.