Curious,but most people who build rods seem to recommend putting a decent size ferrule wrap on their flyrods in the neighborhood of say 2-3 times the size of the female opening of the ferrule for reinforcement,or say doing the ferrule wrap as long as the male end of the ferrule that goes into the female end.This is something I do based on everyone's recommendations,and I know that it is certainly enough reinforcement,but don't like the look(or added weight).

Some smaller blank manufacturers recommend wrapping 1 1/2 to 2" or more,which seems a bit excessive to me considering how small the ferrule wraps are on my factory Loomis GLX rod and the fact that any rod I would want to build,I would want to build as light as possible.2" of thread wraps,or having to include under wraps,for a fly rod seems a bit much(compared to the factory rods I see) and I definately don't like the idea of the extra weight added.Even more of an issue for me is that I REALLY don't like the look of such long ferrule wraps on a flyrod(especially on multi piece rods).

I was looking at some factory Sage rods today and their ferrule wraps,much like those on my Loomis GLX,seem tiny(barely the size of female opening or so) compared to what most people recommend.Not only that,but the ferrule wrap starts with the mettalic trim bands instead of finishing with them so I was thinking that this would make the ferrule wrap have less strength than a ferrule wrap done reletively tightly with the main thread for the area nearest to the ferrule(where a split would most likely start) and then putting the trim wraps in once sufficient tension and reinforcement has been done.Am I completely wrong here?

My question is,if companies like Sage and Loomis are confident enough to sell thousands of high modulous factory rods built with such little ferrule reinforcement(their factory rod ferrule wraps are probably less than 1/2 of what many custom rod builders seem to recommend),why do most rodbuilders,and especially blank manufacturers,feel that MUCH larger ferrule wraps are needed?Are some of these blanks from other smaller companies that much thinner walled compared to the high end Loomis or Sage rods as to require so much more reinforcement?

For me,the lighter the rod is(in regards to fly rods especially),the better and if I am going to change my components to things like single foot guides or woven graphite seats(or other lighter model reel seats),in an attempt to save weight(you always hear that single foot guides use less thread than snakes,thus the overall rod would be a little lighter),it seems like putting 3-4(or more) times more thread on the ferrule wraps(or having to use under wraps) than factory rods have would defeat the whole overall purpose(in regards to weight savings).On 4 or 5pc rods this all adds up.What advantage(not including or talking about casting performance of course) is there in a blank that is marketed as being lighter than a competitors,if you are required to use underwraps or huge ferrule wraps that would nulify all that(or even make the overall completed rod heavier than a competitors)?

I also don't like alot of wrapping on flyrods for visual reasons(I don't mind a little in the butt section for decoration though),so long and overly visible ferrule wraps are something I want to avoid if possible,especially on multi piece rods.I find any ferrule wrap over an inch long(including the trim wrap) to be too much for my tastes.In fact,an inch is even more than I like visually.I like seeing more wrapping and trim in the butt section though,like around a hook keeper and around a decal or writing.I prefer the small,but nicely detailed look of the ferrule wraps on rods like the factory Sage models(especially on multi piece rods).Unfortunately I have always felt like I have to over do the wraps on my rods from a cosmetic point of view(based on everyone else's recommendations for reinforcement).I would definitely prefer the smallest ferrule wraps possible,while still providing enough reinforcement,but most people's recommendations are still larger than I would prefer(although it is what I also do as everyone recommends it).

Just curious what others feel about ferrule wrap sizes and if such a long wrap or even underwraps on fly rods are truly necessary(especially if the blank is warrantied)?If so,how do the big name companies get away with not doing it,even though many of their blanks are considered very high modulous and are very expensive?I would think that these bigger companies would want the fewest amount of rods coming back for broken ferrules and warranty replacement as possible,considering the cost of these blanks/rods,yet they seem to use far smaller ferrule wraps than most custom rod builders or than the smaller blank companies recommend.When using blanks from these big name companies,do most people still use larger ferrule wraps,like they would on other blanks,or do they make them smaller,like the factory rods?

It seems to me that other big companies don't feel the need for them on even their most expensive and highest modulous rods,yet some of the smaller companies seem to and most rodbuilders do as well.I can definately understand that a company would probably want people to use too large a wrap,rather than too little,simply for warranty reasons(obviously they want the fewest returns and warranty issues as possible),but the big companies don't seem to do it.It kind of makes me feel like these smaller company blanks are perhaps more fragile than the more well known,big name rods?

Sometimes I think that if I follow the manufacturer's recommendations of how I should wrap the rod(which I would obviously do if I had to though for warranty reasons),I will feel like I can't really build the rod the way I want to so I'm not going to be as happy with it as I think I should be(it won't be as light or have the look I want).Not talking about any specific rods or brands at all.I was just thinking about the whole thing after seeing what the big name company factory rods seem to be able to get away with.

Anyone else have any opinions on this?

Obviously I am going to do any ferrule wrap with reinforcement as the primary concern,but I would definately like to keep them as small as I possibly can as well(if at all posible without voiding warranty).Am I an oddball for wanting the smallest ferrule wraps possible,and wanting to avoid underwraps if possible,to keep the rod weight down and have the look I want?LOL.

All ferrules are internally reinforced. The point of a thread reinforcement wrap is to prevent a split-out from occuring. The only place that a split-out can get started, is at the very edge of the ferrule. Therefore, the only part of a ferrule reinforcement wrap that really matters, is the first small bit - the first few thread wraps. Anything beyond that is really not necessary. It is important, to get the wrap very snug and as close to the edge of the ferrule opening as possible.

I standardized my own ferrule reinforcement wraps many years ago, at a length that was one and one-half times the diameter of the ferrule opening. This took care of the reinforcement that was needed and provided me with a progressive cosmetic look to my ferrule wraps.

In the event that a manufacturer requires you to wrap a greater distance - do so. This keeps your warranty intact and the requirement for a longer ferrule wrap could be because there is no internal reinforcement. This is rare these days, but there may still be some blanks that are not internally reinforced at the ferrule.

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Something else that you might consider is this: Make your ferrule wrap a guide wrap. On many of the fly rods I build, I end up with a guide quite near the ferrule wrap. So, I test cast it that way, then I move the guide right on the ferrule, and test cast that way. If the casts come out the same, I put a guide right on the ferrule. That way, I end up with a two-for-one wrap: I reinforce the ferrule, and I wrap a guide. Cosmetically, it looks like a one-piece rod, because there are not obvious "ferrule wraps." (In fact, you ought to see me trying to figure out where to pull my rod apart.)

Obviously, there are rods where your static distribution test will tell you that a guide won't be anywhere near a ferrule. In those cases, go ahead and do a regular ferrule wrap.