I have heard a lot of good things about Lamiglas blanks but living here in the midwest I have never had the chance to actually hold one to see how they feel. My main question is that the recomended line and lure wieghts stated for their blanks seem to be a bit higher than other blanks of similar size and weight from say Loomis or St. Croix. For example the perigee PFW721M is rated for 6-12 line and 1/4-3/4 lures. A blank of this size and weight is usually rated for something like 4-10 line and 1/8-3/8
lures. Now 6-12 and 4-10 isn't that much different but 3/4 is twice as large as 3/8. Are the blanks from Lamiglas intended for larger line and lures? A bit slower action maybe? I know these questions may really just boil down to opinion but I just wanted to get any input at all from someone who has worked with both Lamiglas blanks as well as St. Croix and Loomis since those are what I am familiar with. Now as a side note, does anyone know of a source for smallmouth bass rod decals? Thanks for any info.

William, I have used the mentioned rods and I think you are correct. I like the perigee series as it has a little softer action but handles the larger lures and line weights extremely well. The softer action makes the rod cast like a dream. Every one to their on opinion, but I like to fish a little light and the action of the perigee series allows you to feel the lure and fish as well as any rod I have fished.

In the past few years most rods have been judged by how far they will cast. This is especially true with fly rods. Although this is a poor way to judge a rod's overall fishing qualities, it is nonetheless how most are judged. Thus, many manufacturers have realized that applying a line weight that is really one under the true rating will allow the angler/tester to hold more line in the air and push out a bit farther. This is the reason that so many anglers remark that their rods fish better with one line weight above the rating listed on the rod.

Lamiglas seems to have stuck with a true rating. If a Lami fly rod calls for a 5-weight line, it seems to fish best with a 5-weight line at average fishing distances. This may have hurt them in the "distance contests" but it works out much better when selecting the proper line to go on the rod.

At some point we are going to do an article in RodMaker which I think will help custom builders match the proper line to their customer's rods per the customer's particular fishing situations.

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So you're saying that by taking what is really a 5 weight rod and rating it for a 4 weight line that you can put lots of 4 weight line out there past the tip and make that elusive 100 foot cast! With a 5 weight line it'd be overloaded at that distance. But a 5 weight line is the one that would fish the best at our normal fishing distances. For me that is about 30 to 60 feet at most.

That makes real sense. And you know when you read the fly fishing magazine reviews on all these rods they are all based on how far a rod throughs before it is overloaded. Very clever.