Josh, I doubt a Tenkara outfit, due to it's length, will fit your needs. Most ultralight spinning rods will cast a 4 or 5 weight decently and you can find a length short enough and inexpensive enough for your needs. The heavier line will make short roll casts easier just try to find a faster action rod. This will also aid in "tunnel" fishing a small stream. Gene
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Taylor, Pick up a Cabela's Stowaway 8'6" 3 weight rod for $150. Strip the wraps and finish per the required theme. Don't personally like 6-piece rods. Too many flat spots and way too slow an action. Casting a dish rag is more enjoyable. Your budget doesn't allow for many options or for a quality blank. If he prefers 6-piece blanks he probably won't notice the difference. This still do
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Matt, Allow the fly wind resistance and the wind conditions you encounter to determine the line weight you need to execute the cast. This will give you a minimum line weight for your fishing. Wind resistant fly and heavy winds are a pain with a 3 weight. Even a double haul is incapable of overcoming the fly if the fly line mass is insufficient. After selecting the proper line weight look for a
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Jeff, I apologize about the earlier post. Just a confused old man mixing up postings. If you're nursing an injury a two hand rod will definitely help. Building the rod tip as light as possible will increase rod tip speed and reduce angler effort. Try a 9 to 11 foot two hand build. Select the rod blank one line weight stiffer then the line you wish to fish. Use single foot light wire titaniu
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Jason, Not saying your wise old friend is wrong, but in this case it's the singer not the song. The rod is incapable of overcoming the faults of the angler. True a longer rod put's you at less mechanical advantage, but it also increases the rod tip speed. A stiffer longer rod will increase it's affect further. Try a stronger tippet or increase tippet length. "Raise the rod" don't s
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Jeff, If the rod response is too quick for your casting stroke, you may add weight to the rod tip top. Utilize a large loop or extra large loop or even an inserted spinning tip top. This will slow the rod response to allow tuning to your rhythm. Be aware this will reduce rod response also on hook-set. You might wish to practice more on increasing your tempo to match the rod rather than slowi
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Jason, IMO build the rod as a fly rod with fly guide train. If the tip top grooves, over time, just replace the tip top with another fly top. I don't recommend the use of inserted guides through the entire build, only the stripper guides. Utilize double foot snakes for the rod mid section and single foot light wire titanium (recoil) for the rod tip with a standard loop top. Casting as a spin
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Gary, Typically my first guide is approx. 64X the tip diameter. To obtain higher performance I'll go up to 96X. On most UL's I've built this is around 4 in.. I'll have to check the weight of the light wire fly tops I'm now seeing. They may be lighter than the insert guides I'm presently using. When it grooves I'll just replace it. The only target is actual tip velocity at release given the
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Actually the stiffness of a round hollow beam is based primarily on the OD to the fourth power. Length is based on a cubic relationship. The fastest way to reduce power is reduction of the butt diameter in the lower 1/3 of the length. This in turn will shift the CG further to the tip while reducing stiffness of the butt. Rod response will slow decreasing the natural blank frequency. I would
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Mo, Please ignore the gorilla casting baseballs at the trout. The trout can be quite spooky of overhead objects in clear water. I've even spooked them casting a fly line over the fish. Your post is well received but short on specifics. The feat is none the less outstanding. You must pay considerable time selecting blanks, tip top and tip guides. The further the guides are placed away from t
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So the answer is It's going to happen over time anyway. Therefore it's not important and "good enough" for the build of a custom rod. I can't be responsible for the effects of time and use. I can be responsible for the quality of the finished rod I've built. I'd prefer not to supply a built to order, brand new rod with already yellowed finish. I'll just throw the finish away and buy
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Mo, Building a spinning rod to cast 1/64 jig heads is a truly admirable feat. I've been attempting to build an ultra light spinning rod for years, but haven't been able to get below 1/40 ounce. Would you be willing to share your recipe ???? If the answer is "no" I will understand. I don't see how you can get enough energy from a 1/64 ounce jig head to peel line from a 4# test spinn
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Hello all. I'm reasonably sure that most have had issues with their epoxy hardener yellowing in storage. Is anyone aware of the manufacturers using an inert gas purge on their filling lines ? The yellowing seems to start after first opening the container and exposing the product to air. Prior to opening the product looks clear and the time on shelf may have been days, weeks, months or years
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Dan, If I were to build I'd go with a 9 guide set-up. I do prefer dual strippers #12 and #10 followed by #4 chrome snake ; #3 chrome snake ; #3 chrome snake and the top 4 guides #2 single foot light wire titanium. Std loop tip top either chrome or REC. I've used both, the REC titanium is lighter, making the rod response better, but is a little on the homely side. Both perform well. Guide Spac
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Anthony, The loss in "feel" most likely is do to the size (weight) increase of your replacement tip top. You can use a smaller dia tip with a titanium frame or a std loop fly top. Either will be lighter. If you opt for the fly loop when it grooves, just replace. Increase in mass at the rod tip is the worst place to make changes. The tip top has the largest component for increase of
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Russ, IMO the Winston blanks are close to the NRX. Accuracy is under control of the caster, the wind, the fly line. If properly lined, most rods can cast that distance. The better blanks are very accurate to the ability of the caster. Gene
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Carol, For what it's worth the new "Asquith" is a better blank. The manufacturing technique is new and really does work. I had the opportunity to cast one and they are a step above the NRX. I don't believe Loomis has made that one available to the builder market. Sorry, but that doesn't really help. Gene
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Glenn, Measure the distance from the rod tip to the reel seat. Multiply this distance by .29 . This is the distance from the reel seat to the first guide. Works in most cases except when using a very long fore grip. Gene
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Shizen, Difficult question to answer. Depends on the individual need and drive for fulfillment To most, fishing is attaching a weight and a piece of bait to a hook and line. Throwing to where they choose and waiting for the fish to impale itself on the hook. A fly fisherman has not chosen the easy approach. The learning curve is steep and time consuming. The frustration level can be high.
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Shizen, I created a spreadsheet based on rod length and number of guides. This creates a progressive guide spacing which formula is manipulated based on the rod strength at the tip. Guides sizes are practical experience based on fly line size. Guide strength is based on rod strength and guide weight is based on distance location from the rod center of rotation. Most builders will follow a ta
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Shizen, The light wire guides at the rod tips can be titanium for quicker response I prefer to use insert guides for the lower two guides Distances are from rod tip to guide 11' CTS 4-5 1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5 ; 6 ; 7 ; 8 ; 9 ; 10 4.6 ; 9.9 ; 15.9 ; 22.7 ; 30.5 ; 39.3 ; 49.4 ; 60.9 ; 74.0 ; 88.9 std tip top ; (4) #1 light wire sin
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Shizen, I will require your distance from rod tip to reel measurement for each of your builds. A reasonable good guess is also acceptable. This will take into account your desired grip length and spacing. Middle of reel seat is close enough and I can make up a couple of variations you can choose between. Gene
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Mark, My first choice would be a Ross. Good value, very reliable. Several models available under $200. Go with a disc drag with a spool dia approx. 3-1/2" Gene
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Stanley, I fish the mentioned streams quite often. I prefer an 8 foot blank and carry 2 in different line weights. The smaller is an 8 foot 4 weight for low clear water on windless days. The larger is an 8 foot 8 weight for those days when the wind is gusting to 20 MPH. I don't enjoy fighting the wind with a 4 weight and the 8 gives me at least a knife in the gunfight. You can delicately la
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Brandon, I use a spreadsheet I created based on effective rod length and desired number of guides I wish to use. This in turn is adjusted based on the rod tip dia. I prefer to utilize 1 guide per foot and add or subtract 1 for desired performance aspects. I feel that visual guide placements are more subjective based on the perspective of the individual. More guides are always better from a vi
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John, I can provide spacing if you desire. I will need the rod tip dia, the distance from the rod tip to the reel and the desired number of guides. If you choose to use a heavier guide, then factory, you may consider using less than the factory build. Gene
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Todd, I can provide spacing, if required. I'll need the rod tip dia, the distance from rod tip to reel and the desired number of guides. It's based on my spreadsheet and will update for the desired number of guides, based on effective rod length. Gene
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Phil, Action and reaction. The elbow still must apply the counter force to the "haul". By reducing rod length less torque is required for a given load, hence less load on your elbow. Fishing without discomfort when you're making several hundred casts a session, as in fishing flowing streams, is a major annoyance that is quickly lessened with a shorter rod. I still "haul"
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Michael, Welcome to the Cricketeers. If this is your first experience with the Recoil guides, this is their only shortcoming I've found. Rather than a screech look at it as the " chirp " from the crickets. The best news is when the crickets are chirping the fish are hitting. Faster damping, increased accuracy, better sensitivity, increased rod tip speed. The chirp is a function of
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Matt, Two blanks that come to mind quickly are the Sage Bass II 290 and the 390 Both are 8 foot. The 290 will handle your 10 weight The 390 will handle your 12 weight Since getting older I also prefer the shorter rods in the heavier line weights. The reduced length is easier on my elbow and enables me to cast all day without feeling the effects of the extra line weight. If you looking for
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