I'm making a steel mandrel for use in shaping cork fly grips. I've, uhhh, "temporarily misplaced" my andy dear/lamar mandrel. just a small minor prepping question. I've picked up a 1/4 inch solid steel mandrel from my local hardware shop and intend to cut it down to 16 inches or so. i read in some product descriptions mandrels are "oil hardened." should i prep this new one
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trout and bass come in different sizes and species, each differing in fighting ability. Challenges like wind, size of flies, surface dries to deep dredging flies, submerged logs, getting snagged and needing to wrestle the fly free if subsurface, etc etc. from my experience targeting your three species, basically: panfish 3-5 wt rod trout 3-7 wt rod (from wild dinks in a mountain stream to
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thanks adam! yes, i will be applying finish on the dryer. and i find applying with my current dryer's speed (6rm) too slow for me. i'm simply THAT. GOOD. (joking) eric fresno, ca.
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thank you everyone. and good to hear from you thomas. i'm still shooting for the paper. we're down to four shooters from a high of 10 due to layoffs. i didn't fish at all last year but i'm getting the urge to fish and wrap the blanks i have sitting in the closet. we have another impending drought for the state so i may have to take up mountain biking instead come May :P. i know some people sp
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thank you everyone. and good to hear from you thomas. i'm still shooting for the paper. we're down to four shooters from a high of 10 due to layoffs. i didn't fish at all last year but i'm getting the urge to fish and wrap the blanks i have sitting in the closet. we have another impending drought for the state so i may have to take up mountain biking instead come May :P. i know some people sp
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I'm thinking of buying the RDS rod dryer i've found at a board sponsor's web site. I'm leaning towards the 18rpm model, thinking the 9rpm version might not be enough of a change. i have a 6rpm model i bought online years ago and it just turns too slow for my needs. i wrap graphite fly rods in a minimalist design, no fancy thread art. i do have one bamboo blank i plan to finish with it as well (th
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definitely check to see if there's a free lesson to be found near you. one of our sporting goods stores offers free casting in my town, may be something in your area too. if not, find a fly fishing club, make a call, someone may be quite willing to meet with you at a local park or invite you to the next club meeting where you may be able to cast in a parking lot with some instruction. casting can
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(especially If this is your first build) i would suggest just doing what i do all of the time and apply wrap finish to just the wraps and leave the middle undone. granted, i'm not familiar with ALL types of rods and wrapping procedures, but i haven't heard of anyone applying finish along the blank in-between the guide feet (except for bamboo fly rods, which often apply varnish the entire length o
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contact Batson for suggestions (though they may reply here at the board). eric fresno, ca.
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check with Angler's Workshop. they offer something close in their chalkstream and 2 piece IM6 blanks. eric fresno, ca.
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thanks for the tips gents. some more to think about. eric fresno, ca.
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i've stopped wrapping my fly rods a few years ago but want to get back into it. i have several graphite, a few fiberglass and one bamboo fly rod blank needing to be finished out and fished! the problem, the main holdup for me is i have been using a wood based turner (for lack of a better term right now) i bought off @#$%& which turns at 6 rpm and uses rubber bands (often needing to be replaced
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I think a rainshadow RX6 is very different from the rainshadow RX8 drew suggested. perhaps you should ask which rod he is currently using and offer his take on that rod's performance. hopefully others there can let him borrow other rods to compare. then match what works best for him to the closest rainshadow model (RX6, 7, 8, 8+, etc). from what i hear/read, the rainshadow RX8 is a nice blank.
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i agree. Donart rocks. so do others i've tried and i haven't ordered from what some may call the big names over there <-------- eric fresno, ca.
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follow billy's advice. they've offered similar help in the past to me. eric fresno, ca.
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unfortunately, drew may be speaking truth. eric fresno, ca.
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another vote for lemke. from what i've read, lemke has a close working relationship with fiberglass fly rod builders and as you know, these blanks can have larger butt diameters than modern graphite blanks. he should be able to help you. eric fresno, ca.
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my 11 year old daughter has had a 7'-6" 4wt with 5wt line on it for a few years. works great for trout stream fishing and i use it on occasion. if i was to wrap a lake rod for her, i might choose an 8 or 8-6" 5wt on first thought. eric fresno, ca.
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logan, if you unhide your email address, i can send you some tips. eric fresno, ca.
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i think dale has a good point which nobody really addressed (and i don't mean that in an disrespectful way). dale recognizes that there are other independent sources of tubes ( for instance, his mention of landmark and clear creek) but points out that a company which supports independent rod makers offering a full lineup of components and blanks, offers everything one needs to complete a full pac
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removing the "guide wrap epoxy" (i think thread finish is a more accurate term) will remove the thread. removing the thread will allow the guides to pop off. but, well, i've been wrong before :-) eric fresno, ca.
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if you're going with a batson in the RX6 lineup, batson has an online forum with a section about all of their blank specs and such, including guide spacing i think. try this, second page for the 2 piece 6'6" model: of course, this is a "starting point" for testing where the guides might be located. eric fresno, ca.
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i've just applied waterslide decal alignment marks from decal connection to a fly blank i'm wrapping. i've only done this once before and that was years ago. my question is, how long should i wait until i can apply the final coat of threadmaster finish? room temps are about 70. thanks. eric fresno, ca.
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yes, it's not necessary to entirely coat the entire blank and guides with spar varnish as tom mentioned but he's right, most dip the entire blank and guides. some brush it on. some use a turkey baster to get the entire rod. all take trial and error. and alternative is an impregnated blank. many ways to do that too but once impregnated you can coat just the threads. that's what i'm doing. i had
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thanks guys. and thanks for addressing a post which may have veered towards wishy washy. i think i'll go with the 16. sage lists it as what they use and my buddy likes things conventional in most ways. i just removed the smaller stripper and have started doing both in the same style, using the same matching pac bay guides after getting the go-ahead from the buddy. wish me luck, gold thread on a v
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i am wrapping a sage 9'-6" 7wt 4 pc. fly rod blank for a buddy. it's been sitting in my closet for ages and i want to work on it tonight. i'm looking at the guides that were purchased for it (i'm forgetting if i bought them or he did at this stage) and i have two strippers, what appears to be a 12 and 10, both fuji SIC. it's been awhile since i've wrapped a rod but the last two 7wts i wrapp
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There's swelled butts and then there are swelled butts. Swelled butts on grips and swelled butt blanks. The latter found on bamboo fly rods. Just FYI. Eric Fresno, CA.
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i use downlocking cap and ring reel seats with wood inserts for my light trout rods. utmost enterprises has a nice deal on what i think are uplocking pacific bay seats if you're looking for a good value. check those out. versitex has some double ring pacific bay seats for a bit more which are nice. eric fresno, ca.
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i've fished the RX6 in slightly longer lengths (7'-6") and it's a nice rod for stream trout. i imagine the 6-6 version should be equally so. eric fresno, ca.
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Mark Steffen's fiberglass blanks are tops from what i read. the kettles are a nice option i hear too but not as much of a following as yet. also included in this group would be lamiglas, mcfarland, south fork, TL Johnson's and L. Kenney, all offering fiberglass fly rods, perhaps most also can deliver a blank-only option. there's a burgeoning community of people who are using fiberglass fly rods,
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