Dale, I built a 6wt on a RX-8 blank and I found that it was a bit too stiff it the tip for my taste. It would cast a ton of line with a heavy streamer or nymph rig, but it would not do well if I had to drop down to 6x tippet when running double and triple nymph rigs. I recently built an Affinity X 906-4 on a CTS Blank. Really sweet rod. It will cast very well over a wide range of distances and th
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Micheal, You can sand a bubble out once your finish is dry, just go lightly with an disposable nail file or a fine grade small file. Be very careful not to take too much off and get into the thread itself. Trying to prevent all bubbles from forming is next to impossible, a few are going to show up but you can get rid of them by using a few tips. Some of them appear above in the posts by other fol
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Tom, unfortunately there are not many options for Switch rod grips. I ran into the same problem, I make my own. Bought a lathe and problem solved. Someone on here may be able to do custom grip work as well.
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Last fall I took one of my nephews out fly fishing for the first time. He is 11 and my father had been taking him spin fishing a bunch of times over the summer. On the way over to the river Shaun told me that Papa had taken him out a bunch of times with no fish caught. I assured him that we would catch at least one, maybe a couple. Anyway, the kid went on to get 7 bows, not to shabby for his firs
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I'll second the heat method. I have a heat gun with an adjustable heat setting on it. It doesn't take much heat to soften the wrap finish, then I use a razor blade to cut into the finish and thread on the top of the guide foot, once you have a purchase you can peel and scrape away with a fingernail and just reapply the heat as necessary to remove it all. Just take your time with the heat and reme
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I have just started to glue up and turn my own fly rod grips. Instead of buying a cork clamp I got some 1/4 threaded rod. Now I knew that the glue would get into the threads and prevent me from having an easy time removing the glued up cork from the rod, so I wrapped the threaded rod with plumbers thread seal tape, and glued them up. Let it sit over night and the damn thing came off really easy,
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Thanks Guys, I used the Elmer's wood filler just like you do Roger and that seems to be the best of the batch I tried. Was just wondering if anyone out there had a better idea or product. Info appreciated.
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Any of you folks out there make their own cork filler with cork dust and glue? Just getting into turning my own cork grips and I've tried some of the commercial products out there with mixed results. Just wondering if this would work for cork as long as the right glue was used. Thanks.
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Ed, check into CTS, both the Affinity X and Affinity MX are excellent blanks and are right up there with the Dan Craft stuff on quality and price.
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Quinn, I feel you pain, I'm in the Upstate NY area! I do a lot of float tube fishing, mostly Adk ponds for trout, but once the warmer weather rolls around I hit the bass ponds. The one thing that I noticed is that the extra length in 9ft rod will keep the line off the water a lot better than an 8-6 will. Remember, your a lot closer to the water line when in a float tube. If distance is not a fact
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Most of your bamboo rod makers are using spar varnishes. Man O War spar varnish comes to mind as one of the more popular finishes used. I have also heard of some people using True Oil. Many of your older bamboo rods have a Tung Oil finish, but over time that finish will start to "scale". Finish can be hand applied or dipped. The final product that we are seeing has been hand polished to
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I would take a look at the CTS Affinity X line of blanks. They are just a bit more expensive than what you are looking to spend, but the extra is well worth it. In my opinion they are one of the smoothest casting fast action blanks around. Scott at Fishsticks carries them. They will feel a tad bit slower than the Scott STS, closer to a S4. The great thing about the Affinity X is that it will per
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A couple of the sponsors on the left carry REC grips and slide band reel seats. I have used 6.5 inch grips from REC and their slide band seats on several 6'-6" 3wt blanks and that combination worked real nice. REC also has some nice wood to choose from without getting real expensive.
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I agree with the other guys that kids learn real fast. I have 3 nephews between the ages of 9 and 12, and this year they started with fly rods. I built all three of them a 7-6 5wt on a Batson RX-6 Blank. I put 6 wt WF lines on the rods and all 3 of them got the basic's of casting and catching fish their first time out (took all three separately). Kids are like sponges and they learned a lot faste
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Yes, exactly. Just give the test section a good cleaning before you glue on a new reel seat and grip.
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You might want to try some paste style car wax. Most car waxes have mild abrasives in them and chemicals that will soften the finish and allow it to be polished. One caution here, don't use it till the rod has been wrapped and your final finish coat of thread epoxy has dried. I would try a small section of the rod with the wax and see if it does restore the luster, then clean the area very well.
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I agree with Tom and Eric, call Orvis in Manchester VT and ask to speak to the rod dept. They may be able to have a tip section made for the rod. I'm sure you won't be the first call they have had concerning something like this.
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I've taken reel seats off 2 ways. I have put the reel seat in boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes, use gloves to twist it off. This has worked a couple of times for me and is the least invasive to the rod. Just be careful not to twist to hard or you could break the blank. This method is a good first try for a reel seat that may have been attached with a glue that is not as durable as a
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Bill, don't use it. First it will ruin the coating on any fly line. Second, while the first few cast will really sail thru the guides the line will pick all kinds of debris greatly increasing the friction and wear on your guides. The best way to clean a fly line is mild soap and water, then treat with a dressing specific to the line manufacturer. They will last a lot longer doing it that way.
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Gary, I believe what you have is the blank that was used in the HLS Series of rods. The Western was a faster action blank. These blanks predate the Rocky Mtn series and I would think its was made in the early 90's. The 3oz should be the weight of the blank.
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Dan, look at Janns Net Craft, they may have that blank in the color and configuration you want. A 7'-9" 3wt is a pretty common blank and there are plenty of different brands out there that may meet your needs. I have personally built this configuration on a bunch of blanks, Batson RX-7, Pac Bay IGFA , Tradition II, and Rainforest, along with my favorite Diamondback Classic Trout. Here in th
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Normally my shop is right around 70, plus or minus a few degrees either way. I guess I just need to have a bit more patience with AFTCO. It does look real nice when fully cured! Thanks guys.
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I just got some AFTCO finish and tried it out on a rod. Seems to be pretty close to Threadmaster Light, not quite as thin, but about the same in pot life. My question is that it seems to take a lot longer to cure than TM Lt. Temp in my shop is pretty constant, so that is not a factor. Just wondering if the others that use this brand of finish have had the same experience? Seems to be equal in fin
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Dave, do what Roger advises. A little bit of heat will usually do the trick. The epoxy that you want to remove is not going to get any harder to remove if you wait a week or a month while you practice on a scrap piece of blank. I had a friend of mine do the same thing to a rod and it only took a little bit of heat and a finger nail to get it off with no ill effects on the blank. I have a heat gu
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Batson RX-7 is also a good choice. I built a 9ft 4wt for a friend and its a really decent preforming rod. Works very well for dry's and pretty decent at short line nymphing with an indicator. He uses a 5wt line for days when casts will be short and a 4wt on the bigger water where longer casts maybe necessary.
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I tried both several years ago on my first few fly rod builds. First the glue: It did not bond anywhere as well as the the 2 part epoxies. Reel seat parts came loose after a month of use. So I would not advise its use. Second the one part finish which is water based also: It is somewhat durable and easy to use. I did find that it does not retain the shine and luster that a 2 part wrap finish will
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I have, an 8-6 5wt in the WT. A real nice dry fly rod. Very pleasurable casting rod. They seem pretty true to the weight rating also, meaning you don't need to over or under line them to get them to cast correctly within normal casting ranges.
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Brandon, the T&T Helix is a medium fast action rod. The Paradigm is more of a Full Flex rod or slow action. The Horizon is considered a fast action. I have cast all three in the same line weights and lengths. I would compare the Helix to a Orvis T-3 mid flex, the Paradigm to a Winston WT or Scott G series, and the Horizon to the Orvis T-3 tip flex or St Croix Legend. T&T also has a coup
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The Dan Craft FT and CTS Affinity X are available in 10ft 3wt 4 piece configurations. I don't have any experience with the FT but I have built some fly rods on his Sig V blanks and they are top notch. I do have a couple of CTS Affinity X blanks and they are awesome rods. Well worth spending the extra money for either brand but still less expensive than the Sage blank but in my opinion of the same
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That is very impressive lettering on a blank. Anyone have any idea on what Matt used to letter the blank and what type of ink???? Getting it that small, clear to read and still looking professional is impressive.
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