Michael: I don't measure harmonic period, which equates with rod recovery rate, I believe. I prefer to cast a rod before I buy it, rather than pore over bench tests. Buying a rod or rod blank without test-casting it seems like buying a car without driving it?
Forum: rodboard

The anti-science mob, led by advertisers, stubbornly proclaims that buying stuff, particularly expensive stuff, will make you a better caster and a better angler. Some anglers Buy into this silly theory.
Forum: rodboard

If a fish hits a moving hook from behind - which is their usual angle of attack - it seems it would create slack in the line at first, not a tug. What attributes in a rod would make it more sensitive to slack - opposed to pull?
Forum: rodboard

Which end of the blank will you cut off, and what benefit do you anticipate? I might follow suit if the change(s) suit my needs.
Forum: rodboard

I would be interested in physical measurements which support the contention that thinner wrapping threads produce rods that cast farther - or more accurately?
Forum: rodboard

How does a thrifty rod-builder go about determining the ERN and the AA of a blank with no markings - without having to buy te$t equipment?
Forum: rodboard

I purchased some no-label rod blanks at a lawn sale and I would like to build them into rods and sell them, but I have no idea what kind of blanks they are. I can get a better price if I label them as species-specific rods, but I have no idea what actions and which components go with which species. Can anyone suggest a text or article which suggests which types of rod blanks and/or components go
Forum: rodboard

Maybe use heat-shrink tubing next time?
Forum: rodboard

I suggest workouts in the gym. The bait/weight you cast can go no faster you can pull it with your rod, and rod speed = distance cast. Fish poles do not generate energy. If they did they would run turbines and power your car. The physical laws governing the distance covered by thrown, shot, or casted objects were formulated more than two thousand years ago and they still hold true.
Forum: rodboard

The sensitivity of line materials has been improved, but the sensitivity of the human hand remains the same. A certain amount of flexibility (which creates slack) is mandatory in a fishline, agreed? I suspect that current developments in fish lines have provided as much sensitivity as is possible, and the rod can not provide any more sensitivity than the line can.
Forum: rodboard

For every artificial fly or worm or plug a fish inhales and spits out what percentage do you supposed is never "felt" by the angler, regardless of equipment being used?
Forum: rodboard

I wish I had known this when I was fishing trout streams with lots of cover over and around them! I always went with a longer rod and dapped the bait or lure. . . Now I fish the salt.
Forum: rodboard

If you want the greatest sensitivity a hand-line is your best bet - no rod weight/inertia or rod flexibility to deaden feeling the bite.
Forum: rodboard

Will you be casting chunk bait, live bait, plugs, jigs . . . or what?
Forum: rodboard

Where can I find a list of recommended rod blanks to build into rods for various fishing methods such as: worming rods, chatter-bait rods, popping rods, jigging rods, live-bait rods, and other specific-use rods?
Forum: rodboard

Everyone who switches to bow-and-arrow casting should use the blank you use to cast 60 feet! I have never managed to bow-and-arrow cast much farther than twenty feet. Please share the make and model of the rod blank you used, and the weight of the plug that sailed off sixty feet!
Forum: rodboard

"Same thing . . ." - What gave you that idea??
Forum: rodboard

The best way to evaluate fishing tackle is as a unit, taking into consideration: reel, rod, line, leader, and hook - since they are often interdependent and function as a unit. For example: If you are fishing a "J" hook your choice of line, leader, and rod are important for "hook-ups". If fishing with a "circle " hook - not so much.
Forum: rodboard

Chris: Google "Fishing line stretch" The first sentence of the first paragraph on the first page makes this statement about "premium monofilaments".
Forum: rodboard

And for ages anglers have contended with fish stories about the location, size, and numbers of fishes!
Forum: rodboard

Yup. - Your line might hinge a bit at the splice, but your reunited line will run smoothly through your guide train.
Forum: rodboard

Sensitivity depends upon the type of line, the amount of line between the angler and the end of his line, water and wind currents, waves, the tactile sensitivity of the individual touching the line, even the diameter of the line: greater diameter = more drag = less sensitivity. "Rod sensitivity", if taken seriously, turns out to be a complex issue involving multiple variables. On a posi
Forum: rodboard

Mark: Right you are! Bait fishers using circle hooks have no need for extra-sensitive lines. Plug casters, spoon casters, and dry fly casters have no need for extra-sensitive lines. Trollers have no need for extra-sensitive lines. That leaves who? Wet fly anglers who don't use strike indicators?
Forum: rodboard

Regardless of performance, if the number of guides you put on a rod makes you happy, enjoy them!
Forum: rodboard

An on-line site reports that premium monofilament line stretches from 10% to 30%. This would seriously degrade the sensitivity of the lightest, most exquisitely constructed graphite rod. A solid-glass rod loaded with gel-spun line would be many times more sensitive. It's important to view rod, reel, and line as parts of a whole, not separate elements.
Forum: rodboard

My guess is you responders are poor students - or have poor instructors. I'm not very well-coordinated, two months away from my 80th birthday, and a 90' cast with a 8wt. line is no big deal. My experience is dang near anybody who can chew gum while clapping their hands can double-haul effectively - with instruction. One thing is absolutely certain: you can't buy fly casting proficiency, regardles
Forum: rodboard

I don't dislike advertisers. They're just trying to make a living by being "creative" in their claims. I will continue to urge buyers of blanks or rods to rely upon dynamic testing - how far or easily a blank casts - rather than static testing - how a blank behaves when clamped to a bench - especially if buying a $600, $900, or $1200 fishing rod, and regardless of the advertising hype a
Forum: rodboard

Michael: You may be right. I assume you tried to learn to double haul but your attempt was a failure - as indicated in your last post. My numbers are not guesses but predictions, based upon scores of fly casters over several decades who I have coached to double haul. Some were unable to co-ordinate rod stroke with haul - but are still accomplished fly anglers. I think you do yourself a disfavor b
Forum: rodboard

A fly rod waver does well to cast 40 feet. A reasonably adept double-haul fly caster will have little difficulty fly casting 80 feet. Don't take my word. Ask around. At least half of the general population agrees longer is better.
Forum: rodboard

It seems silly to pour money into fishing tackle rather than maintaining fishing environments - but then it's the fish who suffer from water pollution, not us.
Forum: rodboard