Ah, I can remember when there were no glass rods or carbon fiber rods - steel rods were cutting edge. Nobody even heard of ERN's but they caught fish,. lots of them - but seldom quibbled about tackle.
Forum: rodboard

How does "recovery speed" influence casting distance or accuracy? I have always wondered what the fuss was about. Please provide numbers - about casting distance and accuracy - along with your personal opinions.
Forum: rodboard

Ron: I think you will be surprised and pleased when you master the double-haul fly-casting technique: You will at least double your fly - casting range, no matter how much you paid for your rod and line. And no matter what they say - Longer is Better!
Forum: rodboard

Has anyone suffered from a broken rod because of fighting a fish with a rod with "too few guides"? If so, please reply, and state the breaking strength of the leader in use at that time.
Forum: rodboard

When it comes to wrapping and fastening things to a rod blank, less is more - if performance is your goal.
Forum: rodboard

If you are interested in a rod's performance more than its looks, especially in the case of fly rods, WHERE a rod bends is more important than HOW MUCH it bends.
Forum: rodboard

Ron - I suggest you hold your fly-rod handle next to your ear and move it in a line straight forward and straight backward not much more than a foot, like a punch, with your rod pointing straight up. That is what a good double-haul looks like. Combine the straight-forward push of the rod with a short, sharp downward jerk on your fly line to speed your backcast. Allow your hand (still holding th
Forum: rodboard

Building a fishing rod is an act of love. No sense in rushing.
Forum: rodboard

A four inch sleeve of hollow, braided nylon monofilament can be slipped over each of the cut fly lane, pulled tight, and a monofilament whip finish applied over each of the outer ends of the cut tubing. A light coat of clear nail polish over the wrappings completes the job. As long as the breaking strength of your tippet does not exceed #25 you need not worry about the splice breaking.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks, Tom. I can easily see the benefit in measuring a rod's stiffness - resistance to deflection. The stiffer the blank the longer the effective length of the rod during the cast and the more leverage/speed the rod is capable of generating. But stiffness is NOT power, which is calculated by weight, distance, and time. Conflating these terms in buyers' minds makes rod advertisers and retailer
Forum: rodboard

It may be that rods with a quick recovery rate cast farther and/or transmit sensations of touch better than slower rods. I don't know, but I would like to see some data on this subject. I don't understand why the recovery time of a rod AFTER the cast is released is important. It doesn't seem like the "recovery time" of a cast has anything to do with the distance or accuracy of that cas
Forum: rodboard

It may well be that a huge difference in the weight of a guide train will hugely affect a rod's recovery speed. I never checked, being more interested in a rod's casting distance than its recovery time. Would the huge difference in recovery speed you refer to be expressed in miles per hour or feet per second, and where can I find a chart of various blanks and their recovery rates?
Forum: rodboard

Tom: I understand that the stiffness of a rod blank influences the effective length of the blank and thus the distance of the cast. The more the blank bends during the cast the shorter the distance between the caster's hand and the tip-top, and the lower the velocity of the rod tip, line, and lure or bait. The mechanics of a type-1 lever (like a fish pole) has long been known. Longer distance be
Forum: rodboard

The goal of most rod builders is performance - sensitivity, distance, durability, comfort - not statistics, or even beauty! On the other hand, rod building can be a fine art, not a practical enterprise.
Forum: rodboard

Proclaiming a rod has "power" shows the triumph of advertising over common sense. Stating a rod has "power" is the fruit of endless marketing campaigns. Physical power is the product of force times distance. The only power any fish pole has is produced by the caster, not the pole - in precisely the same way that all the power in a shovel is provided by the shoveler. Bending a
Forum: rodboard

"Static length measurement" of what? If you refer to length of casts ANY fisherman (including me) is capable of making then Yes, this is valuable information to them - but don't take my word, take a survey.
Forum: rodboard

if the "extra" weight is in the butt of the blank, no big deal. If it's in the tip . . .
Forum: rodboard

The claim that the "power" of a rod is responsible for a cast illustrates the triumph of hope over reality. The only "power" in a cast is generated by the caster, not the rod or the line. The rod, no matter how much you paid for it or how many tests you have performed on it, can only pull the line as fast as you can pull the rod tip. When you release the line in a cast the rod
Forum: rodboard

Facing reality is not cynical. Selecting a fly rod for its static performance - how far a dead weight bends it - ignores the speed at which the fly caster moves the rod forward and whether or not the caster has a smooth, well timed stroke or just jerks the rod around. Fly casting is a dynamic operation.The chief obstacle to selecting a fly rod by CASTING IT is embarrassment over one's casting a
Forum: rodboard

A heavier guide train will slow down the recovery rate of a rod - AFTER THE CAST HAS BEEN RELEASED. I doubt that even a HUGE difference in the weight of a rod's guide train - say an eighth of an ounce, will shorten the cast by more than two inches, advertising and guesswork notwithstanding. You can't push a rope and you can't push a fishing line - or what's on the end of it.
Forum: rodboard

Michael: Rather than use an oscilloscope or some other whiz-bang testing machinery I prefer to test-cast a rod blank before I buy it. I belong to a fly-fishing club whose members generously allow me to test cast their rods with their lines - or mine. I truly believe there is no reliable substitute for test-casting a rod blank; in the case of a fly rod test-casting with two or more different lines
Forum: rodboard

"Best" guide placement is a function of the user's capability and style of casting. Were you to tape your choker guide to the blank and test cast it for distance you could certainly move your choker guide to locate the best location - for you.
Forum: rodboard

The trash cans at a local fishing pier have a steady supply of broken rod blanks. Fishing spots next to parking lots are a good source, especially if adjacent waters are surrounded by trees or full of snags.
Forum: rodboard

Trash barrels at popular stop-and-fish spots have a steady supply of broken rods.
Forum: rodboard

This rod "power" which gets so much press from advertisers is nonsense and defies the laws of physics. A rod blank has no power, none. It can be bent and then unbend, but a Person has to provide the power to do this. A person provides every bit of power in a cast. The rod does not make or add any energy to a cast, it simply pulls the line back and forth. You can't push on a rope and a r
Forum: rodboard

I have found the selection of a fly line for a rod is more important than the ERN of a rod - and I don't know how to select a fly line based upon a rod's ERN. It would be convenient if I could. Is there a chart which reveals which weights and tapers of fly lines go best with which ERN's? Thanks for the tip about replacing broken rods by ERN rather than by brand or by cost.
Forum: rodboard

Ben: You can utilize the potential energy created and stored in the bend of the rod only by replacing the rod's tip-top with a little cup, into which you place your fly, or lure, or worm. Then hold your rod straight up and down with one hand, bend the rod tip and its cup with its contents W-A-A-A-Y back, let go, and let 'er rip! This is the ONLY way you can use the power of your rod to make long
Forum: rodboard

Once you have determined the ERN of a fly rod what do you do with this information? Will the ERN help you select an effective fly line, regardless of the line's taper? Will two rods with nearly the same ERN cast the same? What ERN is best for a beginner? I appreciate that determining ERN enables fly casters to compare static features of rods, but what decisions in rod selection does it expedite?
Forum: rodboard

I imagine the inside diameter of running guides, the type and diameter of line used, and the ambient temperature have an appreciable influence on how efficiently a guide train functions in casting, but most guide train recommendations stick to laboratory tests and don't consider fishing environments.
Forum: rodboard

I imagine the type of line and the diameter of the line you plan to use on this rod would influence your guide choice, and if you plan to use monofilament line the ambient temperature has considerable influence on how the line behaves and what guide sizes function best.
Forum: rodboard