Rod oscillation occurs while the rod is not under tension and bent, that is, after the line has been released - the cast has been made. Such oscillation of a slack string, even if it could exist, would have little impact measurable upon the lure or weight flying along at the end of a slack line.
Forum: rodboard

If you cast efficiently you release your fly line at the moment your rod achieves its greatest bend - BACKWARD. Any other interpretations would involve pushing on a rope, or its equivalent.
Forum: rodboard

If true natural frequencies were advertised or communicated BEFORE a rod builder bought a blank they could be of use to a rod builder. If true natural frequency truly indicates a rod's performance - in feet and inches - rod builders would be foolish not to demand this information BEFORE they bought a blank or a rod. Rod marketers religiously ignore mention of TNF. Ever wonder why? Wake up.
Forum: rodboard

Why don't rod blank makers or marketers reveal the oscillation rates of their rod blanks? Have they decided a blank's oscillation rates is not a valid indicator of a rod blank's casting performance? Are differences between oscillation rates of different blanks too small to be of any concern to buyers? Or have blank advertisers have concluded rod builders simply are not interested in oscillation d
Forum: rodboard

Try as I might I have been unable to discover any power in my fly rod. I only encounter power in the rod when I provide the power, and I have yet to find a rod which produces more power than I put into it.
Forum: rodboard

Good points, Tom. Where can I find a credible source of rod oscillation rates - and oscillation duration?
Forum: rodboard

Just so, Ben. We give up something to get something. Fair enough. But I'm sick of hucksters telling me I can get something for nothing, whether they be fishing-rod advertisers or politicians. Anglers can get longer casts or more accurate casts - but not both with the same rod.
Forum: rodboard

I am a fan of Dr. Hanneman's efforts to quantify the physical performance of rods. However, I was taught that speed depends upon mass, energy and resistance. Given the same amount of energy used in a cast of two different rods with the same weight, length, flexibility and line, science predicts they will cast the same distance. Science does predict that a rod that bends the least (which makes it
Forum: rodboard

Since nobody talks feet and inches in fly rod performance, whether in accuracy or distance, or tensile strength in pounds, or hoop strength in pounds, or rod harmonics, or any measured physical attribute besides length and weight, rod buyers have little useful data besides length, weight, and price when they go to purchase a rod. Personal opinions and vague promises have their place, but they are
Forum: rodboard

Now I can't find the 2.75 oz. advertised weight for the 9 ft. eight weight Asquith rod, but I assure you such a number was recently displayed on line - whether by mistake or by design. Advertisers and their clients continue to assure suckers they can buy competence and/or success in everything from fly casting to social acceptance. I have even seen ads suggesting one fly rod produces superior acc
Forum: rodboard

All fishing rods are equally accurate - with the possible exception of a rod with a loose grip or ferrule. The angler, not the rod, is responsible for the distance of the cast. Quantifying the static characteristics of a rod does not reveal much helpful information. Casting a line is a dynamic activity. Rod tracking and damping numbers would be more informative but might discourage advertisers fr
Forum: rodboard

An on-line advertisement for a 9 foot 8 weight G .Loomis Asquith fly rod lists its weight as 2.75 ounces. You can look it up. Overexposure to unobtanium has been known to produce doubt and sarcasm.
Forum: rodboard

A top-shelf eight-weight fly rod which weighs 2.75 ounces is retailing for $1050.00 - that's $382 an ounce! The wholesale value of the materials in this rod is unlikely to exceed $150. Perhaps custom rod builders should re-examine their product pricing?
Forum: rodboard

Whether or not a blank is painted has an infinitesimal effect upon a rod's fishing ability, but it galvanizes the obsessive rod builder.
Forum: rodboard

Anglers and advertisers are renowned for their avoidance of objective facts in general, and numbers in particular.
Forum: rodboard

A double haul is to fly casting much like a jump-shot is to basketball. You can get along without either, but they are both very handy in some situations.
Forum: rodboard

A double haul is to fly casting much like a jump-shot is to basketball. You can get along without either, but they are both very handy in some situations.
Forum: rodboard

Some fly fishers don't even need a reel - a roll cast will do everything they need! Fly fishers on big rivers, lakes, and on the ocean can use every foot of casting distance they can get. Do not assume your own fly-fishing wants and needs apply to all fly rod anglers. Here in Florida long casts are a valuable tool for the fly caster - the ocean, you know. No angler ever suffered from the ability
Forum: rodboard

Proper preparation of surfaces is absolutely essential for bonding any two surfaces composed of any materials.
Forum: rodboard

I assume the recommended book is to be pressed against the side of the chest by the casting arm to achieve the proper appearance - the one so beloved by classical [22 feet] fly casters? A flying elbow on a free arm hauling the line? Heavens to Betsy, No!
Forum: rodboard

In addition to a rod, reel, and a line, what single purchase is most likely to improve an individual's fly casting - either accuracy, or distance, or both?
Forum: rodboard

What type of guides are used by the most successful distance casters? Those who fish small streams and ponds exclusively have no reason to double-haul . . . or to belittle those who do. Should you fly fish salt flats or any big water with a guide you will put a smile on his face when you double haul. Your success, not your opinions, are your guide's livelihood.
Forum: rodboard

For decades I used plain old stick shellac to glue field points and broadheads to Port Orford White Cedar arrow staves as well as to secure tip-tops to rod blanks. Stick shellac worked just fine, and today's heat-melt adhesives are even better. I suspect tip-top adhesion failures on fishing rods are produced by user failure. Adhesive manufacturers can't eliminate incompetence.
Forum: rodboard

There are oodles of photos of VERY low water levels in many western U.S. dams, and many U.S. citizens on the West Coast face strict water restrictions. We can ignore reality - but reality won't go away. Of all groups, anglers should first recognize the effects of dropping water levels in lakes, streams, and dams. Neither whistling in the dark nor silliness will alter reality.
Forum: rodboard

The most common problem encountered in attaching a tip-top is overheating - and melting - your rod tip. If you emulate Kent Griffin's instructions you will do just fine.
Forum: rodboard

Our supply another, even more critically important liquid is rapidly diminishing: fresh water.
Forum: rodboard

The "Form versus function" debate continues uninterrupted. In the glut of opinions and the absence of data recognize your own priorities and your own abilities, and build your rod to satisfy them. You want appearance - decorate! You want performance? Do not decorate. Fish rods are hardly the only area where this advice applies.
Forum: rodboard

More weight won't harm a fly rod's accuracy . . . only its casting distance. If you wave your fly rod rather than haul your fly line chances are you won't lose much casting distance with a heavier but nicely decorated fly rod.
Forum: rodboard

The science of physics predicts weight added to the tip-top will slow the action of the rod - and it will. Unless you go wild with wraps and decorations at the rod tip I doubt a short wrap at the tip-top will produce a measurable change in the rod's performance. If someone produces Numbered evidence to the contrary I will change my opinion. Obsession is a deep pit.
Forum: rodboard

The "right weight" fly line for a specific fly rod and fly caster depends upon three things: the rod, the angler, and the line. I believe you would do a disservice to recommend a line or a line weight to a fly caster you have never seen cast a fly line.
Forum: rodboard