Hunter, I use both on the same fly rod. Double foot snakes for the lower 2/3 of the rod and single foot for the tip 1/3. Inertia is lowest in the rod's lower portion and highest at the tip. The blank is also stiffer in the lower section. No need to put stronger guides on a weaker section of the blank. Use stronger guides where the blank is stiffer. I stay away from any inserted guides except
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Dwight, To increase the rod response, replace the tip 4 guides with single foot light wire titanium fly guides. Titanium wire is lighter. Single foot requires less wraps. The fly guides can be used in a spinning rod as the line is on the bottom of the guide away from the blank when under load. The light wire can be used where the blank requires less load to deflect. Fly rod tip tops may als
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Looks like the only thing missing is credit to Raymond Adams for the time he maintained the site. Appreciate that Mud Hole was able to re-establish the site but credit should go to the founder. Gene Moore
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Lance, Sorry, but I have to agree with Herb. Atta Boy Herb. Although you might not think guide weight is a large issue, when mounted at a distance from the center of rod rotation ( the center of the grip ), The effects are multiplied by the offset distance squared. Each additional guide carries it's own weight penalty. When added they substantially increase the effect of inertia. The rod is c
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John, Based on the given effective rod length , 7 guides should be fine. Distance from tip for guide placement 4.0 ; 8.7 ; 14.3 ; 20.9 ; 28.9 ; 38.3 ; 49.5 should be satisfactory. Gene
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I don't believe the CCF is a valid measure of sensitivity. It does measure loaded blank frequency versus gravity. The load weight is comparable to fly line weight designations. By supporting the blank horizontally the frequency is damped by gravity in one direction. The rod must be vertical and the force applied perpendicular to the blank. Sensitivity is the measurement of the differences in
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Robert, Congratulations on retirement. Now you have the time to explore fly fishing. The challenges never stop. You might look at the Sage bass series. A little easier on the elbow and very quick. If you tie flies you might consider your own creations for use on a fly rod line weight you want to throw rather than the store-bought creations. This allows the tailoring of the fly to the line you
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Robert, The Sage One is being discontinued. Clearance blanks might be worth looking for. The TFO BVK may be the exception, most blanks were fast action but very heavy in weight. I prefer lighter quicker blanks. St Croix may have something in your weight and length range. Generally they will throw a line one size heavy as well as rated line. Gene
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Tony, Many on this forum have used inserted guides on fly rods. Most experienced the same as Craig and myself. I find them intolerable on a fly rod. Perhaps that's why the top manufacturers of fly rods have shied away from them. Not because they were traditional or cheaper, they just work better with lighter guides. Gene
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Serge, Titanium frames are corrosion resistant, but are more expensive. I would however, still rinse the guides before storage. Reducing the guide size will minimize abuse and keep the ring from popping out better. Spacing shouldn't need to be changed. Gene
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Tony, All guides have an affect on the action of the blank. Especially with their distance from the tip. Not so much how the blank deflects but very much on the speed of the deflection recovery. Heavy guides create slower response, lighter guides create quicker response. Guides closer to the tip slow response more, guides further from the tip slow the response less. Smallest lightest guides
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Mark, Do you have any specs for the bare blank ? Not finished rod specs. Butt diameter ; Tip diameter ; mid- blank diameter (both ends tip and butt if at a ferrule) ; blank weight ; material I've a spreadsheet that I apply to get an optimum casting weight. This I convert to fly line weight and will generally get you within a line size. Gene
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Buzz, Measure or estimate distance from rod tip to reel location. Multiply by .293. This should approximate the distance from reel to the first guide. Gene
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Nick, Get ready for a long learning curve. Learn to cast and how to "feel" the blank load and un-load. Cast every rod you can get your hands on to experience the differences on line weights and rod speed. Does the customer want distance, accuracy, delicacy, power, fish fighting or casting range. Maybe he wants all the above. As the rod builder you need a reference point to make inf
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Phil, I don't believe you'll find a direct correlation between rod weight and sensitivity. Material properties, inertia and finished frequency are probably directly related. Blank stiffness versus blank inertia and weight distribution will affect finished rod frequency. This should relate directly to "sensitivity". Good luck on your search, but it's a little deep for a bunch of fish
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Chris, In general Winston's cast true to weight, within 1 rated line weight. The Rio grand is a half weight heavy as is the SA GPX taper. If you are waggling a bare blank add the tip top. The change in rod speed will be very noticeable. As guides are added the blank will slow more. For a 10 foot 4 weight rod a .390 butt is not out of line. Cast the rod with a variety of line weights to find
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Sid, Guide strength should be proportional to the strength of the blank at the mounting position. The guide will only see the strength supplied by the blank. On blanks with small diameter tips lighter wire guides are a better choice. I've used light wire guides on 8 weight fly rods because I fish light tippet and the stronger guide would be overkill. The lighter guides also reduce break-offs
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Chris, 11 guides would be the norm for a rod that length and the conservative choice. 10 guides will increase the rod response and make for easier more enjoyable fishing and casting. Use light wire titanium single foots in the upper 1/3 of the rod length. This decreases swing weight and increases feel of the rod tip. A 4 weight is generally used for small flies, long leaders and light tippet.
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Steve, Rather than using inserted guides on a fly rod and slowing the rod response. Replace guides and tip top as required, as Roger suggested, or try an Air-Flo fly line. The line has ridges which keep some of the abrasive off the guides. Also do not apply any line dressing to the fly line. Use lines that are refreshed with a Scotch-brite as these don't require dressing. The dressing picks up
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Kerry, My choice would be a 7'6" 2 piece 4 weight fly rod blank. St Croix 42F764.2 Other fly rod blanks from different manufacturers are available. Either a 4 or 5 weight would be sufficient for this style fishing. You could also build as a convertible rod for fly/spin Gene
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Alex, First, I wish you a lot of luck. You're looking for an excellent blank at a bargain price. Aren't we all ? You might try looking at discontinued blanks on clearance. Some factors you might look for in your blank. High modulus, the higher the better. Maximum taper, large butt dia versus small tip dia, the larger the better. Lightest weight , thinner walls for better energy transmissi
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Nick, You might look at a 5 or 6 weight fly rod blank for lures in that weight range. Available in 8 foot and longer. The action will be more progressive and will be good sport for fish that size. Gene
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Tom, Can you give the butt dia, tip dia and distance from tip to reel ?? This will provide enough data for a calculated guide placement which can be confirmed with static testing. Gene
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Jesse, Too long and too light for a spin fly combo. Especially with spin rod inserted guides. The recovery rate of the rod coupled with the mass of the guides will make a terrible casting combination. Not suitable for spinning or fly. Gene
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Chris, The IM7 blank you're looking for in an 8 foot length should have a butt of approx. .391 with a tip of .068 and a weight of 1.7 ounces The IM7 blank you're looking for in an 9 foot length should have a butt of approx. .448 with a tip of .068 and a weight of 2 ounces These specs should place you in between an 8 and 9 weight line. Spinning, casting or fly shouldn't make any difference.
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Robert, My choice would be a 5 or 6 guide train based on the rod and handle length. I don't use visual cues to place guides, rather a template that calculates position. I also don't allow guide geometry to dictate placement. Too much variation between guide types and purposes. I believe the guides should be placed close to the blank to minimize torque effects. Low frame heights. for a 6 gu
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Sam, See if this is more to your liking 7 Guides, 4 guides on tip section, 4th guide at 19.5 inches from tip 4.0 ; 8.5 ; 13.6 ; 19.5 ; 28.5 ; 40.1 ; 55.2 My original proposal would have reduced the number of guides on tip section to 3 for quicker rod response. It did not place a guide at the ferrule, which I now believe to be where you want it. Hope this works better for
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All rods bend through their entire length. Some areas deflect further for a given load based on the blank taper. Power for casting and fishing comes from the caster's hand into the butt then through the blank taper to the tip top. The tip top will not deflect without opposition from the caster's hand through the entire blank. The taper has a direct effect on the rod frequency which dictates t
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Sam, Assemble the blank and provide the required location distance from the tip to the offending guide. I'll then adjust the progression to place a guide at that location. All guides will then be adjusted based on the position of the priority guide. Gene
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Sam, You might use this. 7 guides Distance from tip 4.4 ; 9.7 ; 15.9 ; 23.3 ; 32.2 ; 42.7 ; 55.2 Placing a guide on the ferrule wrap is normally considered a good thing. It's already a stiff section of the blank and the ferrule wrap is necessary Gene
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