?'s for the fly guys...

[Mizmo]

http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/ ... Rod003.jpg

Above is a fly rod I tossed together for my uncle... it is a St. Croix SCIII blank. I used a SiC stripper guide and single foot nitride rings for the rest of the rod. It is a 4pc, 8', 5w rod that he wanted to use as a pack rod.

Anyway, I'm not a big fly fisherman… however; I wanted to ask this of the fly fishing community. That being, would a 6wt rod in the 9' range would be the most versatile fly rod for on larger streams or rivers for trout and the occasional Bass. In addition, would a two piece vs. three or four be better? I apologize for my lack of knowledge but figured I could be educated here.

Thanks in advanced…

[DUZBASS]

A 9' 6wt would do you pretty well for what you are aiming to do. Just keep in mind that you will have a harder time casting larger streamers and poppers for bass. I woudlnt go above for a 6wt for most trout fishing, but I would go higher for bass, so it is up to you to decide which you are going to fish for the most with the rod. As far as 2,3,4 piece rods, it is really up to you. If you want a rod you can travel with, or take on a plane I would go with a 4 piece. Most manufacturers have gotten the ferule technology to the point where it doesnt affect casting, other than a little extra weight. So again I think it is really a preference thing.

By the way, really nice rod you built there

[Mattman]

Agree with DUZBASS.

I prefer 2-piece rods, but I don't have to travel with them. And as a matter of fact, my boats rod lockers are long enough to keep 9' fly rods fully assembled. If you wanted to travel, or pack, then a 4-piece, or more, would be the best option. I know some companies are making 7-piece fly rods.

I own 4, 6, 8 and 10 weight fly rods. The 6 is a nice compromise for what you're looking for. Light enough for Trout work, heavy enough for a lot of Bass work. I'd pick a different rod for each application individually, but for both, the 6 is a great way to go.



_________________
Matt Davis

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Otterods - High performance hand crafted fishing rods

[backcast]

That is a nice looking rod. Your work was very good.

I also agree with both Duz and Matt. 6 wt is on the high side, but very functional for trout, and on the low side for bass. It will handle (fight) bass very well, but some of the larger flies will be challenging to cast. If you want one rod to start - 6wt is the one. Four piece is also a good choice.

For fly fishing you need to think in terms of the size flies you will use. Then equate that to the line size (mass) you will need to propel those flies. What the rod does in casting is propel the line, the line carries the fly.

One other thing you can plan on if a six weight "line" is too light for some of your bass flies is to over line and use a 7 wt line on the six weight rod. When you are starting to learn to cast, or making short casts this can actually help to better load the rod, and therefore cast the fly easier. The general weight rating for lines comes from the actual weight of the first 30 feet of line. This is the amount of line / weight that should effectively load the rod of that weight rating.

So, if you have less than 30 feet of 7wt line out when you make the cast you can still shoot line and make 45-50 feet casts, maybe more. The 7 wt line will carry a larger fly.

[Mizmo]

Thanks for the info fellows... always good. I plan on building on a St. Croix SCV fly blank and noticed that they only come in 4 to 5 pc, that was one reason I was looking for advice in that area. I suppose with the blanks nowadays the four piece blank should be ok (i like 2pc too if I can get away with it). Unless someone (MattMan) can tell me if there are 2pc SCV fly blanks out there (I have not been able to find any). Anyhoot, thanks for the input.

[lpquick]

I have built a lot of two piece fly rods and never had a problem finding blanks from Winston, T&T, Powell, G Loomis. I find most of the time traveling if I ask ahead of time, I can carry my two piece 9' fly rods on the plane and a attendant will put my rods in a closet like compartment used by the pilots for baggage and cloths. Plus I have metal tubes for all my rods as a backup and have never had a bent tube issue with the airlines but once through customs in GE but that's a long story.