Rod recommendations?

"Wayne Knight" wrote


I have never met anyone with any experience fly fishing that was
impressed with only the brand of a fly rod on a stream





I was trying to make a little joke.

Larry L ( who owns a Sage or two, some Scotts, an Orvis, a Loomis, TFOs, an
E.C.Powell cane, a Stefen custom built and several others .... many of which
were bought at least in part because of their brand name being 'impressive.'
I can laugh at my own folly on this 'fancy brand' subject ... and do :-)


I now covet a Burkheimer sp I picked up at TroutHunter last summer ...
only really IN people will be impressed by that name G

"rw" wrote




. It's not difficult at all. .




OK, time to call foul .... it IS a complete pain in the Ass ... been there
tried that ... twice ( both Sage blanks :-)


OH, I bought both at the same time or it would have only been once.

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:28:17 -0800 (PST), Wayne Knight
wrote:


I'm partial to the entry level Sage rods myself. Regardless the dude
here will treat you straight and give you the latest poop. www.ezflyfish.com


Wayne -

I've been looking at the Launch series. Is that the entry level rod
you had in mind?

Jim

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:39:17 GMT, "Larry L"
wrote:


And you can add the fact that when asked what rod you have, the holy word,
"Sage," will impress more people than the other names G


I received a custom Sage rod as a gift 25 years ago. The name does
carry an impact. Yeah, yeah, I know, the fish don't care. But I got
your point.

Jim

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:05:31 -0800, "asadi"
wrote:


Gee Jim, just go ahead and send me one!

john


Just one?

On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:43:06 +0100, "
wrote:


The main problem with such is not in knowing the tackle, but in knowing
the angler concerned, and what he wants to do with it.

In your position, and in this instance, I would offer to spend the money
on a good flyfishing course, and forget the rods.

You give a lifelong gift, which will help the people a very great deal,
and enhance their knowledge and pleasure at the outset, at the same time
enabling them to select their own rods with much greater accuracy for
their intended purpose.

I would also ask around to find the best instructor, course, etc before
booking it.

TL
MC


Those are all good suggestions, but might not fit this situation. I
guess I should share a little more info.

The intended recipients are my daughters. A talented guide who is a
close friend, and I, have been their instructors over an 8-year
period. They each have several backcountry trips under their belts.
Virtually all of their fishing has been with me in tow.

At this point I am reasonably sure they will continue flyfishing after
they graduate and move on. So I think it's safe to spend a few
dollars to send them off with their own equipment.

It's been many years since I shopped for a decent rod, so I am a
little out of touch with the current options.

Thanks for your comments.

Jim

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:09:25 -0800, rw
wrote:


If you're reasonably handy and have some extra time, building a couple
of rods would make special gifts. It's not difficult at all. I've bought
nice kits at hookandhackle.com.


That's an idea worth considering. I built a couple of rods back in
the early 80's and recall it being a lot of fun. I don't think I
saved any money then, but I did get exactly what I wanted.

I think I'll check it out.

Jim

Those are all good suggestions, but might not fit this situation. I
guess I should share a little more info.

The intended recipients are my daughters. A talented guide who is a
close friend, and I, have been their instructors over an 8-year
period. They each have several backcountry trips under their belts.
Virtually all of their fishing has been with me in tow.

At this point I am reasonably sure they will continue flyfishing after
they graduate and move on. So I think it's safe to spend a few
dollars to send them off with their own equipment.

It's been many years since I shopped for a decent rod, so I am a
little out of touch with the current options.

Thanks for your comments.

Jim


Hmmm...I thought it might be something like that, though I had assumed
that you were probably trying to give a good present to sons or
grandsons. No reason why one should not do the same for daughters or
granddaughters of course, but it is nor often the case.

Given the circumstances, I would extend RW´s suggestion, buy three kits,
and assemble them together. That way you get to spend quality time on
the project, with a lasting effect, and you will end up with better rods
in that price class.

It is not really that difficult to build a rod form a good kit, all you
need is care and attention to detail, and initially a good source of
information nand instruction.

As the quality of most modern rods depnds largely on the quality of the
fittings, you have a large range of suitable blanks to choose from. If
you choose the very best fitting, and quality balnks like Sage, you
still have a warranty, a better rod than the "standard" factory rod,
tailored to your taste, and you still possibly save some money. It does
not take that long either.

You might find this of interest;

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/

there are a number of other such "courses" on the web, but that is a
good and comprehensive course.

here is another source of suh information. Best top read as much as you
can before you start;

http://globalflyfisher.com/find/?que...+build&submit=

People have a different attitude to things they have built themselves, (
bit like the satisfaction of fly-dressing etc), and they will treasure
such gifts all the more if they are also a reminder of quality family time.

TL
MC

May also be of interest, though I would look around a bit if I were you;

http://www.shofftackle.com/sage-vt2-blanks.html

http://www.shofftackle.com/sc3_fly.html

Some of the kits are first class, but I would prefer to choose my own
rings and fittings etc. This may not be cheaper, ( probably wont be),
but one gets top quality, and exactly what one wants ( assuming you go
for the best in your particular choice).

Be sure to check closeouts as well. Sometimes you can get top line
blanks from last year at half the price.

Also, be aware that the higher modulus blanks are not necessarily the
best choice if you want a robust long lasting rod.

TL
MC

Also, stuff like this is worth considering;

http://www.shofftackle.com/ultimate-wrapping-kits.html

although most is easy to build yourself;

http://ifish.net/board/showthread.php?p=2023843

http://www.fishingkaki.com/forum/vie...07a 1d8205cd2

May also be of interest;

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N1TcouAIZ84

For a massive amount of info;


http://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2

TL
MC