Going to give rodbuilding a try...help me choose a kit?

I've been kicking around the thought of both getting myself a little 2 wt rod for panfish and of trying my hand at rodbuilding. Hook and Hackle has some great sale prices right now on kits, so what the heck, kill two birds with one stone, right?

There are two kits I'm looking at that are close to the same price. I don't really know what the differences are between them, though, so I'm hoping I might get some thoughts from you folks on them.

Kit 1: Forecast blank 6'6" 2wt comes with the following: BB 662 blank (2 piece) Pacific Bay A5 chrome reel seat with rosewood insert, Reverse Half Wells inletted grip, hard chrome plated chrome guide set, hookkeeper and tip top, winding check. Dark Blue Thread. Adhesives
Cost of this kit is $49.58.

Kit 2: Hook and Hackle Matte Charcoal IM6 kit. Also 6'6" 2wt. (In the description below it says Compare with Loomis GL3 or St Croix SC3 but that doesn't mean much to me.)
Kit comes with the following: Includes 2 pc blank, with H&H reverse half wells cork grip, Pacific Bay U3 black reel seat and walnut insert, black guides, tip top, hookkeeper, winding check, flex coat, rod builder's epoxy, brushes, Black thread and tip top cement. Everything needed to build this rod.
Cost of this kit is $58.77.


Can anybody shed some light on whether one might be a better choice than the other? I'm leaning towards the IM6, but that's just for aesthetic reasons at this point. (Matte charcoal with black guides/reel seat is just so...stealthy!)

I think the sale ends on the 15th, so I'll probably order one of them tonight after work. I'm sure I'll be filling up this forum with silly questions soon thereafter.

~Matt

Matt,

I have built a 9' 3 wt IM6 kit I got from Bob. It is a great rod and I used it a lot last season. The blank is really nice and the components are decent (not the best but great for the price). I think that both kits will make an excellent rod. If I remember correctly, the IM6 comes with a lifetime warranty with the Forecast is only a year or so. Either way you can't go wrong. Beware, rod building is as addictive as fly fishing! You might also want to check out the rod building board at rodbuilding.org.

Good luck,

Peter

On a rod that size you might want to ask Bob
if he'll send single foot guides with the kit. They seem to look better and work just as well on that size rod. Also only half the # of wraps for your first effort. I've built on both and they're both good, I tend to like the IM6 a little better but if you blindfolded me I probably could not tell the difference. Try either with a 3 wt line in addition to the 2 wt, the 3 tends to flex the rod more to what I like than a 2.
Check the rod tutorials here and elswhere , also Art Scheck (sp?) has a very good book with practical tips. Read all the info before you put anything together and dry fit EVEERYTHINg before gluing. Oh - burgundy thread look very nice on the matte blank.
Be patient and Good luck.

[This message has been edited by kbobb (edited 13 April 2005).]

I called them up to ask what the difference was between the two rods. The woman I spoke to said the main difference is that the Forecast is a fast action, the IM6 is a moderate-fast action.

I'll most likely go for the IM6. Thanks for the responses all.

The differences between the two are more than what you were told when you called. Although the Forecast is called "Fast" it most definitely is not. If you compare the CC (common cents) data on the two blanks, the Forecast has an AA of 60 and the H&H is at 64 (the higher the faster). Comparing the ERN of the two shows an ERN of 3.27 for the H&H IM6 and an ERN of 2.67 for the Forecast. The IM6 is faster and will handle more 2wt line past the tip. Conversely, if you casts are going to be averaging right around 30' the Forecast may be your best bet or use a 3 wt on the IM6. The IM6 is also a lighter quicker recovering blank. Depending on the distances you'll be casting, you may also want to consider their IM7 kit. Their IM7 blanks are really Pac Bay Rainforest blanks, and the 6'6" 2wt has an ERN of 1.92 and really loads nicely at short distances with a 2 wt line. I've built and own all 3 of these, they are all nice, but they are all very different and appropriate in diferent situations. If I had to pick only one it would be the IM6.

I would not call forecast fast. I built a 9' 4wt. It is more moderate than fast. Bob is great to deal with or if you want I can give you a couple of names I will never deal with again. I also built a 81/2' 6wt from on of his kits. It is much faster than a Forecast and also a good rod that gets a lot of use. Allyn

The Forecast is an import , and the IM6 is made in the US , I also have both of these rods from Bob , and both in a # of weights........rodbuilding IS addicting . I prefer the IM6 . You will want to get the SF guides as mentioned earlier , saves weight though slight , it makes a difference on a rod that light .
Either one you choose , you will end up with a nice fishing rod........ and wanting to build another one .
Have fun , JHD

Thanks, Dog. After reading this post I e-mailed Bob, then chatted by phone and much to the chagrin of my dear wife I'll be building a 3 wt! JGW

I ordered the IM6 last night. Hopefully it will be here next week. The scary thing is, I haven't even started this project and I'm already thinking ahead to the next one! (My father's birthday is coming up and I thought if my project goes well, I would build him a custom rod too.) What have I started??

Atomic, just be aware there is no methadone for rod building.

Jim

[This message has been edited by nowindknots (edited 14 April 2005).]

A guy was just in my shop who took to turning some incredibly beautiful duck and goose calls from some exotic woods. As we chatted I mentioned I wanted to show him some of my rods. Of course, none of the hand-builts were in the truck, but he got quite interested in reel seat inserts. Seems he has a short piece not long enough for one of his two pieces for the calls and he might be able to turn me something with his lathe. Just when I thought I might be getting over this! Good grief. JGW

I love my Forecast rods the most, its hard to lay them down. One thing you should do before attaching the end cap to the Pacific Bay seat is to apply a couple drops of CA thin glue between the treaded end and the rosewood insert. I took one of my rods out of storage today and the treaded end slipped off, I guess the rosewood shrunk a little... FB.

Pardon me....but who is "BOB" I know about the guy on tv...."This is BOB.....<grin> so sick of that commercial. Anywhooo....I am building a rod...and I really do want to know who the Bob is all the messages refer to? Also question...I ponder single foot guides, but everyone says go double foot. Then why do all the PREMIUM rod sets in cabela's catalog come with single foot guides and the STANDARD kits come with double foot guides? Hope you all consider this a part of this thread and not that I shoulda posted my own question.

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Plain old Jim, I'm Plain...and I'm old.

Jim

The Bob everyone is refering to is Bob at Hook and Hackle. I think that all who have dealt with him will recommend him, excellent service! To try and answer your guide question. Single foot guides are lighter and require less wrapping. My own experience has shown them to be a tad more difficult to wrap as you don't have the second foot held down like you would on a traditional snake guide. That said, I would recommend the single foot guides. Check out what Bob has to offer. He has some excellent deals on rod kits. E-mail me if you have more questions,

Peter

Thanks for the reply Peter. I have probably too many questions icw building rods, lines and such. Unless you have plenty of leisure time you might not want me to take you up on that offer to e-mail you. I really appreciate it....and might give it a test run anyway. For Atomic Dog and anybody else, I bought the book "Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod by L.A. Garcia. It really explains things well and tells you how to build a rod. I bought it at a book store. But you can get it at Amatobooks.com. Funny thing though, the book I have....is the same cover as what they show as a Video? Anyway they have a special also, subscribe to Fly Tying Journal for 5 yrs for $89 + $10 and get the mag for 5 years and the Bench Reference Fly Tyers Reference free. Anyway...the Garcia book does a real good job of showing how to build a rod.

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Plain old Jim, I'm Plain...and I'm old.