Orvis Superfine Touch 6'6" 3wt. 4pc. build

I received the blank about 4:00 p.m on Saturday afternoon. (I also received an 804 SFT blank that will be my next build). I worked on the rod on and off in between setting up a Christmas tree and decorating it with my wife and daughter. I had all guides wrapped, grip and seat attached, and all finish was applied by 2:00 a.m. So I assembled the whole rod in a 10 hr. period (excepting the times for family activities that evening). It may be my new fastest build!

One coat of finish was sufficient to complete the rod. The guides turned out great considering by 2:00 a.m. I had several beers in my system. The only thing that I will likely touch up is the epoxy covering the rod label near the butt section. My finish is a bit too wavy for my liking. I think I can even things out with a very light second coat.

My rod probably weighs close to the factory model. With about 10 feet of fly line pulled off the reel and through the guides, the rod balances about 2 rings from the tip of the grip with my fully loaded Sage Click II reel. Having owned mostly fiberglass in this rod length/weight configuration, I was impressed with how light the rod felt and the rod felt a bit quicker than I expected. The blank is very thin and recovers quickly. I have not fished the rod as of yet.

I used the following components:

Seat: Spalted Box Elder Burl (I turned) with Orvis Slip rings (from Jim West).
Grip: Cigar grip from Hook and Hackle cut down about an inch in length.
Guides: Pac Bay Light Wire chrome snakes. Sized (5) 2/0, (1) 1/0, and (1) 1.
Stripping Guide: American Tackle Titan (Solid Titanium)
Tip Top: Size 3.5 Pac Bay Light Wire
Thread: YLI 50wt. Silk Thread (Antique Gold)
Finish: Flexcoat 2 part epoxy finish

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Very nice job...love the reelseat! As a fan of the Superfines....I think it's about perfect.

NJTroutbum: Thanks for the comments! I took the rod out on my dock this morning for about 5 minutes before heading to work. I had nice little loops on my first few casts! While the rod was very accurate out to about 35', the rod also responded positively to a small double haul and did not collapse when I pushed casts out to 50' or more. This will be a nice addition to my ultralight arsenal!