Short Saltwater Rod ???

[TampaJim]

OK ... I had a customer throw me a curve ball.

He called this morning requesting I build him a "shorter" fly rod in a fast to very fast action for casting around docks and mangroves - saltwater on the Florida SW Coast. He already owns a nice 9'0" 8 weight GLX - but he doesn't like using it for this tight stuff.

Accuracy is important, but so is being able to produce a very short cast. I do open water sight fishing on the flats and use 9' to 10' rods and I do tight freshwater fishing with 5'6" to 7' rods ... so I understand where he wants/needs to go - but that is where I get stuck. No one manufacturers a blank that is anything less than 9' long in a 8-10 weight range.

Any ideas? Comments, suggestions, etc.? I do "cut downs" on spinning rods all the time, but this may not be quite so simple - so fire away.

Thanks for your time, comments and suggestions.

[PanFisher]

Look at a four piece 9' 8-10wt. Toss the butt section! Only use the top three sections to build the rod.

[qrrfish1]

post deleted.

[saltydancindave]

Have you called Mud Hole Tackle over near Orlando for the short stick ?

[TampaJim]

There is no such thing as a short 8-10 weight rod blank, I am a dealer myself. I was hoping to find someone with experience on this exact sort of thing. I did receive some information about a Guide-Rod Builder that used to build, and even sell, exactly such a beast ... but he has retired and moved on. I have sent an email to an old friend of his in hopes of making contact or getting information. I have pulled all the CCS/ERN data on several fly blanks without the butt section - they look acceptable, but again I was hoping for a fully experienced opinion. At this point, I will probably call one of the engineers at one of the major blank manufacturer's offices on Tuesday. Again, if anyone has experience on this topic, please post. Thanks!