# of pieces for a rod

[Steve Molcsan]

I once had a two piece rod when I left for a trip and came back with it being
a three, dose that count??


I do like my five piece, cast like a dream and is quite handy to pack in for sure!

I have cast a one piece banty that I really liked and will own one at some point.
Short six footer..


Take care!

Steve

[bgreer]

Three, five or seven. The more ferrules, the more to go wrong, but they pack better and the 'harmonics' are better than 2, 4, 6 etc. The first harmonic is at half-staff, dead on with a two piece rod. The second harmonics are at quarter staff, right on with a four piece rod. The three, five and seven get around these.

I see how this would be true with something that was the same diameter over the full length of the rod.

But because of the taper, this would throw it off. All things would not be equal and vibrations would change in amplitude and magnitude as they travelled along the rod.

It would be different for each taper/length of rod.

Brian

[Deezel]

I had a one(1) piece, only a 6 footer, that I disliked for a couple of reasons. One of them being the problems associated with the lack of mobility. It was a PITA transporting and storing. As far as 'likes', most of my rods are 2 pieces but I have some rods that are 4 pieces. I haven't found any disadvantages to the 4 piece rods other than the negligible effort aligning the segments. I'm in the process of building a 3 piece and expect no difference there either. A tiny alignment mark near the ferrules will help. Mobility is a big plus with these extra piece rods, especially when space is a consideration like when traveling. I think if you want to make an honest comparison you have to test cast both a multi piece rod to the same model in a 2 piece configuration with same reel and line. I have not done that so I cannot give an opinion about any 'action' advantages or disadvantages (likes and dislikes) of one over the other.

Deezel

[djo]

Rods with odd numbers of pieces have a bid disadvantage. When you break them down to put in the back seat of the car, you have to completely disassemble the rod. Think of an 8' 3-piece rod. You take off one section and you have a section that is over 5' long and will not lay int he back seat. So you have to take all three sections apart. If you try to keep the rod rigged up (keep the fly on it) you have an instant tangle. My preference is for 4 piecers - they can still go on a plane but can fit in the back seat without a problem.

David

[Bobinmich]

I am not sure I can tell the difference. I own two, three, and four piece rods. The more the ferrules, the more chances you could have trouble with them. If you have never had any ferrule trouble, skip that reason. They are heavier. Even if only slightly, you would lose the weight advantage you paid for with that 90,000,000 modulus. But then, I can't tell the 1/4 oz. or so difference anyway. So forget that reason. They do not bend the same at the ferrule as an uninterrupted rod. I have measured it and have seen a little bump in the deflection curves at the ferrule(s). But then, it is my opinion that what happens at the tip is all that matters and if there some bumps along the way, who cares. So I guess I have talked myself out of caring.

They do fit in a smaller rod case. That's cool.

Godspeed,

Bob Bolton

[John Rhoades]

I traveled worldwide for a living until I took early retirement almost 7 years ago. I haven't set foot on an airplane since, and hope I never again have to either.

Back when I was flying, I was periodically able to take up to a 2 piece 10' on board the plane with me, and stash it in the overhead compartment, or just keep the rod tube propped up on the floor, and ideally not between my legs! Of course, that was when, in Brazil, they also let you carry live bait on the plane in a cooler stashed between cans of beer, and carry on your favorite rifle rolled up in blanket (the better to protect the barrel from hitting the guy sitting in front of you, I suppose).

So, I'm like you, having grown up with 2 piece rods, I favor them, and don't ever foresee the need to change.
And, since I'm not flying these days, and travel in a chauffeur driven pickup truck (with an 8' bed), the only thing I miss by not using those multi, multi piece rods is not having more problems.

Last summer, I took a friend on a float trip down the Yellowstone. Not once, but twice in the same day he air mailed the tip sections of new 3 and 4 piece rods down the river while casting from the front of my boat. Good thing he was using 3 x tippets and had a large grasshopper pattern to stop his rod tips from playing hide and seek in the 4000 cfs murky water.

IMO it takes somebody who's a bit out of balance (notice, I didn't say somebody who is odd) to prefer a rod with an odd number of sections. Either you gotta leave the whole rod together, or else take it all apart (by which time I'll have staked out the best hole and already caught a few fish). Ever try to carry a 3 piece rod through the woods with only one section broken down? Or ever try to assemble a 5 piece rod in the dark? I have enough problems with my 2 piece rods, thank you.

I had a 3 piece Payne bamboo once, with an extra tip section. I lost the whole rod, but I've still got the extra tip section, which comes in real handy for taking my grandson fishing for sunfish in the local pond. Can you imagine what a Payne it would be if I was able to let him use all 3 pieces?

Oh, I've got a couple of those SP's and RPL's in 3 and 4 pieces. But I keep them in the basement where the sun don't shine. And, if you want some Sage advice about getting multi-piece rods like them, all I can say is "don't".

John

p.s. I also have a 5 foot Lee Wulff signature Farlow bamboo rod gathering dust in the basement between those 3 and 4 foot Sage's, that I bought sometime in the mid-1970's when a group of whacky guys were trying to tell everybody how much better those midget fly rods were. At least I was smart enough then to buy it in a 2 piece!

[hutjensmpg]

I own mostly 4 pc rods now and like them for the convenience reasons stated by previous posts. BUT, I still have three 2 piece rods that I kept because I was fond of them for various reasons. Whenever I fish them I like the ease of only aligning 2 pieces vs. 4. Maybe I've just got bad vision, but whenever I put together the 4 piecers I seem to end up with each section slightly rotated with respect to the previous one and have to do it again. But the 2 piecers go up perfectly the first time. I haven't noticed any difference in performance or feel.