He let me lawn cast the Cabellas Traditional II 9’ for 8 wt that he just built.
The blank is a warm golden olive green. It is beautiful. It is fast action. It is smooth. It is a cannon.
With only a few casting strokes to get the feel of the rod, easily picked up 50’ of line, gave a bit of a haul on the forward cast, and shot line to about 75-80’. Fishing distances, more like 40-50’ for the kind of fishing I do, were literally a flick of the wrist. With really good accuracy. No telling what a really good caster could do with this blank. Except kglissmeyer might happen along and let us know ??
Buzz can finish a rod with the best of them. Given a high end Sage or Winston or whatever with comparable rod action and the rod that he just built, the average guy would probably take Buzz’ rod for function, appearance, and workmanship, not to mention cost.
Here’s a link to the blank - on sale for $29.99 to 49.99.
John, you’re too kind, but I did zip almost all of Buzz’s line out over the water yesterday. The thing is a cannon, yet the finesse of a 5 weight. I’m hoping to build a five weight soon, so I’ll let you know how she handles. FYI, I learned what I know about rod building from Buzz, he is the master and anyone would be proud to own one of his rods. I think he was so impressed with the Traditional II blank that he spent twice as much in hardware than he spent on the blank (and he paid full price, before they went on sale). Hand fitted and turned the handle . Special care to put in real wire accents rather than painted on. What a craftsman, what can I say more, oh yeah, he even hand letters the info and name on a custom job.
Just this aft. I was lawn-casting a 9’ 5 wt. 4 pc. Traditional II my buddy just bought. That one is a cannon too - and veerrry smooth. I’m gonna order a blank myself. It’s a GREAT rod, especially for the price!
PRM
Thanks for filling out some details on how Buzz appointed and wrapped his rod. The silver wire accents in the wraps may be the ultimate in detail, except for the full wells grip built and turned on the blank, except for the incredibly smooth finish on the wraps, except for … Indeed, Buzz has attention to detail and a level of craftsmanship very few folks attain.
Did someone mention light ?? After fishing an 8’ for 5 wt bamboo rod almost exclusively for five months, the Traditional II 9’ for 8 wt was unbelievably light in hand. You could fish this rod all day and come home refreshed and ready for a real work out.
That 5 wt must feel like a fairy’s wand, PRM. Looking forward to more about yours.
John, you know Buzz is gonna kill me if he ends up with more work than he can handle. This of course was not a solicitation, but one of praise for a master in the art, as well as for an affordable fast-action rod for those of us who can’t afford much more nowadays.
Not to hijack another thread, but the Cabella’s Traditional II rod looks exactly like the Sage TXL in finish and in color that I’ve seen posted on here on FAOL. Not comparing the two, except for the extremely lower cost of the Cabella’s blank. Also not trying to stir any one up. I own a Sage RPL (a gift) and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I was just checking Cabela’s website and not only are the blanks on sale, but the complete factory made rods are also on sale. They are half price. You can buy the blank for $29.99 or the rod for $49.99. For $20 difference, you couldn’t buy the reel seat, handle, etc. for building it yourself.
I finally got some pics of Buzz’s Cabela’s Traditional II 8wt rod. He is top shelf in his work and takes pride in doing it right the first time. He taught me how to build rods several years back. I just received a Cabela’s Traditional II blank in a 9ft 5wt and can’t wait to get started on it. Waiting for Buzz to return from Henry’s lake so we can turn the cork grip on his lathe.
Here are the pics:
And here’s one of Buzz fishing it on Henry’s Lake, Idaho:
