Just finished this one up this evening.This blank is by far my favorite for trout dry fly fishing. Its a Cobalt blue CTS “Affinity One” 904-4. Reel seat insert is a piece of Australian Corrugata with Nickle Silver hardware. Grip is a Rev Halfwells that I turned with Bamboo burl cork, Copano cork, Burnt cork & Rubberized cork. Silver single foot guides wrapped with Royal Blue thread (no CP) and metallic silver trim bands and finished off with Threadmaster finish.
Steve
Love the color. Great grip. Dave
Wow what a excellent build. You have out done yourself on that one everything looks very very good. I may have to have you build a rod for me
Steve -
Just curious - after looking up the Affinity One on the CTS website.
They describe the rod action as fast. Does it feel that way to you ?? Do you have a preference for fast action rods for dry flies ??
Couldn’t find a price list on the CTS site. What price range are we talking for a blank like this ?? How do they compare to some of the other blanks getting a lot of discussion here - like the Sevier Tiger Eye and the Batson RX7 ??
Thinking about my next build, and I really like the Tiger Eye that I built, but am also looking for more options.
Thanks.
John
When I called one of the suppliers for a 6’6" we were talking about $150.00 for the blank. This was depending on action and number of pieces.
Steve , I like the build, but I’m not sure about the sheen on the grip? Is it covered with plastic? If so OK.
PS.can you fill me in on what software is needed to make your own decals. Keep in mind I’m only OK with a computer, and not a nerd…LOL
Bob -
Thanks.
John
You need to get an ALPS printer. The easiest way if you aren’t doing allot of rods is to PM Steve and pay him to make you some yp.
Also this blank retails for $170.
Lucky’s right on with the price. This blank was $166. They are fast but they are more of a compound taper which still gives a nice “feel” to the tip unlike some other companies fast rods.
IMO CTS blanks are the nicest feeling blanks made. I’ve had all the big name blanks before (Sage/Winston/St Croix/Gatti/Loomis) and yet I’d take a CTS over any of them for my own personal rods.
Only thing is they can be hard to get because of very slow shipping time. Supposedly that has got better, but only time will tell.
As to the printer. Yupp you will need an ALPS printer. Alps printers are the only printers that will print decals because inkjet printers ink is transparent so it doesnt show up on rod blanks. The only problem is Alps stopped making printers a number of years ago. So as you can guess, most Alps printers are gonna cost ya a minimum of $300-$500 and then you have to worry about finding parts for them if they break down. I picked up my ALPS MD2300 a couple years ago and just use it for rod work.
Steve
Sorry Ed missed your question
Steve , I like the build, but I’m not sure about the sheen on the grip? Is it covered with plastic? If so OK.
Yupp its plastic. I usually cover my grips witha plastic heat shrink before I ship them to a customer just to make sure they dont get dirt or anything on them during transit.
Steve
Steve, you’ve probably been asked this sometime previous, but I’d like to know where you get your decals for owner names , rod info, etc? Also, do you custom craft your own reel seets or do you have a supplier for them, if so, who is it? Also, where can one find the CTS blanks? Great looking rods!
The decals I make myself on my Alps 2300 printer. I do most my grips but some of my seats I will send to my fishing buddy whom is the guy that taught me rod building and he will turn them the wood for me, then I finish them with some finish. He just started up a Cane blank/grip&insert business so if you’d like his number just Pm me and I will pass it along to ya.
For CTS the only dealer left for CTS is Robert at Fishsticks4u. Sometimes they can be a bit hard to come by if your after a certian exact size, but he seems to be getting more in all the time so just call Fishsticks4u and ask for Robert and he will take care of you.
Steve