Hexagraph it is ....

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

… after the best part of a year being intrigued by the Hexagraph, I finally made the decision.

Just got off the phone with BB member Harry Briscoe, president of Hexagraph Fly Rod Co. Within a day or two, a two piece 7’9" for 4/5 medium fast “Hexagraph” model ( with some cosmetic upgrades common to their “Classic” series ) will be in the mail from Chico CA where the Hex is built by Raptor Rod Works.

This is a high end rod, even at a discounted price with a Christmas wish, but it is a rod that I just had to try. Not being a “tools or toys” type, I’m thinking this one rod will likely cover all the trout fishing I do, with the exception of big stonefly nymphs under an indicator which will be reserved to my fast action 9’ for 7 wt Sage Fli. Getting down to two fly rods from my present three is another step toward keeping it simple. Here’s hoping.

If you are at all inclined to consider a Hex, I encourage you to take an in depth look at the Hexagraph website and then get in touch with Harry. There are rods to be built for something less than the prices shown for the Hexagraph model ( or more, if you like ), and there are a few rods on discount now which will fill a Christmas stocking without such a big dent in your bank account. Harry can tell you about the deals, and help you decide which model and size / weight would best suit your needs ( wants ). Follow the link for more information.

http://hexagraph.com/HTMLhex/hexagraph.html

The Hexagraphs are built out by Raptor from Chico CA. Raptor is an interesting outfit in its own right. Jim Clarkson has a history with the Powell Fly Rod company, and has some very interesting inventory for those who prefer bamboo, and bamboo with a history, like in E. C. and Walton Powell. If I were going to go with bamboo, I would have been talking to Jim rather than Harry.

http://www.raptorrodworks.com/about.html

Really excited about fishing this rod and exploring its limits. It should fish 3 wt to 5 wt lines well, with the full complement of flies ( excluding the big weighted nymphs ) I typically fish, with optimum performance as a medium fast 4 or medium 5. Dang, can’t hardly wait to find some open water to work it out after it gets here. I fully expect this one rod to be the mainstay of the Fishing Reports I do in 2010, and beyond.

John

P.S. Deanna - Thanks for giving Harry a heads up on my interest in the Hexagraph.

2

You won’t regret it I have had a couple for a few years now and
really like them…

Nice casting wands for sure…

3

Harry will return as a Sponsor. He was a Sponsor for quite a long time, we love the rods! Happy to recommend them :lol:

4

Uh, are these the faux 'boos?

5

Faux boo? I would hardly call it that.
<from the Hexagraph page>Hexagraph fly rods are solid, not hollow like bamboo, glass, or graphite. They combine a crush-proof cellulose foam from the aerospace industry with a laminated carbon fiber outer layer. These strips are cut into tapered lengths just like planed bamboo for a split-cane fly rod, but without any inconsistencies or imperfections because they are 100% manufactured. 6 of them are formed into a hexagonal fly rod with a completely uniform full flex progressive taper. The result is a perfect action fly rod…no joke. There is ZERO ovaling under load, as is an unavoidable fact of the laws of physics with any hollow rod. There are no nodes, joints, or inconsistencies of grain as with even the finest bamboo. And the tensile and crush strength of the blank is about 10 times greater than the best modern graphite fly rod’s. Hexagraph rods have less than a 2% breakage history…for any reason. That qualifies as comparatively “indestructible” in the world of fly rods! They are far lighter than comparable bamboo or glass rods, and far more accurate and versatile than comparable (in line weight and length) graphite rods.

If you were to cast one, just once, you’d be “hooked”!!

6

Hmmm…birthday’s coming up. You guys are killing my bank account. :smiley:

7

I haven’t heard that reference, and I don’t think it could do them justice, by any stretch of the imagination.

They do have a bamboo background / connection. The U.S. inventor ( simultaneous with a couple fellows from England, Messrs. Bruce and Walker, as I understand it ) was Walton Powell, E. C. Powell’s son. For those who don’t know, E. C. and his family company were probably the premier bamboo rod makers on the West Coast for the best part of the 20th Century, and developed a line of fine graphite rods also when graphite became the popular material for fly rod blanks.

Walton brought together the high tech elements of graphite and space age foam, shaped six sections of the laminated materials to uniform tapers, and bonded them together to form a high tech “hexagraph” rod. Beyond Walton’s creativity, the shape, and a solid blank construction, the Hexagraph has little, if anything, in common with bamboo.

For myself, the Hexagraph works on several levels. First as an innovative fly rod that weds tradition and some of the characteristics of bamboo with modern materials. Second, it presents as a rod that will likely fit my casting style and fishing preferences quite nicely. Finally, I have a strong connection to Chico CA on my father’s side of the family. My grandfather taught and coached high school football and track there in the early 20th century and my father was born there. The Powell family operated their company in Chico for a long time, and the Hex is built out there by Raptor.

It all comes together quite nicely for me. Price is hardly a consideration.

John

8

Glad you finally jumped on that hex, John, I know you have been thinking about it for quite a while. Did you look into getting a blank? Keep us up to date. Good luck finding that open water.

9

Most bamboo rods are solid.

Bamboo is probably as hard to break, and can often be fixed if it does. There’s certainly a wider variety of tapers available in cane, if for no other reason than that there are a lot more people making or who made them.

Hexagraph might beat cane on weight, although from what I’ve read by people who have cast both, I don’t believe this is true. They’re certainly heavier than graphite.

I guess I just don’t get it. But then I like bamboo.

10

If you really explore the Hexagraph website carefully, you will find ferruled blanks for rods from about 6’ to 8’ in line weights 3 to 6 ( I think that is the range ) with medium to medium fast actions for …

… $155.

Happy hunting, and a happy birthday.

John

11

GASP!!!
Certainly gives me something to be thinking bout tomorrow … if my brain functions!!:rolleyes:

12

John,

You’ll love the rod. Purchased the Hexagraph 8 1/2 4/5 Med action rod early this year from Harry Briscoe and made by Jim Clarkson of Raptor Rod Works. Great craftsmanship and that classic traditional look. I am an old school guy and fish exclusively nothing but wet flies the way the old timers used to do back in the day, 3 wets at one time. The rod performs very well with a 5wt intermediate sinking line that I use more often and also has the back bone to handle a class 5 full sinking line that I use early in the season. Was looking for that classic bamboo look and action, but not the cost and weight of bamboo. Talked to Harry a few times about my style of fishing that I was going to use the rod for and he told me this rod would perform great, he was right.
The rod was a little heaver than I was used to in the past, but I teamed the rod up with a Hardy Princess reel and it balanced the rod perfectly. I am just average build guy and wasn’t sure if my shoulder would hold up after a full day on the water with a heaver rod, but the shoulder felt fine. The performance of the rod throwing a long line was unbelievable. It’s just wild swing those wets on a long line on big water and hooking up. Have been questioned alot on the stream by a number of anglers about the rod. Hope I drumbed up a few sales for Harry and Jim the quality and performance of there rod works for me. I am definitely going to be looking into purchasing another rod from Harry and Jim. Good Luck with the rod and Enjoy.

13

John,

Congrats on the rod. I’ll be looking forward to your reports as the new year unfolds. And thanks for the link to Raptor. Chico’s not far from me. I should probably make a trip up there, if anything just to seed more dreams.

John

14

Here’s a bit of Hexagraph trivia.

A Hexagraph rod was used to make the “shadow cast” in The River Runs Through It. Robert Redford wanted to be authentic and use a bamboo rod. Jason Borger told him that the bamboo would break but Redford insisted that he try it anyway. The first bamboo rod broke and so did the second. It was only then that Redford OK’d the use of a Hexagraph.

Here’s Jason’s piece on the casting done on the film by Jerry Seim and Jason, who were the casting doubles for the film.

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/everything-else/963-fly-casting-river-runs-through-jason-borger.html

15

John -

I STRONGLY SUGGEST that you seed your bank account before you seed your dreams.

I have no doubt that if you take a trip up to Raptor, you’ll be transporting a Hexagraph on the return trip !!

John

16

Wetfly1 -

Yes, I’ll be swinging some wet flies time to time also. And smaller streamers.

Took a spin around your website. Nicely done. The pics are great.

John

17

I’ve talked to a lot of people about these rod’s but not anyone who has fished it. After you give it a good test drive let us know it does. They really look great and the theory behind them seems very sound. Look’s like boo , cast like graphite? Let us know John. Thank’s

Silver , thank’s for the movie trivia.

18

Hmmm… guess I’ll have to wait until AFTER Christmas. But hey, got a birthday coming up in March. That should give me some time to seed the bank :wink:

John

19

All the positive comments on the Hexagraph rods have me intrigued and full of curiosity about them. I love my Helios rods and just about every other rod I own from cheap to expensive but I am always open to trying something new.

20

John,

I think you will be very pleased with your rod choice. I have cast a couple hex’s and was very happy with their smoothness thru out the full relm of the casting stroke.

Looking forward to your reports on it.

Steve