What it proves is that you do not the weight of a reel on the butt end of a rod for optimum casting. What it proves is that the lighter the reel, the further you can cast.
You disagreed with Ritz’s statement. Did you actually truly it before you disagreed? I actually tried it to see if it was true, and I believe it is.
Here’s another reason I want my rods to be tip light. When I carry a tip light rod, the rod tip is up in the air and way from low brush. How many fly rods have been broken by a tip heavy balance or a neutral balanced rod? It is so easy to jam a rod tip into the ground with a tip heavy or a neutrally balanced rod. A slight trip and your 4 pc rod becomes a 6 pc rod.
That is why a fly rod should always be carried butt end forward. The worst thing that can happen to a neutral balnace or tip heavy rod is that is drags on the ground or gets caught in some brush but you won’t break it. If you trip, you may ding the reel, but the rod won’t break.
What it proves is that you do not need the weight of a reel on the butt end of a rod for optimum casting. What it proves is that the lighter the reel, the further you can cast.
You disagreed with Ritz’s statement. I hope you actually tried it before you disagreed. I did and I believe it is correct.
Here’s another reason I want my rods to be tip light. When I carry a tip light rod, the rod tip is up in the air and way from low brush. How many fly rods have been broken by a tip heavy balance or a neutral balanced rod? It is so easy to jam a rod tip into the ground with a tip heavy or a neutrally balanced rod. A slight stumble and your 4 piece rod becomes a 6 piece rod.
That is why a fly rod should always be carried butt end forward. The worst thing that can happen to a neutral balance or tip heavy rod is that it drags on the ground or gets caught in some brush. If you trip, you may ding the reel, but the rod won’t break.
I agree with Steven McGarthwaite that casting is dynamic and the “balance” point is constantly changing. However, if one has to choose a balance point, I prefer a tip light balance with the lightest rod reel combination possible to minimize the amount of energy I expend to both cast and fish the rod.
What it proves is that anyone can dream up some non-real life scenario and get it to work. Interject the real world and it falls flat. As I stated before…show me one time you have cast a flyrod WITHOUT a reel on it
I have and I dont believe it!..as far as…“That is why a fly rod should always be carried butt end forward. The worst thing that can happen to a neutral balance or tip heavy rod is that it drags on the ground or gets caught in some brush. If you trip, you may ding the reel, but the rod won’t break.”…I have 3 fly fishing videos here…2 of them by Gary LaFontaine…and in EACH it says to carry a rod by the BUTT…so that you are able to get the tip in between brush…etc…because if you carry it butt first…any twig or whatever can get between the line and the rod itself and it runs right up the rod and BAM…right into the tip and you have the possibility of breaking the tip off…
I think you need to re look at those videos. I think you remember them incorrectly.
Lets have the group decide.
The next time they go fishing they should carry their rods tip forward trying to dead the rod between brush and branches, then on the way out carry it butt end first and see which one is easier. I believe that through dense brush, having the rod follow you is easier and safer than leading the rod before you, but the group can decide what works for them.
The School of Fly Fishing, with locations in 4 states disagrees with you.
http://www.schoolofflyfishing.com/resources/tipslibrary.htm
“How to carry a fly rod . . .
When carrying a fly rod, hold it “backwards”: i.e., with the butt end in your hand and the tip facing the opposite direction of travel; (this keeps the long, awkward thing out of harm’s way)”
Lefty Kreh disagrees with you. See the book, Lefty’s Little Tips, pg 21:
"Tip 19. How to Carry a Rod through The Woods - After you have broken your first fly rod and have to buy a second, you will probably have learned never to carry a rod through the woods with the tip extended in front of you.
Lefty explains a method of winding the leader so that it will not snag on branches as the rod is carried behind you. Here’s a photo from Lefty’s book.
I have a fly rod with no reel seat!
It also does not have a stripping guide or snake guides, only a tip top and a burled cork handle grip. The fly rod is a 4 weight, 9 foot length.
I go fly fishing using a 9 foot tapered leader (same length as the fly rod) attached with 3 feet of tippet material. I caught lots of fish warm water and cold water with this fly rod, using nymph patterns and wet flies.
It is the Japanese Art of Fly Angling that is called “Tenkara”.
My grandson who will be 6-years on on Saturday (January 16th) has be fly fishing for almost two years now, using his 3 weight “Tenkara Fly Rod”! He does not know what a Spincast or Baitcast Rod & Reel is! Ignorance is bliss!
~Parnelli 
Since you have NO IDEA of what these videos show…I wont even attempt to debate it with you. Ive watched them so many times the electrons are worn off of them…so forget telling me what MY videos show.
Steven McGarthwaite: In a previous post…IMHO you gave the most accurate description of what actually happens that Ive read in a long long time.
Walking through the woods, or other places with shrubbery with a fly rod, is courting disaster. Take the time to disassemble the fly rod an place it in it rod case (that is the purpose of the rod case) so the fly rod is protected.
When you get to where you are going, if it is to continue fishing, take the time to reassemble the fly rod. A few minutes delay, is better than a a couple of weeks, waiting for your fly rod to be repaired, and returned to you.
It also is a lot less expensive.
I like Lefty Kreh, but Lefty does not walk on water…I can sometime walk on water (it all depends how thick the ice is on the lake)!
~Parnelli 
PS: I you are moving between fishing spots using your vehicle, again, disassemble the fly rod and place it in it fly case…
“Stupid is as Stupid Does!” ~Forest Gump
I wanted to see the reasons given for walking with a rod tip forward. So I searched for sources on the web that say to walk with the rod tip forward and could not find any. I then searched Google for “breaking fly rods” and found three more sources that say that carrying the rod tip forward is is a good way to break rods.
Margaree River Fly Rods, a fly rod manufacturer says:
http://flyrods.mrffs.com/info_tips.html
“Tip 15: When carrying a fly rod, hold it “backwards”: i.e., with the butt end in your hand and the tip facing the opposite direction of travel.”
Global Fly Fishers, a highly respected web fly fishing source says:
http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/break_a_rod/
On 10 easy ways to break a fly rod,
"3. Poke the rod tip in the ground while walking. The setting can be anywhere: a river bank, a beach or a flat. You can be alone, with a friend or accompanied by a guide. Whether you are observing the water in search for fish, daydreaming or chatting away with your companion, it doesn’t matter.
Point is, you are not paying attention and unnoticed, the rod tip goes slowly down and suddenly bores itself into the ground. If the walking pace is high, the sanction comes immediately: snap! If you walk slowly or your buddy stops you in time, you can get away with a warning.
How should you carry a rod ? Hold it horizontal but backwards."
Florida Fly Fishing Magazine says:
http://flaflyfish.com/2010/01/01/how-to-break-your-fly-rod-?-10-simple-options/
“How To Break Your Fly Rod ? 10 Simple Options”
"7. Carry your rod through the bushes, tip first. Pointing your rod backwards when you?re bushwhacking is really boring ? the strong part of your rod hangs up first, and you?ve got plenty of time to maneuver before the fragile tip section comes bouncing through.
If you point your rod straight in front of you though, you?re forming a giant, weak spring, and the exploding tip of your rod will do a great job letting you know that it just got hung up on a tree branch."
I wanted to see the reasons given for walking with a rod tip forward. So I searched for sources on the web that say to walk with the rod tip forward and could not find any. I then searched Google for “breaking fly rods” and found three more sources that say that carrying the rod tip forward is is a good way to break rods.
Margaree River Fly Rods, a fly rod manufacturer says:
http://flyrods.mrffs.com/info_tips.html
“Tip 15: When carrying a fly rod, hold it “backwards”: i.e., with the butt end in your hand and the tip facing the opposite direction of travel.”
Global Fly Fishers, a highly respected web fly fishing source says:
http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/break_a_rod/
On 10 easy ways to break a fly rod,
"3. Poke the rod tip in the ground while walking. The setting can be anywhere: a river bank, a beach or a flat. You can be alone, with a friend or accompanied by a guide. Whether you are observing the water in search for fish, daydreaming or chatting away with your companion, it doesn’t matter.
Point is, you are not paying attention and unnoticed, the rod tip goes slowly down and suddenly bores itself into the ground. If the walking pace is high, the sanction comes immediately: snap! If you walk slowly or your buddy stops you in time, you can get away with a warning.
How should you carry a rod ? Hold it horizontal but backwards."
Florida Fly Fishing Magazine says:
http://flaflyfish.com/2010/01/01/how-to-break-your-fly-rod-?-10-simple-options/
“How To Break Your Fly Rod ? 10 Simple Options”
"7. Carry your rod through the bushes, tip first. Pointing your rod backwards when you’re bushwhacking is really boring. The strong part of your rod hangs up first, and you’ve got plenty of time to maneuver before the fragile tip section comes bouncing through.
If you point your rod straight in front of you though, you’re forming a giant, weak spring, and the exploding tip of your rod will do a great job letting you know that it just got hung up on a tree branch."
I agree steven! With the exception of one single rod I have …I built all of mine…and I take better care of them that to walk BLINDLY carrying any of them thru brush. I dont even do that with my bird guns!
But I see this thread has been drug down from its original intent by some of the usual suspects…
Sully,
I just kind of reviewed this thread…but did not read all of page 2. However I noticed you comment “show me one time you ever fished without a reel”
I do it occasionally. Because…
One time I was way upstream. The spool fell off the reel. I saw there was a missing part. I tried to cast horizontally but kept finding the spool down in the water. Put the reel and spool in my pocket. Commenced to catch 16 trout on the stream with the reel in my pocket.
Just fyi
I know…it is not COMMON to be fishing without a reel on a rod.
Jim
sure…its possible. Also possible to “fish” without any line…if you wanted to remove the tip top and use the rod like a gig…but as you say…it ISNT the normal procedure…:lol:
Yes, Sully. 'tis a stretch from the original subject. It is definitely not how one rigs a rod to go fishing…nor how one normally fishes. It just tweaked my memory and I posted. Sorta wish I had not even posted it now. Not really informative about the topic.
oh well
done done it
Jim
Never fear…there were lots of posts in this thread that were 100 yards off topic…:lol:
Balanced is as balanced does …
For sure, I do not like a heavy reel end (or tip end either). And I’ve been know to shop around for just the right “feel” in a rod/reel combination. One of my very favorite rods (and not all that expensive either) is an 8 1/2 IM-6 flyrod that not only feels balanced in my hand but I can cast easily and really enjoy doing so.
Like buying a new car or truck … sometimes it pays to drive them around the block first. I like a fly shop that offers the option of trying out a rod and reel combination first.
Dale
This has been an interesting read; especially the two old bulls bellowing back and forth at one another and no one realizes they are saying EXACTLY THE SAME THING!! Time for new glasses Gents?
Hello ducksterman, before i add my 1,000 words could you tell me what you mean by balance? Once i know, i will completely blow the lid off everything everyone has mentioned so far. You’ll like it !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
MM…I was thinking of it as described in the link.