It seems like its a dickens of a time finding any zero weight blanks on the “inter-tubes” I suppose that if there were more people clamoring for them there might be more manufacturers making them available.
I know that I for one love them for bluegills and pond fishing here in Texas. I would imagine that folks in the NE would find them wonderful brookie rods.
How much actual interest is there in zero weight rods/blanks?
I would really like to get one, in the near future. A friend of mine has the 00 TXL and it’s an excellent rod. It’s a very nice blend of power (believe it or not) and finesse. So many rods, so little time. lol.
I’m waiting for the negative one weight blanks to come out before I spend my money. Seriously though, I don’t see the point. I have a one-weight that I use from time to time. I can’t see going any lower than that. I use a 6-weight for bluegills, by the way.
I built a rod on an 0-wt SLT blank and I love it. I started out with the 0-wt Sage quiet taper line but the feel was just not there. Once I tried a 2-wt DT line the rod came into its own. Casts beautifully and is perfect for little streams but can handle surprisingly large fish. Landed a 16 inch fish this past spring and was still able to bring it in quickly.
I built a Dan Craft 7’-0" 1wt 2-piece and had the same problem with the line. I now use WFF 3wt line and just love the feel and action. I have caught and landed 15" crappie & 15" bass (both on the same day while fishing for gills) with no problems or undue stress on the fish, and can get plenty long casts when needed as well (just ask Ohiotuber).
Not sure I even want a 0wt or smaller. There’s just no allure for me with the micro rods, but I can see where some folks would like to own and fish one. There’s that challenge of hooking and landing a big fish on the smallest rod possible, but that’s not why I fly fish. Not that there’s anything wrong with that… :lol: :lol: :lol:
I had to overline the rod just to get it to load. It’s a little broomstick, which is the way I like my rods. I have a 2wt 4-piece rod that I sometimes use a 4wt line on, and even used a 5wt on it one time just to see how it would react (it was a little too much and I worried I’d break the rod). It’s fun to experiment when you’re building your own rods.
It’s as fun as it can be. First, the bluegills I’m fishing for weigh between 1/2 pound and a pound. If you’ve got the right rod it feels great and you can cast any fly or bug you need to cast. Bluegills in this size range fight harder than typical hatchery trout, yet people have no reservations about using a 6-weight for trout. I’m talking about glass rods here, by the way. I’ve got a 7-weight that even feels great with bluegills.
the gills i fish for at my local lake average are between 1/2- 1 1/2lbs!
my personal best from that lake is a 2 pounder. they are freaquently caught there.
i use a 3 weight for them and they defiantely put a bend in it.