i was giving a old bamboo rod …i cannot find the wt. on it an i have tried a 5wdt on it but it just piles or dumps …is there a way w/o taking it to a fly shop to figure out the wt.?it has flex thru out the rod an is almost 10 ft
Does it have 3 letters on the blank? That was the old weight designation…
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/flyline_chart.htm
Hope this helps
Mike
If you are up for following some instructions precisely, I can get you close if not right on.
Are you possibly trying to cast tooooooo fast. Old cane rods tend to be sloooow.
Most old Boo’s are 6 or 7 wt. The other thing they were designed for silk so you may have to do try different lines. Even the old lines were not very accurate in sizing and in fact line was sold in diameter verses wt. I think the above poster is going to advise you on measuring your furles.
I have four bamboo blanks in the shop right now. Tell me what to do to get right on.
fishbum
This involves the Common Cents System. If you set things up correctly, you can determine what line it will take to properly load any blank.
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Measure the length of the blank and divide by 3. Write that number down.
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find someplace you can clamp the butt of the blank in a horizontal position at a distance above the reasonably level floor greater than the number you wrote down in step one. If you have a 9’ blank, make sure you can clamp it down more than 3’ off the floor. The butt should be level. If you have a grip on the blank, just make sure the portion of blank just in front of the grip is level. This is easier than it sounds.
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Assuming you have located the spine and know which side of the blank your guides will be on. Clamp the blank down with the side the gudes will go on, or the side that already has the guides on it up.
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If your blank has guides on it, you can bend a paper clip into a hook and hook a small ziplock bag to the tip-top. If not, straighten the paperclip you have hooked to the ziplock bag and tape it to the tip of the blank.
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Gather up about 50 or so pennies that were minted after 1996. Pennies minted before 1996 weigh significantly more than those minted after and will throw your measurements off by a ton. Make sure they are minted after 1996! 50 pennies will get you to a #6 ERN, 65 will get you to almost a #8.
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Subtract the number you wrote down in step 1 from the height above the floor you clamped the blank down. Write this number down. This is the distance above the floor you are going to get the blank to bend to.
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Start putting pennies in the bag until the tip of your rod is the distance off the floor equal to the number you wrote down in step 6.
EXAMPLE: Let’s say we clamped the rod down at 50" above the floor. For the 9’ example above, we subtract 36 from 50 and get 14. We would load pennies in the bag until the tip of the rod is 14" above the floor. The idea is to deflect the rod a distance equal to 1/3 of it’s length.
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Count the pennies in your bag.
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Use the attached chart to convert the number of pennies to the ERN or effective rod number of your blank. Let’s say your ERN comes out at 5.00. Line it up with a #5 line and cast it. You should be very close if not dead on.
Make your measurements carefully. Make sure your pennies are all post 1996. If you are sloppy with your measurements, you will not get accurate results. I did not get into measuring the Action Angle or AA, or any of the other measurements that can be made with the CCS.
One more thing that can throw you a bit here. The old silk lines were smaller in diameter than today’s modern lines. The guides on an older 'boo rod are going to be smaller than those on a modern graphite rod. You can do one of two things. Size the guides a bit larger to accommodate the larger line or use a line such as Cortland Sylk.
If you have any questions, holler.
ok the only lettering i can find is a small trademark …it says …i think…diamond manufacturing(red diamond)mallard? brand saint louis that is all i can find …no nothing else
If you were going to be in Denver anytime soon, I would say to bring it by and we would measure it out. Since Guffy is about as far away from anything as you can get in Colorado, try the measurement system I outlined above. It will tell you what line you need.
You might want to post your question here: http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/ Someone is sure to recognize your rod and can point you in the right direction.
at ten feet in length you might have an eight weight rod there. That is a big rod. Try different weight lines until one zings for you.