:idea: 5 and 7pcs Vs 2 pcs Rods - how does the performance of the rod change when you have so many sections?
No responces:( I think there may be several of us that would like to know the answer from you more experienced flyers, come on, give it up 
flyguytoo,
Somehow this must have gotten under the radar…it’s the kind of question that likely would elicit responses here…
IMHO the general response would be that with today’s technology there would be little difference …
but IMO there is a point where there is going to be a difference.
Let’s see what others say…
flyguytoo,
Welcome to FAOL! Sorry your question fell into the cracks, but I’m sure you’ll get some good feedback now that it’s back at the top of the page.
With only about seven years in this hobby I’m still wet behind the ears, but I do own four travel rods in four and five piece models, and I find them to be a bit faster than their two-piece cousins. For me, this is a good thing, because I prefer a fast rod. If you like a softer rod I would recommend staying away from the rods with more than 2 or 3 pieces. I will probably be building a seven-piece this winter just for fun, and my exploits will be aired here for all to see.
Joe
The Batsons hopefully will jump into this thread and give a graphite Rod Manufacturing point of view. In one of our local fly shops, there are two orvis rods, side by side on the rack, both marked tip flex. One of them is a 2 piece and the other is a 4 piece I believe…may be five. At any rate, the 4 piece is significantly stiffer and faster than the two piece. that only makes sense when you consider more joints that contribute more rigidity to that much of the fly rod.
I agree that it makes sense, but there is a contingent that believes it makes no difference how many pieces, given the technology curve we have experienced over the years. My experience is…more sections, faster tip.
Joe
Blank manufactures usually try to match the rods in the same line as close as they can, but there is a difference between the same model with different numbers of pieces.
I haven’t made a lot of side by side comparisons, but it seems to me that the multi piece rods tend to be a little faster than their two piece brothers.
The rod performance has a lot more to do with the blank design than the number of sections. I have a 5pc Winston LT and it’s a very nice moderate action (medium to slow) rod. I also have some high modulus 2pc rods that are quite fast.
If you were to build both a 4pc and a 2pc out of the identical blank I would agree that the extra ferrule sections would make the 4pc a little stiffer. But most multi piece rods are designed from the ground up. Each section is built on a mandrel specifically designed for a specific section on a specific rod.
You can make a multi piece rod fast or slow by changing the wall thickness, blank diameter and fiber orientations. With modern high quality ferrules the number of joints shouldn’t have an over riding influence over these other factors.
In cane rods the significant weight of the nickle silver ferrules would be a larger factor. Tape a penny 18" down from the tip of your favorite rod and see if it doesn’t cast different. Now try the same test with a 2" section of rod blank or the cap from a BIC pen. Ferrules made from graphite weigh a small fraction of traditional nickle silver ones.
The 4,5 and 7 piece rods are however significantly more expensive. It takes extra man hours to custom fit each ferrule connection, and extra time to build and finish due to the higher number of wraps.
As far as “performance” goes - you will definitely catch more fish with a two piece just by the fact that you’ll spend more time on the water and less time in the parking lot trying to line up all of those sections! :lol:
Bill O.
I say you will catch more on the 4-7 piece rod because it will be the one you have with you more often. It is easier to transport and therefore more likely to be the one you take along. You may loose something off the performance or not; it seems like a compromise worth making when the choice is between a 5 piece rod and no rod.
I say you fish bamboo and don’t worry bout how many pieces you have!!! hehehehe
WOW! That’s what I am Talkin about - great answers - ALL of THEM!! Thanks for the Help - FLYGUYTOO