Trying to rub and wear the “newbie-ness” off, but just got a fresh outbreak. Having FF for decent sized Salmon in AK and medium sized bass here in NC in the last couple of years, I wanted to expand my FF experience by targeting panfish and doing so appropriately armed. The 5 wts work just fine in the farm ponds I’m fishing but overmatch the bluegills in power just a bit. SOoooo…I ordered and built myself an H&H, IM6, 2pc, 8 ft, 4 wt. This is my first self built flyrod and first 4 wt. Last nite after work and after the Flex Coat was dry and hard, I loaded a reel with Cortland Rocket Taper 4 wt line and did about 5 minutes of lawn casting. Which brings me to the Q’s. Should the rod feel a bit whippy and boingy? Obviously, I modified my casting strokes for the lighter line and rod wt but was I still overpowering the rod? I believe it is rated Med Fast action. And I spined it so that the belly (guide side) is softer and the back bone is for the forward casting power stroke. So the fish bends the rod more while playing them in and the stiffer backbone gives me more casting distance. Did I do that right in the build? I’ll fish it this evening on the way home in a nice pond with Bass, gills, and crappie that are still quite active and find out how it does. Just wondering what I shoud expect not having cast a lighter wt rod before. I can’t even imagine what a one wt feels like.
I will add the word “boingy” to my rod action discription volcabulary as soon as I define it, sounds like a great word.
There should not be to much difference in the way a 4 wt casts vs a 5. Perhaps the taper and materials are quite different.
When I pick up an unfamiliar rod I give it a few false casts to see what the loop is going to do and adjust my stroke accordingly.
It sounds like you have a soft rod but are use to casting a fast one. Just go with the flow of the rod, stroke it softly, watch your back cast to be sure it straightens out completely. If you are overpowering the rod you will get tailing loops, slow down till the tailing loops stop. And try lowering the rod tip as your forward cast straightens out.
Spine, spline, spleen…who cares?
[This message has been edited by Buzz (edited 10 November 2005).]
I’m pretty new to FF too after years as a bait chunker and am having the same perceived issue as you with lighter weight rods. The lightest I currently own is a 4 which is a TFO TiCr and therefore a faster or, to me at least, stiffer action. At the moment I’ve got new rod fever in a bad way and several of the local guys have been trying to get me to try something lighter yet as in a 1 or 2 weight. I don’t think it’s going to happen, I’ve about decided that the lightest I will personally go is a 3 weight.
Slow down, watch your casting stroke, and pay close attention to your mechanics. Your new rod is going to feel different, just how it goes. Practice a bit more and things will come together, the H&H IM6 is a fine rod.
I commonly switch back and forth between my 2 (mod. fast) and 10 (very fast) weights in a day, and that is much more of a change than 5 to 4. It’s a very different feeling, but you can manage.
I think you’re gonna like that rod you built. Curious, how you managed to build a fly rod with “diferrential spine” when you yourself didn’t manufacture the blank. Very interesting.
If you are finding yourself attracted to lighter-action rods and have settled on a 4-wt. as a way of satisfying that urge, don’t be surprised if in a few months or years you begin thinking about rods that are even lighter yet.
I own a pair of 3-wt. rods and really enjoy using both of them. Even though they are the same weight designation, the 8 1/2-footer has got a distinctly softer action than the 9-footer, and I find myself using the softer rod more often. It’s just a more fun rod to use because I typically go after panfish.
About two months ago I stopped in at K&K Flyfishers in Kansas City to buy some flies, and ended up examining rods in the 2-weight section of their rod rack? A Sage 2-wt. 7 1/2 ft. rod was sitting there. The instant I picked it up and carefully waved it just a little bit to feel its flex, man, it was like a religious experience.
I don’t NEED another rod. But these “ultralights” are starting to call to me, and I don’t know how much longer I can resist.
Thanks for the replies and advice. Last nite casting I noticed I had some wild loops right off the bat and did slow down and start over with shorter softer casting and corrected my loops some. It was breezy too and that was a bit of the problem as the line would die and fall into a pile when cast into the wind …so I moved into the windshadow of my house and did better.
Perhaps “boingy” is not appropo but it is what came to mind…noodley is a little too loose for what it was doing and maybe “reverb” would be better…I don’t know the lingo for a more limber rod than I am used to.
joe hyde- the rod blank does have a definite differential spine to it. Even with my eyes closed I could flex each of the two pieces on the carpet and roll them with my finger in the middle and the other hand holding the thick end and it would naturally roll to weak side up every time. That is the side I put my guides on and 180 degrees opposite that is the back or up facing portion of my rod that is noticeably stiffer for more power in foreward stroke of the cast. Mind you it is still subtle but findable with ease nevertheless. IF flexed 90 degrees to either side of the softer belly and turnig tension is eased the rod will return to soft side up. Just my experience with this first rod. YMMV.
I will be on the water in about an hour to see how it does!
Steve
I fish, therefore I swam.
[This message has been edited by featherchucker (edited 10 November 2005).]
[This message has been edited by featherchucker (edited 10 November 2005).]
Building my first rod this winter and it will be on a TXL 1 wt blank.Casted a 00,0 wt and a 1 wt.Think the 1 wt will defiantly be the cats ass.The others were a little to soft for me .
The more time I spend around people the more I like my dog.
Featherchucker, If you want less “boing for the buck” for your next rod get a Dan Craft blank. I build on Dans blanks they have a faster tip flex taper that allows you to go between from a 3 wt to a heavier rod without having to adjust your stroke as much… FB.
Hey Farmer Bob- I have heard good reports about the DC blanks. I envision a Sage, Loomis, TFO and other blanks coming in the future and will keep my mind open for others’ suggestions. I went with this H&H kit first - mainly for cost- and after fishing it last nite feel pretty good about it. Definitely a keeper and a keep it with me in the truck rod for those frequent and spontaneous stops on the way home.
I have a hat I wear every day that gives me the title “Farmer Steve”- about 50 Katahdin sheep, Nubian goats, Muscovies, Guineas, chickens, etc. think of me as “the food guy” though, lol!
just-Steve
I fish, therefore I swam.
[This message has been edited by featherchucker (edited 11 November 2005).]