9' 5wt 4 Piece Rod

[Trampus 0]

This is my first rod ever and it was three years in the making lol. I bought the blank three years ago and got as far as finishing the cork and mounting the reel seat and handle when my my wife of 40 years was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig) and suddenly my little hobbies and pastimes were put into perspective. Now 3 years later I found I could tie flies and even wrap a rod while I sit with her in her room. The lighting was bad and the table I had my wrapper on was unsteady but all in all I am happy with the end result though I can see lots I will do differently on my next rod.

[Dave G. 0]

It's awesome that you can find your place with your wife and get something done too. Some guys might not do that, either neglecting her needs or their own .

 

It looks like it turned out pretty decent, the only glaring thing I see is next time maybe shorten up your wraps a little bit. It appears you put down more thread than you really needed. What blank did you build this on ?

[BackWater-Fly 0]

Looks like a hell of a nice job for your first! Like the colors too. What blank did you build on?

[Trampus 0]

The blank is an Olde Fly Shop IM8 Carbon in iridescent green that I got off of Ebay. Since this was my first attempt I didn't want to spend a lot of money to find out if this was something I could do or not. I did wrap too much thread on the guides and if I had it to do over I would use a darker thread on a dark blank like this one...the contrast is nice but it shows every little imperfection.

[Dave G. 0]

Well, the next test is to go fish it !!!! I bet it's good, let us know..

[mikechell 0]

Nicely built. Good color selection on the wraps, consistent width for each guide.

 

I think you did excellently on your first rod.

[islander727 0]

Nice work!

[thinkingredneck 0]

That is a great project. I have not been brave enough to try. Good job!

[Dave G. 0]

That is a great project. I have not been brave enough to try. Good job!

You don't have to be too brave, just be persistent and follow a few guidelines.

[rstaight 0]

Nice job.

 

I do woodworking and build a rod once in a blue moon or two. You mentioned "imperfections", We all have a tendency to want to point these out. Particularly in wood working until I was told; It's hand built there will be imperfections. Embrace them, they add character, but most important, keep quite. Let people marvel in what you have accomplished.

 

Again, NICE JOB.

[Dave G. 0]

I'd love to hear how it casts, I might like to order one of their blanks in 4 wt. Either their's or one of Rodger's.

[Trampus 0]

Thanks for the encouragement guys it means a lot coming from fellow fly fishermen. I will take this to the park some time next week and try it out but probably won't be able to fish it until the end of September when I head to the Sierras and bigger water than what I have locally. This build boosted my confidence enough that I just ordered a Rainshadow Revelation 2pc 6'6" 2wt blank for fishing the small streams in my local mountains and for stalking brookies in the high country. I almost bought a blank from Roger and still might when I get ready to build me a 4wt. My name is Dan and I am an addict....

[Dave G. 0]

Dan, I built a Revelation 2pc- 9' 5 wt last year. It's been a good performer and I especially liked it on the larger Maine rivers last year. I had a hard time getting around because of a bum knee awaiting surgery but the rod worked well for me and I'd say pretty true to it's 5 wt status. I used it both last spring and this spring locally on ponds too and last fall a little bit but by then the knee was getting intolerable to be up on. That Revelation works nearly as well as my favorite 6 wt without the bulky feel of a 6 wt. I have an 8'6" Sage 5 wt in the Graphite III series and the revelation is as smooth casting as it but with the extra 6 " and that part is nice for added line control and a bit more push for some distance. The 8'6" size is nice in the bit smaller pools still though and does have almost perfect tip flex for trout. But hey the Revelation cost me 1/3 what the Sage did years ago and you can no longer get the sage in that configuration anyway..

[Trampus 0]

That's really good to hear Dave since I had no real input on the Revelations performance. I picked up the 2wt on a whim (and because I really wanted one) and they were almost giving it away With Sage blanks going for $300 it was an easy decision to try out other brands. If I see a 4wt Revelation pop up at a steal I just might not be able to resist the temptation....