light vs. ultra-light

[rich]

i'm in a quandary here.  i plan on picking up another rod to be used primarily for gills.  i currently own a st. croix premier 6' light power rod as well as a 6' gander mt. ul rod (ugh).  i thought about a st. croix premier 6' ul, but they seem a bit whippy.  any ideas or advice.  

[Walt Foreman]

Thanks, Artie!  Yes, I turned it myself - I just bought a Jet mini-lathe a few months ago for that reason.  

[Artie McNay]

Walt, can you build a 9 foot 2 weight fly rod with the handle on the top rod? About how much would that cost?

[Walt Foreman]

Yes, I can build that, Artie.  I'll send you a friend request so we can PM.

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

I JUST GOTTA GET IN ON THIS DISCUSSION!!!!!!! I AGREE with you David about the short and stiff idea and that's exactly why I went back to vintage tackle, glass in particular. I don't have any problem at all with casting a short U.L. and here's why. THe ooooooold ones had a large bottom guide usually a size 20 . WIth todays modern reels the spool diameter on is on the small size and goes wonderfully with that size of bottom guide. I routinely use a 5' and also a 5'6" and will only go to the longer 6'ers for Crappie. You have to remember though that I also use very small weighted bobbers most of the time now and distance is absolutely not a problem, unless you have to cast more than say 30 yards, then we have a problem cause the shorter rods lack the backbone that the longer ones have.

  Also there are no more glass blanks to be had on factory rods , HIGHER QUALITY GLASS THAT IS. You have to get a custom made blank if you want a higher end rod for yourself.

  NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOPE NO PREMIERS , SUPER DUTY, LIMITED SPECIAL , BEST EVER MADE FOR ME EITHER !!!!!!!! I'VE had to many requests from customers wanting this super duty Graphite favorite fixed ! Just won't do it anymore cause they'll be back the next year wanting a replacement for it again when it breaks on a fish, in the trunk lid, back door, careless fishing partners, or what ever excuse is offered. 

  Don't get me wrong, I'm not against Graphite and it is a technological miracle, just too fragile and too many issues associated with it for me. 

  I got started with the weighted bobbers when I started making shore rods for kids out of old solid glass rods. Almost indestructable, but the problem wasn't strength, the problem was getting a person watching it being cast , to believe their own eyes. Here we go a 40-42" rod that can cast 4 lb. 20-25 yards. Yes it can be done..............

[rich]

wow, i have seven or eight premiers (down from an even dozen) and not only love them, but have never had a bit of problem with them.  everything from medium power to ultra-light.  true, they haven't the flexibility of my old glass rods, but i love the sensitivity and the lightness.  that being said, an instrument in one man's hand is not the same in another's.  i will stick to my st. croix premiers and be happy with them.  i'm an old dog now and fish for the sheer pleasure of fishing.  if i had to go to an ugly stick or something even more moderately priced, i would still be happy just to be fishing.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

For those who don't know, the first guide on a spinning rod is called the "gathering guide." As its name implies, its purpose is to orient the line coming off the spool. 

I would like to see a solid glass rod come out of the factories again, one for us regular folks. 

[Tony Livingston]

I'd like to see a rod with a little larger guides on the upper half, including the tip. Trying to fish at greater depths when using a slip float, which I do often, means that I'm casting with a bobber stop on my line..... It tends to get hung up going through the micro diameter guides found on a lot of today's rods. Plus, factor in the cold weather, and I get a lot of ice buildup in the guides along with the float stop itself freezing...it's a poor combination for a cold-water angler looking to get some distance on his casts, and still fish at depth with a float.

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

YOU AND ME BOTH DAVID!!!!!!!! EVEN a hollow glass would be nice David and couldn't pick one up soon enough to shake it and see if it's like the old glass ones I have here..........

[Walt Foreman]

Thanks for the kind words, David and Jim, much appreciated!  The handles in the photos were not heavy due to one of them being half cork, and the other being narrower in diameter than many spinning handles.  Some builders who make wood handles bore out the wood beyond the diameter of the blank and mount it on a polyurethane core (which weighs almost nothing) to reduce weight; I'm going to use this method on my next grip.

Rich, I use both fiberglass and graphite blanks.  The graphite ones I use, as far as bluegill rods go, are slower-action than the factory UL rods.  

[Tony Livingston]

Casting something that weighs the equivalent of dandelion fluff can most certainly be done, in a fashion, with the right spinning rod...... I think the rod itself is the most important component, but the correct reel, along with line type and weight play a role also. I am a huge fan of lightweight lures, believing they most closely mimic natural prey in the manner in which they settle on, and possible fall through the water column.

I asked Walt to build me a rod specifically suited to this type of fishing, and I am very happy with its performance. I look forward to using it this next spring and summer.

As far as factory rods go, I too am a St. Croix fanatic.  I think their Avid series of rods are a panfisherman's dream come true.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

My thing is, I'm a budget angler. I'm not flat broke, but $100 rods are probably not in my future. I just can't see it. The end result is the same, regardless - fish caught. 

What I'd like to see is a limber, $25 panfish rod in the 6-7 foot range from Shakespeare - down at the local WalMart. Yeah Ill admit to shopping there. As of today, that rod aint' there.

Im thinking Tooty might be on to something with is old rods.

[chris kowaleski]

I know it's not Shakespeare, but i bought a six foot light action Eagle Claw Powerlight rod from Academy for 20 bucks, and it's seem some heavy use in the last year i've had it. But what i'm getting at is that they also make a whole range of fiberglass rods for around 20-25 dollars

http://www.eagleclaw.com/product/rods/product-line/Featherlight

  http://www.cabelas.com/product/Eagle-Claw-Featherlight-Spinning-Rod...|fis_Rods_general|USA%26WT.z_mc_id1%3DsKQCKIF8z%26rid%3D20%26pcrid%3D12986333298&Ntt=Eagle+Featherlight&WTz_l=PPC