12-11-2009, 05:10 AM
I guess what I would love to know is why so short? Generally IF all things are equal, the shorter the better-as an engineer you can appreciate. How many broken, snagged, jammed,crushed etc. tips have ruined a high dollar fly rod, just as a start? Yes, I know all things are not equal as TD has described in his 90-10discussion. 90-10 might be at other proportions or include other aspects, for someone else as he pointed out. I think as materials and ideas evolve, the "feely" aspects will come closer together. What is it about the conditions of where you fish that you need such a small kit? Going backwards on narrow rivers with sections of high muddy banks, threading class I-II rapids and low overhanging branches. Almost seems like hatchery assault gear that you hide in your jeans. (JUST KIDDING!!) Stealth is good in a rod sometimes to keep others off your spot, and thanks for the idear (kidding). If you're fishing from a 'toon or tube, the boat is your biggest piece, so minimalistic rod/reel doesn't seem like it should be a limiting factor. My longest boat is 7', but I use the under 6' size (discovery trekker size) most often. I can't have rocket lauch holders on the horizontal or vertical with such narrow waters and overhead tree branches. Rods have to be considerably shorter than the pontoon length laying flat to keep within easy reach and not jam or snag something as I go backwards. Things can move very fast and sometimes you only have seconds to stow safely. Now if you're hiking into the back country and every ounce counts, then lightweight is good, but the difference in weight of 3 feet of graphite and 5 is miniscule. It's not weight but length, when I have to pick up and walk around or thru rapids or shallow spots, especially if I need my hands free and can't be holding a long rod. I'm assuming you're fishing with spinning gear? Yes, simplicity and reliability are most important under my river conditions- even use old, high quality, bait cast no longer made, sometimes. I think why nobody has gone wide mainstream commercial is that there isn't really a big demand for it. They would IF all things were closer to being equal.
[quote pontoonman]
I've owned various telescopic rods from low end China mart to about $40 or so. Not a good solution- collapse of section while fighting a fish to very fragile sections that crack or crush easily. Need to pack 3 to be sure one works when you get at destination-and they're too long. Maybe there's a high end product some would know about. The 6 section rods are heavier and have flexability issues because of so many connectors, plus they're way too long and assembly/ disassembly is problematic. That's the way I see things for us spelunking types anyway, what do you think?
Pon[/quote]
I know the problems with telescoping. I recall as a kid we liked to whip them into full length, and on more than one occasion we ended up hopelessly jamming them open. Tried heat to unstick once and I managed to burn out the resin and ended up with raw fiberglass and a bad case of the itchies. As for multiple piece rods, I think that the technology today has negated the old school problem with flat spots and weight due to early ferrule design. All high end fly rods are offered in 4 or more piece configurations, and nobody complains about ferrule issues any more (except perhaps for the occasional stuck one that could be prevented with the use of wax). The last time I looked at these type pack rods, they used metal ferrules and weren't cheap- $60+ range.. You could buy a dimrod for that, assuming anyone would want to do such a thing. But that's been awhile ago and things may have changed.
Take a look at this: [url "http://cgi.ebay.com/IM6-7-Pc-4-5wt-8-Foot-Fly-Rod-Blank-Very-dark-green_W0QQitemZ370304294426QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5637db1e1a"]http://cgi.ebay.com/...?hash=item5637db1e1a[/url]
No name blank, sure, but each section is about 14". Pretty darned short. I think the top 4 sections would make a really fun UL spin rod. MAYBE a bit slow/noodly so tip speed for really light lures may not be super high, but for dunking bait or lobbing heavier (1/16-3/8 oz) lures, it may work fine.
I am actually tempted to do just that. I'm a full-on fly snob now, but it does have some allure... It's an engineering challenge to do more with much less, maybe the ultimate challenge.
Hey Pon, describe for me the conditions you are fishing. Fish type/size, bait/lure, line weight, casting distance, reel type, size concerns, hook size, etc. Type: normally 1-2# rainbow, bass and hybrids, perch, whites but (sometimes) much bigger especially if stripers, cats, alligator gar and even carp on smallish shallow running cranks and spinners (last of which I haven't been able to figure). Oops, my shortest 2 piece is 45" tip to tip of handle breaks down to 20" in 3 pieces, so bit of fish story there. I can cast a 1/16 oz spinner maybe 25'? maximum at still conditions using 6# fireline with a spinner reel. Normally work it no spook drifting or slow movement, so casting distance isn't a factor even when I stop to work an area. I really would like to better understand the priorities at work here...
There you have it, thanks for your interest.
Pon
_SHig[/quote]
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