Fly Blog

by Mark Waldin, 4/16/2010 – Custom Fly Rods  Ever want to put a custom inscription on a fly rod?  Ever have trouble doing it?  I recently put a custom inscription on a fly rod for a retiring Lt Colonel in the airforce as a retirement gift.  I’d done inscriptions in the past using a laser printer and gold leaf on clear label stock.  I never loved the results but they were reasonably acceptable.   But this rod was an uncoated Batson Rainshadow blank in raw dark grey carbon graphite with blue and silver trim.  Gold would not be appropriate so I went with silver leaf.  The results were unacceptable as the leaf refused to cleanly lift from the paper and the label stock left a milky white image on the rod.  As a result I investigated every method under the sun.  Here is what I found…

1. Calligraphers – were very reluctant to take on writing directly on the rod.  The round surface was problem enough but not knowing how the ink and the nib would play with the graphite surface was scary.  The fact that the surface was not porous put on the finishing touch.  The calligraphers I contacted were not willing to do the job.  Estimates for doing a small calligraphy job if they were willing were in excess of $50.  Ouch!

2. Calligraphy on clear label stock – same problems in #1 except for the round surface.  I could do the writing myself and since the surface was flat I could probably convince a calligrapher to try it.  But the raw graphite surface left a milky white haze behind the lettering.

3.  Transfer paper (rub on decal) and laser printer – is a great technology.  One prints on the transfer paper with  the laser printer (or ink jet) using a reverse image.  A second process lifts the ink off the paper onto an adhesive coated paper.  Then the image is rubbed onto the surface resulting in the ink being applied directly to the surface.  This looked like a perfect solution for a custom fly rod inscription.  Unfortunately, laser inks are very transparent and the resulting image showed so much of the black graphite through as to become lost on the surface.  Of course the other problem is that there are no white or metallic colors in laser printer.

4. Slide water  transfers – also work with a laser printer if the printer can handle the heavy cardboard carrier the transfer sits on (some can).  However, the ink opacity problem carries through here so this is not practical.  However, the slide transfers adhere to the fly rod surface much better than adhesive label stock and the writing surface is rougher and slightly more absorbent as well.  Nonetheless, it had troubles with a nib type calligraphy pen.  What did work however was a Pen-Touch calligraphy pen loaded with silver ink.  Unfortunately the pens only go down to .7mm tips so the writing was relatively large.  The paper created a nice surface to write good script.  The inks held fast.   The water decal slid off well from the backing and applied nicely to the fly fishing rod.  When dry it did exhibit a slight haze but much less than the label stock.  On lacquered rods I doubt you would see the backing at all.

Bottom line — if you are not willing to write directly on the fly fishing rod or don’t want to mess it up, use water decal slide transfer paper and a Pen-Touch  pen.  (I also had recommendations to use a  Bic Gel pen but it didn’t come in white or metallic…but for colors might work well and comes in a .5mm point)  Get a calligrapher if you can afford it.  Write on the transfer paper, soak the paper, slide off the decal onto the rod and coat it with rod epoxy to hold it fast.  I got my slide transfer paper from Bel Decals in Miami over the Internet.

by Mark Waldin, 4/10/2010 Flycatcher I have been building custom fly rods for a long time and have seen lots of hardware.  When it comes to wire line guides either traditional snake or single foot guides loop guides go no further than REC recoil guides.   If you are buying an off the shelf rod, this is what you want.  If you are building your own rod, then this is really what you want.  Let me explain.

For the fisherman, REC recoil guides are made of a titanium alloy that exhibits memory.  Bend the guide and it springs back to its original shape and position.  Now I don’t know about you but I don’t stand on my fishing rod or slam it in car doors, but that doesn’t mean accidents don’t happen.  The last thing I want is damage to my favorite $600 rod because of a bent guide and REC provides the insurance that this isn’t going to be a problem.  Small cost for big insurance.  But that isn’t all of it.  REC guides are slicker than chrome guides offering less line resistance and they are harder also.  This means less scoring, less wear, and longer lasting.  I’d only trade up from REC guides if I was jumping to SiC guides.

For the fly rod builder the reasons for using REC are even greater.  Most standard chromed guides are poorly finished off.  They typically have ragged cut ends that can be sharp, of varying lengths, and sometimes flared and sometimes not.  Most builders know they have to hammer the guide foot flat and file it smooth.  Having to do this is both shameful and disconcerting.  Worse, it is easy to create sharp edges when filing guide feet.  These sharp edges can actually cut the thread and weaken the guide adherence.

REC recoil guides are simply quality all the way around.  The feet on these guides are finished properly.  Every component is identical to every other.  You can see the quality.  Each foot is flared at the end uniformly and without sharp edges.  The guides can be mounted without the need for preparation.  They are never bent or off center and they’ll never cut your thread.  They mount 30% faster and provide an excellent thread finish.  Take my word for it.  If you are going to use wire guides on your fly rod, you want to use REC recoil for fit finish, quality, and wear.  You won’t be sorry.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods  – When building a fly rod you want the guides to follow the contour of the rod.   You’ll want to place the stripping guide as close to the butt as possible so that you gain maximum effect of the rod energy on the line.

BUT, you want to be able to easily strip line with your opposite hand.  You’ll want as much line as possible unencumbered by the guides so you can strip the most in a single motion.  Also, you want the lowest possible angle from the reel to the stripping guide.  As a result, you want to place the guide very far away from the butt.

These two goals fight against each other and you have to find a comfortable solution.  For my money, I want to place the stripping guide for maximum stripping ability.  The only time I might violate this is when using a short progressive taper rod, where the rod bend extends far down the rod.  In most cases, the butt section of the rod is very stiff, bends little, and holds only a small amount of casting energy.

Retail rod manufacturers use an “average” person to set the distance, typically 30 inches.  A better way to do it is to place it at a point where the guide is at a comfortable hand reach distance and no more.  You find that by ‘feel’ with an existing rod you have.  The taller you are, the longer your arm reach and the further out you can place the guide.  I have built a table to convert height to stripper distance that is on my web site for people ordering custom rods to use.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods  About the hardest thing to undo when done wrong on a fly rod is the reel seat.  Once it is epoxied in place and dried, chances are you aren’t going to remove it without damaging either the rod on the reel seat.  Uplocking reel seats like the Struble and Bellinger reel seats I use in building custom rods have a fixed pocket for the reel that sits in an inset into the cork grip.

It is important that the pocket line up with the spine of the butt section of the rod.  I Zero Balance all my rods to find the spine, but you can do it less accurately with manual methods.  Aligning the butt section spine may be more important than any of the other sections (depending on the rod) because it can hold a great deal of the power of the cast.

Make certain you don’t forget to align the pocket with the spine because once the epoxy dries you will be living with a misaligned rod without much recourse.  I always put a reel on the rod, align the spine to the reel and let the whole assembly dry that way.  In this way I am certain that the spine is aligned and the extra step of putting on the reel means I never forget to do the aligning.

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods by Flycatcher  – Small detail but adds to beautiful results.  If you have selected a metal winding check (what’s a winding check you ask: a ring of metal or rubber that covers any gaps between the grip and the rod blank and makes it look nice) for your new rod be careful.

Usually your rod component supplier will have matched the winding check diameter to your blank and you will be fine.  However, if you are trying to size a winding check to your blank you could cause a problem.  If the check is too small it will drop part way down the blank and lodge there.  If you weren’t careful loosening it and sliding it off will cause small scratches in the blank’s finish.

My advice is to start with a ring you are pretty sure is too big.  Slide it down slowly, and don’t drop it on.  If it looks like it isn’t going to go all the way down then move up a size.  Once you get one on see how loose it is and move down in sizes one step at a time until you get the right one.

No scratches and a perfect fit.  You’re set.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods  You ordered all the parts.  They look great and the rod will be wonderful.  Uh oh, you ordered an uplocking reel seat to go on the Flor grade western cork grip you had in your arsenal and now you realize you have to create an inset in the cork to slide the hood of the reel seat into.  What do you do?

Well, it takes a couple of tools but nothing too expensive.  First thing you need is a drill and a hole saw.  You want to get a hole saw that is 3/32  to 1/8 smaller than the diameter of the reel seat hood.   The hole saw has a drill bit in the middle.  You want to tape the bit so that it just fits nicely inside the hole that runs down the center of the grip.  This will be used to guide the hole saw and keep it true.

Wrap tape around the hole saw just above the depth you want to stop drilling to.  This will keep you from going too deep.  Now, drill out the grip butt.  Once you have done this, you will have a cork ring inside the grip butt that you will need to break out.  You can easily do this with your fingers.

You now have a roughed out hole you need to clean up.  To do that, you will need a dremel  tool.  You can get one for about $20 which is less than the cost of the cork grip that you will ruin if you don’t get it.  Use an abrasive stone cutter on the dremel and slowly increase the diameter of the hole.  Test the diameter frequently as you are going by trying to insert the reel seat hood.  Take your time and you will have a great result.

One other thing, get a reel seat that has a flange on the hood.  This will cover any slight imperfections you create and give you a nice finish.  This usually means a slightly more expensive reel seat, but it will be worth it.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods – I took an order for a custom fly rod yesterday from Dennis of Colorado.  Really nice fellow.  He was interested in maniform fly rod grips and what I thought about them.  I do offer them on my custom rods but don’t have a lot of personal ‘use’ knowledge of them.  I have read some reviews and comments and I could offer that as advice.

Dennis is wheel chair bound so his fly fishing is a bit different than other folks.  I think a maniform my actually be useful to him.  I think the pistol grip style can help with keeping rod control and I have seen many positive comments.  I cautioned him that fit to the hand could be an issue.  I plan to send him a grip and let him decide if the fit is good.  If it is, I’ll build the rod with it.  If not we’ll go with the reverse half well.

In any case Dennis going to get a beautiful rod.  He ordered a Winston IIx 9ft 5wt.  It will be outfitted with a nickel silver Struble reel seat with Fiddleback maple insert, REC recoil guides and tip top, and japanese silk thread wraps with trim.

Anybody have any insight into these maniform grips?

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods 12/1/08 – There are a number of small gotcha’s when you build a fly rod.  They are often the result of ‘boy was I stupid’ actions.  Trouble is they are easy to do, hard to fix, and nobody warns you of them!  So, here is the first one: Forgot to align the reel seat arbor in the reel seat assembly.  If you’ve ever done this, you will remember it.  Most things in building a fly rod can be fairly easily fixed.  This one is one of the hardest.

Many reel seats come with an arbor that has a cut-out notch along it’s length.  This cut out is where the reel nestles into the  reel seat steadying it.  It is not so hard to epoxy the reel seat in place and forget to align the cut out with the reel pocket on the reel seat.  Once the reel seat epoxy hardens it is next to impossible to remove the reel seat.  About the only way to do it is to cut off the reel seat with a hacksaw (very carefully).  If you can avoid damaging a $300 rod blank you will still have destroyed a reel seat that probably costs $30 to $50.

Geez I hate that.  My advice is to create a checklist for assembly of your rod and add a visual check for this in the checklist.  Have you ever done this?  How did you fix it?

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods – I’ve sold a lot of IMX blanks and complete fly rods.  The IMX is not the newest rod (blank) on the market but over the years it has generated one of the largest followings I have seen.  But because it is not a ‘new’ rod, there is not a lot on forums and web sites about this rod.  One thing to note is that it is a mid-priced rod and most typically a 3 section (told you is wasn’t new to the market!) rod.  If you want a quality rod with a good feel many people will tell you, you can’t go wrong with it.  Here is what I could find on the forums:

When Loomis started messing with their rod classifications ( GL4, etc.)and than got out of the rodbuilding blank business they lost a lots of customers and people who would recommend their products. Made no sense to me to completely change everything and leave their customers with zero knowledge base to work with if they wanted to continue to sell product. When they started selling blanks again they were less than a premium quality product, Angler’s Workshop and others were doing a heck of a return business if they weren’t first checking the blanks before they went out. Loomis and others are having a hard time now selling a premium priced product in the market today. Everyone associated with them is feeling the pinch right now. All this said I have always likes the IMX series when I could get a straight one to work with. Blanks like the Rainshdow RX8+ is what I use now to fit the same market. –Rodbuilding Forum

For rods, I own a Loomis GL3 and a Loomis IMX. The Loomis are expensive but are hard to beat. –www.salmoncrazy.com

When I was running my charter boat I was on the Loomis pro-staff…We provided Loomis IMX fly rods 10wt mega, to 17wt prototypes. Many of my customers brought their own Sage rods on board. I have had alot of experience with both. Pick ‘em! You can’t lose with either one. –www.fliesandfins.com

My Fly outfits for Bass are a 10′ 4wt IMX Loomis and an 8′6″ 5wt IMX Loomis. –www.tacklebox.com

I have fished with a Lami 96ls, Loomis GL2 and GL3 and IMX (9′6″) and the rod I use the most now is a custom rod from TH Custom Rods that is a Rainshadow 9′ 6″ 1042 blank with a carbon fiber wrapped handle. It is a medium light action and I like it better than any of the others I have tried. I would put this Rainshadow up there with the Loomis IMX only for half the money. –www.fishingnw.com

I put G. Loomis’s IMX rod up against St.Croix’s Legend Elite, and I have to say that I was really impressed with the St. Croix rod. It has a shorter handle which is easier on the wrist for the day of fishing 10+ hours. I was using a six foot, medium, fast action rod. It was great with Lindy rigs and also jigs. It is now my favorite rod. The IMX from G. Loomis is a great rod also, but not quite the top of their line as that would be the GLX. Still I liked the Loomis but thought it was a little stiffer than the St. Croix when it comes to finesse walleye presentations. The IMX model I have is a 6 ft. medium action rod. –www.nodakoutdoors.com

I can also support the Dan Craft blanks. I have built a Sig V 8′9″ 4wt and it is my go-to and favorite trout rod. I also have a 9′ 6wt FT and it is a great rod, but I like my Sig V so much better. I also like the Loomis IMX line. I built a 9′ 4wt that is a very nice rod. –www.washingtonflyfishing.com

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods – I built a new fly rod last week. This rod is truly sweet. The rod has a Batson RX-7+ 8′ 6″ 4wt blank. It is a medium fast rod in a beautiful carmel color that I paired with deep cinnamon thread and yellow trim. I decked it out with the usual…a gorgeous cocobolo insert Struble nickel silver reel seat, a flor grade half well grip, and a nickel silver winding check. For guides I used single foot Fuji guides; titanium alloy frames with silicon carbide inserts. These are extremely lightweight, extremely slick, and hard as nails.

Today, I took the rod out on the North Fork of the Snoqualamie river (western Washington in the Cascade mountains for the uninitiated). The rod performed beautifully. It was effortless to cast and doing all the work for me. The Fuji guides were phenomenal..no kidding. The line flowed through the guides like butter as if their were no guides there at all. I was in heaven. Caught two nice cutthroats.

That’s when it happened. Deep, fast water. One mis-step, lost my balance. On regaining my footing, I dropped down a small slope which increased the force of the water and pull me off my feet altogether. Moments later I was floating down a 50 degree river, lost my hat, lost my prescription glasses,  broke my rod and lost the top three sections.

Well, that rod was so awesome, I’m going to have to rebuild it.   Whoa, a good day, a bad day, an ugly day.

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods — I collected what I could find around the web of user reviews of the Sage ZXL fly rod. My conclusion is that if you are a die hard LL or SLT fan you may not like the ZXL. If you have an open mind and a willing body, are looking for a nice presentation rod, and want a premium rod you might just find the ZXL to be one sweet rod.

Well we had our first play with the new Sage ZXL series rods today. This is the SLT replacement. This is a moderate casting dry fly rod, sweet action. Yes its a $650 rod, which doesn’t appeal to a lot of people on here, others like them, personal choice, we’ve had that debate here lol. But to talk about how it casts. Pretty effortless, and I get to cast a lot of rods. Its not a cannon, very approachable.

Now there is a trend among a lot of highend rods to have a dramatically soft tip, moving towards a stiff butt. Think ZAxis; Winston Biix type of action. Very noticable when your pulling line off the water, and they do protect light tippets. This rod has a tippet protecting tip, but its a much gentler transition through the midsection into the butt. for me at least that means smooth. I can relax fishign these rods, there’s no alarm bells going off through the pickup, false casts and delivery.

Lightness of the G5 rods (Sage’s tradename for this technology) is right there, pretty color. –posted http://ozarkanglers.com

Had a chance to cast one the other day. Think it was the 9′5wt..very nice rod, very smooth but not that fast..I liked it alot.. –posted http://ozarkanglers.com

I’ve read some posts by guys who tried it. The conclusion is if you like the LL, you probably won’t like the ZXL. If you like the SLT, you probably won’t like the ZXL. If you like something in the middle of those two. You’ll like it. –posted http://www.flyfish.com

I have just received my ZXL 9ft 5wt and really like it.
I am just playing with some different lines on it at present to see which one I prefer. I have fished the SA XPS on it and am about to try the SA GPX and Rio Gold for a comparison. I also have the Sage SLT and Z-Axis in 5wt 9ft and love them all. Timing and feeling your rod load will make the real difference! –posted http://www.flyfish.com

I made my first major purchase rod purchase in a couple of years this fall….. the lovely Sage ZXL 5 weight, matched to the Airflo Trout Tactical Ridge Line, this outfit is a beautiful addition to my arsenal. I’ve been fishing it almost exclusively since I purchased it and find it to be the perfect balance of power and delicacy…. it casts as far as I need it to but is soft enough to protect the 7x tippets we use on a daily basis here on the Farmington. –posted http://www.farmingtonriver.com

The new ZXL is far superior to the SLT for my personal casting. –posted http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com

Sage 376 ZXL gets my vote. You got that kind of money, you buy Sage or Winston. But I’m a Sage guy. –posted http://flyfishcalgary.com

i also have the zxl 9ft 5wgt it is a lovely rod but is it any better than the slt? –posted http://www.sexyloops.co.uk

I recently acquired a Sage ZXL rod and have found it to be the best casting rod I have ever owned. –posted http://www.ozarkchronicles.com

I got a sage 590-ZXL and I love it… Super smooth, light and very accurate. … –posted www.utahonthefly.co

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods – I’ve been asked a number of times about which rod blank is which when it comes to G Loomis fly rod blanks. Loomis has a strong tendency to re-use names for their fly rods and put addendums on them. For example they make a GLX Cross Current rod and a GLX Presentation rod. The Presentation rod comes in 3 line speeds all called Presentation. I don’t know about you but to me these are fundamentally different rods and should have different names. It makes it hard for the consumer to know what is going on.

It is even more difficult when you are looking to build a rod because Loomis sells the GLX rod blank but it has no indication as to which GLX it is! If anyone wanted to deliberately confuse people they couldn’t have done a better job. So if you are looking to build or are looking to buy a custom fly rod, you need a little more insight in to what Loomis is doing. Here is my understanding.

Loomis makes some very nice rods, but the company has some strange quirks that make it difficult for anglers. Perhaps it is because they are owned by Shimano, perhaps not. The most important thing to know is Loomis does not sell any rod blanks for any current production fly rods. All blanks are older models.

Because Loomis is not building rod blanks for sale using current fly rods, they have to set up a special production run when they go to build blanks for sale. (This may be why the quality control on the blanks seems to vary.) Rod blanks are built in fits and starts with varying degrees of availability. It is not unusual to find that a particular rod blank is months away from being produced.

If your heart is set on G Loomis then order your blank and wait until you can get it. If you have some latitude, my recommendation for rod builders is to look to St Croix if you want a rod blank that has excellent performance and a great performance to price ratio. If you want the best of the best rod blanks then go with Sage. With St Croix you’ll get a very comparable rod and with Sage you’ll get a rod that will beat Loomis every time.

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods – I’ve collected a lot of web site forum commentary on the G Loomis GLX rod.  Please enjoy reading and add your comments if you have opinions on this rod!  Enjoy…

25 foot performance – 18 points out of 20

The softer progressive tip of this rod contributes to the excellent short-range accuracy and feel. No one has mastered the technology like Steve Rajeff and G. Loomis when it comes to building really small diameter rod tips. It’s hard to believe, but the tip diameter of this 5 weight StreamDance GLX, just below the tip wrap, measures only .053”! The next best is Sage at .059” and all the rest of the rods go from .061” (Scott G-2) to .067” (Orvis Zero G.) All the G. Loomis StreamDance rods we’ve sold have proven to be extremely strong despite the tiny tip diameters. Breakage rates are one of the lowest in the industry.

Excellent accuracy at short distance, combined with a very light swing weight making this a great rod for dry fly fishing and lots of false casting.

45 foot performance – 20 points out of 20

A virtual dead heat with the Z-Axis. Terrific feel and accuracy. Slightly heavier in my hand (heavier swing weight) than the Sage but equal in mid-distance performance, accuracy and power. Both of these finalists are on a higher performance plateau than all the other rods tested.

70 foot performance – 18 points out of 20

Wonderful power and accuracy. Unbelievable explosive power on tap when you need it. Lean on this rod and the line really flies! A great performer at long distance and an amazing amount of reserve power that you didn’t believe existed. Throwing a tight loop into a hard wind was effortless.

–posted Yellowstone Angler

I don’t own one, but I have cast it, drooled over it even tried to smuggle it out LOL. A very, very nice rod. Fast but delicate. –posted North American Fly Fishing Forum

A 4 or 5 lb trout on a 6wt G-Loomis (Streamdance GLX) rod is something every angler should have the opportunity to experience. –posted www.marinews.com

A friend of mine has one of these (Loomis GLX) in the 9′6″ length … and it’s one SWEET casting fly rod. –posted Rocky Mountain Fly Forums

I casted a friend’s Z-Axis last June, and it was probably the best casting rod I have ever casted. It was effortless for getting the line out, and it was accurate as hell. I might even put it above my G-Loomis StreamDance GLX for casting ability…which says a lot because the GLX is a hell of a rod too. –posted http://flyangler.ca

For an all-round 5-wt for Colorado I flat love my Loomis GL3. I have a 6-wt GLX and it has its place (mainly in wind or stillwater fishing) but for most my nymphing and dry fishing the GL3 has my heart. –posted Intermedia Outdoor Forum

In the $600.00 range the Z Axis, BXII and the Streamdance GLX in the 9′ 5 wts. are as good as it gets. –posted Intermedia Outdoor Forum

My 8 weight Loomis GLX weighs aprox the same as most brands 6 weight. I can also cast the Loomis with 2 fingers anda palm, so yes I would spend the big bucks versus cutting corners. For comparable money, if I had to choose a non-Lomis rod, then the St Croix Ultra Legend would be a better value. Plus both are American made. –posted TexasKayakFishermen.com

I gave a try to the tiboronII, didn’t like it so much, kind of tiring… sent it back for refund. Got a great deal on a loomis CC-GLX, this rod is awesome, light, nervous, smooth, lots of fun I love it. –posted Fly Rod Review

I use my glx as often as I use my Sage. I’ve put my T&T rods on the back burner for now because I think the GLX and the Sage are better rods for me, especially when casting weighted streamers.

No, i’m not a pro by any means but I know what a good rod feels like and I know what a crap rod feels like. Then again, it’s all based on personal preference. My opinion is that the old GLX outperforms the new GLX by a long shot. My personal opinion is that the St. Croix and the Orvis Zero G rods are really nice too. –posted New Jersey Fly Fishing

by Mark Waldin  Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods – I know a lot of fly rod builders that advise a newbie to build a cheap fly rod to get started.  They figure it is going to turn out looking like crap so why mess up on a good rod.  My opinion is that if you build a rod that you really don’t want to use to fish and you expect to screw it up, then chances are you are going to have a rod you are not proud of when you get done.  My opinion is to not even build a rod unless it is one you plan to do right and you plan to be proud of and fish with for years to come.  I think that most people are most afraid of the guide wrappings and coating.  This is the area that may be hardest to get right the first time.  So I am going to give you a few pointers to help you along.  But I also want you to know that even if you do mess it up, the guides are the easiest thing to redo and fix also.  So, buy the rod you really want and take your time to do it right.  You’ll be proud of it and you’ll love fishing it.

Here are a few tips:

Overlapping wraps: when you are laying down wraps watch carefully for thread overlapping a previous wrap.  This will show up in the finished product.  Take your time and inspect as you go.  If you have to, wrap so that there is a gap between the wrap going down and the wraps already down.  Then use your thumbnail to pull them up tight.

Separating wraps: wrap three or four thread wraps and then pull the wrap up tight using your thumbnail.  This will keep the wrap snug with no gaps.  Drop your pull through loop in place at least 5 or 6 wraps from the end so that the final wraps don’t come loose when you put down the wrap coat.  Make sure those final wraps are snug but not too snug or you will not be able to pull the thread through with the loop.

Hanging chads: use a razor blade to cut your thread down close to the wrapping.  A somewhat dull blade is often better than a new one as it has some small pitting in it that acts to snag and cut the thread.  Many times you will not have any hanging thread when you do this.  Where you do have hanging thread use a cigarette lighter to melt back the nub being careful not to melt the wrap.

Wrap coat bubbles:  You need not have bubbles in your wrap coat if you are careful.  Use a narrow bottom vessel like a pill cup to mix your coating.  Use a plastic stirring stick like a coffee stirrer.  Stir so slow that you think you couldn’t go any slower and then go slower.  Heat the mixture with a hair dryer or a warm water bath before stirring.  It will probably take 3 or more minutes to thoroughly stir your coating…that’s ok!

Get a rod turner: Yes you can build a rod without any equipment but do you want the result to look good?  Get a rod turner.  You can get one pretty cheap so don’t skimp on this essential tool.  Work quickly but not by compromising quality.  You’d do better to get half done and have to stir up another batch of coating than to be sloppy.  If it seems your coating is starting to thicken up too much, try the hair dryer to thin it down some.  Worst case, mix another batch.   Use the first coat to just thoroughly soak the thread.  Don’t try to use it to create a nice finish.  That is what the next two coats are for.

Inspect frequently and thoroughly:  Before the first coat make sure you’ve gotten all the thread nubs off that you can and make sure all the thread wraps are pulled up tight with no gaps in the thread.  Do this BEFORE you mix up the coating or start applying it!

Trim: after the first (each) coat look for any bumps or stray coating lumps that may have built.  Use a razor to cut them off and smooth them up.

Work in a ‘clean’ room: Dust is death. Wrap finish is glossy and reflective.  Even the smallest dust particle in your wrap finish is going to alter the reflection of light and provide pinpoints of reflected light that will make any imperfection look ten times bigger than it is.   The only way to avoid this is to work in an extremely clean room.  Make sure the room is dusted, vacuumed, and cleaned first.  Make sure that any dust that may have been stirred up (while cleaning even) has settled before you begin.  Make sure you are clean and lint free.  This advice can make a big difference in your outcome so don’t skimp here.

Finally, remember that a wrapping screw up can be fixed so don’t get paranoid.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Inc. Custom Fly Rods – Continuing in my series on collecting user comments on various fly rods.  Today I am covering the St Croix Avid Fly Rod.   This is the SCIII rod blank from St Croix and is a medium fast taper.  In my opinion this is a great rod, at a great price especially for smaller streams and rivers.  But what do I know?  See what other people have said about these rods…

I had a Avid but it is definitely too slow, I went up to a legend ultra and its a better rod. The Avid series is St. Croix’s entery level rod and its performance will be less than a Ultra or any other fast action rod out there. If you want a good fast rod but not a huge price tag look at a G loomis GL3.  –posted on www.StriperSurf.com

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher.com Custom Fly Rods - In my last blog How to choose a fly rod model and manufacturer, I mentioned that I wanted to roll up comments on fly rod models and manufacturers from around the web. You can see my entire collection at Flycatcher Fly Wiki.  My first look is at a great rod manufacturer, Thomas and Thomas. This is a look at their Helix moderately fast action rod that uses their BAFT graphite design. Hear what people around the web are saying about this awesome rod/rod blank. The following are excerpts from commentary on various web forums around the web (attribution is given at the end of each quote):

After visiting their shop and testing them out, I recently became an avid follower and owner of several Thomas & Thomas Helix rods. They have excellent balance and cast very smoothly. Alot of power for the varying wind conditions. The Helix has very adequate backbone, but they do not give you the sensation of being a “stiff” rod. –posted on ReelTime [www.ReelTime.com]

One of the other guys on the trip used this rod for quite a bit and he liked it a ton. He too thought it added a great deal of distance to his cast and thought it was extremely easy to lay out straight line. Overall, I’d say this rod is very smooth and very powerful. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I tried out the T&T (Helix) 4 wt for a weekend trip to RFC & the Yakima. I loved it. I used it primarily for dry flies, but also with fairly cumbersome nymphing rigs, and as it does the wind blew. This rod handled it all beautifully and with delicate casts, even at distance. I took along my 5 wt and 6 wt rods because I thought I’d need them in the wind, but never took that T&T out of my hands. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I used the T&T 6 wt on a float trip on the Lower Salmon River, mostly fishing weighted streamers for smallies. I was not as impressed with the rod as I expected to be after reading other reviews. I mean it is a fine rod and I was able to cast these flies a long way, but I found it did not load very well for short casts, and my timing had to be quite good to make a successful long cast. Maybe this just means I am not a good enough caster to appreciate this rod, but I prefer my Sages, I get a better feel for what is going on with my cast. Just one opinion. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]
Borrowed the Helix 6wt back in April and wasn’t very impressed. It had pretty nice hardware and it was fairly well put together (except for the abuse someone had put on it), but it lacked something. Maybe it was just an overall slower rod, but it lacked the backbone I was hoping for. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I picked up the Thomas & Thomas 6 wt for a trip to the Yakima. Over the day, I threw this, the 6wt Sage Fli, and the 6wt TFO TiCR. I probably used the Thomas and Thomas (Helix) the least of the three, but in using it it seemed that I could easily get the longest distance with it. I found myself easily shooting another 10 feet with this rod compared to the others. However, with that distance came a loss of some accuracy. I think that if I fished with it for a while more I could correct that…

When I went to T&T I absolutely loved the Helix. I cast a number of them in different weights and lengths and they were the most versatile rods I have found. They cast very well, very smooth, very comfortable. Very powerful – they had plenty of backbone but not too much. The #7-10 rods in 9′6″ are perfectly designed for steelhead and salmon yet are very well suited for Stripers or bonefish (or anything else) in respective weights. (I personally cast that length better than I did the 10 footers so I decided the rod control was worth more than the extra 6 inches).

I also tried a #5 Helix that they put a Saltwater reel seat on that had perfect balance and I liked it better than the freshatwer reel seat model they also make. I threw the line off that rod like there was no tomorrow. It is a real rocket – that #5 was possibly the nicest rod I have ever cast. My #5 XP is going in the closet for awhile. I have just ordered the #5 through the #10 weight rods in the Helix, with the #5 & 6 being 9-foot length and the #7 thru #10 all in 9′6″. All were ordered with the saltwater reel seat.

If I had to choose between my Crosscurrents and these or if I had to recommend one rod series to someone, I would have to say the T&T Helix is the best all-around rod. The GLX CC may have the slight edge in the Salt with its slightly greater power to fight large fish, but T&T is more versatile and it is smoother and a bit less stiff.

With the Helix, I can now go to New Zealand with only the #5 in 9′ and the #7 in 9′6″, because the 5 is enough of a light rod but also has the backbone to handle the 6 pound fish we commonly find in the backwoods while. The 7 weight has all the muscle needed for the 10-12 pound (or larger) fish we find in the Tongariro or similar rivers. I won’t need an 8 weight any longer down there if I don’t want to take it. As far as the #7 thru #10 being used in BC, all I can say is I can’t wait. With the #9 and #10, you feel as if you are casting a #8, they are light and well designed. — posted on Reel Time [www.reel-time.com]

I just bought a 4wt Helix, and I must say that it is the most badass 4wt rod I have casted. I tried Sage (XP, SLT), Winston (WT, LT BIIX), St. Croix and Scott rods, but the Helix kicked their ass…. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I sold my 7wt XP after buying a 7wt Helix because the XP was sitting in the corner collecting dust. The Helix isn’t night and day different than the XP, but enough to make me a convert. My 8wt Horizon is my favorite T&T stick though. The Horizon will cast circles around an XP. I haven’t tried the new Horizon II’s yet, but I have a couple on order right now. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

The Helix is a super-sweet stick. It casts really smooth, and handles great. It’s not as fast as a Horizon II, but I don’t need a cannon for a 4wt. I can still roll cast a double nymph/strike indicator combo with the Helix just fine. That is actually what sold me on it. Alpine is right, there isn’t a night and day difference, but there are subtle differences that put the T&Ts above an XP in my book. The Horizon II is somewhere between an XP and a TCR. It is super-fast, but at the same time, somewhat forgiving. When you mess up your casting stroke with a TCR, its sometimes nearly impossible to recover, but the HII is much easier to recover a bad cast or adjust a poor cast in mid-stroke. Don’t get me wrong, I love my XP, but the Helix is my rod of choice. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

the T&T’s HANDS DOWN. superior not only in regards to casting, but FISHING. go cast one youll see what i mean. especially the helix- the sweetspot on that rod is 9 feet long. absoluuuuut BUTTAH –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

I’ll just say that I am a former owner of 3 XP’s but have sold them all in favor of 3 Helixes (5, 6, 9 wts). There’s nothing wrong with the XP’s. I just like the Helixes for their versatility.

As mentioned by others, the Helix is still stiff and light, but the taper is not as severe — it’s not as tippy as the XP. For me, this results in a more versatile rod. It’s sort of a “Joe Lunchpail” rod in terms of getting the job done long, short, roll, wind, side-arm, and other creative maneuvers. It seriously roll casts maybe 25% farther than an XP. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

Helixes I own easily handle long mid-distance (50-70′) casts, make little fish feel like big fish, but handle big fish w/ no problem. –posted Intermedia Outdoors Forum [www.outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com]

I recently became an avid follower and owner of several Thomas & Thomas Helix rods. They have excellent balance and cast very smoothly. Alot of power for the varying wind conditions in the Matagorda region. The Helix has very adequate backbone for that area and those fish, but they do not give you the sensation of being a “stiff” rod. –posted www.reel-time.com

Overall, the Helix performed exceptionally well. It has an extremely smooth, forgiving action yet is still a powerful rod. Compared to the Horizon, the Helix definitely had a more sensitive feel, but still delivered the power necessary to punch Chernobyl Ants and conehead streamers through the wind. My only complaint with the Helix was that I felt the stripping guide could have been slightly larger. When viewed side-by-side, you could see the size of the guide on the 8 weight Horizon was significantly larger. I found that in many situations, the smaller stripping guide on the Helix seemed to be a bottleneck when shooting line. Other than that, I give this rod top marks in all other categories. It was a pleasure to fish and I have the feeling my other 7 weights are going to be collecting dust in the corner from now on. –posted www.riverandreef.com

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods – I often get phone calls from fly rod prospects wanting to know what fly rod they should buy and which one is better than another.  What I can tell you is that with fly rods you get what you pay for.  The more you spend the better the rod.  The second thing I can say is to be careful of the pundits that claim going down to the fly shop and trying the rods will tell you which one to get.  That quite frankly is like having a person who hasn’t had experience with wines telling you which bottles are good.  They will pick out a nice bottle of sweet wine and be happy.  That works with wine because next week they can stretch to try maybe a bit better wine.  Problem with a fly rod is that you will probably keep it for years and you will not grow in your selection of rods and ability to cast them!  I think I have never heard worse advice.

If that is bad advice, then what do I propose?  My guidance would be to get the best rod you can afford.  Set your budget and then work within it.  Stretch yourself a least one step on rod action from what you are used to.  You may have to practice and experience it to get good at it but at least you’ll have the chance to grow in to it!  Deviate from this where you have some specific fishing objectives that drive a softer rod, where faster action really doesn’t provide advantages or may provide disadvantages.

Be careful of listening to pundits of particular rods.  Remember that all national brands have pundits and if you look hard enough you are going to find someone to tell you that the such and such a rod is the best.  Just listening to one individual is not necessarily the way to go.  Again, you get what you pay first of all, but I would add to that you should look at which way the overall opinion is leading.  To do that you need to look at forums (especially forums rather than reviews) and see what a group of people are saying about a rod you may be interested in.  By doing this you will move your thought process toward or away from the rod, and most importantly you’ll feel good about the decision you made!

Now that I’ve said that I have to add that finding commentary on forums is a tedious task and a lot of work.  So, my goal is to do it for you.  In my next blog I am going to pick a rod model and give you a compendium of commentary on it from the various forums.  Then I’ll periodically add more rod models.

All these commentaries will also be added to my fly fishing wiki – Fly Wiki - at www.flycatcherinc.com/flywiki

by Mark Waldin www.flycatcherinc.com  Have you ever sealed your fly rod thread wraps and found a single loose wrap on the end that has pulled away from the pack?  Do you ponder as to how that could have happened?

Of course there are multiple reasons that it could happen and it is always best to examine your wraps right after you finish applying the first coat of epoxy.  But there are two reasons that stand out that cause this to occur.

The first reason is on the start of your fly rod wrap.  You loop the thread over the rod, cross the thread over itself and hold the cross as you wrap the thread around the fly rod two or three times.  Now it is tight and you can proceed normally.  The problem forms in those first few wraps, when you don’t have as tight a loops as you do after you get started.  The solution is to make sure that before you cut the thread tag end you pull the thread up tight even if it pulls through a bit of wrap as it goes.  Doing this before cutting the thread will pull any loose wrap up snug and assure you of a tight start.

The second reason is when you finish off the wrap on a fly rod guide.  You are four winds from the end.  You place a loop of thread under the winding and proceed with the last four wraps.  Now, if you place the thread up close to the guide foot the thread is likely to find its way up just beneath the guide foot in the pocket formed there.  When you pull the thread through, it slips into the pocket and the thread end that gets pulled with it is sitting in the pocket.  It may look secure but it is literally hanging on by a thread.  When you brush on the epoxy you knock it loose and wind up with a hanging loop.

The solution is to place your thread loop directly opposite the guide foot on the other side of the fly rod.  This keeps it as far away from the pocket as possible.  The second thing is to pull the thread loop out of the winding perpendicular to the fly rod or even better yet pointed slightly back toward the direction of the wind.  This will eliminate the tendency of the thread to slide up into the pocket.

Do these things and you will have nice tight loops on the ends of your guide wraps.

by Mark Waldin www.flycatcherinc.com  I’ve been busy building rods and haven’t been able to get in the mental mind frame to write about fly fishing.  I’ve been thinking about some things as I build these rods.  I’m especially touched by the things I do that make the fly rod a master craft product but are not necessarily easy to see.

I really got on this as I was winding some fly rod guides with silk thread.  You know, silk thread doesn’t look all that much different than nylon thread on a rod.  In fact silk thread is a pain in the butt.  It costs more than nylon.  It tends to fray more easily and pill if you aren’t careful while you are putting it on.  It is lighter and daintier so that it is easier to cross wrap as you are going.  And it is easily cut by sharp guide feet while you are coaxing them up the foot.  So, why use it?

For one it is classic fly rod material with a lot of tradition.  Second it is a natural material.  Third it is 25 times stronger than nylon.  Fourth, I can brag that more rod is wrapped with pure silk.  Silk is a craft material and I like that…..even if you can’t tell it’s silk by just looking at the rod.  So, there.

by Mark Waldin www.flycatcherinc.com One of my customers emailed me yesterday asking how to apply a manufacturer’s decal onto the rod blank to make it look good. He had put a coat of Flex Coat on the rod before applying the decal and he was telling me how bad it looked. He wanted to know if there was a better way to do it. I figured there may be others of you out there that might have the same question, so here was my answer.

Put the decal on the rod before you apply wrap finish. Try not to handle the sticky side with you fingers (or at least try to minimize that) as the oils from your fingers can wind up showing through. I like to use a metal. Once the decal sticks to the rod it is difficult to reposition it without creasing it and creating a milky spot. I find that its good to have way to align the label straight so repositioning is not needed. Put some masking tape down the rod to act as a guide to align the long edge of the label. That way it will be on straight the first time. Start with the middle of the label and press outward so you don’t have any bubbles or folds that will show through the epoxy. Press it down well, smoothing as you go. This will get any residual bubbles out from under the decal. The decal should pretty much go clear without leaving marks. Cover it with wrap finish. It will definitely take two coats and quite possibly a third coat to keep the decal edges from showing.

This approach has worked very well on all the major brand blanks I use and sell: Loomis, St Croix, etc… The only exception is Batson whose decals are of a bit lower quality and tend to show no matter what. If you are not wedded to it, I would pass up putting the decal on when doing a Batson rod.