Showing posts with label Graphite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graphite. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Completed New Saltwater 8wt Graphite Fly Rod

The new rod is completed. Slightly faster than my old trusty 8wt...(I made a side by side photo.) It will be a nice stick for stripers, bonito and albies!

Ritz composite/cork grip, Fuji seat, EVA butt, non-tangle black strippers and TiCH single foots. Carbon grey wraps with red silk tipping.


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Friday, November 29, 2024

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Old rods revisited: HarborSky saltwater camo fly rods

I built these rods in 2012 and still use them regularly. They are 9' for #6 and #7 lines. Graphite blanks were made by G. Loomis, painted by myself with a non-gloss paint, for the stealthy camo look. Their moderate action is well suited for precise shots on the flats. I use the #6 most often for my local sight-casting. It loads quickly for shorter casts. The #7 (fishes like a #8) has more power...I like it for longer casts on pale bottom flats. 

They are still fun rods to fish today, and they have held up very well, after many days in the saltwater environment! You can read about them in my original post.

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Friday, March 26, 2021

Monday, August 17, 2020

Friday, May 29, 2020

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Refurbishing the "Pink Panther" 868-4 from 2011

This rod has been one of my favorite rods, built back in August 2011. I caught some very nice striped bass on it. It needed its single foot guides replaced. The Fuji strippers were OK and also the tip top, so I left those unchanged, but rewrapped them. I put Pac Bay Minima single foots, so hopefully they can last another ten years or so...



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Monday, May 11, 2020

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Saltwater Graphites (part 2)

A one piece 8'10" 10wt stick, excellent for long hours on the jetty, when you are tired and don't have to worry about rod sections coming apart. Also, a nice boat rod. (The reel seat insert is red, but it turned out pinkish in the photos.) The rod wears REC Recoil snakes and Minima Titanium strippers.



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Saturday, September 1, 2018

Saltwater Graphites (part 1)

Just completed...9' 7wt and 8wt. A departure from fiberglass rods, but I built these for my own use, since I fish saltwater a lot and enjoy casting and fishing rods made of all materials. The rods have some unique touches.  A couple of more salty graphites will be coming up, so stay tuned. 

   
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Sunday, April 22, 2018

Comparison: Two Versions of Retrograph 904-4


So how these two builds compare? They are built on two identical blanks, with slightly different components. There will always be some variation in blank weight, regardless of the manufacturer. However, the difference in components will make larger impact on the weight of the completed rod.

Retrograph 1: 904-4 glossy blank, uplock cork/micarta reel seat with mini butt and aluminum fittings, 6.25" cork grip, TiCH wire stripper, Snake Brand Original snakes and tip top.

Retrograph 2: 904-4 hand rubbed satin finish blank, downlock micarta reel seat with nickel silver cap and ring, 6" cork grip, agate/nickel silver frame stripper, Pac Bay light-wire snakes and tip top.

I used identical finish on both blanks, and guide wraps were kept as short as possible. Here are the results. No doubt, the extra weight of nickel silver contributed to the slightly heavier weight of certain rod sections.


rod model butt section 3rd section 2nd section tip section total rod weight
Retrograph 1 724 grains 267 grains 140 grains 63 grains 1194 grains
(2.72 oz or 77.36 grams)
Retrograph 2 788 grains 276 grains 135 grains 62 grains 1261 grains
(2.88 oz or 81.37 grams)
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