Showing posts with label Paradox Fly Rod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paradox Fly Rod. Show all posts

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Trout Glass Rods or "The Magnificent Seven"



My personal collection of currently used trout glass or hybrid glass/bamboo rods, L to R:

6'6" orange S-glass 3/4wt 3pc, quick dry fly
7'3" Paradox Hybrid phenolic glass/bamboo 4wt 2/2, parabolic
7'4" Unstructured Prototype E-glass 3/4wt 3pc, med-fast progressive
7'6" orange S-glass 4/5wt 3pc, quick dry fly and streamer
7'6" Unstructured "Old Empire" E-glass 3wt 4pc, semi-parabolic
8'1" Hybrid phenolic/S-glass 3wt 5pc, dry fly fast parabolic, regressive butt taper 
8'2" (250cm) Unstructured Prototype E-glass 4.5wt 4pc, dry fly progressive
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Sunday, July 2, 2017

Driftless Fishing and Paradox 734

Little para taper boo-glass hybrid proved itself again in Driftless. It was raining quite a bit and streams were discolored. I had to search for fishable water, but was rewarded with beautiful wild browns. Paradox 734 handled them with aplomb and I ended up fishing it exclusively. I posted few more pics from the trip in my other blog.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Monday, April 3, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Work in Progress...Paradox Revisited!

I am finally having little time for rod building. I am working on a longer Paradox 8'2" 3/4wt. The blank has very unique casting properties due to its solid bamboo tip, fiberglass ferrule and woven tobacco-glass butt section. Next post will feature completed rod, so stay tuned...

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Sunday, June 19, 2016

After the Fishing Trip: Milenkovic Paradox 734 Fly Rod

I am back from very intense rod testing fishing trip. My favorite Driftless creeks were high and muddy due to lots of rainfall in the short period of time. That means fishing big flies under, so that fish could see them. I used mostly big, weighted leech patterns in sizes 4-8 and the little rod handled them without problem. For very short casts most would prefer it with the 5wt line. However, my favorite line for this rod is Airflo Delta Taper in 4wt.

You can now order Paradox 734 from me. I decided to offer new builds as two-tip rods for $1149 and will also offer them as single tip rods for $799. Insured priority shipping is included in the price (US addresses only). Please contact me for more info.
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Monday, June 13, 2016

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Milenkovic Paradox-R 604 Fly Rod


The "R" is for "Reverse"- fly rod with split cane butt, fiberglass tip and mid-sections, and fiberglass ferrules. It is inspired by short rods which were popularized by Lee Wulff. This experimental rod has a pretty quick action due to softer tip/middle and firmer butt section. The fiberglass portion of the rod is "borrowed" from my Unstructured Glass 8' 4wt taper.

The rod casts best with WF5 line at short to medium distances, even though 4wt lines work too. With a heavier line it is very smooth and still has power to reach far out if needed.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Paradox 734 Fly Rod - Casting Characteristics

I know that bottom pictures can't tell you much, but here are some opinions on how this rod behaves. I tested the rod with various 4 and 5wt lines and it can be described as a strong 4 or a 4/5wt rod. The tip specs are progressive and dampen quickly. While the rod casts a long line, it will throw lovely loops at short/medium distances with various 4wt lines-perfect for your standard dry fly presentations.

If you like little more feedback in your cast, slightly heavy 4wt lines (various Airflo, Rio Gold or SA GPX) work great. This would be a nice all-around choice when you need to swap a dry fly with a weighted nymph or a bugger. When you want to go for more distance, the glass butt section goes into play and with more line out, the rod starts to feel semi-parabolic, with that extra kick coming from the fiberglass butt.

Using 5wt lines on the rod will get the butt section engaged sooner, with less line out, but without the tip collapsing. Anglers who like deeper loading and more feedback from the rod might actually prefer it with a 5wt line.

The rod will be tested on a fishing trip to Driftless Area in a few weeks, so more details will follow on how it behaves in real fishing situations..
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Monday, May 23, 2016

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Paradox 734 Fly Rod - Weight

I took pictures of each rod section while resting on a scale. The recorded numbers are in grams. The completed rod weighs 90.09 grams (tip #1) and 89.84 grams with the second tip section. Both numbers equal to around 3.17 oz. With the use of cork reel seat and aluminum (rather than nickel silver) slip rings, the rod weight could easily be reduced to under 3oz.

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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Milenkovic 734 Paradox Fly Rod


Paradox Fly Rod is inspired by Pezon et Michel's Vario-Power concept of using fiberglass butt and split cane tip sections. However, its sections are both of equal length and it features fiberglass ferrule rather than the traditional nickel silver one. Darkly flamed tips closely match the color of fiberglass. The tips are progressive and loosely based on Powell A formula and transition nicely into the butt section, made of phenolic tobacco fiberglass. Quick recovery of the tips is amplified by the flexibility of the butt, with a very positive dampening. It is a lively, yet punchy rod and the glass ferrule contributes to its feel.

The rod features rust and medium brown silk wraps, oxidized hardware, maple/double slide bands seat, single foot tip-tops and a Powell-style grip. Pictures taken indoors don't represent the true colors as well as the ones taken outside. 
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Saturday, April 30, 2016