MyFishFinder Tips and Techniques > Fly Fishing
7 weight build
gundogwanted:
I'm building a 9 foot, 7 weight for my son and would like just some input on one question. Most say it's preference. Stripper and mending guide, do you like a 16 and 12, or a 12 and 10? Also, would you consider this a medium or heavy weight rod?
rgfixit:
It's kind of a medium heavy weight by description. To me a medium weight is more akin to my 10' 6 wt.
What's the target fish and what kind of waters are you intending to fish?
I've built a lot of fly rods. I prefer larger strip/mend guides for rods over 5 wt. on certain types of blanks. Personally I prefer IM6 blanks for most of my fly rods. Much more forgiving and a bit slower that some of the super high modulus graphite blanks. But then, I'm an old guy who likes things a bit slower ;D
And just because the blank is sent as a 7 wt, doesn't really determine the best line for it. You might find a 6 or 8 wt line casts better in a given situation. For me it takes some trial and error and a trip through the line collection to find e sweet spot on a new build.
Rg
boondox:
You should only need a #12 and a #10 guide as the stripper guide.. now is this a two a 3 or 4 piece? Also what kind if guides do you plan to use? Like snake or single foot guides?? I prefer snake guided but some want that lite feeling rod.. see most of the biggest snake guides start around a 8 mm.. so that means as you step down in size as you go towards the rod tip.. you start out with a big guide and taper to a smaller guide at tip.. I got a good spacing chart that almost works off the batt if you would like it??for s 9 foot fly rod.. any how should not need a size 16 cause of weight and a 12 mm is to big to step down to a 8 mm snake guide wich is to big of a step down and will be noticeable ..some sites list aprox millimeter sizes of guides as in mm for the guide...
you should only need a 12 to 10 stripper guides.. to a 6 then 5 snake guide then to a 4 then 3 then should end off on 2 or 3 I got charts I am not looking at is why not sure off hand... not talking a 2/0 what I am talking about #2 or a 5.7 mm guide as the smallest used on a 7 wt.. not sure would have to look .. the chart has qty/size of how many used etc.. so let me know if you want it?? Once I put on the guides with thread .. I adjust by threading a string like a knitting size string threw all guides and pulling tight.. this will let you see flat spots from one guide to another..and you will have to rewrap several times and shift spacing.. cause,of flat spots under load..you can use fine line tape bit can't pull hard enough some times on the tape.. the flat spots are were you will want to add guides..
By thr way some rods have three stripper guides on bigger rods like 12wt 16 -12-10 mm guides.. but that's a heavier weight rod all together..
Sizes are aprox this was taken from another Web site..
1/0: 4.8 mm 2/0: 4.5mm 1: 5.1 mm 2: 5.7mm 3: 6.3mm 4: 7.0mm 5: 7.7mm 6: 8.5mm
gundogwanted:
Both comments are great. Thanks. I took him to the fly fishing show in Jersey last week and after he disappeared for three hours, I found him with a sack of goodies. In it was a four piece blank from shu-fly. Don't know much about them, so I don't have much of a choice now. The last rods I built were back in the mid to late 80's. Mostly all Fenwick fiberglass from Dale Clemens. Didn't live far from there at the time. Still use them, still love them. So these newer graphite four piecers are a little more advanced for me. I do however like my sage DS2 graphite II 8 weight I got in the bargain cave at Cabela's many years ago. We fish the Susky in PA now for the smallmouth and he will sometimes hit the farm ponds as well. That's why when I asked about light/medium weight, I looked at the strip guides on the sage and it has 16/12 and St Croix pdf file list 12/10's. This won't be an expensive build until we get it right, then move on to something better.
rgfixit:
Check out the info available here.
http://merricktackle.com/tips/guidesfromcatalog.pdf
I've used Merrick a lot. Good company to deal with.
Rg
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