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3. new fly rod

can any body tell me why they are making new fly rods in four piece sections /?

So that when you take it on a fishing trip, you don't have to pay $50 to check it as a separate bag.

At least that's one big reason I just bought a 4-piece.

-Shawn

I wore out a two piece rod from fishing every nite, and putting it together. I just can't see putting a 4 piece rod together all of the time, how fast those parts could wear out. I did not know about the baggage thing. Do you think that a four peice rod has just as good action as a two piece? Thank you.

because people buy them.

if you can try both a four- and a two-piece rod blindfolded, you won't feel the difference, i bet. also, if the ferule wore out on a quality rod you could send it back to the maker. they're not supposed to do that. my first rod, a 6'6" Eagle Claw, did wear out at the ferule after a hard summer's fun, but it only cost $19.95 4 years ago to begin with.

dunno how big your car is, but my little sipper makes a 56" rod tube for a 9' rod a nuisance. won't fit in the trunk, and keeps falling over and trying to escape the back seat. maybe i really do need a pickup truck!

and Shawn is right: two piece rods in long tubes are problematical for air travel. we have been lucky carrying them onto the plane and stashing them in the little coat closet next the door, BUT we never know if that's going to work for sure. Fishpond makes a nifty piece of luggage with room for four 4-piece rod tubes (31" long) on the bottom and the rest of your stuff on the top. Orvis makes one with room for maybe half a dozen 4-piece rods not in tubes, with other pockets for reels and so on.

yeah I too have a gas sipper for my long excursions to trout water. I have a st croix 2pc 9ft 8wt and I cannot put it in the trunk and I am about to sell it for this reason. I always have to keep it in the back seat and if people want to ride in my car then I got to take it out. I keep all my gear with me all the time cause I'm just sic like that.

There was a time long ago when two piece rods had better actions than three or four piece rods. Today though the ferrule design and graphite technology has advanced so dramatically that I couldn't tell the difference between a 4 piece or 2 piece rod if I were to only hold it by the grip and be asked to cast it. I sincerely doubt if very many flyfishers could differentiate between a 2, 3, 4, or even 5 piece rod.

I don't see how you are "wearing" out the rods?? There are two common types of ferrules employed on graphite fly rods; the more common type where one section just fits over the next and there is not a smooth transition between sections and what is called a "spigot" ferrule where a piece of solid, or hollow, graphite is inserted into the section closest to the grip and the upper section, or sections, fit over that piece of tapered graphite.

If you are experiencing sections that are coming apart you may want to make sure both the male and female ends are clean and free of any debris that would impede the accurate seating of the two tapers. On rods with spigot ferrules if the female section is bottoming out on the male section you can just carefully sand a little material off of the bottom of the female section and then you will be able to slide that section further down over the male section to seat it tightly.

Caseyp wrote -

"Fishpond makes a nifty piece of luggage with room for four 4-piece rod tubes (31" long) on the bottom and the rest of your stuff on the top. Orvis makes one with room for maybe half a dozen 4-piece rods not in tubes, with other pockets for reels and so on."

Both of those companies do make luggage that will accept 4 piece 9' rods but they are quite expensive. I bought a "High Sierra" roller duffle that will hold my waders, wading shoes, a weeks worth of underwear, shirts, pants, net, fleece pullover, rain jacket, and a bunch of other items for $65 bucks. I think I bought it from a store in New Jersey called Campmor. They also have on-line ordering.

Here is the bag I bought. It is slightly more expensive than during the summer of 2007. It is about $71.00

High Sierra Rolling Duffel Bag - 36" Drop Bottom
Wheeled Luggage
SAVE: $108.04



It is on sale at Sierra Trading Post.

now here's one more hair to split:

i got that Fishpond bag ($$$$, for sure) to go to England. its funny pyramidal shape is a result of being designed to be within international luggage limits. before you head to Somewhere Really Really Far Away, check the luggage size limits and measure your bag...and then weigh the thing when it's full.

My bag, with all the items mentioned, plus an electric motor air pump, my 22" net, very large collapsible cooler, and two rods weighed 46.5 pounds on my return flight. Most airlines allow 50 pounds free checked baggage.

Guys...There is a technique for fitting ferrules that prevents them from wearing out. Fenwick provided the instruction with their glass rods years ago. Fit the ferrules together, but not tight, and do not line up the guides. Now continue to push slightly, and twist the guides into line as you push. The twisting locks the ferrules. When taking the rod apart hold your hands above and below the ferrule and twist. If you just shove the parts in straight it will wear out the ferrules...and your fault. If the rod is stuck on a hot day, hold the stuck ferrules under the water, and cool the ferrule off. When fishing around home, and not traveling on a trip, I only break down my 4 piece into two pieces. And another thing to remember. If you are an aggressive roll caster, roll casting puts pressure on the ferrules, and a tip section especially can fly off. From time to time, check the ferrules when you are fishing. Four piece rods are now far and away the most popular. Sage's new rod the "ONE" comes in many line sizes and lengths and all the rods are 4 piece rods.

They fit into a backpack when you want to fish the backcountry.