12wt Big Game Tapers?

[Boise Bamboo]

Any suggestions for a 12wt taper appropriate for tarpon? Thanks in advance.
Don

[BigTJ]

Hi Don,

I looked around for some of the heavy PHY tapers but can't seem to find anything approaching a 12 wt. That t being said, I think a B taper Powell would make great saltwater rod. Download the Powell Calculator from Chris Carlin. 3-piece with graphite ferrules would also make sense in the salt and to keep the weight down / make travel easier.

Another factor is what kind of tarpon are you going after? Smaller fish you could go more on the regressive side (butt flex) so a shallower B, and aggressively hollowed for better casting. Bigger fish - tip flex (steeper B or shallow A) and less aggressively hollowed for fish fighting power. I don't think you want a solid built rod, unless you are just going to troll.

Good luck,

-John

[Boise Bamboo]

Thanks, John.
I have been playing with the numbers for a 8' B-taper with a 7.5 tip and a butt around .400. I am concerned that such a heavy butt may not have the desired flex. Alternately, I was wondering if a C-taper might provide a heavier tip and some flex in the butt, but am concerned 8' may not be enough length to get the magic out of a regressive C-taper. I need to work out the numbers to see...
I committed to explore the concept, but am stuck feeling that it falls under the Spandex Theory- Just because you can, does not mean you should!

[BigTJ]

Well the thing is a 12 wt rod is going to be pushing 400 grains around. I would think a 0.400 butt with say 90 thou walls would flex plenty with 400 grains at the helm; I was guessing you'd end up more like .450. For the reasons mentioned above, a steep C taper might work out for smaller fish, but I wonder how it would do for trying to stop the really big boys. Since you are going for a 12 wt I'm assuming you are targeting 80 plus pound fish right? In any event, it's not that much work to build a couple three butts and tips and mix and match and see what you get.

FWIW, IMO 8 ft is in my opinion too short unless you are trolling. Casting out of a boat you'll need to quickly pick up line and blast it 80+ ft. 8.5 ft minimum, 9 ft better. With graphite ferrules, anodized hardware, and reasonable hollowing up to the tip I'm guessing you can probably get the rod down to 5.5 - 6 oz.

Cheers,

-John

[Boise Bamboo]

Thanks, John. Appreciate the insights. You have definitely given food for thought.

[toothybugs]

At home I have an older HI Maritime (9'4" 3pc) in need of a rebuild so I've never cast it, but the in-hand feel before I stripped it down suggested it to be firmly in the 10-11 category. I can get you the specs if you'd like them for a starting point.

[Boise Bamboo]

Thank you, Nate. Since this taper is going to take more experimentation than expected, I may put it off for a bit. But I would appreciate the taper you pull off of the rod when you get to it. Thanks
Don

[Mike McGuire]

See my comments in a recent thread in the Rod Making forum. These rods are fairly aggressive A tapers, 7.2 + 0.369 and 8.5 + 0.31. Length 9" 6". Tips run 0.095 and 0.085, butts 0.530 and 0.506. They throw 475 and 375 grain Commando heads with 10' T8 or T11 tips. I am sure the heavier would handle a 12 weight line without breaking sweat. I cast these all day two-handed without them wearing me out. Tapers are available if you are interested.

Mike

[Boise Bamboo]

Thanks, Mike! PM sent.