Let's cast that rod.

Originally written by me and some friends 2002-04 for the Virtual Fly Shop, Flyfisherman Magazine Online. The Cracker Barrel has been published in book form with the limited first edition hard cover sold out and a paperback version will be available early 2011.

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fishnbanjo
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Let's cast that rod.

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Post by fishnbanjo »

Welcome to week 3 of the Cracker Barrel. Last time we took a look at how to inspect a rod for fish ability and soundness and we discussed the basic, but important, aspects of discerning this. As we built our knowledge base from week 1 and followed the next step in the process to week 2 I thought it might be prudent that we continue with actually taking that rod we joined and going through the steps lining it, mounting the reel and actually casting it. What we did last time was look for any damage or worn components, but visual inspection alone doesn't guarantee a sound instrument as only casting will relay some of the warts an inspection alone can't always do. So I can smell the coffee's just about right and the stove is stoked to perfection so let's begin. Last time we inspected the 8' 5 WT rod that we had been discussing and it has passed all the visual inspections and we explained assembling and disassembling the rod sections to ensure the ferrules fit. One of the things we didn't talk about was how to determine if a ferrule fits properly so let's see what that is all about. We know that the ferrules should be clean and shiny to ensure a proper lubricated fit and we also discussed the use of bar soap as one of the few items we should use to lubricate the ferrules and pure paraffin is the other material. Ferrules should be snug when being assembled and give no indication of looseness, in other words, they should fit solidly without any rocking or slip fitting, which indicates either the male or female may be out of round. During the assembly, if you can rock either the ferrules or the section it is advisable to not cast the rod less you'll be paying for the pleasure of breaking it and owning a broken rod. If you have a magnifying glass or loupe handy a quick inspection, looking down at the ferrules business end, the part that joins with its mate, any oblong or egg shape is an indication of being out of round. Another thing you might come across is a male or female that has been crimped and this is usually done with a drill chuck so you would see at least 3 or 4 jaw marks indicating the ferrules fit was loose so the owner chucked the drills jaw over it to assist in the fit up. I must tell you this type of fix is very temporary and the ferrule should be replaced or you risk damage to the mating ferrule or the rods sections. The slip fit is another problem which can be caused by a male ferrule smaller in the lower part of the shaft and bulging which would interfere with a nice smooth fit and the male ferrule might be perfectly round and its diameter square across and the female might have bee pinched or bent, again a magnifying glass or loupe would do well in helping you find these faults. Our rod fits pretty snugly and doesn't seem to have any of the warts I just spoke about so let's mount the reel and line the rod. There are many kinds of reels and many different weights and how a reel balances the rod is a whole topic unto itself. For our purpose here we know the rod is a 5 WT, since it has been established, and we have been fortunate in that the seller has brought along the reel they used with the rod and reel is fitted with the proper line. We may take the time to revisit choosing a line and reel for a rod of unknown line weight and how you'd do this. To mount the reel I simply sight down the rod to ensure I've aligned all the guides and snakes and then mount the reel. I always look to see if any dirt or grime has gotten into the end cap on a ring lock seat or down lock seat and look under the cork for the forward cap in an up lock seat and I take a moment to check the ring for any signs of cracks or out of round condition. Once I am satisfied I place the appropriate end of the reel foot in place and secure it with the ring. I generally strip out half a length, that is from the center of my chest out to an arms length which is 3' minimum and do this 10 times which gives me 25' to 35' on average plus the leader. This may be more than you would put out on a rod you are familiar with but a majority of the vintage bamboo rods load with approximately 30' of line out the tip top and as you can see I'm just getting close once you deduct the length of the rod. To line a rod I use a method shown to me many years ago and that is I fold the line where the butt of the leader and the tip of the fly line are joined giving me a small loop. I used to thread the leader through the guides and snakes only to have a hand slip 2 snakes from the tip top and have the whole mess back at my feet and when my friend saw that happen to me he showed me this method. Once the loop is trough a guide or snake and you lose your grip on it or spot something that takes your attention away the loop holds the line and leader at the front of the last guide or snake you had passed it through and you won't be chasing line at your feet either and since I always wear a hat I find it is the safest place to set the end of the rod and reel in instead of the ground since it keeps dirt out nicely. Now that the rod is all lined I like to give it a few false casts to better feel the action of the rod and watch it respond visually while I'm working it with the minimum amount I've lined it with. This gives me a good visual look at its soul, or action, and helps me know how to handle the rod. It also tells me if there are any loose ferrule components, which are the ferrules, their pins or the glue that holds them to the bamboo which would be indicated by an audible click or tick sound and/or felt in your casting hand. I simply strip line while false casting and let the rod tell me when it has loaded properly and once this has been achieved I lay out the line behind me and drop it. This indicates if the rod is casting true or has a tendency to back cast left or right. It's important to know this as a left back cast will present you with a right fore cast and a high back cast will present you with a low fore cast, in other words whatever your back cast does is the exact opposite on the fore cast and a perfect cast is perfect in both directions. J Once the back cast is on the ground behind you I simply turn around and face it with the rod and pick up line and lay it out in front and see what I get. Again if the line had a left rear pull it will present you with a right front cast this would be an indication of a softened section or perhaps your casting needs some work but if it is the rod you will have to get a fish on to see if this is the case and if it is one with which you can live with. Once you have established the rods action and loading zone you should then try a series of casts that you ordinarily use in your fishing situations to see if the rod reacts to your needs and if it does then I'd say you've found yourself a good first bamboo rod that will be a faithful companion on the stream and off if you take care of it. So let's discuss care, maintenance and storage both short and long term assuring a long and healthy life. First order of business is to take the line down from the rod and when doing this it's a simple matter of stripping in line and paying attention to not have any of your knots snag a snake on its way trough. Once the line is out you can reel it onto the reel and dismount the reel and put it away in its proper container. I don't remember if I said this earlier or not so let's say it now. When assembling the rod your hands should be close together, avoiding being too close to the snakes in case you slip, as this gives you the best strength to join the ferrules correctly. When disassembling your hands should be further apart, again avoiding being too close to snakes since if you slip they act as stops and can cause serious body damage to both you and the rod. Avoid any bending or jerky action when assembling or disassembling to keep the stresses at a minimum and avoid damaging you or the rod. One time or another you will find that rod that your may have forced together and now it's STUCK! If this happens there are several methods of dealing with this problem but I find placing your hands close together like you would when assembling and using your thumbs in a sort of reverse tug of war, pushing against each other, you will have success. If you have a 3 piece rod take the butt and mid sections apart first then the mid and tip sections apart next and if you remember this is the opposite of the assembly of a 3 piece rod and a 2 piece is simply a butt tip disassembly. If a rod gives you trouble assembling it this may signal that it is time to clean the ferrules due to oxidation and crud build up. I use a lint free clothe with a slight dab of alcohol, denatured is best, on the males and a Q-Tip with a dab of alcohol for the females, great care must be given that you do NOT get the alcohol on the varnish and if this happens have the lint free cloth available to wipe it up immediately. Now that the rod disassembled it's a good time to get in the habit of inspecting it for any nicks that you may have caused with an errant cast, I realize you may have been casting this rod sans hook since it isn't yours yet but still a good habit to foster. I like to place the sections in the bag in this manner, I place the butt section into its pocket ferrule first and then if it's a 3 piece rod the mid section into its pocket male ferrule first and of course the tip sections into their pockets ferrule first. I find this balances the broken down rod nicely and have had great success with it. A word about bag ties would be prudent at this time also. There are several rules of thought on the use of bag ties since the maker has gone to the trouble of putting them on the bag one would assume you should use them and many feel you should never use them. I believe the argument against their use stems from those who are akin to tying them as if they were a pair of shoe laces and if left bound this tightly the chance of a set is increased dramatically. I personally feel they were meant to simply be tied over once and left at that which means snug is too tight. The other way of doing it is to do nothing but let them lay free and that's that. With the sections secure in the bag let's go through the proper procedure for placing the bagged rod into the tube. If you remember back to week 1 when I told you to form a doughnut with your off hand using the fore finger and thumb when removing the bag, you should do exactly this when placing the bag back into the tube and this will prevent any snakes or stripper guides from hitting the side of the tube and causing any damage. Lower the bag while maintaining a slight pressure with the doughnut preventing it from slamming into the bottom of the tube which could ruin a ferrule or section from the stress. At this point all you have left to do is recap the tube and your rod is safe and secure and if you ever feel the necessity to lubricate the threads of the tube a simple application of the bar soap or paraffin we've spoken about works very well. Transporting a rod in its tube is a simple matter of laying it in your vehicle and going to your destination. If you are going to leave it in the vehicle for any length of time during hot months it is best to have a heavy blanket or sleeping bag to lie atop of it thereby keeping it at a cooler temperature and in the case of cold weather the same method works equally as well keeping the heat of your heater away during the trip and the change in temperature once you've arrived. Short and long term storage of the rod is rather simple as it should be placed in an upright position with the cap in place where the relative warmth and humidity are rather stable and preventing direct sunlight and radiators is a must. During the warmest months you might remove the cap to prevent heat buildup and the rod overheating, most modern rods do not need all this attention and I generally use this rule of thumb for rods made prior to the 1930's since the glues from this period are animal based and easily warmed. The reason I suggest the storage be in the upright position is to prevent heavier sections laying atop lighter sections which may cause a set and it's so simple a habit to employ and many have resuscitated a large vase, umbrella stand or made a rod stand for this practice when their collection has grown. The final word would be maintenance and keeping in mind visual inspection as we've discussed as an important part of many years of rod health. The other component would be varnish health since the varnish is the main line of defense to the bamboo and wraps. Varnish ages differently depending on the composition used but all types will benefit from an application of a good furniture polish or bowling alley wax. This is usually done with a lint free cloth and then buffed lightly with a similar cloth and avoid any waxes or polishes that contain silicones as they may affect the varnish. I personally use Weimans Furniture Cream which is a fine wood polish that is very concentrated and a bottle will last a lifetime, it is made by the Stanley Corp and you can find it in hardware stores and some large super markets, an application before winter storage and maybe once or twice during the fishing season should keep your rod healthy and ready to fish. Last, but not least, is what to do with a wet rod and bag. There will be times when you get caught in a torrent and when you get back to put the rod away you do your best to wipe it off but the bag still gets wet and the rod is as well. I place everything in the tube and place the cap in place but not tightly. When I get back to camp or home I then remove the rod and bag and I have a rack where the sections can rest and dry and the bag can be hung there as well. The tube can sit in a corner without its cap and dry at room temperature. A simple wipe down with a good towel helps capture most of the water on the rod before it is placed on the rack and the tubes exterior before it is placed in the corner. Once the whole kit is dry simply place everything back together where it will be ready for your next outing. Oh before I forget, never, absolutely NEVER, lay a rod to dry on a radiator, in your oven or use anything like a hairdryer to dry it, I mean NEVER, 'nuff said. Well I hope you've enjoyed the 3 part series of buying that first bamboo rod. In all honesty I've only spoken about the basics as there is still so much to cover it would take a book or two to properly discuss this. As Bob Corsetti always says in the ending of his catalogs "the old coffee pot is empty" and me I'm packing a pipe and waiting for your thoughts, questions and posting. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday and some of you got a chance to fish. With a little luck our next series will be Impregnated and Varnished Rods which will be presented by Ken Smith aka Cane Head. We'll be looking for you then. Ciao……

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