This may seem strange but I would hope not. I am looking for rod blanks available in size and weight to build up a 12'6" or there abouts rod that would use a fairly light line. By 'fairly light' I mean an Ian Gordon 75' long belly with a total weight of 770 grains.
Here is the back story about this request; I have a 13'9" Graphite rod labeled 'Salmon Fly' #9 made by Hardy in 1981. On that rod I had mounted one of the early Cascapedia MK II reels in size 8/9 loaded with the old Partridge Ian Gordon line. I was quite pleased with myself that I had a completely British made system for catching salmon here in Alaska. I never come across anyone else with an outfit like this and that gives me pleasure. Everyone here uses the current best of the best with the short (28') heads.
Throughout my time fishing this rod combo I felt that it was not loading properly unless I rolled up the entire 75' foot of belly. Because of that I contacted the good people of the Carron Line Company and inquired if they had anyone on staff familiar with the old Hardy rods. It took a couple weeks to track down an older gentleman who seemed quite sure that a Carron Jetstream 10/11 with a 65' belly would be the line to bring the old Hardy rod to its full potential.
I bought the prescribed line and found that it was quite a bit fatter and heavier than the Ian Gordon 75' 770 grain line and that it (the Jetstream) would not fit on the Cascapedia. This caused a bit of dismay to say the least and to remedy the problem I snatched up a Hardy Uniqua 11/12 Large Arbor reel. The line fits that reel just fine but not without a hitch. The reel was designed by the Hardy company but was manufactured in S. Korea. It is also quite light for my big heavy rod. Now that may seem to be the silly part of all this, the new Uniqua reel bothers me for 2 reasons; it's a tad light & it was not made in Briton. I will use it until I come onto a better option made in the UK. and when I am able to pay the cost for such a reel.
So why look for blanks? I still have the Ian Gordon 770 line and a Cascapedia 8/9 that have no rod. I would like to find a blank rated 6/7 in black or dark gray so that I could finish it with nice scarlet windings and an appropriate grip and hardware. If in fact the rod blank and hardware came from the UK. I would be happy to put another rod together and then to take it fishing. The more leads I get on blank suppliers the merrier because I will be able to shop around. I did see the '1'st Build' thread and have looked at the Harrison blanks and should mention I am looking for traditional action rods not fast actions.
Just thought I would tell you all that while I ask................
Ard
Here is the back story about this request; I have a 13'9" Graphite rod labeled 'Salmon Fly' #9 made by Hardy in 1981. On that rod I had mounted one of the early Cascapedia MK II reels in size 8/9 loaded with the old Partridge Ian Gordon line. I was quite pleased with myself that I had a completely British made system for catching salmon here in Alaska. I never come across anyone else with an outfit like this and that gives me pleasure. Everyone here uses the current best of the best with the short (28') heads.
Throughout my time fishing this rod combo I felt that it was not loading properly unless I rolled up the entire 75' foot of belly. Because of that I contacted the good people of the Carron Line Company and inquired if they had anyone on staff familiar with the old Hardy rods. It took a couple weeks to track down an older gentleman who seemed quite sure that a Carron Jetstream 10/11 with a 65' belly would be the line to bring the old Hardy rod to its full potential.
I bought the prescribed line and found that it was quite a bit fatter and heavier than the Ian Gordon 75' 770 grain line and that it (the Jetstream) would not fit on the Cascapedia. This caused a bit of dismay to say the least and to remedy the problem I snatched up a Hardy Uniqua 11/12 Large Arbor reel. The line fits that reel just fine but not without a hitch. The reel was designed by the Hardy company but was manufactured in S. Korea. It is also quite light for my big heavy rod. Now that may seem to be the silly part of all this, the new Uniqua reel bothers me for 2 reasons; it's a tad light & it was not made in Briton. I will use it until I come onto a better option made in the UK. and when I am able to pay the cost for such a reel.
So why look for blanks? I still have the Ian Gordon 770 line and a Cascapedia 8/9 that have no rod. I would like to find a blank rated 6/7 in black or dark gray so that I could finish it with nice scarlet windings and an appropriate grip and hardware. If in fact the rod blank and hardware came from the UK. I would be happy to put another rod together and then to take it fishing. The more leads I get on blank suppliers the merrier because I will be able to shop around. I did see the '1'st Build' thread and have looked at the Harrison blanks and should mention I am looking for traditional action rods not fast actions.
Just thought I would tell you all that while I ask................
Ard
