The Finesse is a very nice blank according to Uncle Larry. I would see it as being a solid investment.

$89.95 for the TFO Les.

Well, you sound like you need more toys! HAHA.

Thanks J. and for everyone' s input.

That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for and exactly the reason I love to belong to sites like this.

David

Don, every fishing detour is an emergency in my eyes...

Les. Call me if you are in the neighborhood. 214 808-8729. Can often meet at Duck Creek at 8:30 am and again in late afternoon. The Twin Lakes on Campbell are 10 minutes from the office. Will certainly break away for an hour if the coast is clear. Robin keeps his emergency fly rod as well. With a little notice, can bring any rig along for a tryout. Don

"Uncle Larry" is Larry Offner that runs the Warm Water Board, you can find him here:

http://www.warmfly.com/in...ion=com_smf&Itemid=26

The data referred to can be found here:

http://www.common-cents.info/

Doug

CCS works, and those who don't like it and claim it's bunk, tend be ignorant about rod tapers, actions, and a rods true line weight. That's a harsh statement, but I've found it to be true for the most part. I just call it like I see it.

J.

Jerry, Andy already knows my views on rods, tapers, etc. and he also agrees with me. We've had many phone conversations on the subject. I have to admit that I'm quite technical when it comes to rods, tapers and such. Since I build my own rods, and I prefer a slower action, I feel that I should know what I'm building or I'm gonna build.
Your right about what feels good. If a rod doesn't feel right it's not going to work for you. Since I build all my rods these days, I can't always try before I buy, so I rely on the CCS database to select blanks. Based on all my experience, and testing my own rods with the CCS, I can make good choices for me by comparing what I like to whats published on the CCS data base. It really is a great system for rod and blank comparison. I also don't have a lot of choices at the local fly shop, so I can't test cast the vast majority of stuff I'm interested in.
I didn't make my post very clear either. It is in reference to Andy's mention of the CCS being somewhat Controversial to some. Those folks that really don't like CCS have probably never tried it, and many that I've discussed it with were in fact totally clueless as to what rod action is, really. So please don't take offense to my statement. It wasn't directed at you or anyone else on this site.

J.

Jerry, yes it really can save you a lot of time. I can say though that I was disappointed in the Matrix 2wt. I liked the numbers on it, but the rod just has no sensitivity to it for some reason. I'm not sure whether the woven carbon fiber that's wrapped over the butt section has anything to do with it or not.
As for Sage, you can rarely go wrong with them, depending on the type of action you like. My local shop only carries Orvis, TFO, and Echo rods. TFO is the only one of those three that sells blanks. I've yet to cast a TFO rod that I can say that I like. I will reserve judgment on the Finesse 2wt and 1wt, until I have a chance to cast them.

J.