As I wrote in other posts about solid carbon is possible find tips in solid carbon , ice fishing rods blanks and not tapered rods and tubes, in model making hobby market, for few euro and I think they can be great to make ultralight flyfishing rods.
viewtopic.php?f=71&t=10826And now I finally have some real results about it.
I used 4 tips to make several experiments:
1) tip solid carbon 0,8mm tip, 2,4mm butt, long 70cm (4 euros);
2) tip solid carbon 0,8mm tip, 2,4mm butt, long 60cm (4 euros);
3) the same of the 1 but with the tip cut 10cm, then 1,0mm tip, 2,4mm butt, long 60cm (4 euros);
4) tip solid carbon 0,9mm, 2,4mm butt long 50cm
A second piece obtained by a tip long 90cm 0,9mm tip, 4,5mm butt that I cut where the thickness was 2,4 and where was 4mm. In this way I obtained the tip 4 (see above) and the second piece 2,4mm to 4mm. The cost of the piece complete 90cm long was about 10 euros.
A butt 66cm long, 4mm thick obtained by a cylinder rod 4mm thick, long 1 meter for kites hobbyists (5,5 euros).
My purpose was obtain an ultralight ultrashort fly rod, pretty fast but ultrasensitive, for 1 and 2 weight fly lines.
And the result is pretty perfect! I never found in commerce something similar.
This is what I made
The purpose of the different tips was find the correct configuration and I found it with the tip n.3 (the one with 3 lines in the butt): for casts long max 40 feet it's an ultrasensitive UL rod, very pleasant to cast and good for the line control. The better compromise for me. I tried it with furled leaders and a WF1F and a DT2F and it's very nice and pleasant. A 4mm butt is a dream: it seems to fish with "nothing" in your hands. I hope to try it soon with fishes, because at the moment the tests was not with real fishes.
About the other tips they change totally the action and the "velocity" of the rod.
Here some numbers:
tip nr:
1) rod long 170cm, ern 0,82, AA 73;
2) rod long 160cm, ern 1,25, AA 76;
3) rod long 160cm, ern 1,5, AA 67;
4) rod long 150, ern 2,23, AA 64.
The nr. 3 despite the ern in 1wt range casts very well a 2wt too 30/40 feet without any problem and remains pretty fast.
I can't wait to try it with a fish.
Cheerio
roberto
p.s.
I decided to cover the whole of the reel seat with one money: it is a 5 lire, an old italian money in aluminium-magnesium, then very light, who represent a whale. In Italy whales
are considered lucky charm.