Let's build a couple of fly rods!

I decided to continue my blog in english when it comes to rod building issues. The reason is, a lot more people can take part of information than if I’d used my native language. Now I don’t know if any one’s interested reading of me working some graphite sticks but anyhow, hopefully I’ll write a lot better English some time down the line. That’s a good reason changing the language for me at least. Of course there will be lot of spelling and grammar mistakes along the way, so you language nerds out there, bare with me!

Anyway, enough said about that and let my show a couple of beauties I’ve been working on lately.  My last fly rod project was a Sage Z-axis blank that came out pretty all right. You can watch the build in some old articles(in the Swedish languish).  For this building project I wanted a couple potent blanks that could create more power and speed than Sage ZA.  After many hours  “Google my life away” I’ll came up with two alternatives witch seamed to suite my expectations. One blank from the kiwi islands, CTS affinity X, and one from Oregon USA, Dan Craft FXLT.

3000 Swedish kronor (approx. 450 dollar) poorer the blanks arrived one rainy day. Both are graded for AFTM 6 and seemed quit similar taking a quick look but after a closer inspection you could clearly detect a thicker butt section on the CTS blank and a steeper taper. The FXLT blank had slight thicker walls and the ferrules somewhat unrefined in comparison.

The color of the CTS blank is called golden olive by the manufacturer  The golden part likely comes from all the small metallic flakes in different shades mixed with the olive base color. Nice if you’re the kind who likes a little bling down by the waterside. But I think I would go for the, nicely satin finished charcoal blank, from Dan Craft if having to choose. Well, appearance is one thing and performance is another, so let's start work on all the components and hopefully test out what the blanks are made of as soon as possible.

Go for the big ones! 
Pirate-fishing