Fishing The Fly Scotland
Index => Rod Building => Topic started by: stickleback on 13/10/2009 at 20:13
-
To start with can I just say thanks to those that have gone before on this forum, salmo.proboards.com forum, and rodbuildingforum.com – I learned loads from their posts and it really inspired me to take the big plunge.
My first rod build earlier this year was a #5 trout rod and that whetted my appetite for a salmon rod. After doing a bit of research I learned that the Highlander rods built by R B Meiser apparently use the Affinity Plus blanks made by the New Zealand company CTS. I reckoned if the blanks were good enough for Mr Meiser, then they’d be good enough for me :z4. I ordered the charcoal gloss 14’, four piece #9/10 and it arrived five weeks later. I bought a Struble real seat and guides from David Norwich, and got the cork rings for the handle and the remaining sundries from Mudhole Custom Tackle who are based on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida – I visited them whilst there on summer holiday.
Why build a Spey handle instead of buying one ? Because I discovered in my first rod build that pre-made handles can be difficult to ream out to properly fit the blank – the longer they are the more difficult it is. You’ve got to be extremely careful otherwise the hole gets flared at the ends, which can result in a wobbly handle. I hadn’t built a handle before. Going by articles on the internet, most folk doing so seem to glue the cork rings direct onto the blank, then turn the blank on a drill and sand the handle down to the desired shape. I wasn’t too keen on this method in case I knackered the blank (it cost a couple of hundred quid), or sanded off too much cork which would have meant I’d have a pile of trouble removing the handle and dried glue and then having to start over again. My plan was to use a water soluble glue (whilst damp) to stick the cork rings together on the blank, slip the partially dried handle off the blank, let the handle finish drying, and then turn / sand it down on a home made mandrel and lathe. That way I wouldn’t damage the blank, and if I went overboard with the sanding it would be a lot easier and probably cheaper to do a new handle. That was the theory, but did it work ?
First step was to build the tools to make the handle, namely a handle clamp and a lathe. I borrowed some ideas from designs on the internet and added in a few touches of my own. Rather than clog up this rod build thread with photos etc of how to make these gadgets, I’ve done separates thread on them.
Next stage was to make the handle. Titebond III was the glue I opted for to stick the cork rings together. It’s a ‘proper’ wood glue, can be wiped down with a wet cloth whilst it’s damp, dries waterproof, dries a colour similar to cork, and sands quite easily. First thing was to ream out the cork rings so they had a marginally snug fit, but not tight, on the blank in what would be their ultimate position. I numbered them on the inside as I went along in case they fell off the table and got mixed up. Then it was just a case of gluing them one at a time to each other on the blank (but not to the blank), and clamping them in place.
Upper handle in clamp with blank going through it
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0638.jpg)
I left the handle clamped on the blank for about half an hour allowing the glue to start working, then gently twisted the blank in a steady spiralling motion out of the assembled handle. The blank came out no problem, but as anticipated had Titebond smeared all over it.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0639.jpg)
A quick wipe down with a damp cloth and the blank was as good as new !
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0640.jpg)
Both handles were made the same way. Each had to be left to dry for twenty four hours.
The next stage was to turn / sand the handles to shape on my home made lathe.
Upper handle ready to turn in my homemade lathe
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0662.jpg)
Through trial and error, I discovered that everything works best if the drill is run at a fairly high speed – if it was slow the sand paper and cork tended to ‘bounce’ quite violently, but the faster the drill went, the smoother the operation seemed to be.
I used three different grades of sandpaper – very rough (80), medium (180) and super fine (350). The medium and superfine were really only used for finishing.
I measured the shape of a handle on another rod and used it as a rough guide for mine. I taped a sketch of the shape and dimensions on the workbench so it was easy to check my progress as I went along, with calipers.
I found that the normal cork sanded quite easily, the burl was harder, and the rubberised cork was pretty hard going. I also found that when I had all three types of cork stuck adjacent to each other, if I didn’t pay close attention, my sanding hand would inadvertently tilt towards / dig into the softer stuff (normal cork) and take too much off – just like this ! – but fortunately not enough to really notice.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0666.jpg)
Finished upper handle
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0668.jpg)
For the butt end of the lower handle I used a piece of rubberised cork. I ‘clamped’ it onto a quarter inch diameter bolt and stuck the bolt straight into the drill, then sanded it down to the same diameter as the bottom handle where they would join together, and then rounded the butt end.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0672.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0673.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0674.jpg)
Next stage was gluing the handles and reel seat onto the blank. First thing I did here was to very lightly sand the surface gloss of the blank with fine sand paper to give the glue a good surface to adhere to. You’ve to be very careful doing this and not go too deep to the extent that you damage (and thereby weaken) the carbon fibres beneath.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0685.jpg)
I used Gorilla Glue to stick the cork handles on to the blank. This stuff expands so it’s to be used sparingly. I chose it for it’s expanding purposes as mentioned by Builnacraig – so it would expand into any nooks and crannies inside the handle and hopefully give a really tight bond. The Gorilla Glue website says that a hint of moisture helps it expand and key onto things so I briefly trickled a wee bit of water through the handle then let it dry for about an hour. Then I applied a thin coat of the Gorilla Glue onto the blank and spiralled the lower handle onto it, ultimately overhanging the butt end of the blank by a couple of millimetres. I had to watch it for about half an hour whilst the glue was expanding. As it oozed out the butt end I scraped the excess away with a cocktail stick. If you spill or smear this stuff you can apparently clean it off whilst it’s wet with cellulose thinner or xylene.
Oozing / expanding Gorilla Glue
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0675.jpg)
For the reel seat I made some bushings from masking tape, then glued everything in place using slathers of epoxy glue as I thought that would give a better bond to the metal reel seat. If you spill or smear epoxy glue you should be able to clean it off whilst it’s wet with acetone.
Then the upper handle was attached the same way as the lower handle, with Gorilla Glue.
After it had all dried I glued the rubberised cork butt end on with Titebond, and held it in place with strips of masking tape. After it was dry I took off the masking tape and inserted a wee rubberised cork butt plug :shock into the hole and sanded it smooth.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0751.jpg)
The finishing touch to the handle assembly was gluing a metal winding check to the top of the upper handle.
Next, I found and marked the spine of the top section of blank. I couldn’t find it in the three lower sections – hopefully this won’t cause any problems. I read on another forum that someone had a similar experience and put it down to the fancy helix wrapping process used by CTS when manufacturing their blanks. Then I measured and marked the positions for the guides. The first one to be attached was the tip guide, which was glued in place. The others I tacked in place with slivers of masking tape, then whipped on with navy blue Gudebrod ‘D’ thickness thread. The whippings were then ‘painted’ with colour preserver to stop them going transparent when epoxied.
When I did my previous (and only) rod build I rotated the blanks by hand whilst the epoxy was drying - the results were okay. This time, to make life easier, I invested in a rotary fly dryer / rod turner, and I’m glad I did because I think the results are better. It certainly made it easier when I was applying the epoxy onto the wraps. Before you apply the epoxy you should wipe the area of the blanks which will be covered by epoxy with isopropyl alcohol to remove any greasy marks which could cause the epoxy not to bond properly to the blanks. I then applied Flexcoat Lite epoxy which needs two coats. The advantage I found with this stuff is that after the first coat has dried you can trim any wee protruding thread tags with a razor, so that the second coat comes out lovely and smooth (thanks for the tip Rob & Sandy).
In hindsight I chose the wrong thread colour. It went darker than I wanted when I applied the epoxy, turning into a dark French navy blue – I would have preferred it a tad lighter for a bit more contrast against the blank. The flash on my camera makes the wraps look lighter than they appear to the naked eye. Perhaps a royal blue would have been a better choice as it might then have become the navy blue I was really after ?
Nevertheless, IMHO the epoxied whippings look pretty good
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0795.jpg)
The rod was ready to go fishing, but I thought it looked a tad utilitarian. It got me wondering if I should try writing the make / model on it with a gel pen. However if you’ve ever seen my writing you’d know that idea was daft, so I ordered up a couple of water slide decals from tightlinecustomrods.com in the USA.
Whilst I was waiting for the decals to arrive I read a few articles on rodbuildingforum.com about feather inserts, even one from Mr Meiser himself. I also read about how to do a single thickness thread ‘highlight’ wrap (I wish I’d seen it before I’d done all the other guides - too late now !!). That was enough for me to give both these ideas a bash. I selected two JC eyes from a cape I had lying around, and trimmed them to size. Then I did two separate thread wraps, in essence a mirror image of each other, with a gap in between them big enough to take the JC inlays and the water slide decals (when they arrived).
Basically to do the feather inlays you thin some thread colour preserver and dunk the feathers into it quickly soaking them, then lay them in position on the blank and fine tune with a small brush getting any air bubbles out, and leave to dry.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0744.jpg)
I gave the wraps and JC inlays a first coat of Flexcoat and left them to dry for twenty four hours.
Then I did the decals. One at a time I placed them in warm water for 5 seconds, then lifted them with a brush, and positioned them. Despite wetting the blank I found that where I first placed the decals, was where they ended up. I couldn’t move them even a fraction. Thankfully both were reasonably accurately placed.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0769.jpg)
After leaving them to dry for a day, I was on the home straight with the last job to do, namely the final coat of epoxy over my ‘fancy’ wraps, decals and JC inlays. I applied the Flexcoat without problem, stuck the rod section into my turner / dryer, switched it on and went off to watch the TV. Two hours later I checked up on it and …… (scroll down)
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
ß
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/FFFFUUUU.jpg)
……. the rod turner had somehow lost it’s grip on the blank which meant the blank wasn’t turning which caused the epoxy to sag / ripple.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0779.jpg)
What a disaster. I tried a hairdryer on it to soften it and hopefully blow it back into position – sadly to no avail.
Before scraping it all off and starting again I thought I’d try a 3rd coat of epoxy to see if that would level things out. Thank goodness it worked and it looked fine.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0804.jpg)
The charcoal coloured blank doesn’t contrast particularly well with the feathers but when the JC is taken into consideration along with the highlight wraps and decals IMHO they give the rod a wee bit more class.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0798.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0803.jpg)
What would I do differently the next time ?
1. Get a few shades of thread and test with epoxy so I can get a better final wrap colour against the blank
2. Consider the colour of blank with feather inlays in mind, so that if I do them, they are easier to see
3. Do single thickness highlight wraps on all the guide wraps – I like them and they’re easy to do
4. Don’t leave the rod turner unattended !!!!
The finished rod certainly looks like it will do the business - not quite an Oregon Meiser, more an Aiberdeen Miser. These last two photos were taken without a flash and better represent it’s proper colour / appearance.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0806.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a16/cammyk/IMG_0807.jpg)
Now I just need to get out to use it AND catch a fish. I’m scheduled to be on the Deveron for three days before the end of the season, first one being tomorrow. With it having rained all day today, it looks like the water conditions will be ‘challenging’ but I still can’t wait to try out my new toy.
I’ve also posted this on salmo.proboards.com as some of the chaps there gave excellent advice.
:z18
Cammy
-
Cammy that is amazing. That is a fantastic acheivement.
-
First class Cammy! :z16
I hope you christen the rod tomorrow, but if not, I'm sure you'll have fun putting it through it's paces :wink
Thanks for sharing ................ and well done! :z14
Best wishes
Mike
-
Fantastic journey Cammy, I honestly hope that you get the ultimate reward for you hard work. It's nice to catch Salmon (or trout) on your own fly creations but it must be something special to do it on your own rod.
Tight lines
Iain
-
Looks cracking... what sort of price are you looking at to build a rod like that.. compared to buying one?
Cheers,
Jay
-
Thanks for the kind comments and here's hoping for tomorrow.
Looks cracking... what sort of price are you looking at to build a rod like that.. compared to buying one?
Cheers,
Jay
I reckon all in it cost me about £330 (please don't tell my wife :z4 :z4). To buy a Meiser rod would cost approx £560 at current exchange rates and inclusive of customs. Mr Meiser also does a builders kit version which would cost about £350 but you'd still have to buy a few minor sundries like glue and expoxy coating etc. Check out his website http://www.meiserflyrods.com/therods.php
-
Lovely job cammy
keep producing rods like that a mike might offer you a job :z16
I like the idea with the handle, makes a lot sense for a salmon rod
in particular.
I hope it brings you many a tight line, I reckon you well deserve it
cheers
Sandy
-
Fantastic build Cammy :z16
Must say I like the look of the feather inlay certainly gives it that little bit extra. :wink
All the best on the first fish - looks like it will certainly handle what ever comes it's way.
You might just have inspired me to get my finger out & start my next project when I get home from
Turkmenistan!!!
Well done :z18
Alex
-
Superb!!!! Well done, love it!
Couple of pointers...
If you take your thread and do say 10 turns, then soak the thread in water, it gives you a good indicator of what the thread will look like when epoxied. Saves messing about with test sections to get the right colour.
When turning a handle that incorporates burl/rubber, use a rigid file to get the shape on the harder materials, then use fine sandpaper to smooth down, less chance of taking off too much of the softer stuff.
Judging by the "rod turner coming loose" comment, its one of the versions that come with the pad for doing flies too? If so, wrap the very end of the blank in masking tape to protect it from the three metal "screws", tighten them down, then run a loop of tape so it runs across the head of all three of the metal adjusters. This stops them from comming undone. Unfortuantly I have had the same thing happen to me, but on someone elses rod! I ended up doing the same as you and applying another, thicker coat on top.
Really like that build, whats the next project? :)
-
Superb!!!! Well done, love it!
Couple of pointers...
If you take your thread and do say 10 turns, then soak the thread in water, it gives you a good indicator of what the thread will look like when epoxied. Saves messing about with test sections to get the right colour.
When turning a handle that incorporates burl/rubber, use a rigid file to get the shape on the harder materials, then use fine sandpaper to smooth down, less chance of taking off too much of the softer stuff.
Judging by the "rod turner coming loose" comment, its one of the versions that come with the pad for doing flies too? If so, wrap the very end of the blank in masking tape to protect it from the three metal "screws", tighten them down, then run a loop of tape so it runs across the head of all three of the metal adjusters. This stops them from comming undone. Unfortuantly I have had the same thing happen to me, but on someone elses rod! I ended up doing the same as you and applying another, thicker coat on top.
Really like that build, whats the next project? :)
Good tip about testing the thread with water. Re the rod turner, I did put masking tape on the blank for the screws to grip, but I didn't tape the heads - another good tip. I'm still trying to figure out how these screws could come loose on something that's only turning at 6RPM ? As for the next project, well Phase 1 is trying to figure out a way to syphon off some funds without SWMBO noticing :z13
-
As for the next project, well Phase 1 is trying to figure out a way to syphon off some funds without SWMBO noticing :z13
Have you thought of selling a kidney? Worked for me ;)
-
Cammy
Great report and very helpful to me also :z14
Life has been too busy lately and I haven't had time to get out fishing. So by way of a small compensation, I have been building a salmon rod in the odd available hour of an evening. I'm building on a 13' #8/9 CTS Affinity DQ blank.
I shied away from building my own handles as, like you I was wary of trying to turn them on the blank. If I made a mistake it could wreck the butt section of the blank. Anyway I don't have a lathe. It was difficult to get a suitable ready made cork handle as this blank is quite slim at the butt end and most ready made handles have an internal bore that was too big. I finally found one by Pacific Bay which fits fine. My rod will look at bit more utilitarian than your personalised model but I'll live with that.
As there is a fair gap between the blank and the reel seat I decided to use carbon spacers rather than building up with masking tape. Inspired by your post I managed to create an even more Heath Robinson device with an electric drill and a wood dowel to turn down the carbon spacers to size. It worked and I glued up the handle and reel seat last night. :z16
I hope to get the whippings coated next week and by then the salmon season will be over :z8
Thanks a lot and I hope your time on the Deveron is well rewarded.
Tight Lines
Irvine
-
Cammy
Great report and very helpful to me also :z14
Life has been too busy lately and I haven't had time to get out fishing. So by way of a small compensation, I have been building a salmon rod in the odd available hour of an evening. I'm building on a 13' #8/9 CTS Affinity DQ blank.
I shied away from building my own handles as, like you I was wary of trying to turn them on the blank. If I made a mistake it could wreck the butt section of the blank. Anyway I don't have a lathe. It was difficult to get a suitable ready made cork handle as this blank is quite slim at the butt end and most ready made handles have an internal bore that was too big. I finally found one by Pacific Bay which fits fine. My rod will look at bit more utilitarian than your personalised model but I'll live with that.
As there is a fair gap between the blank and the reel seat I decided to use carbon spacers rather than building up with masking tape. Inspired by your post I managed to create an even more Heath Robinson device with an electric drill and a wood dowel to turn down the carbon spacers to size. It worked and I glued up the handle and reel seat last night. :z16
I hope to get the whippings coated next week and by then the salmon season will be over :z8
Thanks a lot and I hope your time on the Deveron is well rewarded.
Tight Lines
Irvine
Like yourself, life's been too busy this season and I'll need to get out a lot more next year and put in some serious work on improving my casting :oops and get the best out of the rod.
I must confess I'd been eyeing up the CTS 13 footer for my next project - I was swithering between the #7/8 or the #8/9, possibly favouring the #7/8 (but no doubt I'll have changed my mind by next week :z4). I'm sure when I ordered my blanks up, that CTS told me that if I ordered another set from them within 12 months I'd get 5 or 10% discount. Sounds like I can tell the wife I'm spending to save :z16
Good luck with the whippings etc.
Cheers
Cammy
-
Judging by the "rod turner coming loose" comment, its one of the versions that come with the pad for doing flies too? If so, wrap the very end of the blank in masking tape to protect it from the three metal "screws", tighten them down, then run a loop of tape so it runs across the head of all three of the metal adjusters. This stops them from comming undone. Unfortuantly I have had the same thing happen to me, but on someone elses rod! I ended up doing the same as you and applying another, thicker coat on top.
Really like that build, whats the next project? :)
I've had the same problem, came up with the same solution :z16
good advice :z16
sandy
-
Cammy
Finally got home from my travels & have managed to dry fit my new handle set up for my next build.
(http://i36.tinypic.com/scgxgz.jpg)
Alex
-
WOW.....fantastic!!!!!
-
Cammy
Finally got home from my travels & have managed to dry fit my new handle set up for my next build.
(http://i36.tinypic.com/scgxgz.jpg)
Alex
That looks great Alex ...... I'm looking forward to seeing it and finding out what it feels like in your hand :z16
Between this handle and Cammy's feather inlay, I'm amazed at the stuff you guys are trying with your custom rods, this is fantastic!
Best wishes
Mike
-
Alex
What an absolute belter of a handle :z16 :z16 :z16 :z16
Have you got any pics showing how you went about it - you MUST let us in on your secrets !! :wink
:z18
Cammy
-
Alex
What an absolute belter of a handle :z16 :z16 :z16 :z16
Have you got any pics showing how you went about it - you MUST let us in on your secrets !! :wink
:z18
Cammy
Hi Cammy
Handle & Reel Seat were imported from the US from 2 different people, took me quite a bit of time finding exactly what I wanted, now I just need to find the time to get the rod built.
This handle is made of Fancy Lace Redwood Burl & beautifully figured Tiger Maple Burl, accented with Bloodwood & White Ash
Actually took it in past Mike today to let him see it in the flesh - so to speak!!! :z16
Alex
-
This handle is made of Fancy Lace Redwood Burl & beautifully figured Tiger Maple Burl, accented with Bloodwood & White Ash
It certainly sounds as nice as it looks :z4 Good luck with your build - it will be great to see your final rod.
Cammy
-
Hi Cammy
Thought I would post some pictures once I got everything glued up & a Whipping Check fitted.
(http://i35.tinypic.com/aaeo9x.jpg)
(http://i37.tinypic.com/10yi3x2.jpg)
(http://i38.tinypic.com/15fro0o.jpg)
Off to start whipping Black on Black :z5 :shock :z5
Alex
-
Off to start whipping Black on Black :z5 :shock :z5
Classic :) One thing you might want to consider, and that is putting a single strand tipping on the whipping of a dark, metalic gray/gunmetal. It will match your reelseat, but be really subtle. Looks really smart :) BUt, being a custom build means you can do what the hell you like :) :z18
-
The wood is looking great Alex :z16
Custom building can be so much fun once you get in to it :cool:
Best wishes
Mike
-
I quite fancy the idea but I'm not really sure where to start. I know if I was going to make a rod it would be a 5wt trout rod but I'm not sure in terms of where to get a kit from etc. Any pointers out there for a starting point?
cheers
Matt
-
I quite fancy the idea but I'm not really sure where to start. I know if I was going to make a rod it would be a 5wt trout rod but I'm not sure in terms of where to get a kit from etc. Any pointers out there for a starting point?
cheers
Matt
Best place to start would be a cheap kit off Ebay or something like that as if anything goes wrong you have not destroyed an expensive blank, then I would look on the internet, several Blank suppliers out there just type in "Blank Fly Rod 5wt" into your search engine & you are sure to find several from 2pc kits to 7pc kits.
Alex
-
Sandy and I were at the point of expanding on the Barrio 3wt kits just before he found out that he was moving to Brunei :z6
That's why Sandy produced the step by step guide for building them for the website, but I haven't put it online.
Doing these in a #3, #4 and #5, plus some other specials would have been such a great idea, as the kits had all the suitable components worked out for you and some options like different wood inserts etc would be easy to incorporate in to the kits.
One of the beauties of course, was that you could try a finished rod before you bought the kit ..... and if you came to Haddo you could actually see the components before buying :wink
I couldn't get this up and running overnight, but it would not take me long ....... if you think products like this would be popular, I would certainly be very keen to set something like this up, as the whole rod building thing is so much fun :cool: and one or two of you have already found that being able to go somewhere local to find a winding check to fit your blank or whatever can be useful :wink
So ........ What do you think guys????
Best wishes
Mike
-
one or two of you have already found that being able to go somewhere local to find a winding check to fit your blank or whatever can be useful :wink
Best wishes
Mike
:oops :oops :oops Yes I certainly have :oops :oops :oops
I think it would be an excellent idea, :z16 I am certainly enjoying the new challenge and I am sure anyone else who gave it a go would find the same, the end result of catching a fish on a rod you have built yourself is even better than catching a fish on a fly you have tied yourself. :wink :wink
Alex
-
I for one would buy one and knowing that there was somewhere to go for a little after sales advice afterwards would be a definate plus.
-
Sounds good to me. It was nice to try my 5# before I bought it (I would have bought it anyway). As it is often said "Try before you buy".
-
Alex
That handle really does look the dog's danglies. Well done. :z12
Did the supplier ream it out to your request, or did you have to do it yourself ? I would imagine trying to ream a proper wood handle to fit your blank would be a pretty painstaking experience - regardless of how you got it done it certainly looks the business.
Cheers
Cammy
-
Hi Cammy
I gave the supplier the max OD of the blank at the Butt end & the OD of the hood of the Reel Seat & he made it to suit needed a little taping up on the handle & a very snug fit on the reel Seat. It was actually such a snug fit I had to remove some epoxy during fitting as the handle & Reel Seat would not go together it was working like a suspension dampner, just took out a little at a time until the two seated properly & now it is absolutely solid.
Alex
-
Mike,
You know my views on this :)...
Its always a bit of a gamble when ordering blanks etc online, although going to someone like Meadow Fishery where you can phone up and speak to John, the rod builder is perhaps the safest way of doing it. Being able to jump in the car and actually handle the blanks/rods would be fantastic!!
What about a #3, a #5 and a #7. I think that range would cover 90% of the Trout anglers not only in this area, but most of the UK too. The difference between a 3 and a 4 or a 4 and a 5 is not really that great for most people, so I think you would be limiting your customer base????
With a 7 you are starting to get into Sea Trout and Salmon too, thus increasing that customer base even more.
Just a thought.