[Eddie Sinclair]

11' for a #5 gets my vote 👍

Although it could be argued that the size of the angler can play a part also.

With my ape like knuckle dragger arm length a I work the Bob on a 9' just as well as a certain other family member can with a 10'er 😅

Cheers,

Steven.

What are you trying to say?

[James Laraway]

Personally I think i'd go for 10'6"
Id also probably go for a #4 or a #5 rather than an #6 as most loch brownies tend to be pretty small so there is no fund in 'over-gunning it'
Action I'd go med-fast.
Number of sections is a tricky one as the more you have the more you need to check aren't coming loose.  I'd also say to all manufacturers out there please please put alignments dots on your blanks. My #10 loop has them as goes my Zpey carbon #6. I love them and it does make life soooo much easier

Euronymph rods generally have too soft a tip to be really good for lochstyle, this is what i've discovered as i've been exploring what might actually work.

The original Barrio Lochstyle was actually a 10' 8" blank so what i'd like to know is what length would people want a lochstyle rod to be?

10', 10'6" or 11' or something else?

I will be getting a UK made blank, over the winter, done especially for a lochstyle rod, length and line rating are a starting point, i was thinking 11' for a 5/6 being about right but what is everyones thoughts? when i start i will have some opportunity to adjust section actions too to make something that really does tick the boxes.

What would you want it to be in terms of action, length and line weight, number of sections (this affects the cost so is a variable)

Cheers

Sandy

[Steven Kidd]

Hello,

As I say I fish the Bloke 11ft 5wt from a boat on big lochs.......however I have often looked for something lighter, something like a 10'6" 4wt maybe, would be pretty cool.  Something with the same sort of action as my Bloke or even a Diawa Whisker!

The thing is with loch rods, its often the weather / wind you size for and not so much the size of the trout or flies you plan to tempt them with.

Steven

[Sandy Nelson]

I'd also say to all manufacturers out there please please put alignments dots on your blanks.

Interesting, i add them to all my customer builds as lots of folk ask for them, but don't use them on my own rods. I find even with the dots, when i assemble the sections i still line them up by eye after i've aligned the dots, just to be sure. Makes it a two step process rather than a  single one, to assemble the rod. Kinda renders it pointless unless its a double hander where the sections might twist so it maybe helps you notice and sort it out, but i still think a MK 1 eyeball along the blank is the best way to check for alignment and I bet you still do it even with Dots 

You would be surprised how much extra time it takes to add them properly (after the second coat but before the third, so they are protected)

[Eddie Sinclair]

I currently use a ten foot four weight for most of my loch style fishing. I would definitely appreciate a ten six or an eleven footer so I could work the bob at more distance from the boat.

Eddie

[James Laraway]

I totally rely on the dots - i dont do it by eye at all if i have the dots .....

I think you may have a touch of OCD there Sandy 

You having mentioned how long it takes to do it i can now see why most manufacturers dont do it....

Interesting, i add them to all my customer builds as lots of folk ask for them, but don't use them on my own rods. I find even with the dots, when i assemble the sections i still line them up by eye after i've aligned the dots, just to be sure. Makes it a two step process rather than a  single one, to assemble the rod. Kinda renders it pointless unless its a double hander where the sections might twist so it maybe helps you notice and sort it out, but i still think a MK 1 eyeball along the blank is the best way to check for alignment and I bet you still do it even with Dots 

You would be surprised how much extra time it takes to add them properly (after the second coat but before the third, so they are protected)

[Sandy Nelson]

I currently use a ten foot four weight for most of my loch style fishing. I would definitely appreciate a ten six or an eleven footer so I could work the bob at more distance from the boat.

Eddie

This is what i was thinking too.  So the next question is Med -Fast is quite an ambiguous term which mean different things to different people. Getting the rod to cast with a classic action and minimising the tip weight is something i have no problem working with, for me going with a medium or even a Med-Fast means we can have the tip a bit more rigid, i would expect that to be beneficial for dibbling a fly rather than having a fast/soft tip. Utilising the medium action correctly we should be able to get the rod to bend deeply so you get feel with smaller fish and still carry through to the tip so it can absorb the power from something bigger that smash you close in (particularly on the bob). The trick will be the balance but by going for a true 5wt in 11' as a base it should be achievable with a rod that will work from 4wt-6wt depending on what folk prefer.
If this sounds about right, i'm speaking to Ross during the week to see what is in the Norwich back catalogue in terms of designs to start from, but we already have a good outline for him to create something and from our conversations so far he already has something up his sleeve so hopefully i can start playing soon.
once there is a proto done (sometime over the winter) i'll need a few folk to test it 

[Terry Coging]

I currently use a ten foot four weight for most of my loch style fishing. I would definitely appreciate a ten six or an eleven footer so I could work the bob at more distance from the boat.

So why not go all the way and consider a 14'6" or 15' wafter? Start  working the bob several yards further out and then work the middle dropper after lifting off the bob? The ascending and dangled middle dropper can often outfish the bob.
Terry - the voice in the wilderness  

[Eddie Sinclair]

Sandy,

Count me in for testing duties.

Terry, whilst I do actually like the idea of wafting I think I will stay traditional for now.

Eddie

[Steven Sinclair]

Sandy,

I too am very much game if testers are required 😎

Cheers,

Steven.

[James Laraway]

If you need a tester from a float tube...,

[James Laraway]

Having me not seen anyone dapping or indeed wafting until seeing you at it Terry it was hard to envisage it working - but it certainly does.
If I fished regularly from a boat I'd give it a go for sure.....
Hamish will advise better than me but is dapping more common in Ireland than Scotland? Did it die our in Scotland when the great sea trout lochs 'died the death ' ?

So why not go all the way and consider a 14'6" or 15' wafter? Start  working the bob several yards further out and then work the middle dropper after lifting off the bob? The ascending and dangled middle dropper can often outfish the bob.
Terry - the voice in the wilderness

[Hamish Young]

For sure, dapping seems to have survived the 'death' of the great Sea Trout lochs in Scotland as even more of a minority interest amongst those who are aware of its efficacy as a catcher of fish and tormentor of anglers in equal measure.
I can't comment on how much it has thrived/survived in Ireland, but the last time I was up at Loch Hope I saw folk on the water dapping, the same for the last time I was on Loch Shin and so on across waters throughout Scotland I have nearly always seen someone dapping..... and I wasn't necessarily the one dapping either  It's by no means mainstream, and really hasn't been since the late 80's. 1980s btw, not 1880s 

On the subject matter of a 'Loch Style' rod, it will be interesting to see what you come with prototype wise @Sandy, a light in the hand, balanced and light line 11' loch rod would be intriguing to try.

H

[Steven Sinclair]

For sure, dapping seems to have survived the 'death' of the great Sea Trout lochs in Scotland as even more of a minority interest amongst those who are aware of its efficacy as a catcher of fish and tormentor of anglers in equal measure.
I can't comment on how much it has thrived/survived in Ireland, but the last time I was up at Loch Hope I saw folk on the water dapping, the same for the last time I was on Loch Shin and so on across waters throughout Scotland I have nearly always seen someone dapping..... and I wasn't necessarily the one dapping either  It's by no means mainstream, and really hasn't been since the late 80's. 1980s btw, not 1880s 

On the subject matter of a 'Loch Style' rod, it will be interesting to see what you come with prototype wise @Sandy, a light in the hand, balanced and light line 11' loch rod would be intriguing to try.

H

H,

I'm in my mid/late 30s and I'm currently sat in Durness with my dapping rod in tow 😎

It's awesome seeing some of the ridiculous "rises" launching themselves a good foot or so off the mark 😅

It's equally horrifying seeing proper lumps having a nose at it and turning away 😪

Cheers,

Steven.

[Sandy Nelson]

And so it begins. This is the finished design for the upper rod. It’s based on a classic Norwich design and David knew how to make trout rods.



Ross has all David’s notes , mandrals and designs as well as his equipment. So we are building on a firm base. I’ve got two types of Butt section with one stiffer than the other to get the final rod to feel the way folk want.



It’s an 11’ 5wt medium action in 5pc which seems like the ideal base. I’ll make up both butts  so we can find out what is best. I know which one I like already just from my initial playing 

We have some other things up our sleeve for this winter too. Will be very cool to finally be able to use a UK made blank.  Might refer to them as the Celtic collection with them being Welsh blanks, Scottish made and the combination for design