Taniwha 9'6" 2wt (+ 12" extension)

[Ben O'Neill]

Hi all,

This was the last rod I build in 2025. It's a Taniwha 9'6" 2wt which has a 12" extension. I bought it because I wanted both a longer lighter rod for river work and a longer nymphing rod at the time for grayling on some of the bigger rivers. If you've heard the last-but one Fly Culture podcast, Pete Tyjas fishes one that Warren McCarthy built.

Jason at Fortitude re-jigged the spacing to put a stripper on the extension piece which works well, he built one with an open "key-ring" stripper which is cool and allows you to add/remove without re-stringing the rod, but I'm a tart and switch reels to better balance the rig in either 9'6 or 10´6" format so less of a concern for me 🤣.

It's now getting some use in dry fly mode and is a great tool, for now I'm a signed-up member of the longer-lighter brigade where overhead cover allows...

This was my 3rd build and whilst still not perfect I felt I put a lot of lessons from the first two into this one... and now it's big sister, a 10' 6wt sewin-stick is on the desk 😉









Rubbing shoulders with a Sandy-built Gatti 9' 4wt (what a river rod that is!)

[Mike Barrio]

Nice one Ben 
You'll cover a few bases with those!

[Ben O'Neill]

Nice one Ben 
You'll cover a few bases with those!

Thank you Mike, hope the move is going well... I've been checking almost daily when I can order a line for the new rod 🤣

[Mike Barrio]

Getting there thanks Ben, hoping to get going again at some stage this week, but if not next 👍