Flat spots

Something that I'm thinking about (putting off the inevitable) is getting an 8wt fly rod.

My problem is that although I'm looking for a multi piece rod as I like fishing in different places, I always thought that where pieces of the rod joined created a flat spot.

It seems to be much more of a trend today, maybe it's air travel but there are loads of rods that are made up of three, four or more pieces that will surely have more flat spots. Is it that the technology is better or it's fashionable?

Is it a compromise or can someone that uses a multi piece rod of any discipline say whether it is as good at casting or playing fish as a two or one piece rod?

I think it must be fashion, I'm not complaining, it gives me more options but I do wonder if people that don't need to take rods on planes or bicycles are being misled as to what is best for them?

Cheers Matthew.

I would imagine that if there are multiple joints on a rod, then the area around each joint will be a bit stiffer because the material in the joint will be thicker (its a spigot plus a socket). Whether the rod will feel unwieldy because of the flat spots, I don't know.

I should imagine that the benefits of a short sectioned fly rod that can be put in a suitcase when travelling far outweighs the disadvantages of flat spots.

For some years I used a 12 ft telescopic carp rod for pike fishing. It had 7 sections, so there were 6 joints. I found it quite good for fishing, and it was convenient to travel around with a short rod in the back of a small car.

Can't say about fly rods, but I have a H-Design 4 piece 11ft rod of 1½ test curve and there isn't a flat spot anywhere. I think you have to invest a respectable amount of money in the rod and go and try them first. Don't be surprised though if a modestly priced rod comes out best.

Also, take a look at these. I saw them at the trade show last year and I've heard from others that Sonik are cracking rods!

My Sage Z-Axis 4# and 6# are both 4 piece rods and they perform beautifully with no feeling or perception of a 'flat spot' whatsoever.

Admitedly they are in a different price class to Sonic though.

For some reason the same is not true of many coarse rods that come in 4 pieces; is that due to the thicker diameter of the blanks?

There is obviously difference between rods. I have a G-Tec 9.6 7 weight 3 piece and as backup, a 6 piece of the same rod (G-Tec Travel). The travel is slightly heavier though not by much and it's action is slightly softer due to the weight and joints, it doesn't recover quite as quickly either. You must remember that these rods are designed to be multi piece, not just a standard rod cut up into smaller pieces.

Wobbly Face (As Per Ed) said:

There is obviously difference between rods. I have a G-Tec 9.6 7 weight 3 piece and as backup, a 6 piece of the same rod (G-Tec Travel). The travel is slightly heavier though not by much and it's action is slightly softer due to the weight and joints, it doesn't recover quite as quickly either. You must remember that these rods are designed to be multi piece, not just a standard rod cut up into smaller pieces.

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Have to agree,it must be said,the further up the price scale you go(which tends to be names you'd recognise ie greys,hardy,orvis and sage,plus a few others i cant think of)the better the multi-section rods become,i have a four piece hardy 11ft 6in avon smuggler,its perfect for my needs and the action is superb,lots of dosh,but you do get what you pay for,alas.

Thanks for the replies, I was fishing for a couple of weeks last year with one of my brothers. I was fishing, he was catching His rod has four sections and I must admit I didn't notice any flat spots while casting or playing fish.

I think that they must have improved considerably. Technology used for something useful rather than bits and pieces that I neither want or understand.

I will try and avoid the expensive brands, although I do already have a hardy and a greys so you can see I'm easily swayed. However thanks for the link Jeff, the 10' #7/8 does look like the right tool, I'll have to investigate. I think I might be better off going to a fair or similar and have a good waggle with as many as I can get my hands on, thanks again, Matthew.

mathew, look out for a cheep G-Tec, prices halved due to being discontinued. New models and all that. Sonik made a guy who used to work for Hardy/greys. They are nice rods.

Thanks for the info wobblyface. I've just been llooking at the greys.

I'm going to tell a story that will make you cry.Thirty years ago as a spoilt little brat on a family holiday in Northumberland there was a stream fed lake on the farm where we were staying. I caught my first trout on that lake, it was a half pound brownie that I proudly took home and mum cooked for my tea (it tasted muddy). It was caught on a white moth.

After seeing my delight at this new form of fishing and pestered by me, my father and uncle took me to the Hardys/Grays factory. I can remember having a good look round and all the people working there had time to stop and explain what they were doing and why. Even as a child I new it was a special thing. Anyway, I was bought a lovely little stream rod for alll my upcoming christmas and birthdays put together.

Last year with one of my brothers I went fishing in Yellowstone. We flew from Birmingham. We got there early 02.30 and quickly booked in our luggage. I was clearly carrying my rod. When we came to board they said I couldn't take it on board and that I should already have been on board. I went back and they told me that was not possible as my bags were already aboard. I returned to the line for hand luggage who gave me some more ****.

My only option was to pay seventy pounds a week in the lost luggage area??? I had spent all my money on the chance to fish for cut throat trout. In the end I had to just leave it leaning against a pillar at the airport!!!

Yes, the terrorists have won. I am quite obviously a massive security risk and shouldn't be allowed to live a life because some mad extremists fly planes into buildings or soak there pants in flammable liquids and then burn their testicals off at thirty thousand feet. Idiots.

I know it was my own fault. I should know by now to expect nothing from people. What I will say is that I have been given far more leniency in Germany, Canada and best of all USA. They found a hip flask on my brother and wouldn't let me dump my new (inferior) rod and giant blanket that I had bought over there, infact they promised me that they would get my stuff home even if it travelled in the cockpit. As security came rushing over to my brother with his hip flask they told him his problem wasn't the fluid it was the lack of rum to go around! Such a different attitude and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there, I still lost my Greys in Birmingham airport.

matthew barter said:

My only option was to pay seventy pounds a week in the lost luggage area??? I had spent all my money on the chance to fish for cut throat trout. In the end I had to just leave it leaning against a pillar at the airport!!!

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Take this as 'gospel' from someone who flies twice a week, every week.

You are well within your rights to leave the airside 'security' area and return to the landside of the airport. From there you could have arranged to have the rod collected.

I've had many similar incidents over the years and sadly most of them have come from security folk who have taken a 'liking' to something that they then claim is not allowed on the aircraft.

Last month at Southampton airport the security chappie told me that my Mont Blanc pens were 'not allowed' and would be taken and 'destroyed' - oh really says me?

About 5 minutes with the security manager at the airport solved that little problem resulting in my pens flying with me to Paris (as they have done about 184 times before) and one security chappie taken 'off shift' at the airport.
Personally, I hope they fire his thieving ar$e!

I love flying so much I have vowed after last year, I will never, ever fly again!

The final straw for me came last year in Lisbon airport, a notorious hole at the best of times, when finally allowed to check in after the idiots had lost my booking and spending time trying to persuade some jobsworth that it was them who had made the errror not me, came in security when I was made to empty out my hand luggage and they found a very small Wheatley box of flies. Guns were pointed at me by the loitering thugs in uniform....it was at this point I snapped. I don't like guns pointed in my direction at the best of times so through gritted teeth I explained to the main protagonist that they were fishing flies and I was not going to run amok armed with a box of PTN's size 12 and that if they persisted with their gun display I would insert it where the sun don't shine and empty the clip. By this time chaos was breaking out all round. Matron was shouting at me to calm down and I was beyond caring and prepared to go down fighting.....I've not been this livid for years.

Order finally came after a tense 'Mexican stand off', or in this case Portuguese, with the arrival of someone who seemed to have some authority. He took one look at me and asked politely what the problem was and amazingly listened to me instead of pointing a gun, looked at the flies in the box and realised they were not a WMD, told the goons to step down, put the flies back in my bag and apologised, hoping I would have a good flight home. Taken aback by this, I thanked him and went on my way with Matron hitting me and saying she had never been so embarrassed in her life. Women sometimes have such short memories, when it suits them, because she had forgotten about all the other times I have flown abroad with an incident each time....usually involving the metal detector going off due to the shrapnel in my head from 1982. I HATE FLYING!

Peter, I wished I'd known. I must say they really get you when you're at you're lowest. Tired and worried by time tables. If they met me without these advantages I'm sure I would have been able to use common sense and stand my ground a bit more, what upsets me the most is that you almost considered a unpatriotic for not following bizzare protocol and that these people get lauded for protecting me!

Fishing gimp, well done. A few years ago I'd just passed through to the boarding side when a middle class, middle aged lady behind myself and a friend was shoved to the floor and surrounded by thugs shouting that is the worst thing you can do!!!. What was she doing? My friend had just bought a bottle of water from within sight of these goons, it was confiscated even though we explained it wasn't even opened and the chaps had actually watched us walk fron the stall to come through, we said fair enough, it only cost a couple of quid. The lady behind then asked if her nail polish was a problem? A simple sorry madam you can't bring that through would have done. I started back mention surely cemtex or kalashnikovs were surely the worst thing. Luckily for me my friend dragged me away or I'm afraid I might have ended up in a situation like yours.