Putting together your 4 piece rod

[ryansheehan]

I know this might sound a little crazy but here goes. I was getting ready to fish the savage with a buddy of mine. We were gearing up and I looked over to see him trying to put the tip section of his 10 footer together. He struggled a few different times to try to get it lined up just right. I asked him if he always put his rod together butt section first and he said "yeah and so". Anyway I have always put my tip section together first and then worked down, I find it a hell of alot easier to line up and adjust. I know its trivial just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or even thought about it.

P.S. If this thread gets moved to a different section I would be highly offended

 

[afishinado]

ryansheehan wrote:
I know this might sound a little crazy but here goes. I was getting ready to fish the savage with a buddy of mine. We were gearing up and I looked over to see him trying to put the tip section of his 10 footer together. He struggled a few different times to try to get it lined up just right. I asked him if he always put his rod together butt section first and he said "yeah and so". Anyway I have always put my tip section together first and then worked down, I find it a hell of alot easier to line up and adjust. I know its trivial just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or even thought about it.

P.S. If this thread gets moved to a different section I would be highly offended

Hey Ryan,

I see a lot of FFers try to put together their rods exactly like your buddy. It's a little crazy seeing someone reaching up and struggling to put on and align their tip section....lol.

SOP for me....I put together the butt and mid-butt sections first and then assemble the tip and mid-tip section. I join those two sections together in the middle of the rod at eye level (I'm short...lol). So there you have it....secrets revealed!

 

[schiff]

Ok guys, it is probably quite obvious to you to do that.
Personally, I never even gave it a thought...ever!
Not that I really struggle to join sections, but it certainly makes sense and will be easier to do.
Thanks for the tip. I had a chuckle as I read your tip, thinking of course this makes sense, so why didn't it ever occur to me?
My life just a little easier.

 

[steveo27]

afishinado wrote:I put together the butt and mid-butt sections first and then assemble the tip and mid-tip section. I join those two sections together in the middle of the rod at eye level (I'm short...lol)

Bingo! i suffer from the same problem and this is how I do it as well

 

[1manwolfpack]

After finding out I can't even put my rod together right I'm left wondering what else I'm screwing up. Hell what if the whole time I thought I was a fly fisherman I was actually spin fishing

 

[ryansheehan]

1manwolfpack wrote:
After finding out I can't even put my rod together right I'm left wondering what else I'm screwing up. Hell what if the whole time I thought I was a fly fisherman I was actually spin fishing

Now that you have this vital information it is now your own and your wolf pack has grown by one.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

And for some...there are white dots on some rods to help you line up the sections correctly!

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Add a line on each section kinda like the dots. GG

 

[moon1284]

I do it the same as Ryan (I thought everyone did).

 

[krayfish2]

I put the reel on, string all four sections and then assemble. It's time consuming as the line constantly slips back through the guides.

Seriously, it's never occurred to assemble a 4pc rod any other way than build 2 halves and then put them together in the middle. If I saw a guy building it from the butt up, I'd probably film it and post it on the forum. And yes..... I'd dub in the Benny Hill theme music. Sorry. Lol

 

[Maurice]

I put it together look down through the snakes to make sure they are lined up(unless its a rod with dots) and then put the reel on and then strip out line 1.5 times or so the length of the rod. Grasp the fly line, make a loop so it doesn't slip back down through and then feed the loop through the guides, put the but on the ground and continue while walking away from the reel. When you get to the top put your finger in the loop and pull the tag end through.

 

[sarce]

^rods with dots are awesome.

Don't know why I don't just paint some dots on all of my rods...lol

Somewhat unrelated but I have a cheap 6 wt and the tip section steadily loosens while I fish, sometimes without me realizing it...then one cast suddenly the tip section is in the water. Oops.

 

[JackM]

More than two sections: start from the thinner part and work toward the butt. If you have a six-piece rod, by all means turn it into a two piece by assembling to 3x2. After assembly, hold the fly at the end of the strung rod and flex the rod. If you see any anomalies, make adjustments. I have no idea what I am talking about.

 

[outsider]

How many iterations can there possibly be with 4 sections? Experiment and use the best solution.

 

[salvelinus]

I have my ghillie put my rods together.

 

[jifigz]

I put my rods together section by section starting at the butt section and working my way to the tip. What about it? Lol. Seriously though. It works fine......I mean, you're only putting a rod together. If you cant reach the tip to line up properly the set the butt end on the ground. But hey, doesn't really matter how you put it together, it matters how badly you out fish your friends with it. Jk......seriously though .....

 

[DGC]

Bottoms up is preferred. Here's why:

Pulloff parking spaces are rarely generous, and there is a good chance you will be facing the road when you start putting things togeher. If you start at the tip and are putting together a longish rod while facing a nearby road, it could be trouble as you work it out further and further until..............

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Speaking of bottoms up, where's the post on how to put on your "Fruit of the Looms" underwear? LOL

 

[pcray1231]

I do it from the butt up, but honestly, I've never given it much thought or really considered it an issue. I only have 1 four piece rod anyway, the rest are 2 piece.

My 4 piece has dots. I have added dots to 1 of my 2 piece rods, but should do it on all of them. Just used a little of the wife's toenail polish! Unfortunately, it's as hard to line it up when painting as it is when putting it together, lol. So one of my dots is a little off the spine. But hey, I know which way it's off and adjust accordingly, so it still works, lol.

That's just how I roll....

 

[KeithS]

I use a dot of white appliance paint, really small, on the guide side of the blank. After a few minutes I cover that with Hard As Nails.
You still need to eyeball the guides down the length of the rod, but it's just fine tuning. The dots don't need to be on the spline, as long as they match when assembling.