Re 8 5 wt - Tom Bowden

My favorite rod this year has been an 8' 2pc with a "straight taper" 
starting at .068 tip & increasing .0029 per inch. This is just a little bit 
slower than an EC Powell B9 taper, which has a slope of .003 per inch. I 
use a WF6 most of the time, but a WF5 works too. Most of my fishing is on 
saltwater beaches and lakes & requires a long cast. With good timing & a 
nice easy casting stroke, 50-70' casts are easy.

Another one to try is the modified 8' WF4 Para-15 taper from Bob Milward's 
book. It's a Para 15 (dry tip) with .010 subtracted to make it a 4wt, and 
then another .005" taken off the entire tip section. I don't care much for 
Paras, but others who have cast this rod really like it.

Another good one is a Garrison 212. I made a 212E that I've used on the 
Deschutes & some of the local rivers. It casts well with a DT6 & is also 
good for mending & controlling line.

All of this is just my opinions & experience. The fun part is building and 
trying different tapers and construction methods to find something that YOU 
like!

Tom


At 11:12 PM 7/29/2003 -0400, Robert Cristant wrote:
>Hello all, I would like the list's opinion with regard to a taper for an 
>8'  5 wt 2 piece rod that I would like to build.  I need a rod that will 
>cast, for lack of a better word, like a rocket.  The rod will be used for 
>a fairly large river and will be required quite often to throw 50 to 60 
>feet of line.  I would like to avoid any 8 1/2 footers or three piece 
>rods, for the simple reason of added weight (6" of cane and an extra 
>ferrule probably doesn't add that much weight, but any weight savings 
>can't hurt).  I was contemplating the Payne 102, or perhaps a 
>Dickerson.  Anyone who has cast any Payne's or Dickerson's, or any good 8' 
>5 wt tapers for that matter, please chime in and give a poor lost soul 
>some direction.  Any help is appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>Robert