Welcome to Hook & Hackle!
Your source for flyfishing and flycraft resources since 1975.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 6 1/2' | 4 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 28 | 35.5 | 45 | ||||
| 7' | 4 | 9 | 14 | 19.5 | 25.5 | 32.5 | 40.5 | 50 | |||
| 7 1/3' | 4.5 | 9.75 | 15.75 | 22.5 | 30 | 38.25 | 47.25 | 57 | |||
| 7 1/2' | 4.5 | 9.5 | 15.75 | 22.5 | 30 | 38.5 | 48.5 | 59 | |||
| 7 3/4' | 4.5 | 9.5 | 15.75 | 22.5 | 30 | 37.5 | 45.5 | 54.5 | 65.5 | ||
| 8' | 4.5 | 9 | 15.25 | 21.75 | 29 | 37 | 45.75 | 55.25 | 65.5 | ||
| 8 1/2' | 4 | 9 | 15 | 22 | 30 | 39 | 49 | 60 | 71 | ||
| 9' | 4.5 | 9.5 | 15.25 | 21.75 | 29 | 36.5 | 44.75 | 54 | 64.5 | 76 | |
| 9 1/2' | 4.5 | 9 | 14.5 | 21 | 28.5 | 37 | 47 | 57 | 70 | 83 | |
| 10' | 4.5 | 9.75 | 15.75 | 22.75 | 30.75 | 39.25 | 48.25 | 57.5 | 67.75 | 78 | 89 |
| Switch Rods | |||||||||||
| 10 '6" | 4.5 | 9.5 | 15 | 23 | 31 | 40.875 | 51.50 | 62.75 | 77 | 93 | |
| 10'8" | 4.75 | 10.25 | 17 | 24.375 | 32.875 | 42.375 | 53 | 64.875 | 79 | 94.5 | |
| Spey Blanks | |||||||||||
| 11'6" | 4.5 | 9.5 | 15.75 | 23.25 | 32 | 42.25 | 54 | 67.375 | 81 | 100.5 | |
| 12'6" | 5.25 | 11 | 19.25 | 27.5 | 38.5 | 50.5 | 64 | 77.5 | 94 | 113 | |
| 13' | 5.5 | 11.5 | 19.5 | 28.5 | 39.5 | 51.5 | 64.5 | 78.5 | 96.5 | 116.5 | |
| 14' | 6.75 | 15.125 | 24.625 | 36.75 | 49.5 | 64.5 | 81.75 | 97.5 | 113.375 | 133.125 | |
| Xi Spinning Blanks | |||||||||||
| 6'6" | 4.5 | 9.75 | 16.00 | 22.75 | 31.25 | 40.50 | |||||
| 7' | 4.0 | 8.5 | 13.75 | 20.0 | 27.5 | 36.0 | 48.5 | ||||
| 7' | 4.0 | 8.5 | 13.75 | 20.0 | 27.5 | 36.0 | 48.5 | ||||
**NOTES: On longer fly rods (8 1/2' and longer) 2 stripping guides are usually used, whereas only one stripping guide is usually used on shorter rods. The balance of the guides are running guides (snake guides or Pacific Bay single foot guides of the builder's choice).
Guides are usually tapered from the size opening of the stripping guide down to the size opening of the tip top. The choice of guide sizes is pretty much up to the desires of the rod builder. Many rod builders begin with a 10mm stripping guide on shorter rods and taper the running guides down to a 7mm tip top ending. Longer rods are tapered from 12mm stripping guides.
Guides have traditionally been placed on the side opposite the spine. To locate the spine put the rod sections together. Place the tip area of the assembled blank in the cradle between the thumb and other fingers of the right hand. Tilt the blank to about a 45 degree angle. Place the left hand about mid way down the blank (just above the left hand should be a piece of masking tape to mark the spine when found). Push down slightly with the left hand and rotate the blank using the thumb and forefinger. Where the most resistance is felt is the spine. Mark the tape at that spot. IMPORTANT: DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE BLANK UNTIL THE PIECES HAVE BEEN MARKED. IF THE BLANK IS DISASSEMBLED AND REASSEMBLED DEIFFERENTLY, THE LOCATION OF THE SPINE WILL CHANGE!
FAQ's about rod spine.
Q. Can I mark the spine on each piece and then put the pieces together?
A. Yes, but marking the spine is a bit more difficult to do with each piece than the with the assembled rod. The pieces by themselves will be stiffer and spine detection for each will be a bit more inprecise. Thus when the pices are assembeled according to marked spines, the actual resultant spine is often offset.
Q. Do I have to put the guides on the belly of the rod or can I mount them on the spine?
A.This is a question often discussed by rod builders. Some feel very strongly about their method of guide placement. One thing is for sure the guides must be placed on the spine or the belly or else the finished rod will exhibit "sideways" torque. The spine results from a number of vectors in the rod blank. If the guides are placed on one side or the other of the spine, the vectors will be front to back or vice versa. If they guides are offset, the resulting vectors will be too. During casting one feels the result as the casting hand tends to turn in or out during the back and forth motion. This gives rise to a number of casting problems. One school of thought suggests that lighter weight rods have the guides placed on the belly (2 thru 6 weight lines) and heavier weight rods (7-13) have the guides placed on the spine for more efficient casting or retrieval of that particular line weight.
ROD BLANK WARRANTIES
All Hook & Hackle Xi & XE fly rod blanks are covered by a lifetime limited warranty due to material or workmanship defects. All claims should be made directly to us, The Hook & Hackle Company and cover only the intended use of the rod blank without modifications of length, size or nature.
For warranty purposes, all sections should be returned to us for proper fitting of the replacement part. Please remove, and retain, all guides from the broken section that you may need to repair your rod. While there is no charge for the replaced section, a postage and handling fee of $25 is required with the warranty submission.
If return shipping requires a destination beyond USA/Canada, additional international postage will be determined and added to the fee.
Blanks manufactured by others that we resale, such as Sage, TFO, St. Croix, Batson, Pacific Bay, Great Bay and American Tackle, are covered by the original manufacturer's or distributor's warranty, not the Hook & Hackle Company.
Shop Fly Rod Building Components @ Hook & Hackle