I have been thinking of building my ideal dapping rod for some time now. I have heard of guys using course fishing float rods as they are 13ft + and equivalent to a 7/8wt
Anybody know a place with a blank like that ? 3 to 4 piece

thanks for any info

On a point of information .

I once made a special for a bloke who used to fish Loch Maree with a Frenchman once a year .

He was tired of being done as your Frenchman was using a ringed Garbolino pole around 18' long .

So I got him a cheap but robust Shakespeare 9m pole - reduced the top section slightly , ringed the rest and on the bottom 3 sections fitted skeleton reelseats .

I don't know if he did the Frenchman on the fishing but he reported back that Pierre was somewhat shocked when he started out by saying " See you , raise you 4 feet - and I can go again ! "

The finished item was just on 27 feet long . ( A bit cumbersome in its full magnificence but viable at 24' and positively handy at 20 ' )

I'd suggest you try something similar !

Best wishes

Steve P

The first time I put it together outside it stopped traffic !

The traffic stopping had nothing to do with the pole Steve.......


Regards,

David.

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David Norwich Rod Maker. Custom made Fly Rods.

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Dont think you will get hold of a blank not that lenght they are all sold to the big tackle companys direct.

Just go for a long match rod and replace the guides. You can find some light match rods at 20ft ideal for what you need.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tri-Cast-Fines...item4aa5894831


Gary

Nicho Bamboo Rod Co

A friend and I had heard lots of stories of the effectivness of dapping and last year played around with our 10' # 5 rods with a length of dapping floss.

The rods were far too short but with a decent wind you could just about dap in front of a drifting float tube on the wild lochs on the west coast of Scotland. I can testify to the delay you need to build into the setting of the hook, I still have nightmares about that very nice golden bellied trout I pulled the fly from when it rose to the dapping fly.

This year we were slightly better prepared. Three of us had bought the bargain basement 6 metre coarse poles / whips from a certain continental supermarket. They appear to be made from fiberglass and when we whipped rings on the top of each section and a whip on reel seat on the bottom they were transformed into servicable dapping rods for not a lot of money. The only downside is thet they do not have the slider rings on the two top sections and the rings are a bit fragile if you allow each section to slide down onto the next without and control. The largest fish a friend landed to the tube using the dap was about 18", a cracker of a trout.

Next year I am planning on buying a Bolognese rod, these are very much like the Shakespeare dapping rods but are available in different actions depending on the fish you are after. I think for loch fishing the lightest action 5 to 15 gram casting weight would be the best to go for. Depending on your budget, they are also available in carbon fibre which will be a bit lighter than fiberglass.

Our cheap trial was just to try it out without spending more than necessary in case we found it too difficult from the tube.

It worked much better than we expected from the tube, the dapped flies certainly do bring up the fish.

Loads of fun and well worth a try.


Kevin.

Do I understand this correctly - the reasoning behind the long rod is to get the fly far enough away from the boat?

I saw somewhere that spinning reels are used - why?

The long rod idea getting the fly away from the boat is perfectly correct. The longer it is the better it works. No need for a reel

Not necessarily. Look at how often a dibbled bob fly is taken very close to the boat as you prepare to start to lift into the cast. You can dap as close to the drifting boat as you wish and the fish will still come up for the fly.

Dapping with live or artificial flies is really practised to replicate the natural insects being blown on to the water, these are obviously a huge food source for the fish. A long rod lets the floss catch the wind more, allowing you to keep a fly working for much longer.
Spinning reels are used occasionaly as the floss section is usually no longer than 30ft or so (it can be longer though) and is attached to a monofilament backing line which is payed out or wound in as the conditions dictate. A spin reel does the job fine. A centrepin or a fly reel, is a much nicer reel to use though - with its direct line control.



David.

__________________
David Norwich Rod Maker. Custom made Fly Rods.

Carbon Fibre Rod Repairs.. Favourite Fly Rods new or old, renovated or repaired.

Rod Building Supplies Fly Rod Blanks, Guides, Threads, Flex Coat.

The David Norwich YouTube Channel

For years we used 16' cheapo Shakespeare Telescopics for dapping from the boat .

When we first tried from the tube , 20 odd years ago ,the 16 footer was just too long - fly too far out in front to strike effectively . But in those days Shakespeare's did a nice cheap 12'6" telescopic that worked fine . Sad how times change !

But that's the practical way to go !

And I am open to offers for my aged Scots Dapping Rod at 15' wholecane with a spliced in splitcane tip - only about 90 years old and tho creaky - still fishable !

Happy Daddy Catching

Steve P

Dear David - I thought it was only you who could stop traffic !

I built a dapping rod for a mate last year, using a 9wt 14' salmon blank. Large diameter coarse rings keep the floss away from the blank. He's very pleased with it. Only problem is that it's a 3-pce and gets in the way a bit in the boat when moving location on the lough

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once - Lee Wulff