[Iain Cameron]

hi guys

with useful advice from ben & hamish, just picked up my first salmon fly rod & reel. looking forward to making an ass of myself learning how to use that combo...

anyway, the rod is surprisingly, pleasingly light. so is it still necessary/recommended to tape up the joints?

what do you regular salmon anglers recommend?

cheers
iain

[Graham Ritchie]

I always tape the joints.

[Jim Eddie]

Iain

Graham is correct , particularly if you will be spey casting , best to tape the joints.

 

Jim

[Iain Goolager]

Hi Iain,

I too always tape the joints. Haven't got round to trying self amalgamating tape yet (Mr Lazy strikes once more) but I'll give you a few problems associated with normal 'sparky's tape';
If you are planning to fish for springers then it will be cold - the tape is temperature sensitive and may snap as you try to apply it. I had to restart the car the last time I was out just to warm up the tape so that it could be stripped from the roll (don't leave it overnight in the boot). Once applied it will no doubt have become cold as the fishing day reaches a close and removing the stuff can be even more frustrating. This will no doubt be made worse by having to tackle it in fading light due to the shorter days.

I wish you well in your new venture but would geniunely not even bother heading to the river without a lesson or two.

Hope to see you oot na boot soon

Iain

[Matt Henderson]

I ask nearly every angler who I meet that salmon fishes this question.  And there is about a fifty fifty split.  Taping joints isn't quite as easy as it looks (well it isn't for me) and I'm not convinced that insulating tape has enough grip to stop a rod turning.  I prefer just to check the sections at the end of every pool.  Or even more than that if its a long pool. 

Iain - get you and your self amalgamating tape.  I use it on my bagpipes.  But be warned its a pain in the behind to remove the stuff and leaves residue behind too.  I'm not sure I would want it ona fly rod unless of course you're one of these people that puts their rod up in February and puts it away again in November.

Cheers

Matt

[Iain Goolager]

 

I'm not convinced that insulating tape has enough grip to stop a rod turning.  I prefer just to check the sections at the end of every pool.  Or even more than that if its a long pool.

Matt, As I know I've to take the blinkin stuff off again ................see previous gripe, I don't over stretch the stuff when putting it on - which may be defeating the purpose and sometimes a section might slightly rotate BUT it won't work itself anywhere loose enough to result in a crack.

Iain - get you and your self amalgamating tape.  I use it on my bagpipes.

No, get you and your self amalgamating bagpipes 
 

  But be warned its a pain in the behind to remove the stuff and leaves residue behind too.

As does electrical tape - which will also remove varnish and any alignment marks (self or factory applied  )

 

I'm not sure I would want it ona fly rod unless of course you're one of these people that puts their rod up in February and puts it away again in November.

Nah I put my rod up in February and pack it away in March

Iain

[Iain Cameron]

sod that, it's all too much hassle... anyone want to buy a salmon rod...

thanks for the tape tips.

iain - agreed, a lesson or two would be useful, but frankly I'm going to go out and have a play first to get a feel for it all. For me, a lesson will make more sense when I can compare it to experiences. And hey, I watched arthur oglesby cast a fly rod on dvd earlier, what more do i need to know...

[Matt Henderson]

No, get you and your self amalgamating bagpipes 
   

 
Nah I put my rod up in February and pack it away in March

Iain

sadly the bagpipes aren't self amalgamating.  Why such a short shot with the salmon rod?

[Mike Barrio]

Why such a short shot with the salmon rod?

End of March maybe? ........ in time for the opening of the brownie season

Cheers
Mike

[salar35]

I ask nearly every angler who I meet that salmon fishes this question.  And there is about a fifty fifty split.

Been salmon flyfishing for fifty years and was taught from the start to tape the joints. I really don't know where the very recent fad for not doing so started (maybe rod manufacturers who like a steady turnover?!), and I doubt if many experienced  rods don't tape. Ask a ghillie.

Many facets of salmon fly fishing have changed (my first fly line was a Kingfisher level taper silk line, unlike today's space-age stuff!), but the ability of ferrules to work loose during Spey/Scandi/Skagit casting, remains the same.

Even if the ferrule only works loose under the tape, at least you usually get an indication of this via the feel and action of the rod and can halt to carry out remedial work......without said tape the first sign of trouble is usually the pistol-like "crack" as the female ferrule fractures! Candle wax does help but taping is best.....even if it's a real pain to remove in freezing weather.

[Iain Cameron]

as always, some good advice & experience showing here. thanks folks.

took my new double-hander out for a play on saturday - and did tape the joints together. Used gaffa tape (it was that or sellotape, all I had!) and it was easy to apply & remove, and no damage to the rod. Did notice that the upper joint was wet, and the tape had started to unstick a little, so I'm guessing that the gaffa tape goes back into the musicianly kit bag.

had fun learning a wee bit about what a 14ft rod can do in my able (cough!) hands... didn't see any fish... probably all scared off by the bloke who jumped in after his dog, which had jumped in upstream of me and appeared to be floundering. Slightly hairy & scary moments, watching him swim out to his dog, treading, then clambering back out.

and a few other hairy & scary moments when he climbed back out of the water and hunched panting and howling in shock on the bank completely bollock naked... ugh!!

cheers
iain

btw, saw him wandering past later on, dressed, smoking a fag, so he was alright, lucky escape