US designer to lead workshops
For fishing rod designer Tim Rajeff, the best rods have plenty of ‘‘soul’’.
Rajeff will visit Turangi on November 5 to deliver a free fourpart workshop on rods, casting and all things fly fishing.
The topics covered will be the basics of single hand Spey casting; the anatomy of a trout rod; techniques used in distance casting and how they can apply to everyday fishing; and casting with fibreglass.
The Vancouver resident started ECHO rods in 2001 and has been designing and redesigning rods ever since.
‘‘I’m going to break rods at this presentation, so we’ll have a look at how they’re built,’’ Rajeff said.
Although most modern fishermen used carbon fibre and graphite rods, Rajeff said fibreglass rods were making a comeback.
‘‘There’s a big resurgence of people using fibreglass in the United States, and it’s not just there,’’ Rajeff said.
Fibreglass fibres are slower to recover when the rod is bent, but they stretch more than carbon fibre, Rajeff said.
‘‘They are not as stiff as carbon fibre but they’re heavier than carbon fibre. That translates into feel and casting awareness – we call it soul.
‘‘I think people lose fewer fish when they fight a fish with a fibreglass rod compared to graphite because of its superior shock absorption.’’
Though it was a few winters ago, Rajeff won the World’s Single Hand Fly Distance competition in Austria in 1984, casting a distance of 62 metres
In the distance casting section, Rajeff said he’d discuss how the fundamentals of competitive casting can be used to improve people’s everyday cast.
‘‘You are most efficient if you can throw further. It might be a mechanical change or simply casting technique,’’ Rajeff said.
‘‘I love analysing and helping people to get distance. If you can cast into the wind, sometimes that makes the difference between catching a fish and not catching a fish.’’
* Fly-fishing workshops with Tim Rajeff: Tongariro Lodge, Turangi. Topics; 10am: Single hand Spey casting. 11am: the Anatomy of a Trout Rod. Noon: BBQ lunch, 2pm: Distance casting techniques. 3pm: Casting and fishing with a fibreglass rod. Free to attend, lunch ($15) is optional.