Ralphie is right, I do own one, sort of. What I have is a Mark Flynn designed and wrapped custom stick, built on the Loomis BB965 blank, one step lighter than the factory stick you now own. In point of fact, the BB966 blank is not offered to the rodbuilding community by Loomis- or that's the one I would have selected for my rod.
I had my 965 made up as a back bay baitcasting stick and it, along with a hotrodded Abu Big Game 6500C and 30lb Stren Superbraid make up the best all around bass casting outfit I own. That blank will cast a bucktail like a bullet, work a pencil popper like a champ, and put the screws to a mid-twenties bass better than any other of my casting rods. A great, great blank, built into a stick that you couldn't pry from my hands for any amount of money.
Well, maybe there really is a number for which I would part with it, I'm not totally crazy, but I'm sure its such that no one in their right mind would pay it. After all, Mark has retired from rodbuilding and its kinda special to me, partly for that reason. Ain't gonna be no mo' Mark Flynn rods, ya know.
Anyway, the high sinker weight ratings for most any Back Bouncing line of rods is typically way out of wack with anything you'd care to cast. That's because the nature of "back bouncing" salmon in those wild Western U.S. rivers is such that casting is not needed, only the ability to drop a sinker over the side, hold it in the current and play LARGE salmonids to the boat, despite the hard running current.
Sound like any applications that we regularly encounter? How about inlet fishing with chunks, or maybe casting darters around our bridges during strong tidal conditions? All good stuff that can result in heavy hits from large striped fish.
Now if I recall correctly, I have in the distant past discussed this blank series with master rod builder Al Goldberg - who told me that he built some pretty terrific toggin' sticks out of it over his many years of building. I'm not sure how he cut the blank, but no matter how he did it, I'm certain that those rods turned out very special. Its that kind of blank - the BB965 and 966, and he's that kind of rodbuilder. . .
best, Lep
This post edited by Leprechaun 11:46 PM 08/25/2008
