Opinions on the P 14 ??? Options

[Darrin]

I was wondering what you gentlemen felt about the P 14 ?? how it casts and fishes??
I had the pleasure of casting one today made by Wayne that had a swell above the cork and I really liked the rod and how it casted . Admittedly I was not astream nor actually fishing so I'm asking for some opinions from the more learned members as to its characteristics .

Thanks

[Flashman]

I'm not qualified to comment, but I thought I would throw in a brief quote from George Maurer. I do this simply because I know how frustrating it is to have no reply to your query whatsoever.

While Young’s Para-15 is more famous than the shorter Para-14, many prefer the Para-14’s more relaxed approach to fly fishing

Of course, you've cast the rod so not very helpful. The "stereotype" (accurate or not) is that the "para" tapers (as opposed to the named ones) of Young require keen attention to timing and aren't that great in close [the thread below says the 14 IS good in close]. Here I do nothing more than report hearsay and rumor.

Chris Carlin ( a true expert) offers a modified version of the taper. His remarks on the effects of his modifications may shed some light on the nature of the unmodified rod.

Less tip bounce, a tad stiffer and a more forgiving action than the un-modified taper.

Good Luck in your query----I thought this rather thin and uninformative reply might be just slightly better than total silence.

Flashman

This taper has been discussed at length here (you can search the forum for these):

Para 14

A lot of useful stuff for you in that thread----be sure to take a look.

[Darrin]

Thanks for the response .
I found and read the link you posted but was looking to see if anyone had anything to add or if they had any opinions on how a swelled butt would effect the rod (the one I cast had a swell) .
It was my first opportunaty to cast the P 14 (and a Gillum) and both seemed very nice rods and I was wondering about some of the previous comments on para's in general especially since I'm not a strong caster .

[chip node]

any opinions on how a swelled butt would effect the rod (the one I cast had a swell) .

The swell will stop the action prior to the grip. With out the swell you will feel the rod flex into the cork handle. The are those that like the feel while others find it disconcerting. I am on the fence whether a swell will actually increase distance of a cast when the rod is loaded to the point that the action is working up against the swell. Tim

[phg]

All else being equal, making a swelled butt will stiffen the rod a bit. Whether this helps or hinders your casting is just a matter timing and feel. It also adds a bit of mass to the handle and reel seat that will help lower the center of balance, which on longer rods can be beneficial.

[Darrin]

Thanks guys . I've been trying to find some more info on it after casting it and then reading some info about it (many describe it as a hard to cast rod that is weak) . I felt that George Maurer's description was more in line with my limited experience and Waynes excellant rod .

Cheers

Darrin

[jayhake]

I think with a parabolic taper such as the p14, the swelled butt makes a pretty big difference in the action of the rod. The Maurer version of that rod is only .280 at the butt, which is pretty small for a 4-5 wt. Without beefing up the butt, or adding the swell, it will flex deep into the handle. Also, that is not a great deal of wood to fight a bigger fish.

If you are adding wood to the handle, or adding a swell like Wayne, I would think you would want to be careful to not add it all at once, so you create a hinge in front of the swell. I would guess that Wayne's P14 casts quite a bit different that a standard taper model, but not having cast them side by side, I don't know for sure.

I keep planning on making one of these, hopefully I can get it done this winter. Bottom line though, if you have cast one and really like it, go for it.

[new2boo]

I think this rod will handle larger fish. Darrin landed a 27 inch brown on a 3wt rod this past season this rod will be stronger than that, it may not be the best for large water and big fish mind you but it would be fine for most average streams. I have a friend that landed a 26’ wild brown with a para 14 this taper will hold up to a large fish. I like parabolic rods but when I am fighting larger fish I do get the feeling into the handle of the rod that makes the blood pressure ramp up a bit. So I did as many have suggested I slowed the flex in the grip with a swell. I also wanted to slow the butt flex so it would cast a bit easier and I feel this was also accomplished. Myself and 2 friends were able to cast this rod very close to the backing with a SA 5wf Ultra line some double hauling was required it is a parabolic rod after all. I can say that almost everyone that has cast it likes it or they have not told me different to may face (he he).

The rod is for sale.

Wayne

[Mark Shamburg]

I have a friend that landed a 26’ wild brown with a para 14

A 26 foot brown?!?!?!?!?! Now thats what I call a fish story!

I landed a pretty big rainbow on a soft bamboo rod this year as well, but if I expected to be catching fish that big I'd want a rod with a little more wood in the butt. Of course it doesn't matter a whole lot when you're fishing super light tippet anyway.

Mark

[new2boo]

" or ' are for spelling I am not good with that either. A metric guy A. 5 X is average and 4X some people think you are a lugun

[Mark Shamburg]

So that must be about 66cm then right...

Mark

[grandtrout]

We had a bit of discussion about your intrest in a bit more robust rod when we met at the HLS cane day. My opinion having cast waynes rod a few times is that it would fit the bill nicely for what your after. Let's face there are alot of great 5wt's in the 8 foot range, but if your looking for one thats just a bit faster or more powerfull than the average you sort of limited to derivations of the P14 / 15 or "the force" (in parabolics) or something with a taper more like an 8013. Slow down a bit and the possibilties open up to include rods like grarrison's, grangers or thamers dx series. Bottom line they are all good rods & 10 guys could cast them and come up with 10 opinions. Seriously, is this the last cane rod your going to buy or build? Get a P14, fish the crap out it & then buy something else > one things for sure that stick Wayne built will stop a any big brown in the grand in its tracks - if it doesn't it your fault not the rod & when that happens to me it takes days to wipe the smile off my face. By the way, your a good caster, we fished side by side & I lived to tell about it - not one hook-mark.

[Darrin]

We had a bit of discussion about your intrest in a bit more robust rod when we met at the HLS cane day. My opinion having cast waynes rod a few times is that it would fit the bill nicely for what your after. Let's face there are alot of great 5wt's in the 8 foot range, but if your looking for one thats just a bit faster or more powerfull than the average you sort of limited to derivations of the P14 / 15 or "the force" (in parabolics) or something with a taper more like an 8013. Slow down a bit and the possibilties open up to include rods like grarrison's, grangers or thamers dx series. Bottom line they are all good rods & 10 guys could cast them and come up with 10 opinions. Seriously, is this the last cane rod your going to buy or build? Get a P14, fish the crap out it & then buy something else > one things for sure that stick Wayne built will stop a any big brown in the grand in its tracks - if it doesn't it your fault not the rod & when that happens to me it takes days to wipe the smile off my face. By the way, your a good caster, we fished side by side & I lived to tell about it - not one hook-mark.

Thanks for the advice and for the compliment . Usually I just hook myself though lol .

I'll apologize in advance for this..... "we fished side by side" ???? I'm not familiar with the online name , or at least can't put it together with a face ???????????

[new2boo]

hey Darrin GrandTrout was the guy with the PMQ's at the demo

[Jim Lowe]

I've never fished the Para 14 but i cast one at Dunsmuir this year and thought it nice. The one thing about the parabolics is that they may feel a bit heavy due to the weight distribution within the rod and the way the rod loads.