Does anyone have any experience with the fly rods and blanks of Beulah Rods? This Medford, Oregon-tackle maker features these Chinese-made, IM-8 rods that sound like they could be excellent values.
To answer my own question: I bought a Beulah 9-foot, 6-weight, 3-piece blank at a near-giveaway price, and just built it. It is a fast, strong, no-nonsense line launcher that handles WF7F line equally well. It's not as sweet in the hand as my other 6-weights, but it does give me an extra 10-20 feet. I'll reach for this one when the winds blow.
I bought a korean fly rod while i was stationed there and what a piece of shit. it is a 6weight that came with a fighting butt and feels like my 8 weights. everything about korea was awesome except this rod.
Re the above rod: I fitted it with an American Tackle Company A5 reel seat: black aluminum, uplocking, with a jadewood barrel, whose green with gold streaks, bizarrely grained texture nicely compliments the Beulah's glossy dark green color. I included three burl cork rings in the handle, which I shaped into my preferred thumb-grip style. TiCh guides will let me use this in salt water as well as fresh. I tried something new, which worked well: section end-wraps with embossed gold tinsel as allignment lines. I worked a little harder on appearance than usual with this rod. I wish I was set up to include photos for the tackle gallery. And all this for well under $100.
