# Any opinions???



## Bass_assasin (Mar 7, 2005)

Hey everyone!!! Posted an opinion thread last week and didnt really get any responses from anyone so I will try again. I just got a Gatti 8wt.,9' flyrod combined with a Phleuger Trion flyreel for my birthday and was wondering- a.) does anyone have either of these pieces and b.) what do they think of them? I am brand new to flyfishing(going to pickup flyline for the reel this weekend) and am anxious, but also overwelmed, by the whole thing... I figured that I have always wanted to flyfish and upon turning 30, what a better time than now to start


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

I didn't see this posted but anyway I am not to familar with them but heard those rods are suppose to be really good. I know that FAOL.com used to talk about them a lot so it may good idea to see if you generate some info on them. I think you will quite well with it. Using it for bass? If so then get a bass taper line.


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## brhoff (Sep 28, 2006)

Well, as for the specifics...no one really can tell you.

They both "sound like" good pieces, you'll have to try them out and see if they work for you.

Much of this is so subjective that you'll get even more confused by input...at this point, you are learning what you don't know.

Get your line at a local shop if one is near by and ask for help setting the deal up...a good shop is happy to help. Ask for help knotting things up and getting it cast/fish ready.

A 9' 8wt by Gatti "sounds like" a powerful, fast set up, perfect if your launching larger bugs to Bass as your handle suggests.


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## gsteel (Feb 16, 2008)

Gatti is out of Italy. Way nice blank. Did somebody build it for you? As for the reel. Its on the lower price range but a very good reel. I havent played with one but the reviews I have read have been very good. Boy I wish my first flyrod was a Gatti.


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## kruggy1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I never used any of those products,but have seen them using the trion reels on infisherman fishing for carp. There was another show they used those reels for bonefish in the bahamas but cant remember what show.


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## alighthouse (Jul 24, 2006)

I believe Orvis still has there wonderline gen 3 on sale for $29. which I believe reg price runs 59 I just got mine and its super smooth and heard its pretty good line


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

I have used that same reel (the verson for a 4 wt., I think it was model 1934) and found it to be a very good functional reel. As someone else mentioned, it is a rather inexpensive reel, and I would be hard pressed to think of a reel that would be any better at that price. I think you'll find it to be more than satisfactory.


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## Bass_assasin (Mar 7, 2005)

thanks for the responses so far!! gsteel- It was a 30th birthday present from my good fishing friend. He does do alot of custom work and I believe he built it up from a blank. He has asked me for years to go to PA to do steelheading in the fall and winter and I always said "no" do to being ill equipped. Well, now I dont have any excuse I plan on using it for bass too, as I am a bassfisherman by nature. Really pumped about trying something new that I can see as being an amazing experience also!!!


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

I think we all wish we had a friend like that! Offers you trips Steelheading and makes you custom fly rods... : )

Have fun with the new rod!


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

BA,
I'm not familiar with the reel, although I have heard good things. Gatti rods are PRIZED by experts. They are among the lightest rods available. I've heard owners say they're the sweetest rods they own. Downside is they are "thin walled" (for lightness), so be sure to "baby" that rod. They will not take the abuse that some others will.
That's a GOOOOD friend!!! Congrats.
Mike


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## gsteel (Feb 16, 2008)

Dont be afraid to fish that rod. The reason for the lightness of the rod is do to its makeup. Fish that rod and fish it hard. Like anyother rod it may not like getting slammed in a door or jabbed in the ground.


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## BradS (Apr 7, 2004)

Tuber

I have to disagree with you. I owna Gatti. You are right, it is light, but you don't have to baby it. It has stood up to some large fish for me with no problem. I will also throw a Saltwater Bluegill fly with no problem  

Brad


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

Take care of it and it will take care of you! Another thing is if you get a fly hung up or in the tree then just dont yank on the rod. Let out slack line and try to pull without using the rod. Have fun! I f you are around Lorain/Sheffield area I could give you some bass flies as I will be up there .


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

I hope you folks aren't taking my post wrong.
Brad...If you remember, the late Al Campbell did a review on a Gatti custom rod. I guess it says what I tried to say. Sorry if I offended anyone.....

Gatti Performance Test
by Al Campbell

I've played with a lot of fly rods in my lifetime.&#65533; Most of the rods had something, usually something little, that I would improve if I was building the rod.&#65533; I guess I had pretty much settled my thoughts and desires to Sage and G. Loomis because in my opinion, they offered the most performance for the dollar.&#65533; I recently had the opportunity to build a fly rod on a Gatti blank.&#65533; Keep in mind, I rarely fish with anything that isn&#65533;t labeled Sage or G. Loomis on the rod blank.&#65533; I&#65533;m a fanatic for high modulus and performance, so I looked at the Gatti with a cautious eye.

The first thing I was skeptical about was the claim that there would be very little if any spine (or spline) to the rod blank.&#65533; How could a fly rod blank have no spine?&#65533; The process that creates a rod blank guarantees a spine of some sort.&#65533; I was sure I&#65533;d find a noticeable spine.

Then there is the claim that Gatti blanks have a uniform wall thickness. In my experience, this is as unlikely as winning the lottery.&#65533; It&#65533;s true that the best rods (Sage, Loomis, T&T, Winston, etc.) have a fairly uniform wall thicknes s, but the process of creating a graphite rod blank assures some lack of uniformity in the wall thickness of the rod blank. Buy a cheap rod, and the lack of uniformity will be very noticeable.

The next thing I had doubts about was the claim by some that the rod would be a smooth power house with a fast action.&#65533; I like fast actions, but most of the time fast and smooth don&#65533;t share the same space.&#65533; Smooth as in Sage SP is accomplished by giving the blank a progressive action. In the case of the SP+, the smooth feeling is replaced by a rifle fast action.&#65533; The SP+ is a high performance rod for sure, but in my opinion, not as smooth as the regular SP.

How about the claim that Gatti rods are as light in physical weight as you can buy?&#65533; Everyone knows that title belongs to G. Loomis.&#65533; How could a finished rod blank be as light as an unfinished blank?&#65533; Let&#65533;s get real, I suspected a little bit of creative advertising was behind that claim. After all, they all claim to make the best fly rods in the world.

Finally, there&#65533;s the claim of a smooth flow of power between the rod sections.&#65533; In fact, the claim is that it is as close as you can get to a one piece blank in feel and power flow.&#65533; The only way to achieve that flow is to use a thin ferrule, and thin ferrules break.&#65533; I suspected a little bit of creative advertising here too.

Obviously, I was skeptical of the claims.&#65533; After all, any rod with all of the above listed characteristics would have to be able to jump into a phone booth and emerge seconds later with a big "S" on its chest.&#65533; People kept telling me to try one, but I was sure I didn&#65533;t need another rod and my budget didn&#65533;t need another one either.&#65533; So when J. Castwell and Ladyfisher arranged for me to get my hands on a blank, my answer was; "OK." Getting me to try a new fly rod is about as hard as getting a fish to swim in a river.

A shiny new Gatti two piece fly rod blank in an 8 1/2 foot four weight (FR864TA) arrived just in time for me to build it and take it to the Bighorn River on my annual fishing vacation.&#65533; If anything can test a fly rod, the Bighorn will.&#65533; In fact, if the rod has flaws, they will show their faces on that river as soon as a big fish grabs your fly in heavy current.

So, how did it perform?&#65533; Let me tell you how I built it first.&#65533; I used a burl cork handle because I like the look and feel of burl cork.&#65533; I used single foot strippers and snakes to keep the weight down and free the action up.&#65533; A down locking, slip ring reel seat finished off the components.&#65533; Hmmm, it looks nice, but how did it perform?&#65533; I&#65533;ll address each claim separately.


The blank does have a spine.&#65533; It only took my trained hands two tries to find it and six checks to confirm its existence.&#65533; Most people wouldn&#65533;t notice the spine, but if you can find it, place the guides according to the spine.&#65533; If not, don&#65533;t worry about it, with this rod it won&#65533;t matter much if at all.

I used magnification to check the blank for the uniform wall thickness that was claimed.&#65533; As far as I can tell, it is uniform throughout its length, and definitely in the areas I could see.&#65533; That would explain the lack of a spine.

Well, how about weight, power and speed?&#65533; The finished rod weighs less than my Loomis 8 foot, four weight IMX.&#65533; In fact, the reel I use on my Loomis is the one I used on the Gatti, but the balance point moved closer to the reel on the Gatti handle.&#65533; It casts as smooth as my nine foot, four weight Sage SP, but will outcast the SP by about ten feet.&#65533; I let eight guides on the Bighorn cast it to see what they thought about its performance.&#65533; Without exception, they all liked the smooth power and the light weight of the rod.&#65533; I overheard one guide telling another guide that he wished he hadn&#65533;t bought four Sage rods this year because he wanted a Gatti after trying mine.&#65533; That was the same guide who cast all of the line and five feet of backing with a double haul.&#65533; Not bad for a four weight.&#65533; It doesn&#65533;t have a noticeable spine, but it has plenty of backbone.

As I suspected, the ferrule is thin.&#65533; I expected the rod to break on the first big fish. One guide asked if it was a one piece blank because he didn&#65533;t see or feel the connection between the sections.&#65533; I landed a rainbow over twenty two inches and was broke off by bigger fish in heavy current without a problem.&#65533; If you build a rod on one of these blanks, be sure to wrap the ferrule with thread so it won&#65533;t have a chance to split. A little candle wax on the ferrule is a good idea to keep it snug without the tendency to stick.&#65533; By the way, I no longer expect the rod to break.

I&#65533;m not getting rid of my Sage and G. Loomis rods.&#65533; They make outstanding fly rods and blanks worth every penny it costs to own one.&#65533; Compared to other rods, I think Sage and Loomis are kings of the hill.&#65533; But, there&#65533;s a new kid on the performance block named Gatti, and this one will give Sage and Loomis a run for their performance money.&#65533; In fact, the performance contest just moved to a higher level with Gatti uniform thickness blanks.

Finally, the Gatti is a performance blank.&#65533; That means it&#65533;s built with very high modulus graphite and is prone to fracture if you abuse it.&#65533; The same is true with other performance rods like Loomis and Sage.&#65533; The higher the modulus, the easier it is to fracture the graphite fibers with impact like you would get with a beadhead or an epoxy head fly.&#65533; If you want to abuse your fly rod, buy a broom stick.&#65533; But, if you want sports car performance, make your next rod a Gatti.&#65533; I didn&#65533;t notice the &#65533;S&#65533; on its chest, but it met the advertised claims very well.&#65533; In fact, I believe my next rod will be another Gatti.&#65533; I wonder, will a nine foot, two weight Gatti cast a whole line?

~Al Campbell

Mike


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## Bass_assasin (Mar 7, 2005)

Thanks for the info and advice guys. It is much appreciated!!! I am sorry I havent responded for a couple days, as my computer had went down. I will treasure this flyrod as it was a great gift from a great fisherman. Like I said previously in this thread, I am at a turning point in my life and growing up spinfishing and baitcasting, why not add a new hobby to the fold!! Very excited and very appreciative of all those here that offer advice. Once I practice,practice,PRACTICE!!!!, with this set up I will make sue to submit pictures of some of my catches... Thanks guys!!!


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## gsteel (Feb 16, 2008)

I know what fish look like I want to see the stick. As a builder I love looking at others work.


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## Bass_assasin (Mar 7, 2005)

I will try to get a few pics up this weekend!!


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