This is a new Japanese blank, Alchemy Dharma 7'5'', 4/5wt that was designed by Mr Akihiko Kawasaki on Alchemy Tackle in Japan. I'm very pleased about the performance of this rod. Many people refer to glass rods as "close to bamboo", but I would say that is quite unusual. Modern glass is light and crisp, and not very like bamboo at all. At least when it comes to traditional progressive tapers. But this taper is parabolic, which means it has a flat mid section and a soft butt. This taper geometry gives the rod a very special performance. The soft butt section acts like a hinge in the blank, helping it to load very deeply. This makes the rod an excellent distance caster, but it's also great for casting situations where you need to unload the line in narrow spots, for example roll casting in between trees. The swing weight is relatively high on this blank, which makes the rod less line weight sensitive and more open to different line weights. The mass distribution makes the rod load nicely by using only its own mass, which allows the rod to load with a lighter line than it's designed for. There is a big gap in the market for parabolic rods, and I will get back to this blank in future builds.
This build was appointed Japanese style with nickel silver and bamboo details, featuring my new down/uplocking reel seat. It will be sent to a fellow rod builder in the US who is currently making a rod for me on the same blank. I can't wait...
