Taping the Ferrules

[mafic]

I am new to the 2 hand/skagit game, and have read a fair amount about taping the ferrules without a clear answer as of yet. My new 12 foot rod has very tight ferrules. They have yet to show any signs of loosening while casting(I still do check every 45 minutes or so like I did with my single hand), so I dont quite see the point of taping yet. For my specific case, the rod is so tight at the ferrules its hard to do any twist at all when tightening, and its very hard to take it apart at the top sections at the end of the day/run.

Is taping a legacy of long rods with long belly speys which maybe is not necessary with modern shorter rods with skagit heads? Or is it a better safe than sorry type mentality? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I ran a search on the forum and the last time I think this topic was addressed was 05, with everyone taping so I thought I would ask for a fresh perspective on the matter.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think you got it right.......I think taping is mostly for longer rods with longer lines.

I guess if you have a ferrule on a shorter rod that won't stay tight, you could tape it.

[Mark Kranhold]

Two handers generate a lot of power regardless of what lines. When one starts into the two hand game it is good to tape the ferrules until you find that sweet spot in your cast. When learning there is a lot of overpowering the rod which leads to loose ferrules. Sounds like you got your stroke down with a nice tightly fitted rod. I am a fan of orvis ferrule wax my self,it will also help with breaking down your rods. Just make sure to keep them free of grit & grime. My 2 cents

[troutless]

There are more opportunities to generate circular motions, twist, and torque when speycasting, all of this can increase the potential for loose ferrules in pretty much any line system. The long-line guys casting for distance are generating a lot of power and line speed, but as already noted any high-powered, especially over-powered, cast can be a problem. I had problems early on even with Skagit heads.

Taping I think is one of those personal things. It is not a panacea, if you improperly tape it can lead to a false sense of security and possibly even make it harder to detect when a ferrule is coming loose.

I don't tape, as tape represents one more thing I have to carry around with me, it takes time, leaves gunk on the rod, and I am concerned about the impact on the rod finish over time. I do check my ferrules often.

My personal opinion is, you can go either way, but you need to pick one path and stick with it. Either get in the habit of taping up EVERY time, or, get in the habit of checking your ferrules often, and don't go back and forth or otherwise deviate from the routine.

[JasonB]

I am new to the 2 hand/skagit game, and have read a fair amount about taping the ferrules without a clear answer as of yet. (snip)

You want a clear answer to something fishing related, let alone spey related?
Seriously, it can be tough to find 10 anglers to ALL agree to much of anything related to gear or techniques. I think taping ferules is going to be one of those things: there will always be those who will do it religiously, due to the potential consequences of having a ferule slip then breaking a rod on a fish (or even a cast), and there will be some who will say it's not really needed, too much hassle, find other techniques work just as well, etc, etc.
I don't tape, simply a matter of just one more thing to cary and deal with than any real "concern" over using it. I do have one ferule on one of my 2 handed rods (an 11' 6wt) that is always loosening up gradually, and I tighten it periodically and it seems to work fine for me. I am mostly casting with scand and skagit shooting heads, if that matters; and just to confuse the matter more, I have never had any issues with this while casting with my "long line" (technically a "short belly" spey line). YMMV...
JB

[Jeff C.]

I wax my ferrules using paraffin and just check my ferrules peiodically every once in a while on the water. They never get too loose but do get slightly out of alignment after a lot of snap-ts. As Mark already stated the wax helps when you break your rod down especially on a hot day.