Burkeimer rods

[john t.]

I was just wondering if anyone owns or has fished one of Kerry Burkeimers trout rods?

[regan c. kenyon jr.]

Best bet is to talk to the guys on speypages or like washington fly fishing.

[kelly palmer]

While I’ve never actually fished a Burkeimer rod, Kerry was kind enough to donate one to a fundraiser I coordinated last summer for Catch A Dream.

[john t.]

Guys,

Thank you for the replies.

[simon z]

HI John

I have 2 of them, a 6wt and a 5wt. I had the 5wt made for me by Josh Markvan. They are very nice rods. Obviously it can be hard to describe their action using words as what I think is fast or slow you might not.

I would rate both rods as medium fast. What I do like about them is that the very tip section of the rod (say the last 6 inches of the top section) is a little bit more robust then say my loomis rods. Meaning that the rod will flex a little further down the blank.

Very nice rods
Very happy with mine.

Cheers
Simon

[karsten neben]

Hi John,

I love Burkheimers rods. Got a vintage 9′ 5wt made for my wife a while back. It’s the nicest 5wt I’ve ever cast (each to their own) and I’ve cast quite a few other rods in my time. My best friend used to manage a tackle store.  😉

If I had to describe the action I would say medium+ in a progressive taper. It’s a rod that is pin point accurate doesn’t take a lot to drive and puts a smile on your dial when you reach for distance. I got my wifes rod made for sight fishing to large browns in the Sth Island NZ and lake polaroiding in Tassy. After much correspondence I know Kerry listened because the rod ticked all the right boxes and then some.

My friend has a 5wt and 6wt, I fished the 6wt in Tassy a few months back and loved it. My friend however prefers his Winston boron IIx for his applications. I am selling his 6wt on ebay soon I haven’t checked with him but think he mentioned $300US as a list price. If your interested send me a PM and I’ll keep you informed.

[john t.]

Simon & Karsten,

Thanks for the reply.

[karsten neben]

Hi John,

It’s hard to compare the Bukie to a boronIIx especially the 6wt. I tried to like the 6wt BIIx for a NZ rod but never understood why it was such a different beast to th 3, 4, 5 and 7wt? I think you’re right it’s more like a 5wt but the true 5wt in my eyes is a much nicer rod. The 5wt is lovely and the 7wt one of the nicest rods I’ve ever owned, it’s the pick of the BIIx’s for me.

I should point out I made a mistake in my last post, my mate has a 6wt BoronII-MX which he prefers over the 6wt Burkie. He is a more aggressive caster and wanted a fast rod for punching heavily weighted flies into the wind. I prefered the Burkie, it had far more finesse took less energy to cast and performed well in the wind.

For your application I’d be getting in touch with Kerry and talking to him about your needs, follow it up with an email. He has so many tapers on hand and might tweak the rod slightly for your needs and application. I have no hesitation in recommending the 5wt for what you require and wouldn’t dare compare it to your 6wtBIIx it wouldn’t be fair to the Burkie. Be prepared to wait, 3months turned into 6 for me but I didn’t mind, if the wait is a problem you can always buy the standard rods off the shelf like my friend did.

If I had to compare the 6wt to the 5wt in the Burkie I would say the 5wt is definately a more versatile rod/allrounder. The 5wt has a lot of feel and is more tip responsive than the 6wt. The 6wt in comparison is a bit of a cannon when you get your timing right, less finesse and dampens the feeling of what’s going on a bit compared to the 5wt. I think the 6wt is still a nice rod but a different beast to the 5wt.

I hope this helps and doesn’t confuse you more? The best advise is talk to the man himself.

My best

Karsten

Forgott to mention the blank is Blue.

[simon z]

John
Some good advice from Karsten above about contacting Kerry to discuss tapers etc. I would second that.

Not to hijack the thread but if you ever need any tips etc on NZ just let me know.

Cheers
Simon

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