Ferrule position on heavy popping rods

[lrrrrr]

I was wondering about the butt joins on popper rods. My question, does the butt position of the ferrule make it a stronger join than one in the midsection of a rod? My common sense tells me that the further down the rod the ferrule is, the more strain would be placed on it. Hence there would be much more strain placed on a butt ferrule than one in the rods midsection.

The only other reason I can think of for a butt ferrule is that it preserves the action of the rod, but the ferrules these days are so good that even fly fishing purists would have no hesitation choosing a high end rod with 3 ferrules through the rod. With ferrules these days there's no reason to worry about 'flat spots'.

It would also be much easier to carry 2 equal 4ft pieces than a 5.5ft rod tube.

I'd be interested to hear what people think...

[BARICK]

I've made a few of the "1.5" piece rods and have noticed that the butt section of the rod is a lot thicker and has no flex in it at all. I would assume that this design feature would be because the manufacturer means to have a Heavy powered bottom end for lifting the fish when on. The extra long top section of the blank would maintain the action better than your standard "2" piece rod. A better and more natural curve, so to speak. I would imagine that the ferrules would be strengthened if required for the particular design.