[Mike Cline]

Seafood,

Indeed.  Flows are much lower than normal on all the rivers.  And depending what lake you live on, things are getting a little crazy.

Check out these pics from Lake Martin in Alabama.

http://www.lakemartin.com/Gallery/Gallery.asp?GalleryID=89

Slapout Mike

[Mike Cline]

Zach,

Good Job! – Sign me up for two (2) Mediums.

Mike Cline

[Mike Cline]

This is one area reel makers should really take a look at. They can make good, light weight click and pawl reels for trouting that would compliment todays light rods but they would rather have is believe we ‘need’ the complexity and weight of drag reels, even for small stream rods.

I suspect you will see reels being built with composites in the next decade.  The technology in that area is advancing so fast.  The new Boeing 787  family of jets in general will have a takeoff weight half of what the Boeing 777 family has while carrying the same comparable cargo or passenger loads.  Its all due to composites being used instead of metal.  We will see it in reels sometime in our future as composites are creeping into everything where weight vs strength is a consideration.

[Mike Cline]

I’d like to relate a casual conversation I had with an Orvis rep I had about 10 years ago at an East coast fly fishing show.

Its a balancing act!!!!. As blank technology lightens the blank, manufacturers have to find ways to lighten the remaining components while maintained the strength required.  The biggest problem has always been the weight of the guides, wrap and finish relative to the weight of the blank.  Its one thing to take a .5 oz off the rod blank but you have to take a relative amount of weight off the guides, etc. to maintain the desired action.  Reel seats and grips also factor into the equation.  That is why you are seeing the introduction of thin, flexible guides and composite reel seats.

At the time of the conversation, the rep said there’s really no reasonable lower limit to a total rod weight as long as all the components are balanced–and strong enough to do the job.

[Mike Cline]

This great country is truly blessed with a lot of extraordinarily outstanding fishing–coast to coast.

[Mike Cline]

Give this site a look-see.

[Mike Cline]

Jeff,

Its pretty clear you are hooked.

[Mike Cline]

Patrick–Here’s another good site for Seattle area fly fishing

http://washingtonflyfishing.com/

[Mike Cline]

The one book that come’s to my mind is: Joan Wulff’s Fly-Casting Techniques. Wulff, Joan (1987). New York: Nick Lyons Books. ISBN 094113038X.

Although its a bit dated, I still look at it often to help me think about good casting techniques.

You should be able to obtain a copy from a bookseller at: http://www.abebooks.com/

[Mike Cline]

Nice stuff Joel.

[Mike Cline]

I saw something like that fish chasing a spaceship on one of the Star Wars movies.

[Mike Cline]

A customized rod designed precisely for your hand can’t be beat.

This one I’ll have to disagree on. I’ve seen way too many shoddy and gaudy custom rods to say they’re all that good as a whole.
A lot has to be said for perfecting your work through experience. Most home builders would be hard-pressed to duplicate the number of wraps in a year that a factory does in a week.
I know from experience there are craftsman and there are artists. It is very rare to find a single rod builder who excells at both.
Jes sayin’  😉

Having built my own rods for some 35 years, to include a fair number for friends, I will agree that there is both ART and CRAFTSMAN at work with a custom rod.  Apart from any of the ART reasons to build a rod, if you can learn the basic CRAFTSMAN skills, building your own rods SIGNIFICANTLY reduces the cost of owning high quality rods and allows you to upgrade to components of a quality/performance unavailable in similar commercial rods.  The cost is significantly even more reduced if you can find a way to obtain your components at Wholesale prices.

The average rod takes approximately 8-10 hours of labor over a minimum of 3 – 5 days to complete.  This time is reduced a bit with purpose built rod-building tools assisting your work.  Apart from the value of your time, the only cost of a custom rod is the component cost.  Glue and Thread are nominal costs.

Here’s an example

• The Loomis Streamdance GLX Rod 9’, 4pc, 5wgt has an MSRP of $620
  You could build a similar rod with substantially upgraded guides and reel seat as follows:
  Loomis 9’, 4 pc, GLX, 5wgt Blank: $312MSRP
  Fuji Titanium/Gold Cermet Concept Guides ($10-13ea) $100 MSRP
  Struble Reel Seat Nickle Silver with Wood Insert ($35-50) MSRP
  Cork Grip – $18-23 MSRP
  Total Component Cost at MSRP: $485
  Total Component Cost at Wholesale -40% ($291)

Of course the availability of components at wholesale varies, but even at MSRP prices, one can build a high quality rod, replicating or even improving on high-end commercial rods at substantially less cost.  One must develop the CRAFTSMAN skills to do so, but that applies to most do-it-yourself projects.  I am still fishing rods I built 30, 20 and 10 years ago.  When I built them, I couldn’t afford the equivalent commercial rod, but by using high quality components and learning the necessary CRAFTSMAN skills, I was able to product long-lasting, high performance rods at reasonable costs.

Mike

[Mike Cline]

Although I’ve disposed of many of the custom rods I’ve built in the last ten years lately, here’s what’s still in my stable:

Rods
Sage FLi, 9′ 5wgt, 4 Piece (2)
Sage XP, 9′ 7wgt, 4 piece – These are the travel rods
St Croix SCIV 9′, 7 wgt 3 piece (Custom Rod) – This is my saltwater Flats rod
Loomis IM6, 8.6″, 8 wgt, 2 piece (Custom Rod)–This is my primary Pike and Bass Bug Rod
Loomis GLX 9′, 5wgt, 2 piece (Custom Rod)–This is my goto freshwater Kayak rod
Fenwick 7′, 4wgt, Ferulite Glass, 2 piece (2-One custom, one stock)

Reels
STH-DDR Cassettes for 5wgt and 7/8wgts (3)
Flylogic FLO Optimum (7 wgt) – My purple saltwater reel
Orvis Mid Arbor for 5wgt (2)

Line
Cortland, RIO, SA in all configurations for all reels and rods–I’ve got too many extra spools and lines.

Mike

[Mike Cline]

I have wanted to put a trout mailbox in for a long time, but it is a lot more appropriate for a picturesque country lane than for a suburban house in a subdivision (like mine).
Zach

You’re lucky to live in a sub-division.

[Mike Cline]

Yeah, thanks Mike, I really enjoyed your whole trip – next time to save yourself photgraphic hassles why not bring me to take the pictures ?
I’ll need mac & cheese pie, a few beers and return business class airfares from Australia.  😉 ;D

Cheers.

I can do Mac and Cheese pie.

[Mike Cline]

Clint,

I would highly recommend you spend $50 and get a reservation on the MZ Ranch for one of your days.

[Mike Cline]

I’ve worn a pair of LL. Beam AquaSteath studded boats for the last four years and love them.

[Mike Cline]

Zach,

I had a very good experience designing and ordering shirts for a recent event from:http://www.customink.com/

The shirts can be designed online and they do an extraordinary job of on-time production and delivery.

[Mike Cline]

My vote goes toward the Orvis Battenkill Mid-Arbors.

[Mike Cline]

Bryan,

Nice Madison Browns.

[Author]

Posts