Spare the rod and spoil the child…

In my case it’s just the opposite – I gave her the rod and still spoiled the child!

I spoiled the child by building the rod that she, my daughter Kristin – creative little thing that she is – designed!

What a nightmare! – but looking at the finished product – you wouldn't know how difficult it was to build.  

Blue, silver, what could be so difficult?

And, while a challenge, it was very satisfying – or relieving – when I finally finished the rod and watched her cast and catch her first trout on the third rod I've built for my first born. 

And, as for duplicating her design  –  to quote one of my favorite authors – “Nevermore!” thanks, Ed (Mr. Poe to others – I wonder if Raven feathers would be good for tying flies? Maybe a fly named “Lenore”? - it would probably just get lost.)

I bought the blank – Fenwick Fiberglass, 6 wt, 8'6" – over twenty five years ago.  I signed the rod blank for Kristin in hopes of building it right away – or at least sooner than 25 years.  

One thing lead to another and fishing was no longer a priority for her, so the blank traveled from Croton-on-Hudson, NY to Lake Oswego, OR, to San Ramon, CA, to Buffalo, NY. 

Unfortunately it didn't get any frequent traveler miles – but, it did stay safe and sound.

So – as my interest in building rods was resurrected in the past 12 months, Kristin wandered down to my workshop and happened to find “Her Rod Blank”.  She read the inscription and you could just hear the wheels in her creative little head turning, and as soon as I heard the word, “Daddy?” – I knew I was in trouble!

She immediately started designing – colors, wraps, handle shape….I was afraid – very afraid!

After talking her down a few miles in complexity, we decided on an intricate design that was STILL beyond anything I've ever attempted.  The biggest challenge was what is typically the most basic, simple part of building a rod.  Wrapping the guides.

The big challenge? – wrapping the guides with the same color as the base wrap.  Why so difficult you ask? 

I could not tell the base thread color from the thread color of the guide wrap thread as I was wrapping.  It just all blended together!  I had to work extremely slow and carefully or the guide thread would overlap the base and make a mess.

Then, there was the sparkle – the bling that might scare more trout than it would catch! Ah, yes, the things a father does for his little girls…..

And then, she decided that she wanted to have a handle just like the handle on my 9’, 4 weight rod with the solid boron Don F. Phillips blank that I built in 1983 (still my favorite).  

I carved this handle to fit my hand on a Don F. Phillips solid Boron fiber blank 31 years ago.

I carved the handle specifically for my hand from Portuguese specie cork rings (the best kind).  That's what she wanted - total custom crafting.  

And, the reel seat that she wanted – she didn't know exactly what she wanted, but it had to be special - unique - not just any would do - she'd know it when she saw it.  I searched the internet for weeks to find one that I thought would be perfect.

Yes, I had my work cut out for me. 

"Spare" the rod to spoil the child? - Nothing was spared on this rod in spoiling this child.

Here’s a pictorial look at my progress from blank to bling to fish on!

Specie cork rings from Portugal - Rat tail rasp to make the hole fit the blank.

I needed two sizes of rasp to fit the large diameter of the fiberglass blank.

Slide on to fit one at a time.

Cork sized and ready for epoxy.

Reel seat protected with tape, cork rings epoxied and clamped in my home made handle jig to cure.

I carved and sanded my handle all by hand.  But, thanks to a Flex Coat tutorial, I was able to build a lathe to turn the handle and give Kristin the custom fit in a fraction of the time.

Taking shape - Kristin's rod blank is a larger diameter than mine, so the handle is also slightly larger.  But, after a couple of fittings, Kristin thought it felt right, so on to the wraps!

Kristin's color choice and the stripping guides and snake  guides poised to strike.

Blank marked and royal blue base wrap started.

Base ready to secure.  Yellow loop will get a few wraps of thread and the Blue will be placed through the loop and pulled under the blue wraps to complete.

Same finish process for the light blue trim.

The razor trim needs to be very close - One false move here and you start over - I know - no fun starting over!

OK - there's the first part of the nightmare - Blue on Blue - Bobby Vinton was right - Heartache on Heartache -  trying to tell the base from the guide wrap - Say it Ed - Nevermore!

And then the silver diamonds!

ON EVERY GUIDE!

And, of course, on the butt wrap.  But - it was all worth the effort!

FISH ON! - Rainbow trout at Bennett Spring State Park, MO.  The first of many - but that's another story!

Good news, Bad news - she just bought an 11', 5 weight graphite blank that she wants as a combination fly / spin rod - 

Good news - she's paying for it - 

Bad news - well - there really is NO bad news when your daughter wants to go fishing with you!

So - 

DON'T spare the Rod, 

but definitely - 

DO spoil the child!

See you on the water!

Dave

Summer 2014: A Tale of Two Summers

In the words of Charles Dickens, – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” But that’s pretty much where Chuck and I part ways.  But, his "Tale of Two Cities" did come to mind as I was trying to figure out what the heck happened to Summer 2014!

First -  the Worst of Times - 

Beware the monster of the Polar Vortex, 2014

I recall that during the frigid times of the 2014 Polar Vortex I was making rods and tying flies in hopes of a warm spring, no floods and a summer filled with fish tales.  

As it turned out, the weather didn't cooperate as hoped, and the grass and hostas and shrubs started to grow and my honey do list grew as well, so trying to maintain my home and support my addiction to all things fishy…well, something had to give.  

I made the ultimate sacrifice and mowed when I hoped to pursue piscatorial pass times.

But, then the Best of Times kept me going – building rods through the winter!

Each rod I completed brought me a sense of pride and accomplishment.  

I had a list of rods that included one for:

• Nephew James – a Christmas gift gone astray – I sent a photo of the blank – just what you want to see under the tree!

• Daughter Kristin – I signed a blank 25 years ago for her and never had the time to finish it - or even start it.

• Daughter Meghan – Her Christmas present was picking the blank and trim – then I had to find time to make it.

• Capt’n Ron and Joe – my fishing buddies – matching rods for them and me – three more rods and the lawn kept growing!

• Wife Joyce – I buy her “Lots” of fishing stuff that she lets me use!  So a custom built fly rod just for her just plain made sense – to me at least!

• Niece Jeni – I made fly rods for her husband John (my nephew), and nephew Richard, and Niece Heather many years ago, and nephew Steve a few years ago, and knowing that Jeni loves to fish and had to borrow her husband’s fly rod – I, of course, had to make a fly rod for her.  

My other nieces have not expressed an interest in fly fishing, but if they do – I’ll make rods for them as well.
But all the rods in the world are useless unless you can use them – well, some are nice to look at, but ….. I like to use them too!

So, Memorial Day was approaching and the trout prospects on Oatka Creek were favorable.  Daughter Meghan was coming home for the long weekend, and we had a family fishing outing.  Her rod was not finished, so she used a rod my dad made 40 years ago – still a good rod. 

Meghan with a fly rod built by my Dad at our Memorial Day destination - Oatka Creek at Mumford, NY.

Kristin’s rod was finished and ready for action on the Oatka, and, I did manage to get out on Lake Erie twice with Capt’n Ron for Perch and Bass.

But, sadly – that’s all the fishing action I had for the entire summer of 2014.

Yes, it was the worst of times.

But, on to the Best of Times – I spent a great deal of time (too much time if you ask my wife) planning a family fishing trip to Bennett Spring State Park in Missouri.  

Here it is! Bennett Spring State Park -
one of Missouri's best Trout Parks.

My sister came across a photo album of my father’s that had fishing photos from a variety of places in the Midwest.  I thought it would be fun to fish places that my father fished before I was old enough to join him.  One of the places was Bennett Spring. 

Dad at Bennett Spring, April, 1948

My sister and her family fished there and at other MO state trout parks, and told me was a really great place.  So, we planned a family vacation to Bennett Spring. 

I had tons of fun researching, tying flies I’d never heard of and trying to figure out the odd rules of the park. 

We went to Bennett Spring and had such a great time that we have already booked time for 2015!

Well – that was my summer tale...or two!

And, since there wasn't time to go into detail on this post – I plan to expand on the “Summer of 2014 best of times” over the next few weeks and add details and lots of great photos.

So – I’ll leave you with a few of the photos of Summer 2014, 

and hope to see you on the water!

Rod components for James

Kristin's rod - her design - my nightmare!

Meghan's fishy Christmas present - still in pieces.

NY State Fish Hatchery at Caledonia, NY on
Clear Creek which flows into the Oatka.

Just getting started on Capt'n Ron's, Joe's and my custom spinning rods.

Capt'n Ron and the rod I made for him - nailed several
Lake Erie Jumbo Perch!

Meghan's rod (left) and Joyce's rod (right)
on the drying racks.

Ozark Mountain Streamer not quite ready to fish.

Mike's Mohair Leech on the vise.

Jeni's rod - ready for assembly

Bennett Spring Trout #1 - caught on a RGN beadhead nymph
designed and tied by my friend and Master fly tier Mike Ross and purchased at Larry's Sporting Goods in Lebanon, MO.

See you on the water!

Dave