Well, since last posting I finished a 7' 5wt PHY Princess for our daughter-in-law which we will give her this weekend for her birthday. We are headed to The Hungry Trout Lodge on the Ausable River in the Adirondack's and will fish this weekend.
Here is how it turned out:
Laura's Princess2.jpg
But we found out our little granddaughter Emily would be making the trip with us, too, and her graphite rod was packed away. So....
With just a few weeks before we leave I decided to try and make a Quad - but a two strip version, or, a PMQ - Poor Man's Quad. I had seen Kaboom's latest quad Driggs up at Grayrock in late June and it cast very nicely. I thought, hey, I'll just give it a shot and see what happens.
What I discovered is that I might as well go ahead and make hex rods - about the only difference in the process is the amount of strips and planing work involved. And, the way I made this rod I had no planing form - all free hand planing. Wow... now THAT is a learning curve. And straightening these blanks is an exercise in patience. Or futility. Whichever...
But - the rod is done, it casts remarkably well - somewhere between a hex bamboo rod and a graphite rod, at least with a 5 wt line.
We will see what it can do in the Ausable this weekend... meanwhile, here's a quick video showing how it went:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLHK8v0y0jQ
Bob
Love the first part of that video!
Bob
You're turning out some great looking rods! Nice work.
-Kidder
What I discovered is that I might as well go ahead and make hex rods - about the only difference in the process is the amount of strips and planing work involved. And, the way I made this rod I had no planing form - all free hand planing. Wow... now THAT is a learning curve. And straightening these blanks is an exercise in patience. Or futility. Whichever...
Bob
I believe we had this discussion at Grayrock. Its the constant measuring that will get you every time. Still think that making a PMQ is a good way for a beginner to get started in this addition?
By the way, it is amazing how they cast when they are completed.
Tight Lines!!
Brad
"A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her."
-W.C. Fields
Hey Brad,
Well, I can only say that it would be really difficult to make a decent PMQ as a first rod if you lacked basic hand tool skills and attempted it without help. Others have commented on the care needed to straighten sections which I have verified is a challenge.
If a kit of pre-planed parts was available it might be a possibility but there is a LOT that can be underestimated in making a decent PMQ.
No free lunch out there, is there?
Bob
No free lunch for sure. To make any type of bamboo rod...PMQ, hex, true quad, is an achievement and takes a bit of skill for sure. Say nothing of the specialized tools that make the job less of a chore.
By the way, the rod of mine that you cast was straightened with a regular clothes iron on a flat surface. Try it sometime...it may surprise you!!
Brad
"A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her."
-W.C. Fields