The first cast...

[redietz]

once I got over the mental hangup of trying to handle it like a piece of fine china it dawned on me that that's all it really is - a fly rod. But a good one.

I think everyone who first uses cane has to get past that mental hurdle.

I really like the 202E taper. Good luck with it.

[K7zb]

The Bitch Creek trip... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR1gexO9ao8

[K7zb]

I just surfaced today with a finished rod - my second rod and a present for our youngest son Jon in Colorado for Christmas. Although I started thinking it would be a Garrison 202E per my previous post, I wound up with a Wayne Cattanach 6' 3" 4 wt 2 pc taper. I shot over the top of the taper target by about an even 0.005" everywhere. I added a swell to the butt per another maker's input (I took it out to 0.275 at stations 65 and beyond). Since this is a gift, I had the butt cap engraved with a Celtic braid Jon designed years ago and added his initials. Here's a photo of the rod (apologies for poor photography). First cast on Sunday afternoon after the varnish dries some more...
Jon's rod pix #1212-2.jpg

[K7zb]

It casts nicely with a Cortland 4wt DT Sylk line... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUpGZ95tB4k

We may just get a chance to see it in action on Wilson Creek in North Carolina over Christmas!

[K7zb]

And here's a quick vid of Wilson Creek... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPUd1...ature=youtu.be

A perfect small stream for a 6' 3" 4wt rod.

[K7zb]

Jon is now back in Colorado, looking for a small stream without ice... I'm looking for a picture of his first fish on the rod! The next rod is for our oldest son, Dave.

[K7zb]

I'm on to my next rod build and working on the strips prior to rough planing. This time, though, I have a neat little fixture (not original) that really helps node-removal. I personally rank node-removal right up there with a root-canal... here's a short video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4HDqPo4BRw

[K7zb]

Straightening strips is a challenge for me - I've watched expert rod makers droit solely by hand and I am amazed. My attempts have been wonky - until now. I recently saw a widget in a Golfsmith catalog that looked like it has application in my shop straightening - it turns out to be useful. Here's a quick video highlighting what it does:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq8y9PCNz9s

[K7zb]

Although this kind of looks like the entry to Mordor, it's actually the glued-up and bound butt section of rod 3 dangling down into the heater tube to let the URAC set. The temperature is quite a bit cooler in the tube then it looks - about 100 degrees F.

Heater.jpg

[K7zb]

Here's a short video showing rod 3 getting glued up. I still have a great deal to learn about using a binder properly - I keep getting a bend in the top 5 - 10" of my tip section which I can't seem to eliminate after the glue dries. I've done that on rod 2 and 3 now. In any event, this is an improvement and movement up the learning curve - no gluelines on either tip or butt blanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXpMG..._41HWQ&index=1