While cruising the internet I ran across an R. L. Winston Boron IIx 12 wt blank for a steep discount. Visions of tarpon and shark popped into my head … I couldn’t help myself.
So, here it is. The grip is hand turned from burl and cork. Since the foregrip is extended, I had to design it from scratch. I don’t like separate fighting grips ahead of the foregrip, so I used a single 11 inch foregrip. The rear part of the fore grip is a Ritz grip pattern transitioning into a full wells grip. The butt is freeformed.
All but the stripping guide are AmTack Titan titanium guides. This is for weight savings and saltwater resistence. The stripping guide is a titanium finish with gold nanolite insert. Since the blank is green, I used a green/black twist thread with gold trim rings. Unfortunately, the thread looks black in the pictures.
The reel seat is gold hardware with a woven green insert to match the color of the blank. The reel is an Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor VI which is being discontinued, so I bought it on sale. The line is a Sage Equator and, you guessed it, I got on sale. (actually I am a pretty cheap son of a gun.)
I also thought I would through in a picture of the shark tube fly that is in some of the pictures.
