Friday, April 26, 2024

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Old rods revisited: HarborSky saltwater camo fly rods

I built these rods in 2012 and still use them regularly. They are 9' for #6 and #7 lines. Graphite blanks were made by G. Loomis, painted by myself with a non-gloss paint, for the stealthy camo look. Their moderate action is well suited for precise shots on the flats. I use the #6 most often for my local sight-casting. It loads quickly for shorter casts. The #7 (fishes like a #8) has more power...I like it for longer casts on pale bottom flats. 

They are still fun rods to fish today, and they have held up very well, after many days in the saltwater environment! You can read about them in my original post.

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Saturday, December 9, 2023

3wts: Old and New

My two 3wt rods: the new 5113-4 vs. old Unstructured 743-3. The longer rod was a prototype which unfortunately didn't make the regular Unstructured Series in 2014. It is a superb taper for smaller water, heftier and slower than the new, short 5113-4. However, the 5113-4 is a med-fast taper, so light, nimble, and sensitive...Can't wait to fish it next spring!

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Sunday, December 3, 2023

Milenkovic 5113-4


Small stream 3wt prototype glass rod-just completed! Perfect stick for that hidden and overgrown brook trout stream.

It sports pale yellow Clover silk wraps/rust accents, dark Ti-snake guides, short Garrison grip, homemade rust colored micarta spacer and NOS Struble aluminum cap and ring, for lightness. Super deft and precise, easy casting 3wt. Length is 5'11". (Pictured below with Hardy Featherweight and Forbes Aerial reels, for scale/comparison.)




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Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Steffen 8' 6/7wt

Steffen 8' 6/7wt, 3pc fly rod blank build, featuring flor Ritz grip turned on the blank, and Struble U22 reel seat hardware with integrated fighting butt. The insert is made of the matching fiberglass tubing. Guide wraps are made with jasper silk thread with rusty NCP accents on the butt and the tip top. Multiple coats of spar poly were used on the wraps. 

The rod should be a perfect tool for chasing smallmouth bass with larger streamers and popping bugs!

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Saturday, June 17, 2023