Showing posts with label Trout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trout. Show all posts

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Short Story About Two 6-footers (Part 2)

Milenkovic Staggered Ferrule Hybrid Glass 604/595, 2/2


This is a Hybrid Phenolic/E-glass Staggered Ferrule rod (604/595, 2/2). With two tips of different lengths, the rod has a 6' configuration for #4 line and 5'9" length for #5 line. With longer tip for #4 line it is a great semi parabolic taper. With the shorter, more parabolic "power tip", it will launch a #5 line with authority.

The rod is purposefully designed for fishing for larger trout in confined spaces, using both dry flies and streamers. I used a nickel silver Swiss style ferrule rather than the standard spigot. This slight extra weight helps rod load better on narrower streams. Phenolic glass slow taper is used in the butt section, while the E-glass tips have a medium fast taper, with good amount of power. I find this configuration much more versatile than current trend of short rods designed for ultra-light #2 and 3 lines...When a large trout surges into the bank, you will be able to stop it better with a rod which has a bit more "meat." The shorter #5 tip is not just a shortened version of a standard tip. It is a completely different taper, executed over slightly shorter length.

The rod features burgundy blank sections (US made) with oxblood silk wraps (they appear jet black.) The reel seat is made in house with cherry spacer, and mini butt with ivory micarta button. Ventilated Ritz grip. Oxidized hardware, including light wire Pac Bay snakes, vintage NOS Allen carbide stripper, and NS ferrules and slip ring. The shorter, stronger tip is tipped with ivory NCP thread at the ferrule and the tip top. Custom partitioned rod bag with compartments to accommodate unequal sections, ferrule stopper and aluminum tube round out the package.





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Thursday, March 28, 2019

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Trout Glass Rods or "The Magnificent Seven"



My personal collection of currently used trout glass or hybrid glass/bamboo rods, L to R:

6'6" orange S-glass 3/4wt 3pc, quick dry fly
7'3" Paradox Hybrid phenolic glass/bamboo 4wt 2/2, parabolic
7'4" Unstructured Prototype E-glass 3/4wt 3pc, med-fast progressive
7'6" orange S-glass 4/5wt 3pc, quick dry fly and streamer
7'6" Unstructured "Old Empire" E-glass 3wt 4pc, semi-parabolic
8'1" Hybrid phenolic/S-glass 3wt 5pc, dry fly fast parabolic, regressive butt taper 
8'2" (250cm) Unstructured Prototype E-glass 4.5wt 4pc, dry fly progressive
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Friday, June 8, 2018

Monday, February 12, 2018

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Driftless Fishing and Paradox 734

Little para taper boo-glass hybrid proved itself again in Driftless. It was raining quite a bit and streams were discolored. I had to search for fishable water, but was rewarded with beautiful wild browns. Paradox 734 handled them with aplomb and I ended up fishing it exclusively. I posted few more pics from the trip in my other blog.

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Sunday, May 21, 2017

Unstructured Fiberglass 804-4 "Orange & Green"



I have just completed a build on one of the blanks from the 2015 batch, which I put away for personal use (I realized I had an extra blank.) The rod has a fishtail grip with a slender nose, home-made, oil finished orange micarta reel seat insert, blued Garrison-style hardware and guides, rust guide wraps, and clear ferrule wraps with single black trim at the cork check. The custom rod sock is made (as always) by my better half.

I tried taking pictures under changing light... The rod is available for sale (just scroll below or click on Available Rods button on the top.)

 
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Monday, April 3, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Work in Progress...Paradox Revisited!

I am finally having little time for rod building. I am working on a longer Paradox 8'2" 3/4wt. The blank has very unique casting properties due to its solid bamboo tip, fiberglass ferrule and woven tobacco-glass butt section. Next post will feature completed rod, so stay tuned...

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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Silver Creek and Unstructured Fiberglass

I just got back from fishing the Silver Creek for a few days. Low water have pushed larger fish into deeper sections of the creek, and the hatches were spotty. However, if you were willing to move around to avoid the gusty wind (which blew almost non-stop), you could enjoy fishing for selective trout over fairly reliable morning Trico appearance, followed by terrestrial activity in the afternoon. I mostly used my 8'3" #4/5 glass for this fishing, but also fished my Retrograph graphite models (here and here.) I posted more pictures from the trip in my other blog.

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Monday, June 13, 2016

Monday, September 7, 2015

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Short Story About Two Three-Weights

Back in 2007 I built this little Lamiglas 7' 3wt 4pc rod. I wrote about it in this post in my other blog. With the little help of Facebook, I was able to find its current owner, Vladimir Petrovic, who fishes it happily today on various streams in Serbia and other parts of the Balkans. The pictures of Vladimir and little Lamiglas were taken on Serbian river Gradac by Dragan Jovanovic, who was kind enough to let me use his photos for this post. The Gradac is full of beautiful browns and also holds some native grayling. Judging by the grin on Vladimir's face, it seems that he is thoroughly enjoying the old Lami.
 
 
Fast-forwarding to the present time, I have just completed the last semi-para 7'6" 3wt blank from the last year's batch of blanks. As you can see from the photos below, this is a Garrison-inspired build. I wonder where will its future owner fish it eight or ten years from now?

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015