Sunday, June 4, 2017

Big Guns-Conquistador Glass Fly Rods

Written by flyfishingunlimited on 2:01 PM in Conquistador, Handles, Prototypes, Saltwater, Unstructured Glass with No comments

The saltwater season in New England is under full swing and it is time to dust off the big guns. Conquistador Glass tapers (L to R): 9' 10wt, 9' 9wt, 8'6" 8/9wt. I am contemplating building another batch of Conquistadors, so stay tuned. Photos of striped bass (top) and myself courtesy of Dave Skok. Dave took those during the prototype rod-testing, in Fall 2015.

Reel Seat Weight (Metal vs Wood)

Written by flyfishingunlimited on 5:26 PM in Reel Seats with No comments

So what is heavier? Vintage all brass seat vs contemporary cap and ring nickel silver seat with wooden spacer (I used a Ray Lee stock seat as an example.)

The weight is in grams-very close indeed!

Patinated Brass Reel Seat

Written by flyfishingunlimited on 9:28 AM in Reel Seats with 2 comments

I found an old metal cap and ring reel seat which I liked. After sanding off a thin chrome plating, I applied a brown patina for brass until I got the look I wanted. It will be used on one of my future builds...

Unstructured Fiberglass 804-4 "Orange & Green"

Written by flyfishingunlimited on 2:15 PM in 2015 models, Micarta, Reel Seats, Rod Bags, Rods for Sale, Trout, Unstructured Glass with No comments

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.)