clayton86

Them are some nice fat smallies all the ones I've been catching are spawned out and beat up and skinny.

Thanks for the tip I ordered two for the same reason they should be here Saturday unfortunately and I have drill wich means I won't get to it till Monday. I've got it all finished now just gonna fix some "burs" where the tags stuck up in the epoxy and add some trim in the split grip section probably gold and black bands.

It says to be sure to use CP with it so that's what I did. I cleaned up what CP was on the blank and also epoxied over what I didn't get being closer to the threads and not wanting to accidently wash it off the threads also. It's on the dryer now with the first coat of epoxy I already see a couple tags in gonna have to sand down and recoat tomorrow once it sets up fully to sand. They just shipped the decal today I ended up ordering it from mudhole.

I know it was for the tiger thread

After yesterday's adventures catching them smallies on the fly I decided I need a custom fly rod. Right now I'm looking at a rainshadow rx7 6wt either a white or regular MHX 5wt, or a rodgeeks 5wt fly blank. The rainshadow is the cheapest but I don't like the green color. The geek rod I was gonna do copper, orange or white. Leaning towards the geek or white MHX rod. Any suggestions it's gonna be a smallmouth creek rod.

Well it's like 90% done just waiting for the decal to come in and then depending where it goes putting a band or two by the split grip. I'll set it in epoxy probably tomorrow after work let the CP sit over night. I know you can see the foot threw some of the wraps it was tight till I wiggled them to align the guides I'll re burnish before I epoxy them no worries. This one I'm super proud of and taking a ton of time to build the customer spends stupid money and will want more if this one comes out good he's already seen the handle and freaked out so I think he will like it.

The black and gold? It's the CP i haven't coated with epoxy yet

That's what I was worried about but didn't happen I did catch trees and myself a few times but I got the hang of it pretty quick. I just watched my buddy do it its all he does is fly fish goes out west every year to trout fish the streams. I wasn't as graceful and accurate but it helped me get the hang of it

Almost done few more trim bands and it's done other then waiting for the decal to come in. Sorry the pic quality isn't the greatest. This is finally done so

I understand the fish in the dirt thing but it's about the only way to take the pic alone and there's not much flat ground with grass. I release everything by the way bass are C&R only right now anyways besides that. I take em out in hook snap a pic and release all under a minute if that even.

Ok not a PB over all but PB with a fly rod. I've had this set up for almost 5 years and never used it didn't know how and honestly a little intimidated by it. My buddy has been sending me pics of smallies he's catching by fly for a few weeks now so today I said the heck with it I'm grabbing the fly rod and going. Each fish got bigger as I kept catching them. Had 5 on landed 4 one broke off as it got in some rocks and cut the leader. We even got a double I'm hooked now bout to order a 6wt blank for a build just for smallmouth fly fishing.

He's my shadow kinda a pain sometimes but I don't mind he hunts like me he fishes like me just smaller. He asked to help so once I got it started I handed the burnishing tool to him and had him help.

Very sharp

Yeah above the hook keeper that I just added is abalone then the split grip section is a holographic tiger wrap

Added this tonight while bored. I put CP on the wraps to try and keep the brightness of the red inlay so it doesn't bleed out.

Been on a bling out my rod craze this weekend decided to add some abalone to my rod and my oldest boy asked to help. He's a natural lol

Ok used denatured alcohol and got the handles mounted on the one build and then set my tiger wrap in epoxy.

That's awesome congrats

Dang I just left Wally World to

Why not acetone? It's what I've been using to clean up with a little on s rag or q tip. I ask cuz I get acetone free at work they let me refill my little jug of it.

They did fit and were a little big till this last coat of epoxy I just did now they don't fit so they need to be reamed out a little. Next I gotta figure out how I'm going to epoxy them on without getting it smeared over the hole. I was thinking put it on the bottom only and spin it only like half way around not all the way if that makes any sense. Or just clean it up with acetone and a q tip and hope it doesn't make the rest milky looking cuz it's nice and shiny now

Day two update: Did some wraps of tiger thread on the butt and front grip last night at work. Started the tiger wrap on my rod also finally since I knew I wasn't fishing till atleast Sunday I had the time to take it out of action. With the grips on it will look like this after a few coats of epoxy. A side shot to see the color in the reel seat matching the tiger thread wrap(they won't be mounted this way only doing it to show the port holes) Start of the tiger wrap on my rod. Kinda nervous how it will look. And then there is this issue I'm trying to figure out as well. One of the grips the little slot was tiny like I'm talking 1/8" little dot of a hole the other was like nice clean cut 1/2"ish hole. So I took my exacto knife and made the small one bigger and now it looks like crap around the edges. I tried sanding it with some rolled up 220 sand paper that didn't work next I'm thinking maybe the dremel or maybe heat up a screwdriver red hot and melt the foam back a tad. Not sure how to clean this up any ideas.

Been playing this a lot lately can't get it out of my head no clue why either just catchy and wayyyyyyy before my time. Ottis redding- sitting on the dock of the bay

I'm actually kinda disappointed it's a Muskie because I've never caught one and it was one of the last "game fish" NY offers that I haven't caught yet and once I do it was a baby. All I have left now is hybrid bass and lake trout.

That's it I'm going Sunday or Monday hope the weather is good