I build fly rods - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 06-21-2013, 06:46 PM   #1
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: flagstaff
Missouri
Posts: 37
I build fly rods

At this point I pretty much just build rods for myself. I have sold a few but at this point its not worth the hassle to me to build them for other people.

I have developed my own internal thread reel seats so there aren't any threads showing on the outside of the rod. The first few rods I built I used a traditional design reel seat and it always looked awkward to me to have all that turning and engraving with machine threads stuck in the middle of it all. So I got rid of the threads. Well got rid of them isn't correct. I actually just put them inside the reel seat.

I tend to be one of those guys who says, " oh yeah, hold my beer and watch this." when someone tells me I can't do something or says something I made can't be both pretty and functional. I participated on a few rod building forums for a while and the common comment by the "Experts" was that my rods had to be too heavy to actually use because of all the "pretty". I took that as a challenge to build a rod lighter in weight, higher in performance, and definitely prettier than what they were making. The rod in the last picture is a 7 1/2 ft 3 wt flyrod that weighs right at 2 1/2 oz.

I started doing things like using high grade titanium for parts and since I machine my own I can design them to be both strong and super light weight. I have started finding attractive ways to reduce the weight in the reel seat. Have used techniques like ultra light plastic cores, skeleton reel seats from stabilized woods, and fluting the reel seat to add decoration and remove un-needed material. This also allows me to get a very good balance. I have also developed a way to make my handles with a balsa wood core. What you see is a skin that is only 3/32 to 1/8 inch thick. The interior of the handle is high grade RC plane balsa. This handle weighs about half what a natural cork handle does even with the stabilized wood trim. I have found that these features make the rod extremely sensitive and great casting by reducing the weight in a balanced way.

If interested I have more rod pictures I can post.
Attached Thumbnails
burkrod3.jpg   Burkrodaroundview.jpg  

burkrod12.jpg   Sagerod2.jpg  

Ray Cover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2013, 06:51 PM   #2
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: flagstaff
Missouri
Posts: 37
Here is a rod I built on a 6 ft 2 wt blank. This is rod fishes great to be built on a $36 Batson blank. I did a skeleton seat on this one to keep the weight down to 1.8 oz. all titanium fittings.
Attached Thumbnails
batsonrod2.jpg   Batsonrod3.jpg  

Batsonrod4.jpg   Batsonrod1.jpg  

Ray Cover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2013, 06:55 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Name: Darrell
Trailer: Scamp Deluxe 16ft
Alabama
Posts: 321
Wow.. look great.
I'd be over equiped with one of them.
Darrell in Al is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2013, 07:17 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 2010 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe
Posts: 204
Registry
Beautiful rods. True craftsmanship.
Marsha D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2013, 08:35 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
carlkeigley's Avatar
 
Name: Carl
Trailer: 2013 Lil Snoozy #161 (SOLD)/2010 Tacoma
NE Oklahoma
Posts: 2,358
Welcome to the Forum.

Love the details, color, and craftsmanship.
carlkeigley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2013, 08:58 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
carlkeigley's Avatar
 
Name: Carl
Trailer: 2013 Lil Snoozy #161 (SOLD)/2010 Tacoma
NE Oklahoma
Posts: 2,358
Me using an el' cheapo fly rod
Wife got a hold of my camera while I wasn't looking.
This was at Snowdale State Park in Salina, OK.





carlkeigley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2013, 10:44 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
Absolutely beautiful work Ray. That's not a hobby, that's a passion!
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2013, 11:07 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Roy in TO's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1972 Boler American and 1979 Trillium 4500
Posts: 5,137
Very Nice!
Makes me want to brush the dust off of mine and try seeing if I can fool fish with feathers. Was never very successful at it though. Always had better luck with worms. But it was fun trying.
Roy in TO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2013, 07:12 PM   #9
Member
 
Trailer: Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 93
Beautiful rods! Great workmanship! You have a great talent.

Sandy C.
Sandy Christie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2013, 08:59 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Glenn Baglo's Avatar
 
Trailer: Escape 17 ft
Posts: 8,317
I presume you are building on fiberglass blanks, since we don't talk graphite on this forum.
Glenn Baglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2013, 10:59 PM   #11
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: flagstaff
Missouri
Posts: 37
No, they are carbon fiber blanks, Graphite is what you find in pencils
Ray Cover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2013, 10:01 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Name: Gordon
Trailer: Trillium
British Columbia
Posts: 178
Those are truly beautiful!!!

Absolute works of art!!

I, also, would be very "over-equipped" with one of those "sticks"

I use an old-school casting technique.

Some of you may know it. "chuck and duck"
Trill136 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2013, 10:28 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
hotfishtacos's Avatar
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19' /2010 Honda Pilot 4WD TV
Escondido, California
Posts: 143
Ray, do you every get up into the waters to fly fish below Navajo dam?...and have you taught those beautiful rods of yours to catch fish?? BTW, my profile picture was taken in the Bitterroot river near Missoula Montana last spring...got two nice ones throwing a dry fly that afternoon..

Steve
__________________
"No Generators"
hotfishtacos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2013, 10:51 AM   #14
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: flagstaff
Missouri
Posts: 37
Of course I fish them. I don't get that whole "its too pretty to use" business. To me that is like these guys who spend hundreds of thou on a custom bike and haul it around on a trailer. WHY? If you got man ride that puppy.

I got into rod building because I love fly fishing and these rods spend time on the water. Most of my fly fishing happens in the Midwest because that is were I live.

As this new business venture of guest teaching across the country will have me traveling to new places you can bet I will have a few tubes full of rods and bags full of reels in tow.
Ray Cover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2013, 09:24 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Name: Robert
Trailer: Airstream 23D International Serenity
Texas
Posts: 101
Absolutely beautiful, Ray! It's true the more beautiful ones fish better!!

Here I am on Slough Creek in Yellowstone with a 22" native cutthroat on a Mike Clark (South Creek Ltd.) hand planed bamboo rod... nearly as 'pretty' as the trout!

Rob
Attached Thumbnails
Cutt on Bamboo.1.jpg  
__________________
Rob & Linda
Our EX-Casita photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rfpd300/sets/72157626742329244/
Rob and Linda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2013, 12:09 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Glenn Baglo's Avatar
 
Trailer: Escape 17 ft
Posts: 8,317
My buddy Keath on Chataway Lake, heading back to camp to make dinner. Pork back ribs and beans.
Attached Thumbnails
W keath chataway.jpg   W Chataway camp.jpg  

W pork back ribs.jpg   W ribs n beans.jpg  

Glenn Baglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2013, 12:19 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
hotfishtacos's Avatar
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19' /2010 Honda Pilot 4WD TV
Escondido, California
Posts: 143
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
My buddy Keath on Chataway Lake, heading back to camp to make dinner. Pork back ribs and beans.
NOW THAT IS CAMPING!...a great camp spot, good fishing, and good food!
__________________
"No Generators"
hotfishtacos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2013, 12:02 AM   #18
Senior Member
 
Night Sailor's Avatar
 
Name: Conrad
Trailer: Bigfoot 3000 & Barth "slide-in" truck camper
Connecticut
Posts: 958
My idiot younger brother broke quite a few of my grandfather gorgeous bamboo fly rods, even after I told him how much they were worth and not to use them. I nearly cried when I found out he destroyed several of them. I think they are all broken now.
Night Sailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2013, 05:34 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Name: Tim
Trailer: 2006 Casita
New York
Posts: 764
Nice job Ray on those beautiful rods. I have put many hours on the Beaverkill, Delaware, & many others but not with any rods that look as nice as yours.
Tim Wood is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
fishing rods? john warren General Chat 31 08-16-2014 10:29 PM
Curtain rods for a 73 Trillium bernfp Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 1 01-28-2012 06:10 PM
Curtain Rods Bud Kennedy Modifications, Alterations and Updates 25 07-03-2010 10:25 PM
Curtain rods and Brackets Deb in MN Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 6 04-21-2006 06:41 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:35 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.