[steeldrifter]

Okay not a boy, but it IS my new "baby" at any rate lol

Here is a rod that is all MINE! I leave this Friday for my 16 days to my cabin on the Au Sable and since I quit smoking almost 2 weeks ago I decided to put the money I had saved on not smoking towards something "worth while" so I used that money to pay for this blank.

This is a SCIV burgundy colored St Croix 9' 5wt 2pc blank. The reel seat is one of the new design style of window seats from American Tackle with a carbon fiber insert in it. Then I used the Alps printer to print out a "fish Bones" design and put that in the window of the seat and coated it with finish. I also "flipped" the fish bones image so that both sides have the fish facing forward when you look at it. The grip is rubberized cork ends with a mix of brown burl cork, 1/4" burnt cork, and some of Mudhole's dark mix exotic cork in both 1/4" and 1/2". I also coated the whole grip with UB40 cork sealer to make the colors of the cork pop better.

Main wraps are Gudebrod Classic Twist Red&Black (CP'ed) with single turn mettalic silver trim on both the inner and outer edges of the wraps as well as a single turn in the center of the wraps. Also has some white 5 turn trim on the inscription area, stripper guide, and ferule wrap only. Also did a long base layer of plain Garnet (CP'ed) under the ST Croix logo before I put down the logo.

Other details include a Knurled Nickle Silver winding check, a elk button trimmed down to fit the rear butt cap of the seat, and a 20" wrap measuring mark on the rod.











Steve

[SmallieHunter]

Wow man, that is awesome!

[steeldrifter]

Did I mention he has a "Non-identical twin"?

Finished up this bad boy last night for my vacation as well.

The blank is a Rainshadow 10'8" 7wt 4pc Switch blank. Grips are something I came up with. I turned them out of all exotic corks (brown burl, rubberized cork, aransas cork, burnt cork and craft foam. Then I decided to dress up the fore grip with something different so I made it in two pieces and trimmed down the ends so they would fit underneath a metal trim ring. The trim ring is actually a knurled threaded nut from a Batson A8 reel seat but I think it gives a nice accent to the long grip. Then the aft grip I turned in the design of a REC rear grip I saw that I liked the shape of. The reel seat is a nice piece of Buckeye burl and is mounted with nickle silver BUL5, but I inverted the seat and mounted the front hood in the rear grip and recessed it to move the reels weight farther back to balance the rod better, and also added a second lock nut from a spare BUL5 to it.

Wraps dont show up exactly like they do in person in the pics but they are Cobalt Blue (No CP) with about 4 turns of silver metallic on the bottom edge of the wrap, single turn on the inner edge, and single turn in the center of the wrap. Used single foot guides to keep the tip weight down and also used a full Titanium framed FUJI SIC (Silicone Carbide insert) stripper guide.

To add to the look I did a "Starburst" style jungle cock feather inlay on the butt and also put the opening line from my favorite movie ( A River Runs Through It" on the butt section ("In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing- Norman McClean". Putting the finish and keeping it level over about an 11" long section was fun lol.















Steve

[riffleriversteelheadslayer]

sweet rods bro

[NJ All Day]

Killer rods! Good luck on the trip.

[Chase Creek]

Lovely rods. Really like the "In my family........." on the second one.
Have a good time.

[SullyTM]

SD...Nice rod! But can you catch fish with it??

Post a report with the results...

Later...

[agn54]

Beautiful work, Steve.

[Fatman]

Steve

Sweet rods!!!!!!!!!! Someday I'll own a custom rod.

Fatman

[DrVette]

That button on the end of the first one is just TOO COOL! I have got to get searching for a Corvette emblem that will work like that!
Good luck on the trip. Glad to see you have kept to the smoke-free side...that is also something i am envious of...You got more ____ than i have in sticking with it.
Before you split PLEASE tell me about that Thompson & Thompson blue blank i saw on here this morning. Does it perform as good as it looks? Even the tube would match the Vette.

[steeldrifter]

Before you split PLEASE tell me about that Thompson & Thompson blue blank i saw on here this morning. Does it perform as good as it looks? Even the tube would match the Vette.

Which one is that Todd, I'm lost at the moment tryin' to think of what one your talking about?

[steeldrifter]

Ahhhh wait a minute. Your talking about the T&T that "Dutchy" just built over on RBF aren't ya?

If so then those only go down to a 7'6" 3wt and I know you wanted a 6'-6'6" 2wt. Plus that T&T blank alone is $348 just for the blank

[FishyboY]

hope you fish go over that 20" mark pleanty of times.