Well, fall is definitely here in Wisconsin! Our cold weather season is approaching and as this happens, my schedule begins to fill quite rapidly. Winter is a great time to regroup and think about new gear for the coming season. I still have some openings in my schedule so if you thinking of a custom build, send me a note! There are a lot of great rod blanks and components in the market right now it seems like more and more unique stuff is coming out monthly. The sky is the limit with a custom rod - it's an exciting time to be in the hobby!

New MHX High Modulus Rod Blanks!

The MHX line of rod blanks continues to get better. This is a niche line of rod blanks available exclusively to the custom rod building market. You won’t find a mass market rod built with an MHX blank. In addition to their standard line, they are now releasing a high-modulus line of rod blanks, These are 100% graphite 57 million modulus blanks- very light and very sensitive. The first releases include some nice mag bass models, as well as popping and spin/jig models. When coupled with the right components, these will produce some very nice high-end spinning and casting rods. 

As a general update, I’ve been busy working on a number of projects including a NorthFork Composites 6’6” spinning rod, an Advanced Tubular Composites 6wt fly rod, and a really nice ultra-light 2-piece spinning rod built on a Phenix rod blank. I included a few photos below. The 6wt fly rod is currently unspoken for, so if you’re in the market for a 6wt, send me a note. I can let this one go at a very good price!


Custom Ultra-light Built on Phenix Rod Blank





Custom 6-weight 4pc fly rod. Custom turned Macadamia nut wood handle.
This rod is available for purchase. Please e-mail me for details.

New St. Croix Rod Blanks 
     
St. Croix rod blanks have always been one of my favorites to work with (and fish with). They have a very complete line of blanks for just about every fishing situation, they’re made in a small local factory in Wisconsin, their prices are reasonable, and most importantly, their quality is top-notch.  
 
St. Croix’s 2011 line of rod blanks will be incorporating 3M’s new Matrix resin material into their graphite. St. Croix says this will further improve the strength and durability of their graphite blanks. This is exciting, because what have been exceptional blanks will now be even better. The new material will be used with their SCV line of blanks. I haven’t built one yet, but it’s on the top of my list of things to do.  Here’s a quote from St Croix’s new catalog explaining the material:
      
“The new 3M™ Matrix Resin has opened the door for us to become more creative in our rod blank designs. The strength improvement we’ve seen in our laboratory is incredible, with a 30% average increase in strength on existing products. The new 3M™ Matrix Resin has also allowed us to push the limits of design in new rod series, like our new Legend® Salt. In that case, we were able to create substantially lighter, more sensitive saltwater rods without compromising strength.” – Jason Brunner, St. Croix’s Director of Engineering. 
          
Check out St Croix’s 2011 catalog. I’m always amped to build a custom rod on one of their blanks, so if something catches your eye, send me a note and we’ll talk about putting something together.  
                 

New Fly Tying Stations Now Available.

My father has always been an inspiration to me when it comes to woodworking projects. More than a few of the tools in my workshop (and skills) have been passed down from him. True craftsman have a keen attention to detail, fit and finish.  This shines through in his projects and is something I have learned to carry over to the rod building craft.  When he mentioned he was thinking of building some fly tying stations, I immediately offered encouragement and twisted his arm to build a couple of extras.

I’m offering these for sale at a reasonable price ($195 with free shipping). My current supply is very limited, but I may be able to convince him to make more of them “to order” if interest warrants it. Check out the photo below and feel free to contact me with any questions. Click here for more details and to order. 

3M announces new Matrix Resin 

3M has announced a new epoxy resin which they are reporting will improve the performance of carbon-fiber (graphite) rod blanks and create a more durable, light-weight product.

 

Resin is used in rod blanks to help bind the carbon fibers together, allowing the rod to flex without breaking. Essentially, a rod breaks when the resin fails to hold the carbon fibers together. This new 3M product claims to be a stronger resin that should provide more resistance to breaking under load.

 

3M states that the key to their new resin, “is the addition of a large proportion (about 40 percent) of metallic oxides, such as silica, in particles that are 100 nanometers or less in size." (3M press release)  3M believes that the end products produced with this resin have the potential to be about 25% to 100% stronger.

Let’s be clear that many of the current rod blanks in the market that are not using this resin are extremely good, high quality products. If this new resin has the potential to create products that are even more durable and resistant to load failure, I’m all for it. What we will probably see are blanks that are a little lighter and a little more durable. Rods will always be breakable. I’ve broken more than my share of rods by knocking them around in boats, trucks and shorelines. High-end rod blanks simply require more care. I don’t think this will ever change, but I’ll be very interested in testing some of these new blanks as they begin to hit the market. I expect that most of the rod blank manufacturers will begin to using this resin in the manufacturing process of future blank releases.

Fuji K Series Guides now available

 

Fuji has a great reputation for producing dependable, quality rod guides. They continue to expand their product line and are now offering a new K-series of guides. 




 

Fuji is positioning these as “tangle free” guides stating they “release tangles as they form.” The frame of these guides flare out from the base and exceed the ring diameter. This flared design helps direct loops and tangles up towards the ring. The guides also have as lightly forward ring angle which Fuji expects will help further release line loops. I expect they will be particularily beneficial when using braided line. The guide frames are available in Titanium or Stainless Steel. Ceramic rings are available in Silicon Carbide or Alconite. Both casting and spinning guides are available in the market now and I will be offering them on spinning rods and casting rods as requested.  

  

 

Micro Mania

I’ve been busy building and recently finished a custom 7’ St. Croix inshore saltwater spinning rod for spanish mackeral and pompano, a 6’ casting rod for bass, and a 7’ St. Croix ultra-light SCIII panfish rod.  I’m currently working to finish up 3 different custom fly rods: two six weight 4-piece rods, and a 2-piece 2 weight rod. Keep an eye on our photo gallery for updates.

 

I always enjoy building ultra-light rods and the St. Croix rod mentioned above was no exception. This rod featured a Tennessee handle and Fuji micro guides. You’ll soon see micro guides being used on mass market commercial rods. The Japanese market has used them for some time. Custom rod builders in the U.S. picked up on their effectiveness and the concept is now starting to trickle into the mass market. Many rod design concepts seem to originate in the custom building market before they work their way into mass market production.  Here’s a photo of a size 4.5 micro guide used on the St Croix rod:

 

 

 

Micro guides are not appropriate for every fishing situation. They are best applied in situations where you are not using things like knots, leaders and slip bobber stoppers which may not easily pass through the guide opening. When they are used, they help reduce weight toward the tip of the rod which, in turn, enhances rod sensitivity, reduces casting fatigue and can help add distance to your cast.  I plan to incorporate these guides into future rods that I build when it is appropriate. Feel free to contact us for more details on a custom rod with micro’s.

 

I recently had a chance to do some fishing off of Marco Island in Florida. This was a blast. We caught lots of grouper, some mackeral, a nice lemon shark, and a gazzillion blue runners. Here’s a photo of the shark:

 

 

I’ll be venturing to Northern Wisconsin later this month to fish for walleye, bass, trout, pike and crappie. The months of May and early June are some of my favorite times to fish in this state. Weeds have not overtaken the lakes, fish are aggressive and easier to find, and the weather is usually pleasant. I’ll post again when I return. 
         
               

Workshop Update, Spring Orders and Built-ups 

It’s been a busy winter and I’ve been long overdue on a blog update. I just finished a custom St. Croix spinning rod. This is a SCIII 6’6” 2-piece medium-heavy rod. Once again, I can’t say enough about the quality of St Croix blanks. They are always straight as an arrow, light, crisp and have never let me down. I used exotic burnt burl cork and figured Pyinma wood on the handle and reel seat of this rod. Burnt burl is great to work with and it looks really nice on a rod. When finished properly, the rich grains of the cork really pop. Here's a photo of the rod, check out our main gallery for more photos.

 

 

I’ve been slowly updating my workshop and have added a new band saw and belt/disc sander. This will allow me to construct more detailed inlays and patterns on my custom wood handles. I’ll be experimenting with a few new designs and hope to post some follow up photos in the near future. 

 

Spring is going to come fast, so if you are thinking about a new custom rod for the upcoming season, make sure to inquire  in the next couple of months. All of the rods I craft are done by hand and a project can take about 6 weeks from start to finish.

 

As I experiment with new rod handles and thread designs, I will inevitably have some built-up rods that I will make available for purchase. Check back for often updates and photos of rods that are built and ready.
        

  
New Blank Manufacturer Enters the Custom Rod Building Market.  

  
For fans of G Loomis rods, there is some exciting news to report. Gary Loomis, founder of G Loomis, has recently launched a new business called North Fork Composites.

 

Gary Loomis founded and launched G. Loomis and has been instrumental in advancements made with fishing rod blanks.  Gary got out of the business after G. Loomis was sold to Shimano in 1997.  Earlier this year, G. Loomis announced that they would no longer sell their rod blanks to the custom rod building market.

 

North Fork Composites blanks are designed by Gary Loomis and his son Brad Loomis. They are USA made and are sure to be some of the finest blanks in the market. The North Fork Composites website is now up and they are just starting to release some blanks.

 

Their freshwater IM (Intermediate Modulus) MB series bass rod blanks are currently available in 6’6” and 7’ lengths.  

New Spinning Rod Completed

I finished a 7' 3-piece spinning rod that was a difficult build, but well worth the effort. It was an extensive project that took some time and patience. I decided to experiment with some detailed segmented wood turning to produce a more unique handle. I used a combination of exotic woods including olivewood, canarywood and cocobolo for the handle. I also included black veneer and white styrene inlays which provided a nice contrast to the wood. I experimented with a new decorative "spider" wrap which really compliments the rod nicely.   
Here's a snapshot of the end result: