clayton86

So far I've been building ice rods that I hydro dipped the handles in the mad marble dip. I've built two light action rods for fishing small streams for trout and smallies, got a frog rod I'm buying some parts for fly rod on the way this week probably order it tomorrow actually. The two that I was just asked to build today one is a drop shot rod the other is another light action spinning rod. I've been playin with cork burning also and some chevron wraps on old broken rods I've found in the garbage at one of the lakes.

How do you guys come up with a name for your rod builds. Like a company name if you will. Fishingdaddy has FDX I seen on his face book page for his builds. I've seen some others as well. I want to have some decals made up to put on my rods I just took two more orders I guess of guys wanting rods built and a frog gig. I can't think of anything only thing I came up with was "johnsons creek custom rods" or "johnsons creek rods". Johnsons creek is the creek/river I grew up fishing in and continue to fish in almost daily. People come from all over the country in the spring and fall to fish johnsons and oak orchard for trout and salmon. My buddy who is building fly rods and center pin drift rods is having decals for his rods made up saying "lake run rods". I can't think of nothing and feel johnsons creek custom rods is kinda long

Got this one today. Second one ever not sight fishing just working on the double haul cast started stripping line and it hit.

Very nice, I like that metallic red thread.

Hell no I'm a huge baby when it comes to my nails lol. I've been nursing it like crazy if I can keep it taped down and not fall off I'm gonna. Right now it's a big blood blister and cracked.

My buddy moved to Texas few months ago I been seeing his FB page blowing up him posting bout tornados and he put up a pic of where some park WAS its gone now looks like it's flooded as well.

Agreed I had this fly set up for years and never used it I was to intimidated till just a few weeks ago I just did it. Yeah I sucked at first but now I can cast pretty good some times they land with finesse and silence other times you swear I shot the thing into the water with a gun lol. Practice practice it's not as hard as if looks.

Pretty sure my mind doesn't want me to have a left thumb. Dang thing takes a beating constantly. In January I almost cut it off at work needed stitches but refused to go so I duct taped it and super glued it for about a week. Soon as it was healed enough to not have a bandage I smashed it between a door frame and a mold at work full of snow and ice weighing a couple hundred pounds. Constantly smashing it with a hammer. Then last weekend at drill I closed my feed try cover well let me rephrase that I slammed my feed tray cover of my M240 on it three times getting frustrated on loading it. I've been a 240 gunner for 4 of my 7.5 years in the military and one of my last times in gonna have with the gun I slam my thumb in the thing three times in a row. That got it pretty tender and black and blue. Later that day I was using a small screw driver to pry some thing and slipped driving it all the way under my thumb nail to the base on the one side now that's black and blue also bout to fall off. Then today just walking the bank of the lake passing by some kids and one snagged my thumb as he casted. Granted the last one wasn't inflicted by me but pretty sure some one doesn't want me using my left thumb.

2.79 today when I got gas for the mower that just broke..... Diesel is down to 3.11 though and when gas was at its cheapest(2.59) diesel was up around 3.79 This is in WNY

Yeah I've been thinking the same thing for my latest few catches my trout net might be handy for landing and in hooking them. This one stayed in the water most the time as I slipped in with one foot getting my sneakers soaked I said oh well and waded out in sneakers and jeans and started casting so I brought it in lipped it in hooked quick and put her back in maybe out the water 30 seconds at most. I wish I had a go pro filming all times because when I released her she just sat in front of me so I reached in and grabbed her tail she swam a figure 8 around me and stopped at my feet again then swam off after a minute it was cool.

Got this one today on a craw pattern I bought Friday took like half an hour to tick it off enough to bite but finally got it to strike. Missed the first like 5 strikes then finally hooked up.

Not yet but some day lol. I just wear regular contacts for now but I've noticed my vision up close is starting to fade it seems especially now that I have been building rods trying to see wraps right in front of my face can't do it.

I picked these up today

One of my new favorite things to do. Started on Mother's Day and have gone almost every day since and plan on doing a rod geeks build a 5wt just for wading creeks for smallies.

My oldest boy graduates kindergarten next month. Time does fly he's growing wayyyyy to fast

I bought some Winn grip handles for a spinning build and absolutely hated them. They are sitting in a box in the attic now.

Yeah I taught my self from done you tube videos and being me and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed lol

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