at the end of the day

we were well served

cretin creek is full of wild fish

as of now...

I sit fondling and admiring gin clear and skinny

a 6ft 1wt bamboo fly rod

soon it will be deployed and I will be thankful

t minus time

soon

(another sweet shot from s. rath)

the arsenal

the first string or starting five...

from top to bottom (right to left below)

7'2" 5wt - phy driggs river special (first bamboo rod I built)

7'6" 4wt - cattanach sir d - schliske  (first owned)

7'0" fe thomas 7032 (second build and remains current favorite)

6'8" 2wt - degere ice cream parlor hole special (latest finished rod)

6'0" 1 wt - degere flea

state of the craftsmanshit address twenty ten edition

ferrule stations being cut

exciting eh?  for me yeah

ooh ooh ooh sexy two weight in drying cabinet

you want this 

you really really want this

too bad I ain't selling

(pics added)

at least that's what's on today's docket

immediately following a breakfast beer

one of the great thing (the ONLY great thing?) about being a rod maker

on to the state of the craftsmanshit...

while I feel as though I've achieved my goal for the first part of the az rodwork season

it has been a struggle

I do have two brand spanking new smallstream rods

gin clear and skinny 6'0" 1 wt degere taper

too little water 6'8" 2wt degere taper  (second dipping this afternoon)

I've an additional 1wt blank awaiting ferrules and fixtures 

and a beastly 9'0" 7wt in the same boat

I cannot see finishing the beast unless I've a trip to steelhead or bonefish country in the works

even then I'll need a graphite (read plastic) backup

as I also cannot see casting that damn thing all the livelong day

I've neglected fly tying to my great regret

I need to rectify that and hope to tie a half dozen winged wets this afternoon/evening

hey the life of a rod maker is a busy one

LMFAO

also find myself lamenting the loss of the last real flyshop in the country's 

sixth (!) largest city

arizona flyfishing has announced that they're closing shop shortly

while my visits were few and far between I'll miss it dearly

the thought of visiting the big box corporate outlets for their shittily supplied materials

just turns my fucking stomach

I urge my dear reader(s) to support their local independent flyshops and custom rod makers

all the while flipping a bird at the corporate bigwigs

who continue to brainwash us 

that lighter and faster and cheaper (or more expensive) is the new cutting extreme edge of the market

you know who they are

I'd like to see them take it in the ass just like the rest of us have

jeopardy

the answer is "52"

the question is "what is the population of mexican gray wolves in arizona?"

this question has been on my mind ever since encountering this sign earlier in the fall up on the apache rez

the answer to me is an indicator of the resounding success of the reintroduction program of over a decade ago

the earth is a more magnificent place where ever these predators roam and I am grateful that arizona is one of those places

fishin' not fashion

fire on the mountain

popping the cherry on gin clear and skinny

I swallowed the fish whole and alive -  yumm sushi

"this is fishing not fashion"

indeed - josh smith gets credit for a new buzzline

old-time prospectors scratching for fossils at mogollon rim paleo site

where the dinosaur tracks?

the road into bear flat

josh fishing a riffle 

gin clear and skinny

happy veteran's day

we thank you

old timey as hell

this old school rod tube (circa 1920's) now houses a modern bamboo flyrod

that wrocks

gin clear and skinny

this rod is finished and ready to fish

I think I'll do that now

lotsa shit today

well today I set up a new dip tube w/ some fancy new varnish

and dipped gin clear and skinny for the first time

I'm not real happy w/ the results

we'll see tomorrow and w/ a second dip

whatever the case I'm prepared to strip it all down and go back to the old standby

I also roughed out the strips for the next rod

fe thomas 6'8" 3wt

woo hoo

plus I turned forty fucking nine today and had a right fine busy birdie

ready to dip

gin clear and skinny

wraps varnish and ready to dip

what a mess I've made of our dining room table

gin clear and skinny

is beginning to look like a fishing pole

glue day is over

for the time being...

witches brew

success

state of the craftsmanshit address #3

you'll never likely see it this clean again

after nearly a week of not lifting a finger (6 daze!)

I got a pair of twin one weights ready for glue tomorrow morning

when the temperature is more inviting

truth be told gluing intimidates me a bit

oh yeah, I cut my left thumb on an iron this morning

this after cutting my right foot a few weeks back

once through two layers of paper towel the other through shoe canvas

they're scary sharp

ready for glue

first look

6ft 1wt degere flea

named gin clear and skinny

butt is less than 1/4" diameter

butt section is planed

first tip split planed

first curls of the season

were made this morning...

to celebrate we break the unspoken rules

simply because we can

30 years ago this summer this was a showstopper

I was there at the madhouse on mcdowell

Bruce Springsteen |MTV Music

as it remains today

30 fucking years

go figure

wtf? how about a fish pic?

thanks to sr for the photo credit

gosh it's small innit?

coming soon...rod building pics

cane's been flamed split and nodes dealt with