Just finished a rod for my wifes Orthodontist as a gift for bleeding my wallet dry, at least that is what I always tell him. Anyway I had applied the finish to the wraps. I usually come back every hour or so just to check on them. Between the 2nd and 3rd time I went to check on it a FLY had landed on the butt wrap and was stuck. I pulled him off (everything except one leg that is in the decorative part of the wrap). This particular leg being left in the wrap presesnts me with different thoughts and decisions:
1. How ironic that a fly would land on a FLY rod for a guy who doesn't even flyfish. Never have had a fly land of a rod before!
2.If this were my rod I would keep it (the leg) as it adds character and a story to the rod. Since it is a gift, do I just strip off the wrap and redo it? or when we give it to him show him and give him the option of having me redo it or keeping it. Any other defect and I would just redo it, but I love the irony of a fly getting stuck on a flyrod.

In fact I would just keep it and build up another if we weren't giving it to him pretty soon, and I am leaving to go antelope&mule deer hunting for two weeks.

Dick, Just cut it out of the finish and re-apply another coat of finish. This happens all the time - it's really no biggie.

It may be a lot simpler to decide how much extra pain you will inflict on him when you tell him you will fix it if he will do a root canal and a crown at no charge! He inflicts pain on you with the needle - return the favor!

Dick,
On a similar note, I built a rod for my Dentist.
We did a bit of bartering. i.e. he did some moth work for me, and I did some rod work for him.

He fished with it once and loved it.
He went to use it again and as he went through a door, the door slammed shut on the end of the rod and snapped it in two.
Fortunately, it was far enough from the tip to not have the repair affect the action of the rod. I stripped off the guide in the affected area, did a splice and rewrap on the broken area and he went out and continues to enjoy the rod.

Take care
Roger

I know it is an easy fix and have done many over the years, but I do love the idea of a fly leg on a flyrod. Guess I am just weird. I guess I could tell him the leg is free, but if he wants it fixed (straigthend out just like teeth) that will be $4400 bucks.

I think you should let it lie for about two weeks, work it over in your mind for those two weeks, consider the ethical and moral issues for two weeks, and when you come back to the issue in two weeks, you will have it all figured out. I'll take your place on the hunt, so don't worry about that.