Just wanted to drop in and say thanks to all that have contributed to this forum. I am on my first rod right now and it is turning out great. I have been on this site reading for a couple weeks on and off and it has made things go very smooth while choosing parts and assembling this thing. I got an MHX 5 wt. blank and am building it for saltwater use. I got the grip and reel seat mounted up tonight and gave it a shake. I have a feeling this rod is going to be a cannon of a 5 wt. with either a 5 or 6 wt. Rio Bonefish. I'll post pics when done. Just had to tell somebody because my wife is sick of hearing about it!

Congratulations on your "First" :-) You are a goner, you know that I hope? It never ends with one ...
About the wife, after a couple of years mine actually started to feign interest quite credibly :-))
Cheers,
Michal

Hi Brad,
You've just taken care of ALL your extra cash and your wife might get a lot "sicker". Teach her to fish.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Building rods is like eating a pringles chip, you cant stop at one. (Im 8 rods and 1 rebuild later still not near stopping)

Strong wraps, calm seas
Derek

Scarily true, while I was wrapping the guies I was thinking about the next rod I want to build! I'm totally screwed now!

I still have mine to do. What guides did you decide on?

I'm glad to know a 5 weight will work in the salt. Down here they give you the impression an 8 weight is the minimum needed.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

30 years ago a friend talked me into taking a fly rod building class he was teaching in his garage. Little did I know at that time that I would end up in the rod building business!! Like it is said above...this will not be your last rod! It gets into your blood!!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Russell Brunt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still have mine to do. What guides did you
> decide on?
>
> I'm glad to know a 5 weight will work in the salt.
> Down here they give you the impression an 8
> weight is the minimum needed.


I went with Pac Bay Minimas sizes 16 and 12 with #2 black snakes all the way up. I really like the grip (a little shorter than most pre-made grips out there) and fighting butt on my 8 wt. BVK so I managed to get my hands on those without having to buy the whole kit that they offer. The reel seat is a Struble U15 small diameter in black. Did all black wraps but am now trying to decide if I should do a little silver accent in the ferrule wraps to match the stripper inserts.
An 8 is pretty much standard for us down here in FL but there is always room to play. I do believe that if you have a good solid rod and you know how to fight a fish that you can always go lighter. I'm obviously not going to be pulling any 30+ inch snook out of a mangrove or a dock piling with it but on the flats there is plenty of room to play a fish as needed. I have caught some pretty nice snook on my 7 wt. but it has some serious backbone to handle it. I am not a big fan of fighting a fish to death so if I know there are some bigger fish around (pretty rare for me accept in the passes in the summer time!) I will bring my 8. For ladyfish (no, I am not embarrassed to admit it, I love fighting some ladyfish on fly) trout, all you really need is a good stout 5 or 6 and you are having a blast! All that said, I'm sure I will have my ass handed to me more than once with that 5 but it will be fun! It should be perfect for pond hopping too.

Brad, welcome to the world of rod building. What a great hobby. I am not a fly builder, i like to build bass rods. working on a rod now, got two right behind this one .

Cool! I'm cetainly building the 6 weight for salt then. When I got the blank I kept feeling like "this is plenty of rod for any bonefish and even decent jacks/permit". Barracuda would be on my short list too. And a big yes to ladyfish. They are small tarpon in my book and a total blast to catch. Heck bring a big regular outfit and use them for bait for a big tarpon:)

I gather you are a little farther up the coast? Lord knows I could use a mentor to get me started!

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russell Brunt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cool! I'm cetainly building the 6 weight for salt
> then. When I got the blank I kept feeling like
> "this is plenty of rod for any bonefish and even
> decent jacks/permit". Barracuda would be on my
> short list too. And a big yes to ladyfish. They
> are small tarpon in my book and a total blast to
> catch. Heck bring a big regular outfit and use
> them for bait for a big tarpon:)
>
> I gather you are a little farther up the coast?
> Lord knows I could use a mentor to get me started

That blank in a 6 is going to be great. It will absolutely handle some nice bones. Permit might give you a good whoopin' depending on how big they are. I am up in Cleawater. If you are ever in the area let me know. I will be glad to fish with you any time man. Kind of funny about the baby tarpon comment. My buddy and I always refer to them as just that. They get crazy when hooked! Anyway, I got the guides epoxied tonight so this baby might be ready to cast by tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it feels. Like I said before, I think I am really going to dig it. Now I want to build a 7 with the same blank and hatdware to match....then a 10...then a 12, and when I go out to Colorado to see my Dad, maybe a three! I need another job.

Cool, another crafter in the Clearwater area. Enjoy your rod Brad hope to see you fishing in the buyous and mangroves

Strong wraps, calm seas
Derek

Whatever you do, after you finish it...... keep it. Don't sell it or give it away. Keep it as the "Brad #1". Fish it and thoroughly enjoy it. But never 're-do' it! Let it stay as the fun reminder of the foundation to your rod building hobby/habit. I wish to the heavens I hadn't re-done my fisrt rod. It would have been such a great example/reminder to me of how far I have progressed in this fun, addictive activity. Enjoy and build away!

Derek Rogers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cool, another crafter in the Clearwater area.
> Enjoy your rod Brad hope to see you fishing in the
> buyous and mangroves


Where in Clearwater are ya'?

Steve Cox Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Whatever you do, after you finish it...... keep
> it. Don't sell it or give it away. Keep it as the
> "Brad #1". Fish it and thoroughly enjoy it. But
> never 're-do' it! Let it stay as the fun reminder
> of the foundation to your rod building
> hobby/habit. I wish to the heavens I hadn't
> re-done my fisrt rod. It would have been such a
> great example/reminder to me of how far I have
> progressed in this fun, addictive activity. Enjoy
> and build away!

Good advise! I often think about the first few flies I tied and would love to know where they are. Should have held on to those.

Brad, drop me an email. Yours is hidden. I have a suggestion you might care to hear about.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Brad,

I live near Court and Missouri

Strong wraps, calm seas
Derek



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2012 09:30AM by Derek Rogers.

However it comes out, fish it, enjoy it and don't re-do it. Let it stand forever as the 'Brad # 1'. As you improve, you will truly appreciate where you started and how far you have come.

Brad Karczewski Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just wanted to drop in and say thanks to all that
> have contributed to this forum. I am on my first
> rod right now and it is turning out great. I have
> been on this site reading for a couple weeks on
> and off and it has made things go very smooth
> while choosing parts and assembling this thing. I
> got an MHX 5 wt. blank and am building it for
> saltwater use. I got the grip and reel seat
> mounted up tonight and gave it a shake. I have a
> feeling this rod is going to be a cannon of a 5
> wt. with either a 5 or 6 wt. Rio Bonefish. I'll
> post pics when done. Just had to tell somebody
> because my wife is sick of hearing about it!

Congratulations Brad!! Your addiction has just begun. Before you can finish building one rod, another rod will come to mind, along with the thoughts, what could I have done better, Soon that rod will turn into another rod, and another. May I recomend stopping by www.flexcoat.com and watching a few of his videos of how we do things, The videos are very informative, easy to understand, and straight to the point, very educational. Stick with the board, and there's some very good reading material out there by Tom Kirman, Clemmons and a few more, and to be as descreet as I can be, encourage your wife to find a hobby she enjoys as much as you enjoy building rods, after all life is all about finding happiness, one hobby at a time,,,,,,,,,,enjoy

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there would be a shortage of fishing rods!

Derek Rogers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Brad,
>
> I live near Court and Missouri


Nice I am right up Edgewater from you. Marine Street and Broadway. If you see me casting out front stop by and say hey!