That oughtta be fun to build and fish. Looking forward to seeing it!

Nice work going on here as usual!

I have three Cortland Diamondback II rods on my bench in various stages of construction. I was hoping to present them as a series to sell on my website around Christmas. I am hoping to have pictures of the builds in progress shortly.

I still have one more fishing trip to make first, I hear the October Caddis are showing!

Those wraps look great!

Looks great! Looking forward to the other photos.

Sometimes we don't say where.

Well boys, I have been somewhat hobbled in fishing and building ever since my various surgery and illness bouts over the last four or five years. This year I have felt sturdy enough for thigh deep wading and fished more. I am getting used to less feel in my fingertips and being more visual in tying leaders, flies and such--working up to finishing an 8' Fisher for 6 weight.

So off I went yesterday to check on the big brown trout. Even rigging a rod can be a nuisance, so I just took a Cortland 5/6 that was all set up.

That was foolish.

The fish were there, boiling under a rampaging current. I hooked two, both well over five pounds, which is more like 15 in that current. I had no control and lost both after multiple sulking shakes and fly-line length runs. A size 14 beadhead is not the best hook to hold with a lot of pressure on a fish, and even the Cortland could pressure them enough to bend it open or break it. You have to max close to that or else they are out 100 yards and never coming back.

Oh well. It came to me that in that situation you usually lose 4 out of 5 of those brutes.

So I have to scrounge up some fit tackle. Get busy tying some 14 size flies on size 10 hooks and sort through my six and seven weights.

Or finish up the Fisher that was on my bench and should be soon. Having lost two, I've got three more to hook before landing one.

glad you are healing up and getting back to the river..

also good to hear the browns are still there and feisty, according to the checkup ;-)

Trying to get the nerve to start on this Ijuin Hard Para 3wt I picked up recently. Thinking of using this Struble U27 I've been keeping. Still need to make a final thread choice. FYI, cork in the pic is not the one I'll use here, just a lower grade test grip.

Hello
With today's inclement weather managed to find my way to FFR for a time.
Great to see everyone carrying on with rod projects,good work all around !

Whirlly my friend great to hear your back at it after all the challenges life has tossed your way !

Tight Lines And The Old Timers Did Say "Youth Is/Was ? Wasted On The Young" Loops
Now I Know What They Meant
Andy M

Preast,

That reelseat looks neat on the Injun. That's one of the blanks I have on my list to get when I get past some of my current backlog.

I've got 4 graphite rods that I just glued up the grips and reel seats.

Preast, that reel seat is going to look awesome on the Injun.

Enjoy! I'm very interested in Steffen again offering that model.

Glad they did!