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Post 14 Sep 2017, 13:36 • #1 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/31/13
Posts: 519
Location: US-Mount Pleasant, SC
Been a while since I've posted photos of a build here - had a busy first half of the year and have slowed down a bit lately after returning to the world of biomedical research (yes, science DOES still exist!). Here's a 4pc 686 I built for a trip my wife and I took to Iceland in May for a friend's wedding. It has since traveled with me to the upper Kenai River at the end of July. It seems to have super mojo for arctic fish.

Finished with a Lemke black anodized seat, Pac Bay lite wire guides and stripper, Clover 50wt in light blue with black gossamer and lime green NOCP details. While I prefer the 3pc 686 blank, the 4pc is no slouch and makes a wonderful do-it-all trout rod. Even does light salt duty with a good thorough rinse after use.

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Post 14 Sep 2017, 14:25 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/30/10
Posts: 1847
Location: Michigan
Nice!


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Post 14 Sep 2017, 15:14 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/31/15
Posts: 1238
Location: Northern Rockies
Very cool. That's one of the more distinctive builds I've seen on a blue Epic. I like it.

How would you describe the difference between the 3-piece 686 and the 4-piece? I only have a 4-piece (also blue) and have never cast the other.


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Post 14 Sep 2017, 20:18 • #4 
Guide
Joined: 08/29/15
Posts: 292
Location: The Cottonwoods, NM
Nice Marty,

How do you keep the grip so clean?

Love the Dolly..


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Post 14 Sep 2017, 23:58 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/25/09
Posts: 2319
Great looking build


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Post 15 Sep 2017, 06:29 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
That is a beaut Marty and so are the fish!


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Post 15 Sep 2017, 13:17 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/31/13
Posts: 519
Location: US-Mount Pleasant, SC
GlacierRambler wrote:
Very cool. That's one of the more distinctive builds I've seen on a blue Epic. I like it.

How would you describe the difference between the 3-piece 686 and the 4-piece? I only have a 4-piece (also blue) and have never cast the other.


The 3pc is both lighter and feels a bit smoother. I can cast a GPX 5wt well with the 3pc, whereas the 4pc version doesn't seem to give me either the distance or the accuracy of the 5. Both are competent casters with the GPX 6, however. I have some CCS data buried in a pile of stuff on the bench, and I'll try to find them.


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Post 15 Sep 2017, 13:22 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 03/13/16
Posts: 540
Location: Brielle, The Netherlands
looks really sharp :-)

Nico


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Post 16 Sep 2017, 10:20 • #9 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/31/13
Posts: 519
Location: US-Mount Pleasant, SC
Bushog wrote:
Nice Marty,

How do you keep the grip so clean?

Love the Dolly..


Actually an Arctic char...the differences are so subtle! Oddly, that's the only one I didn't get on a dry. And how do I keep the grip clean? Easy: catch few fish (clean hands) and rarely fish!!! Ha


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Post 16 Sep 2017, 10:48 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Marty, how was fishing Iceland? Is it all private water over there and you fish a beat? Or is there some public water


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Post 18 Sep 2017, 07:35 • #11 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/31/13
Posts: 519
Location: US-Mount Pleasant, SC
Driftless wrote:
Marty, how was fishing Iceland? Is it all private water over there and you fish a beat? Or is there some public water


Greg,

It wasn't bad. Fished a few hours on Laugarvatn (lake), and there was a public access site poorly marked down a nasty gravel road. I needed the assistance of some kind locals to point me in the right direction. Turns out I could've just accessed the site from a restaurant parking lot. I fished the lake near a small inlet stream and very close to a few hot springs, and found fish rising to small mayflies. Caught more arctic char than I could've wanted on a #16 para adams, then headed to Thingvallavatn (the big lake in Thingvellir national park, a short drive away). Found one brown about 12lbs on a big white zonker, lost another to a crappy knot. Those big lake browns left me feeling extremely undergunned with the 686.


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Post 18 Sep 2017, 08:32 • #12 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Good to know Marty, thanks! Seems like flights to Iceland aren't too bad and it is a place on the bucket list.


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Post 20 Sep 2017, 14:45 • #13 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/31/13
Posts: 519
Location: US-Mount Pleasant, SC
Greg,

We lucked out with weather. We went in early May - their "summer" for sure, but still looking at daytime highs in the 60s/maaaaybe 70. Turns out we got the best 5 days of weather in the entire month of May, and I'd recommend going in June, July or August. No Aurora Borealis but that's what winter trips are for I guess. Another note is that though flights to Keflavik are pretty cheap, accommodations throughout the nation aren't. Even spartan accommodations are a little pricey, but there is a LOT to see and do. I mean A LOT!!! Get your tickets, rent a 4wd vehicle and you're set. There is public access fishing in most places, but it can be tricky to find. I have a couple friends who live near Hella who were very helpful, and remember their major industry is now tourism, so they're catching up in terms of how to publicize angling opportunity. I think they're also, as a nation and government, keen on keeping their fisheries healthy and trying to minimize angler impact as much as possible. Good balanced approach. I wish we had the foresight to do that throughout the US.


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Post 21 Sep 2017, 06:06 • #14 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Yeah, they could do better publicizing public fishing. If you go on-line you would swear you need to arrange fishing through an outfitter and pay for fishing by the hour and pay a lot.


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Post 21 Sep 2017, 14:21 • #15 
Master Guide
Joined: 10/10/15
Posts: 427
Location: Italy
WOW !!


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Post 23 Sep 2017, 04:42 • #16 
Sport
Joined: 10/29/13
Posts: 61
Location: Denmark, Scandinavia
Quote:
Yeah, they could do better publicizing public fishing. If you go on-line you would swear you need to arrange fishing through an outfitter and pay for fishing by the hour and pay a lot.


If you are not that interested in salmon fishing in the famous (and expensive) rivers, you can buy the "Veidikortid" which for around 60 USD gives you access to 35 rivers and lakes for a year. Including the famous Þingvallavatn (Thingvallavatn), on which shores the Icelandic national parliament, was founded in the year 930. It is now famous around the world for monster brown trout.

http://veidikortid.is/index.php?lang=en


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Post 23 Sep 2017, 06:22 • #17 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Thanks for the info Soren!


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Post 23 Sep 2017, 16:17 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/20/11
Posts: 1880
Location: US-MD
Really nice job... those trim wraps really pop!


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Post 26 Sep 2017, 12:12 • #19 
Sport
Joined: 08/31/17
Posts: 25
Location: US-PA
Very nice job
Love the trim wraps


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