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Post 30 Apr 2023, 09:52 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 02/17/23
Posts: 112
It's your fault. Yes, I'm talking to you. I'm pretty new here, but I hadn't nosed around these pages very long before you fellows introduced me to Chris Barclay and his fine custom fly rods. Once I became registered here, I used the search engine to read all I could find on Barclay's rods - and there's a great deal of information to be consumed.

The hook was firmly set - I was determined to have one. Perusing Chris' site, I learned two things. The first was that these rods are pretty spendy (not undeservedly so) for an old retired codger without much income. Worse yet, it seems Chris was taking a sabbatical, and there was no opportunity to order one, even if I could afford it. As luck would have it, I came across one on the big auction site, and it was at a price I could swing, but there was a catch.

It was one of Barclay's very popular "79" models, but it was quite badly beat up. The tip section was about two inches short, the cork damaged, the wood body of the reel seat chewed up, and - inexplicably - the reel seat cap was in place but the sliding ring was missing. I examined the fuzzy photos as closely as I could, and with just a little trepidation, hit the "Buy It Now" button.

I told my wife about my soon to arrive treasure. She gave me the rolled eyes, which is shorthand for, "I love you, but you're an idiot." :lol

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The damaged cork was my first repair task. I considered trying to glue in a section of cork to keep the Ritz grip, but eventually decided that turning a stubby cigar nose was the easiest approach.

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There was no question of what to do with the shortened tip. My only option was to add a suitable tip top. With that in place, I stepped out back and cast a 5 wt double taper without a reel. I found the rod delightful to cast, even in its slightly abreviated configuration. However, it did require a slightly slower, more gentle casting tempo to come to life. I guess I now understand Chris' motto, "Slow Down."

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The repair I was a little uncertain about was the reel seat. There was a significant amount of wood missing, and it looked as if someone may have whittled on it. I tried a heat gun gingerly in an effort to remove the wooden seat body, but it showed no sign of loosening up, and I was worried about causing damage to the blank beneath it. I'm no great wood worker, but I broke out the chisels, and commenced carving a mortise to remove the damaged wood.

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I didn't have much on hand in the way of hardwood, but I found a few scraps of curly maple left over from a flintlock longrifle I built some years back. I cut and fit a block of this as best I could, learning only after I filed and sanded the waste away that it had failed to fill one corner of the mortise. There's a bit of epoxy showing, but oh well, I wasn't going to chisel it out and start over.

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I had contacted Chris Barclay, asking if I might purchase a correct sliding ring from him. He's a swell fellow, and we passed a couple of messages. He was mighty kind, even offering to do some of the repairs. But as it happened, I had soon completed all of the repairs and was anxious to get out on the water with this sweet rod. So I turned a replacement sliding ring on the lathe, making it as close to those Chris uses as I could manage.

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So now my "wreck" is all back in fishing trim. I hiked it in to a little creek near home, prospecting to see if it held trout. No trout gifted me with their presence, but I had a splendid time none the less. It was mostly tight quarters, so roll casts and even a few "bow and arrow" casts were the order of the day. The Barclay 79 performed splendidly, and I look forward to getting it out to larger water where I can stretch its legs a bit.

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Post 30 Apr 2023, 13:51 • #2 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/23/18
Posts: 614
Location: Eastern Wa
Jim,
You are far more skilled than you are admitting! Fantastic job. Way over my skill level. BTW I still have a wood/metal working squirrel flinter project that has sat in the box for several years but thats for another forum.


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Post 30 Apr 2023, 18:40 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/31/15
Posts: 1238
Location: Northern Rockies
Wow! Fantastic work. I saw this rod on the auction site, and I was briefly tempted. But I knew this was beyond my skill. You've got an excellent fishing tool there with a great story.


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Post 30 Apr 2023, 20:20 • #4 
Sport
Joined: 08/04/18
Posts: 77
Location: US-CT
Very nice indeed Jim, enjoy your "new" rod!


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Post 30 Apr 2023, 20:24 • #5 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/02/16
Posts: 515
Location: Georgia
Nice work, Jim! The repairs all look great, and thanks for documenting your repair techniques. I’d be interested to hear the stories behind that rod - the Barclay 79 has only been in the lineup a few years, so someone really put that thing through the wringer in a short time period.


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Post 30 Apr 2023, 21:32 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 06/15/20
Posts: 260
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Very cool


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Post 30 Apr 2023, 22:53 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/23/19
Posts: 371
Location: North Central Oregon
Great story and great fix!


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Post 01 May 2023, 00:00 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/11/17
Posts: 436
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Jim,

The expertise of your excellent repair is comparable to your entertaining style of writing. Look forward to your next post.


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Post 01 May 2023, 19:47 • #9 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/04/18
Posts: 397
Location: Belair Maryland/Swanton Maryland
Great Resto-Mod !


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Post 04 May 2023, 16:54 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
nice work, well done !

my experience (2 rods so far) is that an inch or so missing from the tip is mostly irrelevant, it hardly alters the action or casting at all.
a break or loss further down, around the ferrule or similar, makes a noticeable difference..
so your fine Barclay should fish well for many years yet..

Quote:
She gave me the rolled eyes, which is shorthand for, "I love you, but you're an idiot."

yes I get that a lot too ;-)


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Post 05 May 2023, 12:21 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
Very nice work...congrats on the new tool!


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Post 05 May 2023, 12:38 • #12 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/26/10
Posts: 547
Location: Montana
Well done and a nice story. Enjoyed reading it.


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Post 05 May 2023, 13:38 • #13 
Guide
Joined: 02/17/23
Posts: 112
Thank you, gentlemen! After having fished this just a bit, I certainly understand why Mr. Barclay's rods are held in such high esteem.

El Duderino: I too would love to know the background on this old veteran. I thought the cork had been chewed on, but when I actually had it in hand, I became less convinced. I asked the seller if they could furnish any information, and they didn't bother to answer.

doug in co: Agreed - I wasn't too worried about the shortened tip section. My most used and loved graphite rod, a Fenwick "bamboo action" 6 wt, carries the scars of a few decades of hard fishing, to include a tip which is about an inch short. I wish I hadn't broken it, but it fished just as well after that midstream tumble as it did before.


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Post 05 May 2023, 15:44 • #14 
Master Guide
Joined: 05/16/10
Posts: 814
Location: South of Houston, TX
Typically cork damage in that location is due to being used as a hook keeper, though I would say that damage looks more like something pushed on it from above (down toward the reel seat) and it tore out a chunk. Maybe being shoved into a rod tube on a drift boat? Just a speculation. Your repair was great, and I'm very pleased to hear it fishes well. Congratulations on the restoration.


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Post 10 Jun 2023, 08:04 • #15 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/11/20
Posts: 378
Location: Dallas, TX
Amazing restoration on a great glass rod. Hard to imagine what the heck happened to the wood reel seat and original the sliding ring. I’m a huge fan of Chris Barclay’s rods. I bet he’s delighted this excellent fishing tool is out there fishing again.


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Post 16 Jul 2023, 20:37 • #16 
Sport
Joined: 09/15/22
Posts: 84
Location: Portland, OR
My lord. I saw this as well and was tempted. Good on you for bringing it back to life.


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Post 17 Jul 2023, 13:50 • #17 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/23/19
Posts: 371
Location: North Central Oregon
Great story and an equally great repair! I hope you have many fine days fishing that rod.


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Post 19 Jul 2023, 09:56 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/10/07
Posts: 1632
Location: The Netherlands
Oh wow I missed this topic!
Well done

Chris is such a great guy and a great rod builder, this order


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Post 19 Jul 2023, 11:40 • #19 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/23/05
Posts: 4966
Location: US-MT
I somehow missed this as well, thanks for bumping it up.

JustJim, it is simple to add a couple inches to tip. If you want the info let me know.


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Post 19 Jul 2023, 11:57 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 02/17/23
Posts: 112
majicwrench- Thanks friend! I'd be curious to learn of your process, but I won't be altering this grizzled old Barclay 79. I had the opportiunity to fish it on some larger water (the Chatooga in the very northeast corner of Georgia), and I was delighted with the way this rod performed. It made quite long casts, short casts, roll casts and mended line with an effortlessness that I don't think I have experienced before.

Once again, all I had to do was to slow down the casting stroke and it was almost as if the rod itself were casting, and I was just along for the ride. An odd sensation, but a delightful one! :)


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Post 19 Jul 2023, 13:36 • #21 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/23/05
Posts: 4966
Location: US-MT
I use a hunk of old graphite rod, or if I can't find the right piece, go to the hardware store with the tip and find a spring with the right OD wire. Use about 3/4" of spring as a stent, then find a tip that you can rob 2" off of and you are in business. This is probably the most common repair I do.

If just missing an inch, you can just use the spring wire, then mount the tip top on that. Tip[ tops for graphite rods are soo small. And it makes a good looking repair, the tip top and rod just blend together.


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