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Post 25 Jul 2022, 07:55 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Seeing recent Rod Photos posted by Tomah and others reminded me I haven’t contributed to the forum lately. So, here is a Winter 2022 build I’d been looking forward to for a while.

Clearly, Larry Kenney builds a beautiful fly rod. When I decided to build on his 8’3” 5wt blank I wanted to incorporate the subtlety and functionality of his wraps, without trying to create a copy of his rod. Using Larry’s guide placement and ferrule wrapping instructions, I chose slightly different main wrap and accent thread colors – to match well with his beautiful chestnut blank color. Another slight difference was my choice of reel seat hardware. I had a REC model NBS nickel silver skeleton on hand. This skeleton is around one-half ounce heaver than modern aluminum reel seats. In mockup test casting I felt this skeleton aided in balancing the rod nicely. The finished rod casts and fishes beautifully, and I suspect Larry's 824-3 blank is somewhere in my near future.

Photos are from my initial finished rod casting session, please ignore dust accumulated on the guide wraps….

Details:
- Kenney 835-3 E-Glass blank
- REC Model NBS reel seat skeleton
- Shop turned/finished Zebrawood insert
- Shop turned grip
- Snake Brand bright snake guides and tip top
- Mildrum stripping guide
- Gudebrod Orange/Black Jasper; Mettler Poly Sheen Gold; Medium Brown Silk Tipping
- Gen4 Lite thread wrap epoxy














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Post 25 Jul 2022, 08:08 • #2 
Master Guide
Joined: 06/27/11
Posts: 387
Location: US-OH
Nice component selection. That came out great!


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Post 25 Jul 2022, 18:27 • #3 
Master Guide
Joined: 04/25/07
Posts: 547
Location: US-PA
That is an incredible build, clean everything blends so well. I have Larry’s 8’8” 5 wght, which is a great long 5 but now I want 8’3” version. Will have to see if the blanks are available.


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Post 25 Jul 2022, 19:24 • #4 
Guide
Joined: 06/15/20
Posts: 260
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Nice coloring and clean tipping.


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Post 25 Jul 2022, 20:25 • #5 
Master Guide
Joined: 03/20/07
Posts: 849
Location: US-TX
Very smooth….


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Post 25 Jul 2022, 20:56 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
Exquisite build, Sir! Thread- and finish work both are flawless. Design selections and turnings are spot on for the blank, which is itself beautiful.


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Post 25 Jul 2022, 23:12 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/26/10
Posts: 547
Location: Montana
Nice looking rod! Well done.


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Post 26 Jul 2022, 02:09 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/10/07
Posts: 1632
Location: The Netherlands
Lovely
Has a touch of Gary Howells


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Post 26 Jul 2022, 16:18 • #9 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/11/17
Posts: 436
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Classy looking rod. Well done


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Post 26 Jul 2022, 19:54 • #10 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Thanks guys, really appreciate the feedback.

Jeff


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Post 26 Jul 2022, 20:13 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/31/15
Posts: 1238
Location: Northern Rockies
What a fantastic build. The styling is elegant and refined. It sounds like the rod is equal to your aesthetics.


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Post 08 Sep 2022, 19:54 • #12 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/20
Posts: 229
Location: Ontario, Canada
I'm a bit late to this party but that is a stunning build my friend, nicely done! The blank is a beautiful color too. I spoke with Larry a couple weeks ago and ordered his 733 blank. Very much looking forward to it, though it won't be until next Spring...


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Post 08 Sep 2022, 21:10 • #13 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Thanks BigHeavy, Whether it’s on stream or lawn casting I’ve been enjoying this rod a lot. Enough to have recently placed an order for Larry’s 824-3 blank.

Jeff


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Post 08 Sep 2022, 22:32 • #14 
Guide
Joined: 03/13/15
Posts: 267
Location: Germany
The grip - check - wrap transition is just perfect: simple, clean and well done


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Post 09 Sep 2022, 00:41 • #15 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/01/12
Posts: 900
Location: Upstate NY
Awesome looking build, well done!


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Post 10 Sep 2022, 08:25 • #16 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Thanks, FFR is a great place for me to come for inspiration.

Jeff


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Post 11 Sep 2022, 20:58 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 06/08/18
Posts: 293
Location: Boston , MA
That is what some would call “ A Classic” … superbly done Sir…


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Post 13 Sep 2022, 17:42 • #18 
Sport
Joined: 02/14/18
Posts: 36
Location: Australia, Western Australia
What a beautiful rod. I'd love to fish that one!!! Cheers, Dave


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Post 13 Nov 2022, 09:39 • #19 
Sport
Joined: 01/20/13
Posts: 73
Location: Norway
Nice build, love the color combination.

Ivar


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Post 19 Nov 2022, 20:57 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 03/02/14
Posts: 144
Location: US-peripatetic
Overlooked this one until Ivar’s comment brought it back up-so thanks to you both for bringing it to my attention. The styling of the handle & seat make it look very classic. Thanks again for sharing!


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Post 22 Nov 2022, 18:10 • #21 
Sport
Joined: 07/04/21
Posts: 32
Location: Victoria, Australia
You’ve done a very good job.

I note you used snake guides and
- Mildrum stripping guide.

Was the decision made to keep a traditional look? And Mildrum guides- I think I have one an old Killwell, how good are they?

And the blank colour; is this the standard from LK now?

Btw, I’ve also ordered the 824-3 a few weeks back, looking forward to getting my hands on it….


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Post 23 Nov 2022, 16:07 • #22 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Thanks again for the kind feedback.

Many of the rods I’ve built over the years definitely would not be considered “classic” or “traditional “. But when I received the 835 blank from Larry I considered the source, and the contributions he has made to the fly rod industry during his lifetime. Introducing his fiberglass fly rod blanks to the public recently is just one. I thought back to when I first started turning wood into reel seat inserts. Curly maple, Bubinga, Walnut, Cocobolo and Birds Eye maple were pretty common years ago. I had inserts turned from all of these woods available, but selected a fairly straight-grained wood, Zebrawood.

Larry’s blanks are not slender, see-through, ultra-light blanks that lack “soul”. They’re E-Glass blanks that in the case of my 835 allow me to feel my DT5 line loading the rod while casting. I’ve said this before about casting great fiberglass rods, “I always know where my fly line is”. This is true of Larry’s 835.

My 835 is Larry’s current blank color. As you can see in my pictures it’s a nice medium brown color with a decidedly chestnut glow in sunlight. Very nice color. The 824 blank I received mid-September is the same color. My 824 will also be built with snake guides and a Mildrum stripping guide. Guide wrapping theme will be similar to my 835, likely another Jasper thread. In the meantime I need to decide on a reel seat insert. In the attached picture of wood blanks, the first (Curly Tasmanian Eucalyptus) and sixth (a light version of Panga Panga) are currently front runners for my 824.

I guess you could say I'm working my way down Larry's line weight offerings. Depending on how the 824 loads and fishes, an 813 is a possibility for me.

Thanks again for looking.
Jeff



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Post 30 Jan 2023, 15:27 • #23 
New Member
Joined: 06/20/14
Posts: 19
Location: US-TN
My sincerest compliments on a beautiful build. The colors complement each other nicely.


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Post 05 Oct 2023, 17:50 • #24 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Beautiful rod!


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Post 05 Oct 2023, 19:09 • #25 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
Wow, what a bump of a thread.
I didn't appreciate it at the time.

What a stunning build.

Was there an under wrap of the ferrule before the guide was put on.


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