Custom rod thread

seem like a lot of people on here do a lot of fly fishing, and while I tie saltwater flies, I don't fly fish. But what I do spend money on is my custom rods.

These are two of my favorites.

 

are you saying you make them?

 

flies, yes. Rods, no. I've only built one rod, sorry if I was confusing in my post.

 

I looked into building rods. I really want to build myself a surf rod. I probably will give it a shot eventually.

 

Real easy once you get the tools. Go to Mudhole.com

 

I've only done the one, but from that I learned the hardest part is the decorative wrap. One of my friends helped me along the way. I was doing a trout rod, he said the bigger the diameter of the blank the easier the wrap is. I've got a couple cobia rods I'm gunna try to do one day.

 

Worst part is sitting and tiring to decide what you want. Once you have that down and the mechanics down your golden

 

I found that site. They've got all kinds of cool shit.

Yeah. I've watched all kinds of videos on it on YouTube. The simple wraps don't look hard necessarily, once you get the hang of it.

Also, not sure if you can tell, but I spend some time down in your neck of the woods. I love that place.

 

It almost seems like math trying to figure out the axis points for the wrap. My friend did that for me and was trying to explain it to me. He loaned me a book that better teaches it that I've been reading off and on.

 

I was thinking that looked like our dune lines in the back ground of your pic. It's a great place to be for sure. I head up to va every once in a while, not sure where Glen is, but I got a friend who lives in Yorktown.

 

Definitely is your dune line. That was taken one night just before the point if I remember right, getting set up hoping for some evening drum action. Of course I got nothing. They always seem to show up right before or after I'm there.

Ruther Glen is just north of Richmond. Probably about an hour or so north of Yorktown. I'm hoping one day my location will be somewhere on Hatteras, but it hasn't happened yet.

I've been going there for almost 28 years now, ever since my parents took me when I was 6. Staying at the KOA in Rodanthe. I still remember the nights spent at Waterfall Park, driving to Nags Head to stand in line for all you can eat seafood at The Wharf, and going to watch the hang gliders at Jockey's Ridge.

Now I just go to fish. And get skunked on citation drum every year.

 

Yea I remember when there were things other than fishing to enjoy down here, it's commercialized quite a bit unfortunately. And fishing down south has become more difficult with all the closures. They're starting to get drum in ocracoke, and the NPS is already talking about shutting the point down for ORV and pedestrian use. I've yet to catch a drum from the surf for lack of 4wd and even now I refuse to pay for a permit for a beach that I'm not promised will be open for me to enjoy. Most of the surf fishing for drum I'll be doing will be up in corova in September/October. I've got some pigs from the piers, but I won't be satisfied till I drag one up on the sand.

 

I usually take a short trip or two in spring just to get my fix to hold me off through tourist season. Then I spend 7-9 days down in the fall to go trophy hunting.

I do pay for the permit, even though I'm somewhat against it, but I gotta get out there somehow. I'm also like you, I'm not gonna be happy until I drag one up on the sand. I don't pier fish, but I like hanging out watching. And I don't have any desire to hang out in the conga line at the point. So one day I'll get lucky. Maybe.

 

I fish with a good group of guys on the "tourist pier" Jennette's. The few times I've been to the point with with friends was fun, but not really my style. Most of the guys are too hard core, and while I'll go out of my way in the wind and rain to catch a fish, I ain't looking to get in a fist fight over one. I would suggest Corova or the south side of Oregon Inlet depending on what part of the fall you come down. Normally the further south you go in the fall for drum, the harder you gotta work for them.

 

I usually come down at the end of October. My birthday is Halloween, so I usually use that as an excuse too. I tend to stay away from the point for the same reason. Gets too rowdy for me. I figure even if I don't catch one, I still spent the day on Hatteras next to the ocean. Which is good enough for me.

 

I agree, ain't always about the fish.