Hello all. I havent posted for awhile, but I still read the posts every couple of days and I have to say that you guys are alright. I see people post advice, and warnings about safety, and product referances for people in need. I am impressed. I belong to a Union trade, and I cannot find a site that is this busy, or where the information flows so freely or is given with such good intentions. I dont want to embarass anyone or bore you with sappy sentiments, but I can honestly say that although some posts are pretty stuffy, all of them are great. I hope this site is around for my son to enjoy. Have a good christmas may we all get rod lathes worth thousands of dollars! And beer!!

I agree. Nowhere else can you get the kind of free exchange of rod building info that you get here. I remember when the site was just starting and all the people who said it would never work, rules were too strict, too much competition, too many problems and all that. While there are a handful of other really good rod building sites out there, I really don't think any of them compare to this one overall.

Hi, Levi - HTG & a Merry Xmas from Mr. Stuffy. How did your short & stout small mouth rod turn out, the one for bank fishing, with a walk-in thru dense brush? Which blank did you use? -Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-

Rod lathes and Beer!!! :)

OOOh Beeeer!!!

Cliff, ditto. I used a Calstar BT6455/H. Its
stuck in a Pac Bay #4 uni-butt. It turned out great, except I wasn't happy with the wraps on the guide feet. I applied my epoxy
while the rod was spinning on my homemade lathe, and it was hard to get it smooth. The brush seemed to want to jump as it passed over the foot, but I figured it out and now I
apply the epoxy in several thin coats, then spin it to dry. It works better, but I still get some creep on the frame, I wish I could turn still slower. I got a couple more in the works, the rod is super stout, but heavy for all day creek adventures. I wanted to give it to a friend, but its just not good enough.
I think I,ll use it for catfish and gar at lock and dam 13 on the mississippi. The next one will be even shorter, I foresee some line slap problems with the large (50) (40) initiall guides I plan on using. Happy Holidays all.