I built a rod for my friend to use fishing for speckled trout and redfish down here in Louisiana's fine marshes. 7' Rainshadow blank, used the bumper guide system and holographic guides, and a nice buttwrap with red and gold metallics and nylon threads. Put his name on it in metallic gold and a gold speckled trout decal.
Looks really sharp.
My wife and I brought it to him at his house and his wife thought it was beautiful, and he was pleased with it too.
A couple of days later he told me that his wife told him to make sure he carries a pocket knife with him when he fishes with that rod I made him. He asks her why, and she says "so you can cut the line if you hook a big redfish, you don't want to break that new rod, Larry put a lot of time into making it for you."
I laughed, and I knew he would never dream of cutting off a big red no matter what rod it was hooked to.
Then I got to thinking about some posts I read about people putting things like cards listing components used inside the handles of their custom built rods.

I'm thinking of some kind of emergency knife that screws into the buttcap, just in case you ever need to cut off a big fish.

Larry

Maybe Bill Batson will give away pocket knives with all his blanks. Sure would reduce the exposure to warranty replacement!

Gon Fishn

I guarantee that those IP844 Rainshadows could haul in the biggest redfish that cruise the La. marshes. I think between Bill and I there are about 300 of them in use now and with Larry building on them those reds won't have a chance.

Lance

THose rods are so tough that I think they would turn a marlin. Besides, all the big reds are west of the Sabine.

I built a rod for a friend in repayment for some favors and he told me yesterday that he wont use it cause he is afraid he might break it or damage it. I was crushed, I built it for him to use not sit in the corner! I told him to use it and if he ever broke it I would fix it but I really dont think he will. I guess I need to make him a rod with no butt wrap and nothing special on the guides and wraps so at least he would have one good rod to use!

If he uses the rod correctly and does not high stick it, it should be fine

You tell dat boy he hook one a dem BIG redfish, he jes' carry 'long dat twice barrel carabeen or one a dem aromatic shootguns...an' when dat ol' fish he run away an' mebbee break dem pole, I'm thinkin', me, he jes' give him one a dem Texas heart shots right up dat red fish butt...It stop him right quick, ah garontee!

I have no doubt the rod will do it's job, and the owner knows how to fish, I just thought it was really funny she told him that.

Oh, and there are one or two big reds east of the Sabine :) .

Larry



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2005 09:25AM by Larry Laurent.

How 'bout you just put the line wt on the rod somewhere near his name...with a good drag and the appropriate wt of line for the blank the line should break well before the rod does. Who knows if he plays the fish just right and the stars are aligned properly he might land that big fish.