Howdy... Trying to whip up a smallmouth rod for my father as a Christmas gift.
the 6' 721-2 Matrix spin ... with the st-11 handle with the slip rings (tennessee handle???) and new concept guides. any opinions you have about rod, handle, guides, and thread colors would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again....Greg , aka Puppy Mullet

Black

I'm building a Matrix fly rod right now for catching Northern Pike in New Mexico. (That's right. We also have largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes, and stripers.) I'm adding a pike decal to the rod so I will probably wrap in tan with an olive trim, or the other way around. If it looks bad, I'll leave off the olive. I like to pick up the colors of the intended fish and/or the reel seat and/or the guides in my wraps. My favorite for most fly rods is Gudebrod's chestnut with silver metallic trim.

Looking at an image of a small mouth, I would go with tan.

Hint: if you use a milk-type color preserver, you can make the wraps mottled, like the fish. I can't get the milk type to give me solid results, so I use it for mottled wraps. You can also color the spool with a tan Sharpie and get a different mottle.

Greg, I posted two photos recently of matrix blanks done with feather inlays. The colours I chose were Gudebrod Gold Metal and Black in reg A for the first. The second was done in Gudebrod green with purple overbinds. Both came up spectacularly. The colours used complimented the colour of the blank.

Wow Mark your stuff is top notch.
I tested lots of colors when i started building so I would have a "theme" settled on GB. black, GB mettalic lime green. And then I stumbled on Sulky gold brass. Its golder than gold and will knock your eyes out..
Thanks guys

Candy apple red on the green blank

I'm with Billy. I just finished one up with black & 3 inlayed bands of Sulky silver.

Jay

Burgundy