hey all,
i just finished my 4th rod about an hour ago, and i have to say that it really looks great. i am quite sure that most all of the seasoned veterans here could find something not as perfect as it should be, but to me it sure looks almost perfect! anyway i just wanted to say a very humble THANK YOU to all of you who have helped with some of the problems i was having. your advice was taken whole heartedly and boy does it show in this rod. i am a 48 year old fire fighter in n. alabama who has just taken up rod building, and i love it. thanks to all of you in the phorum, and in your pics. you are all inspiration to us new comers. wish i could have made it to charolette to meet some of you.maybe next year. keep up the good work and GOD BLESS you all. david daniels

Got news for you David. We are here to support you and if it looks good to you then that is the only thing that matters. Remember Progress not Perfection, besides perfection is a myth. I am happy that you are making progress.

thanks doc.

Hey David...

This is a terrible addiction, isn't it!

A terrible, horrible, amazing, delightful addiction.

I'm only 11 or 12 rods ahead of you.....I love the learning process.

Congrats on a great rod...

Keep it up....

Keith

yes it surely is. lol lol lol

Hey David, I'm with you. I just turned 49 and recently completed rod number four also. I have been getting parts together to build for my 10 year old daughter. I get to get a little crazy on this one, they love the colors so much. I had this wild reel seat crafted for me by Les Freiberg. It's a marbled green and tonight I had Annie pick her thread colors. She went with spring green with silver trim on a emerald green blank. This is a fine and addicting hobby and I have so much to learn. I like to read my posts from a year ago and think, "what kind of a misconstruded question was that"? I have got so much from the builders on this site. It's one of the best parts of the hobby, to read and ask , and try to help others in there pursuit of this maddness.Tom

tom,
you're absolutely right. it just doesn't get any better than this.

Best thing I ever did was put away the hand glass. Everything looks very nice to the unaided eye. Put it under the microscope and OMG, what a mess. Took a finished rod into work yesterday to deliver to a co-worker. Everybody though it was great, and I swear nobody got out a handglass, though we all have them for reading maps at work.

David,

Since you can't make Charlotte, check with Bob McKamey, at Custom Tackle Supply, sponsor on the left side of this page. He as a meeting in May

About 2 more and you will turn PRO. Jesse

My first rod was/is a Tiger Eye 4 PC, 7' 3/4WT pack rod that I purchased through Dan Craft. I thought it was so cool when I was done with it. I felt I was truly a rod builder at that point.

Well, I recently finished a repair on the tip section on that rod and had a chance to take a gander at my "fine" handiwork! LOL!

Looking at that first rod makes me appreciate this forumn that much more. Without the help of many of the guys here and through emails, I wouldn't be able to produce at the level I do now. That rod is a reminder of how far I've come and the group's daily photos are a reminder of how far I have to go.

In summary, you guys are the best! (I know, I know...I'm not getting your budlight!)

Domenic Federico
Infinity Rod Creations
Wickliffe, Ohio

hey tim,
you are absolutely right. i am my best/worst enemy when it comes to my own personal quality control, then comes my mom. lol. when i finish a rod and take it over to the lake at my mom and dads house she gives it the final going over, and beleive you me she is tough! lol. but that is not at all a bad thing either. if and when somebody wants to (i hope i hope i hopr ) buy one of my rods, i want it to look as good and professional as possible.

thanks garry for the info. i'll give them a call.

thanks jesse,
but truthfully i know that i am a few hundred rods from that point, but with each rod there is noticible improvement, and thats the most that i can hope for.

you're are right domenic,
these guys are the best. i can only hope to join the caliber of you all. and for you to under take a 4 piece rod on your first try-whew- that is more of a mountain than i want to try and climb right now. i live in north alabama near weiss lake which is mainly noted for it's crappie fishing, although there is good striper and largemouth bass fishing. so anyway the majority of the rods i will be building will be one piece rods.