Camped out with a buddy and our kids last night, next to a farm pond, and got up to fish this morning. I was using a Rainshadow ISP843-3 with inlaid metallic trim wraps and Permagloss for the lightest load possible on the blank. Guide layout is new concept - the works. My 9 year old walks up with a Southbend, butt over tip ferrule piece of rod with a Zebco 33 probably twice his age. A Rapala gets flipped out and he lands a 4 to 5 lb largemouth! Should I sell all my custom gear and go to Walmart??

I'm sure this was an isolated case of a largemouth that had no class/taste...

Mark Griffin
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C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

They call it fishing instead of catching, 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water, look to where he cast and with what then establish a pattern...and maybe Your son had more confidence in his equipment, this can be the undefinable edge, thats why many do this

That fish may have been related to Rich's crappie.....


A crappie I caught the other day was wondering about my guide spacing. He actually criticized my butt guide placement, saying “ it was clearly too close to the foregrip”. I ate him. - Rich Handrick

Oh, better yet. Yesterday, I am reading the Gainesville Sun's Friday Sports page's weekly article with Tim Tucker. Featured is a huge picture of youngster Dillon Rhodes straining to hold up his HUGE 12 lb. LargeMouth Bass. Caught on a private lake ~ 30 miles SE of Gainesville, FL, this fish was caught on a live shiner fished - you guessed it - from the end of his dock. Using a Zebco 33 with 10# line.

What kind of ROD? ... That is EXACTLY my point - to add insult to injury, what kind of rod it was was not even mentioned !!! ... AND IT WAS NOT EVEN SHOWN IN THE PICTURE ... How DARE they !!! .... –Cliff Hall
Definition of a Custom Fishing Rod:
A scepter of our own making,
ruling over a watery kingdom
of our own machinations.
-Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-USA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2006 02:24PM by Moderator.

YEA, I hate it when my wife out fishes me also

Steve, welcome to the "My Wife Always Outfishes Me" Club. :)

Putter
Williston, ND

Marty,
"Why are we really doing this...?" Because we HAVE to!!!!! Simple as that. An addict has NO choice. He may have outfished you, but you LOOKED a lot better.


Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2006 03:28PM by Mike Barkley.

We do this because on the days we can't go fishing, we can build a rod, and i some way "still go fishing".

I love it when a kid outfishes me....keeps me from thinking that I have actually figured this sport out.


Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing Products

We do it to take it from something simple, a stick, line and hook, to a higher level. Trouble is we forget some people a born with lucky horse shoes . Of course we could break down and trade turkey recipies.

My first decent largemouth was on a Zebco 202 combo from Firestone Hardware on a Red Devil of all things. First SW striped bass on a K Mart "blue light" special combo with a 7" Repala off a 40ft cliff in Scarboro, ME. Both scenerios before the age of 10.....right place, right time, in the good old days when kids roamed the world without an adult next to them.

Why, are we really doing this?...for me, and maybe a few others?...........artistic expression on a functional linear /tubular medium.

We are doing this because we can!!!!

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Right on, Fred, ... How's the foot after the "guiding"? -Cliff.

I have always thought of it along the lines that Andy said. Siting in my room with all my fishing things/rodbuilding stuff & books doing something is a bit like going fishing when you can't. Its also an environment that sets off fishin daydreams and that is like the real thing until you realise!

Keeps me out of the strip bars in Dawsonville!

"Camped out with a buddy and our kids last night, next to a farm pond, and got up to fish this morning. I was using a Rainshadow ISP843-3 with inlaid metallic trim wraps and Permagloss for the lightest load possible on the blank. Guide layout is new concept - the works. My 9 year old walks up with a Southbend, butt over tip ferrule piece of rod with a Zebco 33 probably twice his age. A Rapala gets flipped out and he lands a 4 to 5 lb largemouth! Should I sell all my custom gear and go to Walmart??"

The fish really don't seem to care what you are fishing with, do they? I build rods cuz I just plain old like to fish with something I created or if I build for someone else the look on their face when they get it is worth more than the $$ that I get for the work. It always puts a smile on my face to see a kid catch a nice fish.

The wonderful thing about nature is it always at some point humbles us......when my son was 3 he outfished three (way better than avg adult fisherman)one day with 4 foot snoopy rod and reel hooking and landing a 4 1/2 lb lm bass when no one else had caught a fish for 3 hrs.

Congrats to your 9 yr old.....time to build him a nice forecast. You will have a fishin buddy for life!

Field & Stream Headline: "3 year old Out-fishes the Pro's"
Yes, the Maker does have a sense of humour.
-Cliff Hall+++

I'm with Andy as well, I do it because it gets me closer to fishing when I can't or decide I have an excuse NOT to go fishing.....and it seems that rod building HAS cut into my fishing time conciderably I'm afraid.....I guess it's easier when time is short.

DR

The really good thing about rod building is that it has cut into my work time. In fact, here I sit looking at the rod building board instead of finishing my report. Priceless.......