Please post your general opinion. Decal Connection has purchased the company that makes the fish decals. I have tried to get this changed before to no avail. If there are enough that agree maybe it will influence a mirror image product.

1. I place decals and text on rods where it is readable or viewable when the butt of the rod is to the left.

2. All of the fish decals heads of the fish are to the right side.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

3. I think the fish are more appropriate and look better when depicted as being caught by the angler and not escaping or swimming free. This would require that the head of the fish was to the left.

Are there any that would like to see a mirror image of the fish available from suppliers? Dark Siders please reply with the direction of orientation preferred! Note: I can not do one weave per week and five a day is totally out of the question - I am forced to rely on Invisilines!

Thanks

Please don't apologize for using the decals - they have a place in this game, and a number of customers really like them. We've also used the "Little Mermaid" one when requested.

We place them as requested. Most folks want them on top of the rod, but that's also where we write their names, which our "Calico Creek Rods" signature goes underneath. In those cases, the tail of the fish is usually oriented toward the reel seat.. If the name is on top of the rod, then we place the decal further up the rod than that.

When we do our logo/serial number on one side and the customer's name on the the other, the writing reads left-to-right with the butt held in the left hand, tip out to the right. This is generall the side where the name goes. On the other side (left side, looking down on the rod with the rod tip away from you) is our logo, written so that it reads left-to-right if the butt of the rod is in your right hand.

In these cases, we still usually place the decal on top, with the fish's tail oriented toward the butt, so that the fish is going in the same direction as the writing of the customer's name.

I hadn't thought of a mirror-image before, but it we did that, it'd be on both sides, further up than the name and logo.

Hope that helps - - -

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

I prefer the fish facing from left to right. That is the normal direction that the eye looks

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!!

I would normally position about anything like that so that the tail is nearer the butt and the head nearer the tip. But that's just me and what I tend to think looks good. The next guy may feel completely different.

..................

I think it looks better when the tail is near the butt and the head is facing the tip.

I agree with Tom and Jim. Tail towards the grip flows with the rest of the rod better.

Sorry Bill, I have to agree with the majority - I think the left to right orientation is a more natural way for the eye to view the decal.

Me too. I kinda like the idea of swimming free since I release almost everything anyway. Head towards the water fisheeeeee.

Some people say that the smaller fish on the rod is actually inticing his "big brother" in the water to come and play.... I've tried it both ways but am now more inclined to have the little and the big fish facing each other.... ;-).

Here's my delema. being left handed if you reversed the current decal looking toward the handle then from a lefty's perspective its aready the way it should be.

I place them fish tail toward the butt. To me it just flows better that way. And I'm right handed too.

Steve: Do you hold the rod by the tip? I'm lefty too and your explanation has leaves me scratching my (shiny smooth) head.

I like to see the fish facing the tip. The streamlined shape looks best following the path that the eye takes toward the tip when the rod is in hand. It also seems nicely balanced when viewed from the side.

I do, however like to occasionally orient BOLD letters (initials or a name) VERRTICALLY on the zero axis; reading from tip toward the butt. This way it is clearly read when the rod is standing or being fished. Block letters seem to work best in this set up. When I finally learn to weave I plan to do some vertical letters that was as well.

I am also curious about positioning the weave or decal letters on a bias.. or slight spiral. It just seems like a there are many variations worth exploring.

Dave

Dave;
Many left handed people hold rod with right hand and reel with left. Just as many right handed people hold rod in left and reel with right. Now if your hold rod with left hand towards left side of body fish looks fine, but if you hold rod with right hand towards right side of body fish looks upside down. Turn fish around facing butt he looks right side up.

Hope this clarifies what I was saying?

Tail back, head forward

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Depends how I made the weave usually. In some cases I orient it nose to butt, others nose to tip, and in some odd cases I have even oriented the fish sideways.

Custom weaves make it nice to do whatever you want. :)

Natural feeling tells me left to right, and this also implies "fishy, come home with me."

Of course "action" scenes are a completley different story
and depends entirely on the action.

That latest YF Tuna that Doc posted looks awesome facing the
angler

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2007 10:53PM by Raymond_Adams.

Bill,
It really makes a difference which way you hold your rod. Jimi says turn the rod around. Ha Ha!

Chuck

Here is the reason for the question in the first place. All the available stickers "force" the builder to place the tail to the butt. After looking at so many of them this becomes the conventional positioning that people expect to see. I have noticed the Dark Siders on many occasions place their weaves where the head of the fish is toward the butt. Their skill gives them the option of placing the fish pointing in either direction. Using the stickers I do not have that option . I got a years seminar from listening to Mark Crouse a few minutes describe that sizing and placement in field of view of the entire view of text and graphics without rod rotation was quite important. It is kind like if the fish was looking at the butt the view could be saying "come to papa". Bass swiming free could cost someone a lot of cash!

Personal note to Jimi: Get my next order on the way, listen to Blue Grass, be carefull with teasing good customers or I will hit YOU with a $ 20 minimum art charge!

I guess thinking can be dangerous to my health!

Gon Fishn

Just like having the option to invert or "flip" a weave pattern having
the same option with decals would be a good thing! I may not
want to use that option very often but none the less the option
would be nice.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I can see two decals bracketing the writing like bookends, each facing towards the writing or each facing away. Interesting.

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.