Reeling In The Neighbors

On any given afternoon, I can be found tailoring a rod to the soft hum of a stereo playing in the garage.  Living in a small gated community of thirty-five houses, its not uncommon here for my neighbors to drop by for an unexpected visit.  Some of the older folks have displayed an admiration for the craftsman ship of my rods, while others simply say hello as they pass during their evening stroll.

One such individual, is a rather rugged looking figure who can often been seen with a beer in hand at any given hour of the day.  While he dose carry the persona of blue-collar worker that could likely be found frequenting your local billiards hall, he seems to be a pretty genuine person.  His interest in fishing has landed him in my garage, beckoning for a custom wrap on a classic fiberglass bass rod that has survived the ages.  After a few details from him on the guide style, thread color, and decal selection, I set forth to place my personal mark on this small piece of fishing history.

Despite the weathering on the foam handle and one missing eye, this rod was in pretty good shape.  Years of sunlight had severely damaged the clear-coat that encased the guides, leaving them a yellowish-tan color with a spider-web like cracking throughout them. The strength of the rod was still true to the original craftsmanship, allowing the rod to bend in a complete U shape.

After stripping the original guides and fore-wrap from the rod, I wanted to check the spine of the blank to ensure it was lined up with the reel seat.  This is done by placing one finger on the end of rod while pushing down on the tip.  The rod will always rotate to one axis, displaying the natural direction the rod wants to bend.  While the spine was off keel from the reel seat, precise placement of the new eyes would later correct this small imperfection.

Once I had marked the spine of the blank, and planned for the adjustment of the line guides, another problem manifested.  The age and previous care of this rod had left the tip warped and twisted, leaving this witching stick in a condition that would have better served as dowsing rod used to locate ground water.

The thread pattern that he had requested was a mixture of metallic-orange, black, and natural-orange colors.  Blending a combination of both nylon and metallic thread, the contrast of the colors seemed to be a good fit for this old rod.

Now that the fore-wrap was complete, it was time to move on to guide placement and wrapping.  The weathered old markings from the previous guides could still be seen on the blank, making placement of the under-wraps a breeze.  All of the under-wraps were set with a metallic-orange blend, and then taped into place after lining them up to the spine.  Once all of the eyes were true to the blank, a black nylon over-wrap was applied to the guides.

After removing the outer layer of the grime-infused handle with a fine-grit sandpaper and applying some polish to the reel seat, the finished wraps on the rod look amazing.  With only a clear-coat needing applied to the threads prior to giving the rod back to the owner, the majority of the work is now completed.  I am confident that he will be pleased with his classic bass stick that now has a new-age touch applied to it.