I recently began building rods again, although this time I’m just doing it for myself rather than making any sort of foray into a side business. Over the holidays I finished a Lamiglas 7′ 3wt fiberglass rod. I’ve had the blank for quite some time, but it had been gathering dust rather than serving any useful purpose. I took the rod out in the yard a couple weeks ago for a test drive, and it cast surprisingly well. In fact, I think it’s one of the finer light-weight rods I’ve thrown. This rod will be strapped to my pack for the first backcountry trip come Spring.
Agate stripping guide framed with silk thread in orange with black trim.
Fairly basic handle and grip. The downlocking reel seat is nickel silver with maple insert.
The rod didn’t emerge perfect from the finish application process. I’ve never had this happen, but the wrap finish bulged on one side of the rod, as you can see in the photo below. I believe this happened because the rod either wasn’t perfectly level while it rotated or it sagged between the supports. The latter is more likely due to how flexible this rod is. It’s definitely a slow action rod that rewards patience during the casting stroke. The imperfection doesn’t seem to adversely affect the casting performance to any perceptible degree, but it’s obviously something I’d like to avoid in the future.
Imperfection in the finish applied to thread wraps.
All I’m waiting for now are the first hatches of Spring and some time off work to head into the mountains. Take care,
Nathan
