<![CDATA[Renaissance Fly Rods

<![CDATA[Renaissance Fly Rods - Blog]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 06:06:46 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[CFR/PHW "Super Raffle"!!!]]>Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:38:11 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/04/cfrphw-super-raffle.htmlThis just may be a once in a lifetime raffle!!!! Yes it might be a lengthly post, but trust me you want to read the entire post;) I have been extremely fortunate to team up with two of the best Artisans, in their prospective fields, to create a "Super Raffle" for the newly formed Southern California chapter of "Casting for Recovery" http://castingforrecovery.org/wordpress/?page_id=5519 and "Project Healing Waters"
http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/

Unfamilar with these two top shelf charities? Well, Casting for Recovery provides weekend retreats for breast cancer suvivors and Project Healing Waters provides retreats for disabledVeterans. They both have one goal in mind: To provide the participants with a time of healing and recovery. Can you think of any better charities to donate too, all while having an opportunity to win the fly fisherman's dream package?

First the raffle details and then pictures of the goodies.
Tickets: $10.00 each
Drawing Date:   June 1st.  Via a random number generator.
Donation Method:   Cash or checks made out to the SSFFC (Southern Sierra Fly Fishers Club)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-Sierra-Fly-Fishers/219129942737
Address: SSFFC c/o Pete Emmel/ 7775 Yesal Ave./ Atascadero/ Ca./ 93422
Why no PayPal?    PayPal charges 2.2% + $.30 per transaction. This donation will not be like typical donations. All monies collected will go directly to the charities.  In other words; no waste.

Greg Magrigal of Sierra Nets www.sierra-nets.com and Gary Silveria of Western Visions Lanyards www.WesternVisionsLanyards.com have donated two of their beautiful works of functional art to support these worthy causes. Renaissance Rods has donated a custom 3-4 weight, 7', two piece rod. The rod will be protected by a custom "Renaissance Rods" rod tube and rod sock.

Now for the goodies. Try not to drool on your keyboard. Lots of pictures coming below :)

Greg Magrigal (www.sierra-nets.com)
donated this beautiful Curly Claro Walnut, Curly Maple, Figured Walnut & Maple . The image of the Royal Wulff & inscription are actually inlaid aluminum. The lanyard is hand tied 550 lb. para cord. Personal opinion: The best nets on the market.

Gary, the owner of Western Vision Lanyards took a look at the rod and net then created this color coordinated beauty to match them both. And yes, the beads are actual Agate stones along with Olive wood and Bamboo beads. Gary's lanyards are not only beautiful to look at, they are 100% functional. In other words designed by a fly fisherman for fly fishermen. Visit Gary at: www.WesternVisionsLanyards.com

And last but, not least the Bamboo rod. This is my favorite taper. It has a hinge designed into its taper to make roll casting extremely user friendly. The rod is a two piece, 7', 3-4 weight. The wraps are silk Antique Gold with Black tipping. The seat is machined out of aluminum and polished, the seat insert is stablized Maple Burl and the stripping Agate is striped Amber Agate. A "Renaissance Rods" aluminum black & gold rod tube and custon rod sock protects the rod.

Save your pennies and buy several tickets. Our goal is at least 400 tickets, or $2,000 per charity. Please help us reach our goal.
Remember make your checks out to SSFFC. Then send the check to:
SSFFC c/o Pete Emmel
7775 Yesal Ave.
Atascadero, Ca. 93422

Until next time my friends,
Pete

]]><![CDATA[Custom Rod Tubes]]>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:06:46 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/04/custom-rod-tubes.htmlWell, Renaissance Rods finally stepped into the 21st century and ordered custom aluminum rod tubes. Working closely with Ron, from Landmark Component Co. (http://www.landmarkflyrodtubes.com/), we were able to get a silk screen of our Renaissance Rods logo for the tubes. Pictured below are the two options we offer. Ron does some incredible work with a very fast turn around.

The top tube is a nautral aluminum tube with silver hardware and the logo silk screened in black. The bottom tubeis a rich looking black tube with the logo silk screened in gold with gold anodized hardware. Both will be available as an option with your custom rod.

The Black tube will be supplied along with a custom embroidered rod sock as part of your custom Bamboo rod purchase.

Look for them soon on our Pricing & Delivery page.

Until next time my friends,
Pete

]]><![CDATA[1st Attempt at an Olive Branch Wrap]]>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:34:22 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/04/1st-attempt-at-an-olive-branch-wrap.htmlHey folks, I'm back. Didn't get around to posting last week. Its hard to do when you are in Nevada shooting Sporting Clays for 4 days. Ya, I am bragging a bit. 4 Days of nothing but fun and shooting, this old gunner couldn't ask for anything more. Well maybe a bit of time on the Walker while I was up there, but the wind was so bad it would have blown me off the water anyway. Well on to the chosen topic for this week.

As a rod builder if you aren't consistently pushing yourself to learn, you are falling behind. I recently saw a new wrap (well, new to me). Its called an Olive Branch wrap. First introduced by a California builder named Jim Trelikes. At least I hope I am giving credit where credit is due. Anyway, my buddy showed me one he did and being slightly competitive I had to give it a go. The picture below is my first and very fast Olive Branch wrap, like 5 to 10 minutes fast. It definitely won't be my last. Just another arrow in my rod building quiver. A big plus is that the Olive Branch wrap blends nicely with my style. Not too flashy, but adds another dimension to my traditional / conservative style.

As usual my picture taking abilities rate right up there with a Chimp and a box of crayons. As Clint Eastwood said "A man's got to know his limitations". My limitation...... pictures.

Until next time my friends,
Pete

]]><![CDATA[But, Aren't Bamboo Rods High Maintenance?]]>Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:26:22 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/03/but-arent-bamboo-rods-high-maintenance.htmlBut, aren't Bamboo rods high maintenance? I have heard words along that line several times. Well, I am going to answer that question by showing you what I send with each Bamboo Rod that comes out of the shop.

See, not much to maintaining a Bamboo rod is there?

Side note: I have high lighted an area that is always being debated by Bamboo rod builders. Some builders say, that if the ferrules are fitted correctly, there is no reason for any lubricant on the ferrules. Technically that is true, but metal to metal surfaces can gall. Its just the nature of metals. There is another school of thought that the salts in our skin will corrode the Nickle Silver ferrules. There is a possibility of that.... if you leave the rod together for years on end and never clean the ferrules. Personally, I have never seen any type of corrosion on my Bamboo rod ferrules. However, I have seen galled ferrules. So I will continue to recommend the use of lubricant on the Nickle Silver ferrules.

In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. But, if your particular builder says no lubricant then you better follow their instructions. They have their reasons.... be they fact, myth, or tradition.

Until next time my friends,
Pete
P.S. Yes, I saw the poor grammer in the document and will fix it ASAP ;)

]]><![CDATA[Bamboo Rod Builders...Anal-Retentive? ]]>Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:03:16 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/03/bamboo-rod-buildersanal-retentive.htmlAre Bamboo rod builders Anal-Retentive? And I don't mean the builder who buys a pre-made bamboo blank and calls themselves a "Bamboo Rod Builder". I'm talking about the split their own cane and plane it builder. Check out just one tiny portion of a builder's life.

When we final plane the Bamboo strip to get the final measurements, and no we don't sand the strip, we are looking at removing approximately .003 to .005" for the initial planing. Just to give you dimensionally challenged readers a comparision....... a piece of binder paper is approximately .003". A cardboard business card is around .010" thick.

I am a little embarassed to say I got slightly carried away with these shavings pictured above. As you can see they are at the .oo5" mark.

Then we get to the final planing. This is where we are planing off extremely thin shavings to nail our final dimensions. They average approximately .0005" thick. Yep that's three zeros and a 5. The human hair is about .001" thick. At least in my thinning hair. That's twice as thick as our shavings. I am happy to say I reached the .0005" for the final planing on these shavings. Now I won't be shunned by my fellow Bamboo rod builders.

Why do we fret over a couple of thousandths of an inch? Because when we hit the nodes on a strip, there is a good chance of a chip out. Keeping a razor sharp plane and keeping the shaving extremely thin helps us avoid the dreaded chip out. Chip a strip and its time to start the whole process over.

So are we Anal-Retentive? When it comes to Bamboo rod building .... you bet ya. Being an Anal-Retentive nerd is what drives your builder to strive for perfection.

Until next time my friends,
Pete

]]><![CDATA[2012 Season is Fast Approaching]]>Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:57:09 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/02/2012-season-is-fast-approaching.htmlThink about this gang.... the 2012 runoff will be starting soon.   Here in Califorina the winter hasn't been too good to us. Granted I'm not Willard Scott, but the rain fall has been lower than average and the snowpack, up to now, has been a major dissapointment . Might bode for rough fishing in the late summer. But.... we might be able to get to our favorite spots earlier in the season. So it might be a trade off.

All this brings me to my point.   If you have given any thought to getting a custom rod for the up coming season, you better jump on it ASAP. Many custom rod builders get busy during this time of year.   That means if you wait too long, you might not have your rod for the beginning of the season.   This is especially true if you are mulling over finally getting your own custom Bamboo rod. Remember, it take 60 to 80 hours to build a custom Bamboo and many of us don't build full time.

Procrastinators heed my warnings. Don't get all amped up for a new rod only to be let down when it isn't ready for the season opener. Just food for thought.

Until next time my friends,
Pete ]]><![CDATA[Why Fish Bamboo?]]>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:35:43 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/02/why-fish-bamboo.htmlWhy fish Bamboo? Well if you have ever fished Bamboo you don't have to read any further, you know why. For the unfortunate few who haven't had the opportunity to fish Bamboo, all you can do is listen to a Bamboo addict's ravings. When you first pick up a Bamboo rod you will immediately notice its warmth. It's a feel that you just don't get with any other rod. There is a natural warmth with bamboo just as there is when you are running your hand over a fine piece of hand made furniture.

Besides the warmth there is a feel you just can't get with other materials. Bamboo will tell you exactly how it wants to be cast. Try to overload the rod or cast it faster than it wants to be and you will rewarded with a lousy cast. But, take a moment to slow down and listen and you will be graced with a fantastic sensation of laying down a beautiful cast with a delicate presentation. Plus I am willing to bet you will lose fewer fish when you set the hook just due to feel and the forgiving nature of bamboo.

In a nutshell there is nothing better than casting a bamboo rod with a dry fly to a native fish on a secluded stream. Personally, I am not one who feels the need to catch 60 fish a day, I prefer to enjoy the overall experience. So if you are a fly fisherman who feels the need to cast and fish at Mach 3 Bamboo probably isn't for you. I may be bias toward Bamboo rods, but I do challenge you to give Bamboo a try.

And another thing, don't be afraid of Bamboo. It isn't nearly as fragile is it would appear. There isn't any fear of the rod breaking after taking a shot by a weighted fly or a quick tumble down a hill. One Bamboo builder use to take a section of Bamboo rod and hammer it thru a board when he gave presentations about Bamboo rods. Try that with graphite!

When you do get the opportunity to fish a Bamboo rod, really take the time to feel what the rod is telling you. Trust this Bamboo addict, you will be rewarded with a fishing experience that is second to none.

Until next time my friends,
Pete    ]]><![CDATA[Steffen Bros. 7 wt. Fiberglass]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:39:41 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/02/steffen-bros-7-wt-fiberglass.htmlThis is another in a series of Steffen Brothers fiberglass builds I am doing for a customer. It's built on a Steffen Brothers fiberglass 7 weight, 8'6", 2 piece blank. Stabilized Maple Burl was used to turn the seat insert for the down-locking hardware. I also machined the Nickel Silver winding check to emulate the old style winding check found on many older fiberglass rods. Difference is, the older winding checks were mainly made out of Aluminum. Used two Amber Agate stripping guides and wrapped everything with Orange/ Black classic twist thread. Trimmed the guides and signature wrap with two turn Metallic Gold.

If you have never cast a Steffen Brothers fiberglass rod, you owe it to yourself to do so. As they say: This ain't your Grandpa's old fiberglass. These rods are very light compared to the older generation glass. They are very smooth and patient with even the worst casting stroke.

Until next time my friends,
Pete

]]><![CDATA[Freshly Planed Grass]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:41:23 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/02/freshly-planed-grass.htmlHere are a couple of Bamboo rods hot off the bench to feed your addiction.

First is a Blonde 7', 3-4 weight. This is my favorite taper. It is a great roll casting rod, but it will also lay out quite a bit of line without too much effort. Machined the seat out of aluminum and turned the insert out of a piece of Box Elder burl. Handle is a reverse half wells made to fit the smaller rod size. Wraps are Persall's Gossamer Antique Gold with black trim wraps. Stripping guide is a medium colored Agate.

Second Bamboo is a Blonde 8', 5 weight. Machined the reel seat insert out of Olive wood with some great color in it. Wraps are YLI silk with Persall's Gossamer black trim wraps. Stripping guide is a red banded Agate. Machined the winding check to flow with the handle. This rod feels really good in the hand and tells you exactly how it wants to be treated.

Hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I did building them.

Until next time my friends,
Pete

]]><![CDATA[Pile "O" Parts: The end result]]>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:41:23 -0800http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com/1/post/2012/01/pile-o-parts-the-end-result.htmlThis is what came out of that Pile "O" Parts in the last entry. Turned the reel seat handle out of a chunk of Olive wood. Went with a simple cork handle, custom hook keeper, and white alignment dots. The guide wraps are Garnet with Color Preserver. Stayed fairly conservative with the Pink. Used the Pink for the two turn trim wraps and three turn alternating wraps on the stripping guide. I really hope the Casting for Recovery participant enjoys it.

Please support CFR in any way you can. Thank you.

Until next time my friends,
Pete

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