A 2wt of my own (Rod Build #4)

Here's my first rod building project for 2010.  I finished up a 6'6" 4pc 2wt Tiger Eye for myself. I'm pretty excited to finally have it completed. It's taken me quite a while to get it all put together. Now I just need to find some time to get up to the mountains and try it out.

This is the second of these blanks I've built. The first was for Mike (see here). I wanted to have my rod "match" his, but still be a bit different. I used the same colors and patterns, only I slimmed down the trim bands a bit.  The grip is a bit different as well, both in the type of cork I used as well as the size.

I couldn't help but put a trim wrap just ahead of the inscription area, 15" from the end of the reel seat. It's my goal/dream to catch something that big with this rod!

Here are the details:

-- 6'6" 4 pc 2wt Tiger Eye (tiger eye brown color)
-- Struble U-27 dark nickel silver uplocking slide band reel seat with teak insert
-- Grip made with burl cork with burnt and rubberized cork trim and sealed with Tru-Oil
-- Dark nickel silver winding check
-- Black nanolite ring lock stripping guide (one size 8)
-- Black H&H single foot standoff fly guides (one size 2, seven size 1 guides) and tiptop
-- Gudebrod chestnut thread with Sulky dark copper and light copper trim
-- Pheasant and jungle cock feather inlay

I'm getting a bit more comfortable with my growing rod building skills, but I recognize that I've still got a lot to learn and improve upon.  I had a lot of fun trying out new things and just generally practicing with this rod. I'm still working on my feather inlay technique, but it's getting better. I was more successful this time getting the pheasant feather to lay down (around) on the blank. I used three jungle cock nails to go with the three dark bands in the grip and three metallic trim bands. Finally, maybe I'm crazy, but I think that turning the rod by hand while the epoxy hardens helps keep the excitement and pride of a new rod going for a few extra hours.  (I turn the rod rod for 3 to 4 hours for each coat of epoxy, usually 2 or 3.)

I'm looking forward to fishing this rod a lot over the summer. Mike prefers a 3wt line for his rod, especially for close in and small stream work. I'll start out using a 2wt DT line on mine, but I won't be surprised if I end up also going to a 3wt line.

I can't wait to get back out on the streams!