Blue Fish Custom Tackle

“Custom rods incorporating fine hardwoods, feathers, reptile skins, cork and other natural materials, to provide you with a fishing tool where aesthetics rival performance.”

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July, 2004 - Yikes, summer finally arrived here in the Valley of the Sun. We got away with rather nice weather up until last week, when the evenings decided to finally stay almost as warm as the days. Monsoons are building up, you can feel and smell them in the air, but so far nothing much more than dirt and trash flying crazily through the air in the late afternoons. C'mon rain!

Took a trip up to the Mogollon Rim back in June, ending up at Bear Canyon Lake. Caught a couple crawdads, but no fish. The wind was really gusty down the canyon, so I really didn't spend much time flogging the water. On the plus side, there were virtually no bugs to be found flying about, and it actually got a little chilly at night - a nice change from the triple digits here in the Phoenix area.

Okay, enough of that boring stuff. Now the good stuff. Only 4 more days and then it's up North for summer steelhead fishing... I have a new 6wt to try, a coupla new fly patterns, and a Loomis steelhead rod for my fishing partner, Mike. This is going to be a blast!

Got my spalted maple back from the stabilizing company. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to cut into it, but I did send a couple of small scrap pieces as well, and I turned one down into a 2 1/2" fighting butt for the 6wt. I still have some sanding/finishing to get done on it before the pics are ready, but, WOW, is that amazingly beautiful wood. The 2 years of letting it dry looks like it was worth the wait. In it's natural form, it was beautiful, but completely unworkable. The wood was so punky that it would just chunk apart, and no level of off-the-shelf wood hardener (or super glue, a bowl-turner trick) would help. Even the stabilizing company pushed back and didn't want to run it through their process, but I was insistent, and the initial results look very promising. As soon as I get back from Oregon/Washington, I'll cut into the rest and see what's inside. This really has the potential to be the most highly figured, unique and stunning wood that I've ever encountered. Truly, truly custom, rare stuff.

The antler came back as well, and for my next trick I shall attempt to microwave it until a) I can straighten it out or b) the microwave dies. We shall see who reigns triumphant...

I also have a line on some really classy rod bags, from Heirloom Wear. This is a small business that began focusing primarily on heirloom quality christening gowns and quilts, but is open to expanding out. The quality of fabric and the attention to detail in the construction of the rod bags puts everything else I've seen to shame. Limited quantities are available, and I will post up some pictures upon my return in a couple weeks. I was really caught off-guard when I saw how nice these were. A rod bag is apparently not just another rod bag. And, they'll do custom sizes as well, which is great.

On another note, I'm still working on completing the write-ups you see linked to on the left. Check back in the next 2 or 3 weeks for the final results.

And finally....

Quality Control, or the lack of it? I've always been a big Gary Loomis fan. I still have, unbuilt, one of his first graphite steelhead blanks that was produced upon his leaving Lamiglas around '91 or so. It's a fantastically beautiful, charcoal gray, smooth, high gloss finish blank. The quality put into it is undeniable.

Alas, it's hard to say the same about the latest steelhead blank that I just built up, the ST10842IMX. This isn't cheap stuff, either, running $200ish for just the blank. So, I go to align the guides to do some test casting, and what do I see? The tip section has three distinct "dog legs", in it. Now, it is normal for blanks to not be completely straight, to a certain degree. But this? This is just simply not acceptable. Poor quality control, or maybe the standards have declined since being bought out a few years ago? Was this blank just an anomaly? Or is this now the norm for the company? I will dig into it further and let you know. In the meantime, the guides are as aligned as is possible when working with an object that is not even remotely straight. Initially, very disappointing. And on top of that, the ferrule wasn't cut square to the blank, which is aesthetically annoying as well.

But, hey, let's not just pick on Loomis! That sweet little T&T 7' 4wt I have? You know that beautiful, deep blue finish that's on their blanks and factory rods? Well, pretty it is, durable it is NOT. When I got the blank initially, it already had a deep scratch about 3/8" long, just above the handle, but not where you could wrap over it. What's wrong with me? Why would I ever expect something that also cost me $200ish to arrive in pristine condition? Silly me. Despite that, I love the action of the blank. The few times it's been fished, it's been babied (as is all my gear). And now there are scratches all over it. Very poor finish quality on an otherwise fantastic rod. Another anomaly?

Well, I'll write up some more thoughts challenging the acceptable norm as the days progress. Right now, it's all about that cool, flowing water that very soon I will be bobbing blissfully along.

Chat with you all in a coupla weeks!

-matt

Currently in the works (pics/specs of all rods will be posted as construction progresses):

A St. Croix SCV 5F906.4. The St. Croix SCIV (Legend Ultra) has a tremendous following as the best value in fast action rods. Now the SCV (Legend Elite) is here, with the new "Integrated Poly Curve Technology" blank design. The blank is light, fast, THIN and expensive. Will it be the new fast action King? Or will it be a Bead Head Nightmare? We'll know soon... This is slated to receive the new stabilized wood, following my trip up north.
Completed - A Lamiglas XMG50 ET1086. This is Lamiglas' latest fast action graphite blank, moderately priced. It will make for an interesting comparison against the St. Croix SCV. A black graphite H&H seat and Fuji Alconite guides are slated for this bad boy. I'm expecting it to make a good bass/light carp rod, and I have a bass taper floating line all ready for it. Look for a write-up following my trip up north.
Completed - A G. Loomis ST10842IMX. Also known as "Slate", this is a great medium-light power steelhead blank. This one will be wrapped in a spiral configuration, which keeps the same casting accuracy and stress distribution, but eliminates the torquing that casting rods exhibit under a load, like that 15 pound buck that's heading down river fast! Look for a write-up following my trip up north.

Product reviews that are being completed and will be posted (Argus HS560 Fly Reel, Cabela's Deschutes #2 Fly Reel, Cabela's SR Series #2 Fly Reel, Teton #4 Fly Reel, Cabela's Prestige Plus WF4F Fly Line, Cabela's Prestige Plus Multi-Tip WF8F/S Fly Line, Scientific Anglers Mastery Series GPX WF5F Fly Line, Scientific Anglers Ultra 3 Bass Taper WF6F Fly Line, Cabela's Prestige Fly Line Backing 30#, and more...).

For immediate information, please contact: matt@blue-fish.biz

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Blue Fish Custom Tackle is not compensated by Manufacturers for product reviews or mentions. All reviews are strictly the opinion of the Writer and are not an endorsement. With any given product experience, "Your mileage may vary."