I met Nick (Reelfishingproblem) while fishing on Alan's boat a couple years ago, and have become good friends and doing a couple deals...true AT Ohana at work. He had a LeePro 4/0 he was letting go a ways back, before Christmas, and we struck a deal to build another Thorhammer for his 20T in trade, which turned into an epic long build on my end, and my man has been incredibly patient. Due to long stretches of abnormally cold weather I couldn't get the shop in the right conditions to epoxy. I tried and the epoxy wouldn't cure to my satisfaction and I ended up fully stripping and rebuilding the rod from foregrip up. This build had a couple of new twists in it...Nick wanted a blue rod, spiral wrap (I hadn't done one before), and we talked out a hybrid design: 6'3" on the same blank I built his last one on, but in a standup configuration. Long for a SU, but easier to clear around a yak, and still comfortable if fishing on a boat. I built a balanced 10" slick butt for ease out of holder in the yak with 10" flocked foregrip instead of the usual longer SU fore, since we were going to acid wrap and that wouldn't leave the amount of blank I needed to smoothly transit to 180 degree offset. i actually added an extra transition guide vs. what you normally see on something this weight to get the line down on the axis right at the fast tip break point. Alps guides and triple coated blue emron metallic flake mist, with epoxy overcoat and two on the wraps. i think he will have a hard time not putting his Californian 4/0 on it, or CC blue YTS, but that's his call! Enjoy, buddy!
Moderators, please right the last pic. Thank you.
Very nice work, I'm sure Nick will be pleased
Thank you. I think that was your Californian, because I was logging on to get one of them!
Beautiful work John!
Love the color combo.
............Lou
You've got a lot of skill and patience John, that's a great design built to perfection.
Mike
Yup I believe that one was mine, nice reel, crazy good free spool on those. Kinda sorry I sold them, but that goes for pretty much all the reels i've sold.
Be interested in how that spiral wrap fishes, the ups and downs of using it. I know that style has a devoted following.
I think the added transition guide is a plus. It would have to be a lot smoother than just the standard 2. Nice job!
Dave
John, that thing is perfect! More than worth the wait for a custom rod built by a friend with as many skills as you have!
I will definitely use this as both a yak rod and a stand up. It's gonna help build a lifetime of memories.
Thanks again, and I can't wait to fish it with you
Nick
Well said Nick!
John, Time has no place on custom stuff as these.
You gave it your best shot and it shows... great job!
Sal
Wow that's a good looking setup, I'm a spiral wrap convert, until I fished one I just thought they were not for me, I just didn't like the whole idea of them. Now after fishing one regularly I have started using them for everything. Jon Vadney has two on his bench for me right now. a 9'3" and a 10'6" Lamiglass salmon downrigger trolling rods. Can't wait to see them finished.
great build John, its nice when a friend wait pacientely for his rod, I ask the same everytime a close friend give me something to restore.
and yours looks like it worth the wait completely
Okaaay John. Nice work. Dominick
Thanks guys. I'm just hand wrapping stuff and I built this dryer, tho I have another commercial one at the cabin. David, if you haven't go watch Jon work. I wish i had the time and patience to turn out stuff like he and Khan are doing. If anyone hasn't seen what it takes to do that level of rods, you should if the opportunity arises. When Alan took me to Jon's he was on one rod for 17 hours. Those kinds of guys are artists.
Nick, when you park that 20, please post up a pic of the static line deflection with a load on the rod. I have 20's, not 20T's, and the clamp studs are closer together so any scratches that seat gets will be yours :)
I want to see the geometry of the line feed off the height of the 20. I was going Alps at first, then Fuji Alconite because they are a bit taller to funnel the tall 20 profile, but went back to the Alps because the Fuji's were actually too tall to balance well on this blank in an acid configuration. And it looked funny lol.
:) Well done I too like the extra guide , a cleaner line flow. joe
Oh boy, looks like Nick and I both have a new big game setup to get the skunk off of. Looks great, it matches well with the color combo we seem to be leaning towards. A sea of blue rods down the pier, they will look like we have fancy matched sets when we get out on a boat.
Lovely work John, puts My first attempt to shame, glad I did not send a picture now, Great work thanks for posting, cheers Don.
Very nice, clean thread work... Jeff
I'd like that extra guide on the Tarheel Thrasher!
Miguelito
Great work John......some day I would like to sit in you ur shop and watch.....Bill
Quote from: Wally15 on May 05, 2018, 10:02:42 PM
I'd like that extra guide on the Tarheel Thrasher!
Miguelito
you know it!
Just got a present in the mail!
John did such a phenomenal job building this rod. It is a work of art and I couldn't be prouder to call him my friend.
Thanks again.
One more picture of John's great work on a background where you can see everything better
Loaded for bear! Great looking rod and reel. Hope you get a chance to use it soon!