My wife found my stash ...... rod building DYI

My wife found my stash of fly rods last week.
Now I tell my wife most everything ; a  trip to the strip club ? I tell my wife.
Where I am fishing this weekend ? I tell my wife.
The magazines in Wilkie's ice shack ? The Mrs. knows about them.

I hadn't been hiding my rods from my life partner ( who is a woman ) but she had never asked me how many we owned. Interestingly we had that conversation the other day after I mentioned I would like a switch rod for trout.

We because marriage is about comprimise, I agreed not to purchase a new Sage One 5wt switch and I figured I would build my own.

* This is not a DYI rod building from a blank and a roll of thread.
* This was not my original idea, I first saw it at ;

http://www.thisriveriswild.com/2012/06/eagle-claw-switch-rod.html

But I liked the idea.

Take a 5wt single handed rod and add a second grip section. Simple enough.

I had my trusty old St. Criox 5wt, my first real fly rod.

Here I am seen tangled in line, holding a northern Maine brook trout, sporting camo neoprene waders like many young anglers. That rod in my hands boys, that is the old lump of graphite.

I have been playing around with the two hander for a few years now, I have even been spotted throwing ugly loops with my 8wt on trout streams in Maine. I got this little guy two weekends ago, swung up from the depths on that 8wt and I felt a little silly doing it.

I really needed a trout switch, I have had a few of them in the past but they went down the road to another eager angler.


So, here's what you need.

Rod, one that you are willing to potentially bugger up.

Grip section.... I bought one from Cabella's

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Spey-Rear-Grip/744021.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dspey%2Brod%2Bgrip%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D15%26y%3D10&Ntt=spey+rod+grip&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

I used a hardwood dowel, this may change the action of your rod, who knows.
Some people use a section of cut up graphite rod or an arrow shaft. To each their own.


Removed the butt cap or bottom of your reel seat to expose your blank. My  "el cheapo" rod had a rubber stopper in it's butt , as if to say, "make me a two hander, I dare you"

Test fit your dowel, some sanding maybe required to get a tight fit.

Test fit your cork grip on the dowel, some masking tape maybe required.

Epoxy said dowel, grip side first, get it good and goopy in the voids between your masking tape wraps.

Slide on hold pressure for 5 mins.

Check your facebook, maintaining pressure.

Apply epoxy to the shaft of the dowel and slide it into the opening in the blank.

Hold pressure for 5 mins.

Check your instagram, maintaining pressure.

Admire your creation.

$40.00 and a used rod and you can open a new world of fishing. Mine is an 8'6" 5wt, I will build a 300 - 350 grain head and find some old running line and hopefully swing up some trout and salmon in the Dirigo state. I will certainly keep you posted.

Ed Ward, described in this post below as "one of the most recogized two handed guru's on the planet", wrote an interesting piece about this one hand to two hand conversion. Interesting to think about as we are pounded with another nor'easter here in Maine.

http://2handedtrout.com/?p=1934


Live it up boys, build rods, fish and be merry.