Rodwrap

Well, I certainly am seeing the longer rod trend. I built a pair of St. Croix 8.5 ft blanks, and extended the butts 13"!! for a local guide. He runs 60# braid & throws the big lures, some 12-16 oz. lures. I guess I don't have any full length pictures, but: the end of the rod blank proper is just to the rear of the reel seat, rear extension of alum. conduit. He loves them, And just last week, a client of his ordered a pair just like it,except he wants steelers theme ...................... I also have built planer board trolling rods for a local fishing the MWC tournaments. He likes the 9 ft. rods to keep the lines out of the way of other rods being used. And, they're actually cashing the last 3 years

The old adage "They're done,when they're done" applies here. Different cookers cook differently. ( my old horizontal cooks with gentle smoke & takes a little longer than say a drum smoker). The outside temp. makes a difference, too, as does wind. But these went 5 hours at 250-275` ......... My drum smokers do it all in 4 hrs. with a smokier flavor..

To fire up Ol' Nellie: for some pork spares, & boneless beef short ribs.

I remember once in PA, my wife & I were walleye fishing & we had a couple hanging on a stringer over the side of the boat. A small tinny with 2 guys in it 'sneaked' up behind us, then beside us about 50 ft. away. Ther were waterways patrolmen, & asked to see life jackets & fishing licenses, no problem. Then they noticed the stringer, & asked to see the fish. Wifey bent over to pick up the stringer, & in doing so, accidentally revealed both D-cups to full view of the officers. I was in the bow & didn't realize what was happening, but ,wondered what was taking so long to view the fish! After a good full minute, they said ok..& putted off with big smiles..THEN...I figured out what happened

We(used to) go in June to Upper Chemong. If keeping kids catching fish is a concern, dragging crawler harnesses anywhere in Chemong will keep you busy. Bass, crappie, perch,walleye, with an occasional musky are the norm ( in June, anyway). Below Kelly's Island is a nice place to topwater bass,too! Right out front of Redwing Cottages is a deeper(17') hole, fish the top edges around it. We didn't go up this year due to a couple new guys in the group having a DUI to their credit. So, we went to Oneida Lake in NY, which will be our 'go-to' lake from now on. But, when I have a smaller gang to go....Chemong will be our destination. upper chemong critter, 2010:

CONGRATS!!!! You've taken your first steps down the darkside...it will consume you IT....IS .....YOUR...DESTINY

PRICELESS! I was in your exact shoes 13 years ago...they grow up SO fast!!!!!!!!!!!! Cherish what you have now...cause pretty soon, the ol' man don't know squat!!!!!!!!!

DANGER Will Robinson..You're about to embark on a voyage to the DARKSIDE I started in 1972( hi school), when I went to work at a local rod plant. The owner also had a sporting goods store where I worked summers. It was a natural that I'd get into building. I really dug into it in 1978 when I discoverd "RodCrafters" with Dale Clemens becoming a mentor. As far as equipment, I also started with a wooden box with V-grooves cut into the sides, put the thread in a cup & ran it thru a thick book for tension. I built a lot of rods that way before "tooling up". If you're doing it to save money...forget it,unless you're only gonna build 3-4 rods. It's very addictive, & the personal satisfaction of building your own is very rewarding. But, if the bug hits hard,& you decide to really delve into it & learn all about blank construction, actions, tapers, then the creative threadwork & handle construction, you'll need a second job to fund your habit. I have accumulated enough rodbuilding stuff including 2 Clemens lathes($1000+ ea), wood lathe,drill press, etc.etc. to fill a 13'X 24" building. Well over $15K here, & if I kick the bucket, someone will get it all for pennies on the dollar Everyone needs a hobby, but, there IS a limit my rodshop helper: If you decide to take this voyage, just ask for help, I will if I can. I've had very good luck with Mudhole.

I'm seeing bits of info on "new" regs on Chemong/Buckhorn..slot limits ? on Walleye...limits on crappie?? The gang is hav ing a meeting tonight to decide where we're going this year. Many Thanks for your info

Thank You for all your help. No ex-drunks in our Canada bound group

We have a new guy going on our annual trip this year. I heard a DUI can deny you entry to Canada. I think it was 6 or 7 years ago. Anybody know about this? Thanks in advance..

www.redwingcottages.com

A friend raised a few pigs, one for me. Ham sure tastes great compared to store's chemical injected junk! I smoked & chopped some bacon for the dip, I dug some leeks in the morning, figured fresh ham & leek dinner would be good,especially in this "tropical weather" I made some leek dip,with leek bologna, crackers & swiss cheese, & "taters-R-rotten" ( Au Gratin), toss salad, & apple crisp ( sorry, only got a few pics)....

I always use an extension piece of lower modulus ( fiberglas saltwater blank in this case). The reel seat is still on the blank proper, not on the extension. I also wrap the blank with "A" thread, & finish to the point where the extension piece ends ( almost to the butt guide in this case.) I loaded the rods with a pretty good stress test..all ok Fellow builders on the east coast often glue aluminum tubing inside surf blanks to extend them up to 2 feet...

Quite a project.. building matching rods always requires extra "jazz"..Ya hafta count the turns sometimes to get things even. I took 2 St.Croix 8'6" musky blanks & extended them to 9'7" ( Apparently, Red wants to pole-vault to shore from 50' out ) I created custom decals using an Alps printer( can print white) from his logo. He also wanted "subtle" wraps..I don't do subtle well( in anything )...So...I used cobalt blue thread, then threw in some prism holoshimmer trim to satisfy MY needs. A nice pair of meatsticks..may they put fish in the boat..to be released...

Here's my fleet: ol' Nellie, made from old iron boiler tanks, & 2 drum smokers ( CHEAP & easy builds)!

our 'home away from home' is www.redwingcottages.com on Chemong. 14 years now.

We've been coming up to the Kawarthas for 37 yrs. What do we need ( PA & NY residents) as far as boater certificates? We have passports, insurance on boats, some have resident state safe boater's certificates. We all have our "outdoor cards" from Ontario... Thanks For the info!!

Giving your stuff to the kid was cheap..lol Try getting rid of a wife & see what starting over costs ya ! I saved my rod building shop cause lawyer insisted I had that before she entered my life...thank God ...!!!!

I do 3 things all winter.... 1)manage bowling center 2) build custom rods 3) wood fired BBQ Smoked Venison ribs candy cane threadwrap: IS IT MAY YET??????????

Smoked beef ribs & St.Louis cut pork spares, smoked over Oak & Cherry wood fire..

I SHOULD have been working on some rods, but, it was just TOO nice to be inside the man cave. So, I did a little smokin'..& a guy dropped off a big load of scrap lumber from a local mill. All red oak & hard maple boards, some destined to be smoker fuel! I tossed on a couple turkey breasts, one for dinner, one for sandwiches this week... I also smoked my nuts!!! for chestnut stuffing... did mashed taters & gravy for the wife( she hates stuffing..)& smoked a butternut squash. breast after resting.. inside... piled lumber...shot of the porch on rodshop,,,note the "Muskie" ..a board came off the saw at the sawmill...a guy grabbed it ,& had it painted... just a great October day....

this just came out of the ol' horizontal smoker...Steelhead (left), & white perch ( you might call it white bass)....

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.. I was 'blessed' to be able to buy the camp nextdoor about 4 years ago, so , I turned it into my custom rodbuilding shop. Then I added my "cooking/ smoking" gear to it. ( I cater banquets, too). rodbuilding first:: threadwork on custom rods:: this guy owns a restaurant called "The Train Station"... bass rod for a young guy.. colorful handles on rods.. this rod maches the truck... now , the mancave part..I don't NEED to go to the wife's house for anything, except to take a dump I have all the 'necessities' for life...wood stove, TV, fridge, freezer, microwave/coffee pot. with stainless prep table on the proch's "outdoor kitchen".. And, the cookers...a horizontal smoker, & 2 drum smokers... with lots of wood... a few 'samples'... chickens, turkey breast, & acorn squash.. some ribs.. a brisket... lake erie steelhead... & I have my 3 best friends .. And, my Son & friend on Chemong... And, I sometimes have to share with other "visitors"''' Life is Good

Here's one right in front of Redwing Cottages..