aplumma

While it makes me sad I find it comforting that a family of five will eat for a few days if they are truly hungry. twotones demise Art

We were never not O.K. bud it will take more than that to chase me away. I did understand where you were coming from I just hate the word ALL it is so inclusive. Art

Am I the only one who finds this full of irony and funny on so many levels? Art

Thats a nice flathead glad to see he had fun catchin it. Art

If the price includes x rays and lab reports and other unconventional media then it does not seem to pricey. If you are just getting the records of how many ear infections little Billy has had then that is information you don't need. If the copies of the records you have can answer a question in an emergency instead of having to wait for the results of a test it will seem to be a bargain at $500.oo or so. Adults are more rugged when it comes to doctors tests while putting the kids thru some of the tests only to save money is kind of rough on your own conscience O and their arms. Art

Now what would make you make such an assinin statement as this? A boat as well as a motorcycle all have different characteristics and you drive/use the correct tool for the job. My bass boat will not go in the same water that my Jetdrive outboard does. My bass boat will not weather 3 and 4 ft seas like my Marinette will. I have 3 different boats for 3 types of boating/fishing that I do. Why does this make me an elitist/ someone who looks down on other? Same with the Motorcycles I have 3 also one for speed one for looks and one for cruising and yes one is a Harley and the others are Yamahas. You have managed to offend with your stereotyping not only bass boat owner but Harley owners all in one short statement. Hopefully in the future you will chose not to make broad sweeps with the stereotyping brush it makes you seem other than what I know you are (a good person). Art

do we need to add Clofchik name to the troll list???? or is this temporary. Art

If you want to practice on how to build rods that is a great way to go.Your components are minimal and the end product can be gifted to others that will use them. Art

If you need any help with funding give me a call we can do lunch. Art

Good news everyone she is going to let me mail it to her instead. Art

Well said and a very nice offer on your part. I hope that Loomis sells lots of rods to people who do not chose the custom route no matter how you get their a quality rod enhances the fishing experience. Art

link repaired Art

Here you go folks if you want a few good reads from the last wave of scams fresh link This has got to be one of the funniest mess with the scammers site I have seen. Art

Bare Foot Wader It is not the rod blank that I question it is the statement that a factory made rod is a better rod than a custom made rod. At no point did I see someone call the NRX blank crap in fact it was said lets see how it holds up and at this point no one does with a new blank. It is not that the thread work is ugly it is done by a machine that does not care if it is was a good job of wet bedding before it is wrapped. It is the fact that for them to make a profit on the rod at $500.oo then their is not time to let solvents dry before you move to the next step. A $500.oo rod minus the overhead and warrentees from breakage that really was not from material defects and the "free" custom cover all leaves you with a $150.oo to $200.00 price for the blank. When the blank is released if it is the best blank for the situation then sure Chris will be building one for me the point is the blank is not such a quantum leap in the material world that makes custom rods a thing of the past. A custom rod is more than pretty thread it is the attention to detail and job specific that is the reason to have a custom rod created. I am by far an elitist in my equipment if you look at my Catfishing rigs you will find they are fiberglass composite rods (old school)with Tica reels because a 30-50 lb fish that you are dead baiting needs very little sensitivity but need a long shoulder to handle the monsters from the deep.My reply's are not to argue about the quality of Chris's work I already know his talent I have seen his shop and fished the end results he no longer has to sell me I am a follower of talent. I hope that Loomis makes lots of sales on the rod but if you are in the market to drop that much money you are at a point were you can afford a custom rod that is built for YOU and not a fits all solution. So ask yourself what looks/fits better an off the rack suit or one that is tailored to fit you? Which one do you buy if they are comparably priced? In closing if we were talking gummi bears to gummi worms (Same material different shape) then your analogy would be correct but we are actually talking about craftsmanship versus machine made. We are comparing a profit driven company to pride in workmanship their is no comparison not just in rods but all aspects in life. Art

O.K. Canadadude you win all of the rod builder on the forum are wrong and use only junk to build on. Thanks Cris for all of the rods you have made that have excellent craftmanship but are made with substandard blanks. I wish I had not been hucklebucked out of all of my hard earned money with you laughing all the way to the bank. Time for me to send them to goodwill and go out and buy the superior machine made rods..... Do you hear how wrong you are yet Canadadude or shall I continue???? Art

I heard aliens have won it and it is on the way to area 51 as we speak. Art

O yea well then I will ride the bicycle with 2 flats and no seat for a joey hug. Beat that Mr. Roy

Some of the rods I have seen are over $1,500.oo if you want to spend that much. I prefer to keep it to a more common price like $200.oo for the blank and build from their. The first custom I got was built on a $100.oo blank and with the other components matched to ME and the REEL no one has identified it as the less expensive of the 4 he has built. If you get a custom rod built it only has to make you happy and it only has to cost as much as you want to spend to build it. A $400.oo blank that is not crafted into a great end product is just a high priced stick. When you buy any rod you need to feel like it is an extension of your arm it needs to be balanced in your hand. It needs to be light enough to use all day but have the ass to fight the fish in an ethical way for releasing after a short battle. The rod should load easily for long casts with accuracy for difficult placement. The reel is also a major expense costing sometimes as much or more than the rod. If you do decide to go down the road of custom equipment be prepared to find yourself slowly abandoning the other rods and reels you own.You will find yourself putting your favorite lure on the customs and even cutting off the lures and retying just so you can use the perfect combo longer. If you do find yourself able to go down this road be generous and pass down your combos you don't use to someone who will appreciate them I have give a few to younger fishermen who have cherished them and continued fishing and honoring the only promise I ask of them. That is to treat it well and pass it on to someone when you upgrade to a newer combo. Art

Sure hope it works if I get it I can get on my bicycle and ride over for a hug. Art

so if I write joey checkout girl it should say checkout girl..... doat that didn't work. I have been using the Joey lures and they work great. Speaking of which Joey send me your Address please I have finally finished the lure I made for you but did not finish in time for Lak Air to deliver. Thanks Art

well said you can P.M. a few of the rod builders on the board and they will be happy to help you get started and answer questions as they come up. I own Shimano, Loomis,St Croix and custom rods. None of the name brands compare to the custom made rods. The customs were made with a specific reel and a specific fisherman in mind. They were designed for the lure weight and style of fishing I do. The blanks are cutting edge and purchased from top name makers. The grips are hand formed for what fits me and the reel seats are wet bonded to the rod blanks for maximum feel. Some of the rods have 9 rings for a 7 foot blank The rings can be of any quality you want but the key is that they are spaced and mounted on the spline correctly.The rings are wet bedded and then hand wrapped into place with 3-5 coats of clear sealing the rods. Time from start to finish is up to 12 hours for a 7 foot rod and the mid 20's for a 13ft rod. If you go for the intricate thread work then the sky's the limit on time.I know from experiance that none of my company made machine wrapped rods come close to the attention that is put into the customs. A custom is not for everyone and it is a lot of money for a good one but to some like me it is worth it. Art

I have spent a lot of money on commercially made rods over the years and 5 years ago i decided to have a rod custom built by Spiel. Fast forward to today I still have all 4 rods and if you are a really good friend fishing with me I might let you use one of them. I have yet to have someone feel that any of the commercial rods felt as good as the ones built because they are built with not only the reel weight, fishermans hands,type of use all in mind from the get go. I went to a 1 1/2 inch cork diameter tapered, with titanium reels and he was still able to balance the rig. The money you spend after $350.00 because you have it you might as well go custom and get exactly what you want and what feels natural. All of the talk about lifetime warrentees lately brings up a point that if a rod is defective then it will break in a few uses if you use it longer and it breaks it is due to your abuse of the rod. The factories take into account that they will have to eat a few rods in the lifetime warrentee area and over price the rods accordingly. With the custom rods if it breaks then a good builder will be happy to replace the blank with a small charge for building it new. If you then take care of it and don't do stupid things with it then you will never have a warrentee issue. Rods do not chemically change it takes an outside influence to cause them to change state (from unbroken to broken). So if you look in my rod locker you will find the older big name rods but the ones that will catch your eyes are the ones that have a single word written on them it says SPIEL. Thanks for all of the craftsmanship you have instilled in past and the future rods Chris. Art

Great people who affect our lives at sometime will move on. While it makes you sad he no longer is here in body the lessons and guidance will live on thru you and if you pass them on he becomes immortal. Take the time to grieve as needed but also take the time to rejoice for he has been freed from the pains of failing health and can now look down and watch the lives of the many he has guided. Art

It's a little far but thanks for the invite and thinking of OFC members we appreciate opportunities like this were we can learn from others and have fun doing it. Art

Just make sure you get a security deposit and the first months rent and you should be fine Chris. Art