O/T My fly fishing addiction

[groundpounder]

My fly fishing addiction continues! A great hobie to occupy so much more time than just the fishing aspect. I enjoy the fly tying, the rod building, and even the reel building. I have recently completed my third reel build. Each one getting a little more complicated than the prior. This one is built for a 10 weight with a full functioning cork drag system.



And to prove that it works...



The striper continues to be my prey of choice! The "tug is the drug"!!! Here are some nice shots and fish of some of my more recent trips.











I have also just recently gotten my first "sort of" job in the flyfishing industry. I'm now the first Pro Staff angler for Eflyz. It stands for engineered flies. A company a friend of mine started who designed and makes the hard bodied flies. You can check them out at eflyz.com and you can also follow my endeavors on my instagram at 615groundpounder. Shoot straight and tight lines all!

[coolhl]

except for the single (antiverse) dog it looks very much like a Tibor...I cannot imagine how much work it takes to make a fly reel one at a time even with a CNC machine. what is its weight and diameter?
looks amazingly well done!!!!!
I started off with a Pfleuger almost 50 years ago...
the advancement in reel and rod design over the years has been mindboggling.
of all the reels I have owned the best drag is on my AR Billy Pate serial #231 made in the 70's. It is small arbor and heavy for a salmon sized reel but the drag is still butter smooth...
Norm

[groundpounder]

The weight is a little on the heavy side right at 11 ounces. There were several places where I could have shaved off more weight but more liked the look of what I had. Also when its on a 10 weight rod it is balanced out pretty well. I have cast it from sun up to sun down and have been fine with it. It is 4 inches in diameter. It was all done on a manual lathe and manual mill with a rotary head. Time consuming yes but a lot more fun than doing thousands of the same part over and over. Yes it does just have the single pawl drag stop. I did see where some manufactures use 2 and I thought about it but I was still trying to keep it somewhat simple for my first drag system. I'm sure I will make it more complicated with my next one if there is a next one. Here are a couple of other picks.

[vixenmaster]

Looks fantastic the Reel n the Striper fishin. No flyfishin here, no own none

[bubba]

You have some serious skills sir. To be able to build a fly reel as nice as that. Its one sport i never got into, but know a few that love it. Both salt and fresh water. I've seen guys catching Tarpon 100 pounds or better on Fly outfits, with a little larger reels. It really is a sport to see, or Bone fish in the Keys. A real challenge for sure. I admit though, i love to fish for the sport of it, and i do some times go out just for the sport of it, like for Tarpon, Kings, and other game fish. I mostly go out for food for my table... An'it nothing better than grits and fish. SMILE.. I see your from Georgia, and a couple those pictures look like inshore flats around the southern coast. Spent many a hour hauling in Reds, Trout, and Snapper, in those areas. Anyway your work is a art. Amazing...... Keep bending those poles............

[R.J.]

Wow GP ... another work of art ! Awesome fishing pictures as well !

[Starvin' Hillbilly]

Really Nice Build!!! . . .and awsome shots! too many hobbies= broke!

-ken

[mr meat]

Outstanding work Congrats!!

[coolhl]

amazing, incredible talent to build that with manual tools only.
a true work of art....that reel will last many generations!!!!!
norm

[wabi]

Nice looking reel and a great catch!

[wildcatter]

It's all good from what I see,,,,looks like your efforts and time are paying big dividends!!!! Very Nice!!