[fishwiz4]

I finally got my new rod (custom built st. croix) this weekend. i was ariginally supposed to be getting a 8' 6wt. when the guy who built my rod met me to give it to me, he told me he had made a mistake, and that if he wanted, we would make me another one, or if i was interested, he would make me a deal.

first he told me that his mistake was that he used the wrong blank for my rod. he was using a 7' 4wt, but was about halfway through by the time he noticed his mistake, and the wood handle he had crafted looked to beautiful to scrap and start over on. so he finished it and told me that he would give that rod to me for 20 bucks cheaper than our original agreed upon price and he would give me a 8' 7wt guide series (gander mountain brand) and new reel (plus a couple decend rod cases).

so, i was hoping for a general purpose rod that could handle some trout, and some light bass action, but i ended up with two rods that are perfectly suited for those two species! plus another reel and a couple cases!

although he is relativly new at this, i can gaurantee that he is going to do well. he is this early in his rod-building-venture and he really took care of me and his mistake turned into a major bonus for me. if i wanted him to, he would have just built me the rod we had originally talked about, but i couldnt pass up this deal.

attatched are a couple pics.


also, let me say, this guy (my former boss) makes a GREAT rod. i would recomend him to anyone! if anyone is interested in a new rod, i have contact information for him. he has only been building rods for a few years and he is trying to get his name out in the market, so he is building rods for a great price. much cheaper than an equivalent rod at retail price.

let me know what you think of the goods (the aluminum reel was mine, he gave me the graphite one)

steve