Project

So I finally got around to starting a long awaiting project this weekend. It all started about two years ago...when I received two surf rods that weren't in the greatest of shape. Most of the guides had been busted and the poles needed to be given new life! Here is a picture one of the Rods.  These poles had belonged to a late surf fisherman, who had fished many years with my late grandfather, dad and late uncle back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's. My late uncle was the one who somehow obtained these rods and gave them to me to rebuild.  Yes, I am faced with the regret that I didn't get these poles done before my uncle passed, and that is something I will live with. You just never know when the day will be your last.

Both of the honey colored blanks had been setup to be used with conventional reels with one being 12'4" and the other slightly shorter at 11'4". My guess is that the blanks are old Lamiglas blanks, but because there is no identification on the blanks, there is no real way to know.

The original plan was to build them exactly as they were when I got them, with the same (new) guides, guide spacing and even thread color. Well after a short visit from my parents yesterday..the plans have changed. I'm now going to make them both 11' spinning surf poles. My moms thread color choice ended up being metallic pink and metallic teal. My dads thread color choice ended up being metallic royal blue and metallic red. I'm going to wrap the butts with cork tape, and install removable reel seats along with a nice butt wrap using the respective colors. I'm also going to do a nice Chevron butt wrap with a Red Drum decal and will scribe "In memory of Roland Wainwright" in the butt wrap section of the blank as well.

I'm really excited to start making progress on these blanks, and will post pictures of the progress as it happens.

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First Blog

Hello blogging world! Yep, this is my first ever blog. I first want to introduce myself. My name is Gary Savage, and I'm from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Born and raised here, I enjoy all the fishing and hunting it has to offer. My passion is surf fishing for Red Drum, but as with most fisherman, I'm happy with just about anything that will bite a hook. There is nothing like it when you see your pole bent over double and line peeling off the reel like it's hooked into a freight train. I have to thank my father and his father for teaching me respect for and the importance of the outdoors and instilling within me this passion for surf fishing, that continues to grow with each passing day. I hope to pass along this same passion to my sons, who are only 5 and 2, but have already shown an interest in both fishing and hunting.

It's not only the actual fishing part that I love, but what goes into it as well. In the past couple years I have dabbled in the art of custom rod building, mainly surf fishing rods. A surf rod is a graphite or fiberglass pole that is anywhere from 7 to 12 feet long, and can be used with a spinning or conventional reel. Of course there are other designs from fishing poles that are built specifically for a certain type of fishing. Whether it be fly fishing, offshore, fresh water, or inshore fishing, the design of these poles are infinite as to the design and placement of the guides and reel seat, however they are also built specifically for the individual who is going to use them, and their casting style and technique. Custom rod building is much more complicated than walking into your favorite outfitter or store and buying a fishing pole off the shelf, but the satisfaction from catching anything with something that you built with your own two hands just can't be beat.

I have created an online store, savagecustomrods.com - which is still a work in progress, but in its completion I hope will help fellow surf fisherman/women in their outfitting and preparation for fishing the ocean beaches all around the world. There are also numerous fishing forums that have so much useful information in them from knowledgeable and veteran fisherman, that I recommend checking out. Don't be afraid to ask questions either, there is no such thing as a dumb question.

Well that's a little more than an introduction about myself, but I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I'd love any and all feedback that you have. Thank you for your time and tight lines!