Bonefish 2023: Day -14

And this year, we will keep a rod ready for barracuda.

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🙂

Bonefish 2023: Day -15

We are taking the same set of bonefish flies as last year, and I really did not need to tie any more for bonefish, but decided to improve my selection of crab flies.

First up was the Danger Crab, which was the pattern that did touch a permit last year.

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and then small Alphonse Crabs using “snake”, tan and white.

When looking at this fly, I saw several different recipes, but I decided to go with the legs on top (to help the fly settle with hook up) and use E6000 to glue it all together.

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The low close in pictures were taken below a height of 70mm and 150mm away.

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Saltwater Rod – Reel Update

These are our tools (rod, reels and lines) when fishing the saltwater (focus on the Bahamas), and as we (Judy and I) will walk and wade independently, there are several Bonefish rods to select from.

As permit and tarpon have been targeted while on the boat, there are no duplicates, but our are rigged and ready to go.

Asquith 7wt	Einarsson 8plus	RIO Elite Direct Core Bonefish 7	Bonefish
Meridian 8wt	Nautilus CF 10	SA Bonefish Amplitude Textured 8	Bonefish
Meridian 8wt	Nautilus NV-G 89	Cortland Bonefish 8	Bonefish
TFO BVK 8wt	Danielsson 8twelve	RIO Quickshooter 8 / Airflo Clear Tip 8	Bonefish
CTS Affinity 7wt 5pc	Danielsson 8twelve	RIO Quickshooter 8 / Airflo Clear Tip 8	Bonefish
Winston BL5 9wt 5pc	Islander AR 4	Cortland Bonefish 9	Bonefish
Sextant 9wt	Nautilus X2 810	SA Grand Slam 9	Permit
RSi 11wt (backup)	Danielsson 8twelve	Monic Tarpon Phantom Tip 11	Barracuda
….	Danielsson 8twelve	Monic Icicle 11	Coldwater
Scott Sector 11	Abel SDS 1112	Cortland Crystal Tarpon F 11	Tarpon

The reels – from the Einarsson 8plus for the 7wt (on the left) to Abel SDS 11-12

Additional Comments

What is “carry-on” when we travel to the Bahamas?

The must 4 rods when we (Judy and I) head out for Bonefish are:

• Loomis Asquith 7wt for the Exuma (or the TFO BVK elsewhere) with the Silver Einarsson
• Two (2) Meridian 8wts with the Black CCF and Orange NVG Nautilus
• Thomas Sextant 9wt with the Blue Nautilus CCF2 for Heavy Crab Flies (Permit).

If I can squeeze another rod or two in, it is the

• Guideline RSi with the Silver Danielsson rigged for Barracuda.
• TFO BVK with a Silver Danielsson for Bonefish

The Affinity 7wt (really a 8) and the Winston 9wt are 5 piece and can fit in checked luggage as backups.

7wt Asquith is for waking the flats, when the air is calm (think sunset)

When I walking (wading the flats), my vision and shots are not long, so I prefer a lighter setup that is accurate, and thus the Asquith with the RIO Elite Direct Core (SA Amplitude Bonefish the alternative).

There has been a review (Trident) that has expressed concern with a high startup inertia of the Einarsson 8plus, but I have not experienced this, so either I am lucky or the Trident-reviewer was not. On the proceeding picture, on the Einarsson I have had a Airflo Clear Tip 7 which was a good match with my older Loomis GL3 and works well with the Asquith, so it is my backup line; and thus brings to me my last comment on the Asquith, I find it very tolerant of different lines.

The 8wts Meridians the standards – on the boat or walking

We really like the Scott Meridians and for many years our favourite line was the Cortland Bonefish (where I dyed blue behind the 30′ mark), but the SA does hold better loops in the wind.

and the backups

The TFO BVK has been the fast backup rod and likes a heavy line (good for wind), and is a great rod. If there is space it will get pack, but is now plays “second fiddle” behind the Thomas and Thomas 9wt.

But also we have the 7wt CTS Affinity that is really a 8wt that likes a heavy line. As it is 5pc, you can also fit in my checked-in suitcase like the Winston BL5 9wt.

The Nautilus NV-G (in Orange) is the vanity reel, but the older black Nautilus CCF is excellent (and both are put on the Meridians), and the Danielsson’s are just a great reel and being direct from Danielsson, are available at a great price. The Daniellson’s home is the TFO BVK 8wt (or 7-8wt Affinity 5pc).

Oh yes, I intentionally try to have a different reel on each rod in the boat. This helps us quickly locate the rod we want.

the 9wt Sextant for Permit and heavy crab flies

The Sextant this year will become the goto for Permit in 2023, providing a little more power for heavy crab flies. It will be the backup, in the event one of the Meridians break.

Also new with the Sextant is a Nautilus CCF-2, it is a large arbour with a narrow spool, so pickup is fast and simple, If there is one issue with this reel, I prefer the open inner radius diameter with of the older Nautilus CCF ot NV-G to help improve with getting free air to the backing.

As a note, I am not to found of the handle, and have considered turning my own.

The Islander is my second steelhead reel from the late 1990s that has been repurposed for the salt. Great reel, but it takes a few minutes to re-acquaint one-self with an Anti-Reverse. It is traditionally paired with the Winston BL5 9wt.

In the background are the 11wts

I acquired the Guideline RSi as an award and makes a great rod to cast heavy flies (often use it for Pike, but it will support Barracuda). Using the Danielsson has been a great reel, and as picture below, the spool is ready to change lines.

I do like the Abdel SDS and rigged for Tarpon, my Tarpon ambitions has mellowed over the year.

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🙂

Long Spey Line Tapers

Using the spreadsheet provided by fellow engineer “rbeckius”, from the spey pages forum – allowing us to compare our collective line collection, I have added more lines since my last post on long lines and the mythical CND GPS. The combined result is a messy comparative graph, but we can break this down to summarize my thoughts-observations.

A fundamental difference between a shooting head and full line is the lack of transition at the back end (where the line dangles from the tip), so we will just start with comparing modern lines against the GPS.

My three observations of modern spey lines relative to the GPS:

• The line front end we see
  • A definite step with the GPS,
  • though with the RIO a delayed final taper
  • versus (opposing RIO), the Gaelforce has a faster taper on long front.
  • The Vector XL has a continuous taper (influenced by Steve?)
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• One unique characteristic of the GPS is the gradual roll-off at the dangle (back-end).

As we had multiple Gaelforce lines, it was interesting to compare them together.

• 54′ having the most aggressive front taper
• 63′ having a taper similar to the RIO with a delayed tip taper
• 73′ and 83′ both displaying an accelerate front taper, then an extended front taper.

For the line designer, one of the challenges is, where do you put the mass, and what I learnt here, with short lines, you have less choices.

And of course there are shooting heads, with the immediate mass reduction at the end (rod tip). The impact of this drop is influenced by your shooting line, whether it is a mono-filament and coated line.

Personally I prefer a coated line, as I am have not been able to hold a monofilament well when winter steelhead fishing.

With the exception of Steve’s SGS, the shooting heads place their weight at the rod tip, with the most aggressive being the Nextcast Funnel Taper, but after you get past this head the taper is steady taper.

One lesson for me, shooting heads do structurally differ from a traditional line.

And if we look back at some old lines, when the GPS “ruled” (and when the status of the CND GPS was evaluated to near mythical status), we can see there were differences in how the mass was position. The other lines had a dramatic drop at the dangle and then delayed the front taper.

After all this, and some experiments on the water (not enough), the question do I have a preference for a long rod, such as the Quantum 7wt 16’7″?

• On any given day it is usually the Vector XL, but I have like Gaelforce 73. As I have been casting light skaters, I wonder if I have preferred the Gaelforce Equalizer when I am tying on a small skater?
  • Either has worked, but I have been inclined to keep the Vector XL on the reel, ready to go.
    
• I acknowledge the RIO is new to me and desires more time on the water.

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At the end of this analysis, one other conclusion I have come to, the choices available to us, are much better than a decade+ ago. Much of this is result of small businesses stepping in for mid-long belly lines, who we should be thankful for:

• Ballistic FlyLines (Vector) – Lee Davidson, Idaho, US
• Bridge Flylines – Tim Arsenault, Western Canada I believe
• NextCast Flylines – Simon Hseh, California, US

Of course we support from some small business supporting spey rod companies, such

• Gaelforce – James Chalmers, Scotland
• Beulah – Oregon

And the corporate gorilla

• RIO (Farbank) – who actually used their production capacity to support many designers.

Airflo is a notable absence now with their new owners and what I see is a continual disappointment.

While Scientific Anglers continues to focus on the fashion of this small segment – Scandi and Skagit – as well as few other notable providers such as Guideline (Scandi).

So I am coming to an end, and my engineering head is popping out of its rabbit hole, and thinking I need to get back onto the water and focus on the mechanics of casting and less on the physics of fly lines.

🙂

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Husqvarna 506917103 Ignition Switch Replacement

As Husqvarna no longer provides a replacement ignition switch for their Rider / Proflex Lawnmover, and lists no alternative or after market solution, I thought I would provide the wider community some service support.

The Husqvarna 506917103 as shown below, and as noted no longer available from Husqvarna, with Husqvarna, their dealers, official repair centers, et cetera are able to offer an alternative.

But do not despair, as the Stens 470-173 Indak Switch for John Deere works just fine. The Stens site does list compatible cross-overs, but the Husqvarna model is not listed (possibly as the rain cover does not fit).

I noted that the Stens switch was able to use the original key from my Husqvarna (23 years old), and did fit securely in the mounting hole in the Husqvarna operator panel.

Though, I was not able to use the original plastic cover that reduces rain or debris that can fall onto the switch. Maybe in Spring, I will see if I can make it fit, but otherwise I would have suggested adding the Stens covered Ignition Key 430-506.

So this is a post that may never help anyone, but ideally if someone is in the same predicament and googling for a 506917103 ignition switch replacement part for Husqvarna Proflex Rider lawnmover (lawn mower), this post will pop up.

And they will waste less time than I did in searching for a replacement.

🙂

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Kabuto Rod, with a Litespeed custom handle

In keeping with the custom reel seat for the Kabuto 2wt, I bought an used grey Lamson Litespeed 1.5 and replaced the black handle with a custom turned handle using the same snowball acrylic as used in the handle.

Whether it is a manufacturing defect ,by design or an accident (I see no damage indicating a knock), I note the 6×40 threads into the reel are not “prefect”, so there is a slight wobble.

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Closer and paying attention to focus at the screw head (and handle) and a spot light to get that sparkle. There appears to be some edging around the screw to handle boundary that is happening in the conversion to a smaller jpg, which does not show up in the original.

As I am not really into post-image processing (crop and colour balance is a definite, and I reserve burn-dodge for the extreme), I am leaving this as is/

The first image before I went back to the lathe to touch up – where I polish the screw head and soften the handle edge facing the reel. The burring in the screw head is reduced, but not gone.

I am pretty happy with this.

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🙂

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Quantum 7wt 16’7″

Given my previous deep discussion on creating my spey handle, this post of the completed rod is an anti-climatic. Many detailed pictures are available in the previous post. So to tie things off …

Reel preference – Nautilus 12S Black

Well I have a very nice plate-wind reel (Chris Henshaw), after this season I prefer the open storage on a large arbour reel and the use of the rim to palm. Given the build of the rod was black with no flourish, I kept with my black Nautilus 12S as the primary reel.

Line Choices

• BOSS Long 8/9 – 65′, 740 grains (on order)
• Gaelforce Equalizer Spey 89 – 83′, 818 grains
• Gaelforce Equalizer Spey 89 – 73′, 756 grains
• Gaelforce Equalizer Spey 89 – 63′, 708 grains
• SRO Vector XL 89 – 65′ 660 grains – current favourite

Additional comments

As expressed earlier, there is no thread flourish or trim, just dark grey (looks black) black thread and epoxy, and this was extended to the signature,

I do think well of the Meiser RBM reel seat – eloquent, low key, functional and just black.

I have used a spare flannel rod bag that I got from Bob Meiser before.

The rod sections (rotated)

the signature

With reels

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It is a great rod

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the Kabutos

This is a visual study of the Kabuto series

The Rod Set, being 2, 3 and 5 wt

The 2wt, clear blank with green trim

The 3wt, clear with blue trim

The 5wt in Amber

All three rods are kept in well made bags made by Jillian (the bag lady), who does a marvelous job.

I maintain the same large handle, as it affords a relaxed grip. I maintain this relax grip extends to loose-free movement of the arm, providing greater control in the cast.

Reel seats, I really like my old discontinued Struble Reel Seats (on the 2 and 3 wt), and have a Bellinger on the 5wt. As previously discussed, an up-locking reel seat would have been a smarter choice on the 2 and 3wt, and a down-locking on the 5wt given the weight for a better balance – id est, the opposite of what I did. Never-the-less, the rods do balance well with the reels I have selected.

• Kabuto 2wt – Old Lamson Litespeed 1.5 reel with an RIO Classic 3wt line.
• Kabuto 3wt – Danielsson Midge reel with a Guideline Faio 4wt line.
• Kabuto 5wt – Hardy Princess reel with a old Wulff TT 5/6 line.

As I posted in detail on the 2wt reel insert, I will say little more, other than note I used clear (no yellowing) E6000 to bond the rod to the translucent insert.

The penmanship is improving, but what I have settled on ….

• Write my text on a separate piece of tape, to confirm what spacing I must have.
• Wrap and epoxy in the boundary thread.
• Let the epoxy form-settle-set for 3 days.
• Lightly buff with 600-1500 grit wet sandpaper, the writing area. Then clean.
  • To get a light even sand, I will chuck the rod in a lathe and lightly sand as it spins. This setup takes time, as I also use a center spindle rest, tape up the rod and the reel seat. It is also a good time to finish the cork.
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• Practice patience.
• Using a Hunt ExFine Calligraphy Nib and Daler Rowney Arcylic Ink write the inscription.
  • The rod is supported in a plywood with a dado inset, an idea I picked up from Flexcoat.
  • The nib was lightly touched up on a fine waterstone.
  • And I use the previous sample inscription on tape as a reference.
  • Keep paper towels and alcohol ready to wipe away a mistake.
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• Practice patience
• Wait 3+ days for everything to set.
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• Practice Patience
• Apply the warmed (25-30C) mixed epoxy, in this case Thread-Master Lite.
  • Do not modify the epoxy (no alcohol, acetone, et cetera).
  • I let the epoxy sit for 15 minutes after it is mixed, so some heat has already been released.
  • I first apply the epoxy in long lights stroke, down the axis of the rod, before I turn on the rod turner, and ensure I have covered the area (close to the edges).
  • Start the rod turning and ensure the edge are covered, and then slowly spiral my brush from one end to the other.
  • As it rotates, again lightly clean any excess.
  • The rod turns in a custom sealed heat box to keep dust down and temperature at 25-30C.
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• Practice patience

Inscription on the far side

A detailed look at the script and thread choices, including the 3wt, which shows I had problems with epoxy and did not clean up well, a failed ink.

Tips, were my current focus is a small-short transition of epoxy.

Guides and Ferrules

Both the Kabuto 2wt and 3wt I just wrapped ProWrap Nylon 813 Silver Shiner Size A and epoxy with no fancy trimming. Trimming was left to the ferrule and in the case of the 2wt, with the agate guide.

The Kabuto 5wt Guides were wrapped with Gudebrod Sunburst and all were trim with Fuji Orange 15. For the ferrules and and agate guide, an additional Fuji Red NOCP 20 was included.

As I was doing transparent wraps, I had to learn a new way to add trim bands.

The Agate Guides from Joe Arguello

With the reels

As this blog series is for me, to sit back, access and learn, what would I do today.

Reel Seat

• Kabuto 2 – up-lock, possibly a Lemke LC1 Silver
• Kabuto 3 – up-lock, possibly a Lemke LC1 Silver
• Kabuto 3 – down-lock, possibly a Lemke LC1 Silver or Gold

Reel Seat Insert

• Kabuto 2 – Acrylic Snowball White – as implemented
• Kabuto 3 – Acrylic Translucent Blue
• Kabuto 3 -Acrylic Translucent Amber

Handle and winding check

• No change

Inscription

• Consistency, with my name on the right, and the rod name on the left, but otherwise no change (just get better).

Thread and Trim

• Kabuto 2wt – No change
• Kabuto 3wt – Same thread, but ensure – like the 2wt – trim is on the ferrule and agate wraps.
• Kabuto 5wt – No change

Epoxy and Glue

• Use Titebond to secure the cork
• Use E6000 to sure the reel seat
• Use Thread Master Lite on the thread

Guides and tip

• No change, but if I had a more pure Orange for the 5wt Agate Guide, I would use it.

Rod Socks

• No Change.

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Mandrels – what to look for?

In my last post, I express how cheap Mudholes mandrels are (a rod and stop collars) and you are better to make your own.

So what does a good mandrel look like?

Besides the center hole to locate the rod into the lathe’s live center and a stop collar that does NOT screw into the rod (another Mudhole fail), the key features of a good design mandrel include:

1. Threaded at one end, so you can effectively tighten control and apply pressure to hold your piece together. I also use a split ring lock washer, so there is no backup while working.
2. Low profile soft metal tubes to hold your work. Low profile so as to not interfere with tool access and made out of a soft material (copper, brass) so any accidental contact with a tool does the lest harm.

Sadly this is not the first time were I have identify Mudholes rush to cheap shows up in poor quality.

🙂

Kabuto 2wt reel seat insert

I like the look of traditional reel seats with wood and appreciated the durability of metal reel seats; and admittedly Fuji’s reel seats are fantastic for fit and durable, but do not look just right on a fly rod.

As I was closing on my Kabuto series, I wanted the last rod to be more of an art piece, and wanted to do something new for the reel seat. The result was a slow journey and some lessons learnt in creating a reel seat insert.

Material and Look of the Reel Seat Insert

I thought a faux-ivory (false ivory) was the way to go, but as I looked at my dry assembly , the contrast of this strong white was just to too much (middle turned sample above), against the rod. So then I re-focus on cork and two different translucent pieces (pictured above) that I had – “seafoam” to compliment the green agate and “snowball” as a foil to the blank.

The final decision was not made until I had turned the 3 inserts for a rough fit and look.

Either cork, “seafoam” or snowball would have worked, but I did go with RhinoPlastic’s Snowball.

Lesson: You do not know if it is “right”, until you do a try fit. So prepared to make a few.

E6000 Glue

Epoxy yellows with age, and as I was going for a translucent seat, I want a translucent-transparent adhesive that is not known to yellow. E6000 is recommended by several in the commercial-industrial trade for gluing plastics-Plexiglas-acrylic. My limited testing’s was positive, so I went with E6000, which is reminiscent of my old airplane model glue.

To reduce the effect of aging, the gap between the reel seat inner hole and the fiberglass butt is approximately 0.6mm.

Lesson: For translucent inserts create a close fit between rod and insert and-or use E6000 adhesive.

Mandrels

I am turning on Billy Vivona Mandrels, which are well made (recommended), but I am not sure he makes these any more.

The alternative would be to make your own (,which would be equal / better than those offered by Mudhole whose focus continues to be how to make things cheaper at the expense of quality).

Lesson: Though I am using quality mandrels, mounting and remounting an insert will still result in some change, so ensure the final turn has 0.1″+ of stock left (or more if you will be doing heavy sanding).

Lesson: Turn the insert large diameter to the insert to the major diameter of the thread.

Drill bits on the Lathe

To achieve the tolerances-fit, I now rely on

• Machinist Center Drill bit – to start and prevent the next drill bit skating
• Forstner – to drill in
• FAMAG 1594 long and 1599 extra long brad point bits – to extend the hole

As long “traditional” drill bit will bend and drift, it is important to use the Forstner and only go to the long brad point to extend the hole, after you “bottom out” the Forstner.

As quality long bits are hard to find (in the Americas), I will note I went to Dieter Schmid of Berlin. I have used Dieter Schmid (fine-tools) on several occasions as they do focus on quality tools.

Lesson: It may seen inconvenient, but be prepared for drill bit changes.

Lathe and Turning Tools

I am relying on two lathes, a wood Record Coronet (recommended) Lathe and a (sadly discontinued) Toyo Metal ML310 lathe. For tight tolerances, I finish on the Toyo using a hand grid HSS bit.

The faux-ivory gave me lots of problems with a free hand cut on the wood lathe, until I went to a negative rake carbide cutter with a very slow feed.

The cut on the metal lathe is fine enough that there is no rough sanding, I go direct to micro-mesh to finish the insert.

I did experiment on the metal lathe with carbide inserts and hand-grid HSS bits. Both worked well.

Lesson: I need a metal lathe to get a consistent diameter and it is not that hard to make a good HSS Bit with a CBN wheel.

Reel Seat – Sliding Bands or Other

I am not in sliding bands, and prefer the security of a locking rel seat.

For the short Kabuto 2 and 3wt rod, a up-locking reel seat is a good answer too.

For the longer and heavier Kabuto 5wt rod, an up-locking reel seat was used, but I am now thinking a down-locking would have been a better choice.

Reel Seat OEM

As this became a fine art (craftman’s) project, I acquired and compared 4 different pocket down-locking reel seats.

All four would fit the 2wt, but Struble was just big enough with an acrylic insert (and maybe too small for wood).

An then it is about personal tastes

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And my comments …

Bellinger 680 Pocket at 54US$ is the minimalist and provide a great selection of wood inserts. It is a solid unit. I note, I did use an up-locking Bellinger on the Kabuto 5wt

Lemke LC7 at 34US$ is the solid ornamental unit. What is picture above is old stock, and I note current production appears to have a different knurl and “less fancy”.

In today’s production, fancier is the LC1 and LC5 units.

Proof Aluminum at 15US$ is the value solution. I am not showing the winding check, as one was not shipped by Matt, and I am waiting for it to be shipped-received.

Being aluminum it does not have that heft and feeling of being “solid” as the other seats.

Struble D20 at 31$, and this old stock has a little flourish and a beautiful knurl on the locking ring. I note on the website, the knurl is now flat and I have unsuccessfully tried to reconnect with Struble to see if they are still shipping.

I used this seat, as it was my favourite in appearance.

Lesson: What is available today, will not be an exact copy of what is available tomorrow.

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🙂

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