Author Archives: dave49

Fish Pictures

Posted on August 30, 2025 by dave49

My son-in-law and I recently spent a few days on the San Juan River at Soaring Eagle Lodge, and had a great time with guide Brad “Big Mac” McCarville. We had a lot to learn about nymphing with flies as … Continue reading →

Posted in Fishing | 1 Comment

Ferrule Tool Plan

Posted on January 17, 2024 by dave49

Bamboo rod makers: have you abraded a male ferrule just a bit too much? A quick fix may be to slightly shrink the mating female.I have been making a ferrule shrink tool for several years now, and I think that … Continue reading →

Posted in Ferrules, Plans | Leave a comment

Line Guard

Posted on January 9, 2023 by dave49

Back in 2008/2009, I made several “tuna can” reels. The plans are elsewhere in this blog (search for “Reel 37 Plans”). The second owner of a pair of these was concerned that there was no line guard to protect the … Continue reading →

Posted in Forming, Frame | 2 Comments

Presentation Reels

Posted on July 22, 2022 by dave49

These are engraved reels that I made for a friend from High School days, to be presents for companions at an annual outing. Frames are bronze, spools are aluminum with electroless nickel plating.

Posted in My Reels | 1 Comment

Bronze Castings

Posted on February 5, 2022 by dave49

Here is a bronze casting in the form of a rectangular solid bar, and a reel foot made from this material. Bronze alloy C954 is supplied as a casting, made by the “continuous casting” method. The cast bar is quite … Continue reading →

Posted in End Plate, Foot, Materials | 1 Comment

More on Powder Coating

Posted on January 21, 2022 by dave49

Terry continues to powder coat his reels. I have not used the process, so the following text is his note: “Powder coating has not been a hard process to master. In fact it is really pretty simple. The most important … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating, Reels by Readers | 2 Comments

Brass S-Crank

Posted on December 1, 2021 by dave49

This reel, serial number 72, will probably be a one-off. I have given up trying to make batches of reels to sell. It is 3 inches across pillars. Because it is mostly brass it is heavy, 7-1/8 ounce. Only the … Continue reading →

Posted in My Reels | 4 Comments

Red Chile

Posted on October 30, 2021 by dave49

Yes, I do like the local Carne Adovada, but “Red Chile Water” is New Mexico’s designation for fly fishing only, catch and release streams. The Covid epidemic kept me from fishing for more than a year, but this summer I … Continue reading →

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Orvis Reel Repair

Posted on October 7, 2021 by dave49

Francisco has an Orvis Odyssey IV reel, the largest of 4 Odyssey sizes and the one advertised as a “Big Game” model. The spring is stainless wire, but was fatigued and needed replacement. It is a simple shape and so … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ferrule Shrinking: Avoiding a Ridge

Posted on July 20, 2021 by dave49

Jim is a rod builder/repairer in Australia who recently described his use of the ferrule shrinking tool. “I bought one of your tools quite some time ago and have used it often over the years to fix old rods I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Ferrules | Leave a comment