Another Rod Build Complete

  I posted last week about the current rod build I had going on. This one is for dear old dad for fathers day. The rod looks awesome to say the least. They just keep getting better and better. This rod is a spinning rod with the new Microwave Guide System see other post here . I went through the specifics and posted some pics on how the system works. The rod in general should be a fish catching machine.

  The rod- on all the guide wraps I went with a dark green thread wrap as that is dear old dad's favorite color. Cross wraps where metallic green and silver to give the cross wraps a little pop off the blank. The rod features a split grip handle, so on the split end I did the same cross wrap as I did in front of the fore grip. The Microwave guides are like  the cherry on top of the sundae. I can not wait to give this rod to the old man. I know he going to absolutely love it.

  I also added a little touch that I know he will appreciate. On the last few rods I have been using a metallic marker to mark the line weight, length, and a serial number so I can track back to replicate a rod and such. But the cool thing I have been doing is "naming" the rods. The previous trolling rod I built for my Walleye friend was named " The Old Sock In The Wash" because that is usually what we call each other cause we are such great friends. Then when I came to this part of the build I was stumped on what to call it. I wanted it to have meaning, and be kind of funny at the same time. My father and I joke with each other quite a bit and always call each other funny names like Putz, Dufuss, etc. The list could go on, but I didn't want to put something silly like this on a rod he was going to look at constantly, and then it hit me. The old man used to be an over the road trucker for many years, and he is also very polish. His old CB radio handle is one funny name and fits him to the T. The Cb handle he used was " The Happy Pollack" Very fitting for him, and his rod I believe. He should get a kick out of it, and maybe a slight tear in his eye. I hope he enjoys it as much as I did building it. So I give to you some photo's of the newest rod "The Happy Pollack" .

The Rear Split Grip Cross Wrap

The Cross Wrap And Hook Keeper In Front Of Fore Grip 

Another Shot Of The Rear Split Grip

" The Happy Pollack" Name On The Blank

Close Up Of The Cross Wrap

Rear View Of The Rod

Guide Wrap With Microwave Guide

Close Up Of Guide Wrap

Close Up Of The Microwave Guide

A View Down The Rod As It Dries

 One more coat of finish tonight and the rod is complete. Dad might get his gift a little early as I can not wait to give it to him.
 

Lake Improvements = A Whole New Body Of Water

  My home lake aka Candlewick Lake underwent a vast change this past week. The lake itself was closed for a week due to some water treatments that where being done. Candlewick has an amazing team that helps regulate and manage the lake and it's resources. What this group decided to do has made huge improvements to the lake. They performed a treatment that would rid all of the unwanted weeds and algae, and at the same time boost water clarity. The bonus is that the treatment will last for 10-15 years I believe.

  Prior to this lake treatment the water clarity at times was slim to none. Usually on an average day you could see 2 feet down. Now the water has cleared up so much that you could see 8-10 feet down. This changes the game all together as far as tactics go. Here are a couple of photo to show how much the water has cleared.

After day 1 of the water treatment

 

Day 2 of water treatment

  They covered almost every square foot of the lake with the treatment going off of GPS. There are places that I have never seen what the bottom looks like, and now it is like a whole new world.

  Last night I got on the lake because I was anxious to see what it had looked like for myself. I was blown away, and can't thank the guys in charge enough for making my home lake even better than it was before. Now for the fishing. I started out tossing my go to twister tail and ended up catching a few Crappies. That was good, but I wanted to explore and see what the rest of the lake was like. I started at the mouth of a finger and started tossing a Zara Spook Bait (topwater). 2nd cast in and something exploded on the surface, and I set the hook. Not my biggest or my smallest, but it was my first pike of the year.

  I had a few other misses on the top water, but just couldn't hook up. All in all it was an awesome night to explore the new and improved home waters. Should be interesting to see how the lake progresses and how the fishing tactics will change.