55 on the fly

Well, I can't fish or tie flies.... So, with one hand tied behind my back so-to-speak, I made cornbread or should it be "Kornbread" for tonight's dinner with Mac-n-Cheese and veggies.... is it Summer yet?  

Unfortunately I injured my ring finger on my right hand by cutting the tip of it off.. No, not in the workshop but in the kitchen cutting up chicken, of all things. I work with sharp tools all day and hurt myself in a moment of distraction using a butcher knife…  It was a difficult day at Urgent Care and the treatment was worse than the injury, with nerve blocking shots and cauterizing, etc...   I will need to take a couple of weeks off, as I cannot work in the shop for a while. I just hope this heals up faster than they predict…. I need to be able to work with my hands, Doug. finally stopped the bleeding by cauterizing the wound..

Fly tying day today - Korn's Holiday Stone Fly Nymph, tan version.... Copper bead, copper wire, tan dubbing and brown boots... and I had a Zuke I had to use up this morning...

Today, I met my buddy Scott to have breakfast and to give him his rebuilt H&I fly rod... He really liked the way the rod came out and is looking forward to giving fly fishing a go. On the way back home I made the mistake of stopping at an antique co-op to have a look around and found this 1940's Montague Flipline 9 footer, 3/1... The bamboo is in very good condition and the ferrules and reel seat are in perfect shape. It needs lots of work though; a new grip, stripping, refinishing and all new guides and a tip-top. I was so glad to finally finish up the other two old fly rods and now I turn right around 30 minutes later and buy another, crazy.... But for $20, I just could not pass it up.

and it's not lunch time yet... made Honey Whole Wheat for this weeks bread... finished up these guys... 4 dozen ready to go... The H&I had it's first casting session today... She seems happy with a 4wt. but can drive a 5wt. line as well... A very nice NY stream rod. It has a nice slow smooth traditional cane action. A joy to cast.... Here it is with a 1960's M61 reel or tuna can as they are called... makes for a nice vintage set-up.

Well folks..... finding a fly rod tube for your old fly rod isn't as easy as I thought. I thought I would use PVC and DIY. So off to; Lowes, Home Depot, Wally World...etc.. nobody has thin walled PVC, only the the thick walled heavy schedule 40 stuff.... By the time you buy fittings for the ends and glue it gets kinda pricey... I'm not cheap but, looking on line, you'll pay $25 - $50 or more plus shipping for a fly rod case. And I need two! What to do? These finished bamboo rods need a case. I don't need heavy duty, just a firm and sturdy tube for storage and for riding in the truck to and from fishing.... I happened to look in a messy corner in my wood shop and saw two 1/4" thick very sturdy cardboard tubes. Shipping tubes... Yeah, I can do something with those... Not the prettiest result, but they will serve the purpose and the price was right. Here's how I converted them to satisfactory fly rod cases.... For the case: I cut the tube to length...

No chance of going fishing today... Winter storm outside.. about 6 inches of snow so far... My dough proofed overnight and this morning I baked this loaf of Country Sandwich Bread... Warm bread for Michelle's toast.