After giving it a bit of a try out over the winter I took the LAS show where it met with approval from a couple of the handful of people there. As I knew I'd not be doing any lure chucking over the summer I passed it over to someone I could trust to give me honest feedback, and enough fishing time to see if it would stand up to heavy use. This 'field tester' is so impressed he's offering me money to buy the rod! The general consensus is that the (so far nameless) rod is ideal for fishing swimbaits - and trolling. Provided the production blanks turn out just like the prototype I'll have the rod on show at the PAC show in Harrogate next month.
That's not all I have planned in the rod department! Over the summer I've been trying to get a bait fishing blank developed. I handled the first of the prototypes that felt right this morning. I'm hoping to have a working prototype to build into a fishing rod soon. With a bit of luck this will work out the way I want it to and also be on show at the PAC show.
Of all the aspects of my work developing new rods is the bit I enjoy most. The biggest buzz is when people tell me the rods are just right. Fingers crossed.
