Then I got sidetracked photographing agricultural shows almost every weekend and some week days. I've just got no motivation to fish at the moment but plenty of photographic ideas I would like to get on with.
However, Saturday was the PAC's 40th Anniversary convention and it's got me thinking of pike fishing. Even though I know it's unlikely to really get going for another month on the water I'll be fishing. Perhaps sorting the pike gear out will get me off my lazy behind? While I was at the convention I took a few photos which can be seen here.
It was worth going to the show to get feedback on the lure rod I was playing around with in the spring. I knew it did the job, looked great and felt nice in the hand. What I wasn't sure about was how people would react to the price as it is built on a markedly more expensive blank than even my Axioms.
Nobody flinched when I told them the base price. So it will be getting added to my range as soon as I have a batch of blanks in stock and have worked out the cosmetics. I have some ideas to give the rod a distinctive, but subtle, appearance.
I don't promote my rod building services to carp anglers, but I do build carp rods rods - mostly for the few carpists I know locally. The sort of carp anglers who actually catch fish and don't get off on having to have the blingiest tackle. I'm not well up on what's what in carp rods so just build whatever blanks I'm asked to.
The latest set of three are 13ft Trebuchet Lights, with minimalist shrink tube handle. I'd not put a flare on the end of a shrink tube handle before, but it proved to be quite easy - after one cock up! Despite me usually hating 50mm butt rings they don't look out of place on thirteen footers.
