# Buried with his fishing rod



## wyogoob

I was going thru some of my weave patterns today and thought of a rod-building story:

I worked with a guy from Sutherland Nebraska. He and his father were avid fisherman in the prairie states as well as Canada. The old man took to cancer and the son and his siblings went together and ordered a custom fishing rod for their dad's Birthday/Father's Day present; probably his last.

They wanted a combo musky/catfish rod, easy enough. But they also wanted silhouettes of musky and catfish woven onto the rod, not so easy.

I made up some new weave patterns and wove 2 catfish, a flathead on one side and a generic cat on the other, and two muskies, one fighting and one plain Jane on a nice 6' 6" musky blank. His name was woven on the butt wrap between the fish.

The rod turned out really nice... I would never use the thing. Anyway, they give the rod to the old man, he bawls his eyes out of course, takes the rod to every bar and cafe in 6 counties showing it off, and then dies of cancer, I think before he even gets to use the rod.

My friend calls me up and says his dad passed away and one of his father's last wishes was to be buried with that custom rod I made. (I'm not making this up) So they buried the old man holding my beautiful custom rod kitty-corner across his chest in the casket.

I have 52 species of fish patterns, fresh and salt, almost all of which I made myself:


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## Huge29

Nice! No pics of the rod?


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## tye dye twins

Great story. You are one hell of an artist! I never thought of building my own rods let alone decorating them like that!I may just have to get into that kinda thing when I grow a little older and have the time/money for stuff like that. New life time goal for sure. Hope to see a pic of the rod. That memory will last forever in the minds of his friends and family.

I guess you can add that to K2's list of "you know your addicted to fishing when.....your buried with a custom rod!"


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## wyogoob

No pics. I kept a detailed work order of 457 rods (and cue sticks) out of the over 500 I built or repaired. I could take the work order and build a duplicate rod from it. My wife always bugged me to take pics. The one I regret not having a picture the most was an oil derrick wrapped with the axis of the rod. 

I have the work order of old man Miller's musky rod. The rod was #212 - black with silver 1991 $175 

Wow, no wonder I quit building rods.


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## wyogoob

tye dye twins said:


> .......................................
> I guess you can add that to K2's list of "you know your addicted to fishing when.....your buried with a custom rod!"


Yeah, here's one: this guy paid for a rod with a weave of his work truck, #332, 1995:


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## Ton_Def

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A *Legend*....


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## Dodger

Pretty cool pics of your left lists! I'm going to try some weaving this winter.


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## Briar Patch

Ton_Def said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again. A *Legend*....


+1


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## wyogoob




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## bwhntr

Goob, you are truely a talented craftsman. Thanks for the story, what an honor for a piece of your work.


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## GaryFish

Great story Goob. Thanks for sharing. Good people in Sutherland Nebraska. When I lived in Ogallala, we used to drive to Sutherland for our churchin'. GREAT fishing in that country, though you'd never think much about it driving by on I-80. I traveled all over that region on a weekly basis and always kept the fishing rods/poles in the car. Friendliest fishermen I've ever met. If I'd see a guy fishing, I could stop and chat with him and every single time, he'd offer up to teach me a little bit, share some minnows or worms or lures or whatever and help me out. I wouldn't doubt if sometime on the Sutherland Canal I might have met some kin of the guy in your story. Great people out there. And thanks for the story.


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## wyogoob

GaryFish said:


> Great story Goob. Thanks for sharing. Good people in Sutherland Nebraska. When I lived in Ogallala, we used to drive to Sutherland for our churchin'. GREAT fishing in that country, though you'd never think much about it driving by on I-80. I traveled all over that region on a weekly basis and always kept the fishing rods/poles in the car. Friendliest fishermen I've ever met. If I'd see a guy fishing, I could stop and chat with him and every single time, he'd offer up to teach me a little bit, share some minnows or worms or lures or whatever and help me out. I wouldn't doubt if sometime on the Sutherland Canal I might have met some kin of the guy in your story. Great people out there. And thanks for the story.


Cool Gary. Ogallala huh...what a great place....good hunting. I stayed there often, at the old Holiday Inn which is something else now or vacant, can't remember. Geeze, I bought gas there last Thanksgiving Day.

The pipeline company I worked for had crews in Sidney, North Platte, Hastings, and Beatrice Nebraska. Sutherland was the end of my district. I spent some time in Nebraska. I have worked the big Gerald Gentleman Power Plant by Sutherland too.

How 'bout that canal? Had twice the water in it than the North Platte River.

The guy's name was Dale Miller; the son is Rick Miller.


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## GaryFish

That Canal was where I was introduced to small mouth bass fishing. Dang'est thing. Chartreuse twisty tail jigs, or live feeder goldfish - consistently pulling out 2 pound smallies. Great times. Seems like every puddle out there had something swimming around in it.


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## wyogoob

GaryFish said:


> That Canal was where I was introduced to small mouth bass fishing. Dang'est thing. Chartreuse twisty tail jigs, or live feeder goldfish - consistently pulling out 2 pound smallies. Great times. Seems like every puddle out there had something swimming around in it.


Yeah, yeah.

Goldfish were great bait. Though illegal as live bait, many a walleye, largemouth and flathead catfish are taken on those 11¢ Wal Mart goldfish where I come from.


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## k2muskie

Goob you're the man...so how can I acquire a rod...hee hee hee or maybe even the Muskie print...I have to say you're the type of outdoors person with everything I'd for sure look to for advise and would want on my floating raft...have you every thought about going and trying out for the show Survivor? You'd be the guy hands down I'd want to have on the team I know we'd all vote for you as Survivor of the week that made a difference...what a ture treasure and true friend you are to each and every one of us...YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!

*()* *()*


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## wyogoob

k2muskie said:


> Goob you're the man...so how can I acquire a rod...hee hee hee or maybe even the Muskie print...I have to say you're the type of outdoors person with everything I'd for sure look to for advise and would want on my floating raft...have you every thought about going and trying out for the show Survivor? You'd be the guy hands down I'd want to have on the team I know we'd all vote for you as Survivor of the week that made a difference...what a ture treasure and true friend you are to each and every one of us...YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!
> 
> *()* *()*


yeah, yeah, yeah; I'd like to have a nickel for every time I heard that. :roll:

You are just too kind. Maybe someday I will build the fancy-dancy rods again. Right now I just do a repair now and then, once in awhile some bamboo...and take care of the Mrs.

You are welcome to the musky silhouettes I have and the wrapping "left lists" for each.

I don't know what Survivor is, sorry. I'm just not much of a TV guy.

I have a pattern of a musky tail-walking...kinda cool. It's not my pattern; it's one I traded with another rod-builder.


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## wyogoob

Ah, what the heck.


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## wyogoob

I've been asked to bump this thread. Don't hate me.


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## .45

Goob bump Goobie...good bump ! :O||:


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## wyogoob

.45 said:


> Goob bump Goobie...good bump ! :O||:


Happy Holidays .45


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## .45

wyogoob said:


> .45 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Goob bump Goobie...good bump ! :O||:
> 
> 
> 
> Happy Holidays .45
Click to expand...

Same to ya! :EAT:


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## tkidder

Holy crap! Those weaves look like a crazy amount of work. I'm thinking about trying it out this next year, any advice from the master?


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## wyogoob

tkidder said:


> Holy crap! Those weaves look like a crazy amount of work. I'm thinking about trying it out this next year, any advice from the master?


OK, OK, I do this about once a year. I had a bunch of thread weaving pics posted on a thread back in 2009, but for whatever reason all the pics are gone. So here's a thread with some weaving on two boat rods:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8783&p=101061&hilit=custom+rods#p101061

Try something easy like a fish silhouette. Make it short, the longer they are the more chance there is of crossed threads and thread gaps:










Don't use metallic threads until you master plain nylon thread. Foil coming off a metallic thread mid-wrap will kill you:









Fighting Illini:


















Weaving a company logo on one side of the rod and at the same time some text on the other side:









The old Spidle Sales logo:









Never use white thread. It's impossible to keep clean and the threads that are wrapped under it "bleed" through:


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## Dunkem

Some day I would like to run into you and split a mountain dew and pick your mind for a few hours. You are a talented gent.


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## Bears Butt

I was fortunate enough to get to see that one with Flaming Gorge on it first hand! What an awesome job Goob!

Thanks Mr Z.








USA flags are a diamond wrap, not a weave. Although hard to see in this crummy picture, the background is entirely black thread.


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## americanforkdude

I don't get how you attatch a weave to a fishing rod? Are you talking about yarn weaving?


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## wyogoob

americanforkdude said:


> I don't get how you attatch a weave to a fishing rod? Are you talking about yarn weaving?


The patterns are woven on the rod following a a drawing or pic on graph paper and a "left list."

A group of threads are taped to the rod axially and then the background color is wrapped around the rod over the pattern threads. With each revolution pattern threads are moved in or out to make the design. If it's in (right) it will get covered up. If the thread is out (left) it will show, be part of the left list and make up the design or font.

If you look at the pics of the finished Fighting Illini logo you can see all the pattern threads under the finished design. As the pattern is locked down with thread preserver each thread gets pulled tight and hopefully all the thread gaps disappear.


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## wyogoob

Say I'm on move #49 on this company logo wrap:









In the example the left list, top of pic, for move #49 shows threads 28, 29, 32, 34, 37, 41 thru 44, and 48 are out, or "left". They will show, be part of the woven design.

This particular logo is highly detailed; has oil derricks in it, so every move has a ton of threads that go in or out. If you look to the far left in the pic you will see little numbered tags on the pattern threads. Some of the patterns are so complicated and so easy to get threads crossed, that little number tags are used on the thread ends. This particular one was very tough wrap. I did a whole series of these rods, all salt water, for some company execs.


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## tkidder

Really cool. Want to share an 'easy' fish wrap left list with me?


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## wyogoob

tkidder said:


> Really cool. Want to share an 'easy' fish wrap left list with me?


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## tkidder

Thanks! This is gonna kick my butt...


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## wyogoob

Two-color wrap, very difficult:


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