St. Croix has announced new blank models for 2013 using a new resin system in the carbon fiber scrim.

Recall, St. Croix was the first to  announce the new 3-M nano silica (NSi) system in 2011.  Now that material has been replaced with even more advanced resins. The new resin is the big news for 2013.

LakeLady and other rod-builders featured in article in Brainerd Dispatch. Take a look at the article here:

http://brainerddispatch.com/news/2012-04-06/area-rod-builder-and-handful-other-locals-making-difference-unique-alaska-wilderness

We just returned from a large show where we exhibited our custom rods.  There were many questions about our spiral wrapped rods. So we thought it might be appropriate to explain what this is all about.

LakeLady Custom Rods and Kris Kristufek were featured in a recent issue of the Lake Country Journal Magazine. Click here to download the PDF of the article.

So far in this series we have discussed the "hardware" of a rod, the blank, guides, handles, the parts or components that make up the tool to be used for fishing a favorite species or technique. In this post we will discuss some of the aesthetic embellishments or "software" that can be added.

A lot more goes into building a quality rod than just assembling parts on a rod blank. There are many choices to be made that determine the functionality of the finished product that also relate to quality. In this post we will discuss the line guides that are placed on the rod blank to manage fishing line.

We will discuss some of the issues with handles in this post. The handle of any fishing rod make handling the rod more comfortable for the fisher person, and consists of four basic parts; the rear grip, the reel seat, fore grip and butt cap. On some big game rods, the butt cap is composed of a gimbal that fits into a nock on a belt worn by the fisherman for stability and leverage.

A custom fishing rod is made up of many component parts plus the expertise of the builder. We'll discuss these components in some detail in the next series of blogs.

As the New Year approaches in a couple of days, our thoughts will begin to look forward to spring and open water fishing. The Sport Show season is upon us as well, with all the new products available it will be a mind blowing experience. We hope to see you at one or more of the shows. Check our web site for the dates and locations of these super great shows.