# Flight of the Phenix



## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

I built a pair of rods using the Phenix M1 MX-69ML-B blanks paired up with Fuji "K" series torzite guides. Both rods have custom carbon fiber hoods courtesy of Lance @ Swampland.

The red rod was completed back in March and I just finally got around to finishing the blue rod yesterday. I paired up the red rod with a Shimano Core 50MG while the blue rod was paired up with an Okuma Helios TCS.

As for weight, the red rod came in at 3.2oz while the blue rod was slightly over at 3.3oz.

On the performance side, the red rod has pulled in it's share of red's, trout, and flounder since March. I couldn't be happier with the way it feels in the hand and the way that it handles the fish!

I hope that you guys enjoy!


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## Swampland (Mar 25, 2008)

Top notch work on those rods. The blue trim on the Okuma reel matches great with the trim on the rod. Excellent work on the photos too. There's no telling what kind of awesome work you'll be doing even three years from now.


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## Speckled (Mar 19, 2008)

Very cool looking builds. They look awesome.


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Swampland said:


> Top notch work on those rods. The blue trim on the Okuma reel matches great with the trim on the rod. Excellent work on the photos too. There's no telling what kind of awesome work you'll be doing even three years from now.


Thanks Lance! I like the way the rods match the reels as well. Matching my rods to specific reels is what I like to do. It makes it look like the pairing were meant for one another.

Hopefully in 3 more years I've learned a few more things that helps up my craftsmanship. I love this art, the people involved, and the friends I've made along the way.

Thanks again for the great compliments.


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Speckled said:


> Very cool looking builds. They look awesome.


Thanks Speckled.


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

Wow...I do believe those are the nicest rods I've ever seen !


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## themadhunter (Oct 5, 2012)

Beautiful - is it hard doing the multi color eye wraps? I like the touch of silver and red/blue on yours 


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Bocephus said:


> Wow...I do believe those are the nicest rods I've ever seen !


Bocephus, many thanks for the compliments!


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## Bubba_Bruiser (Jan 13, 2012)

Well played sir! I'm a sucker for aesthetics as well as fishability.

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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

themadhunter said:


> Beautiful - is it hard doing the multi color eye wraps? I like the touch of silver and red/blue on yours


TMH, thanks for the compliments!

To answer your question, no. Inlays just take an extra minute or two to do once you get the hang of it. What I do is cut my inlay threads and then lay them on the blank and wrap over them using my primary color. When I get to a section where I want an inlay, I pull the primary thread over to the side and then wrap over it with the inlay thread. Once I'm done with my inlay, I pull it under the primary thread, locking it down, and then continue with my primary thread again.

I hope that this helps.

Armando


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Bubba_Bruiser said:


> Well played sir! I'm a sucker for aesthetics as well as fishability.


Thanks Bubba_Bruiser! Pretty rods do catch fish, lol!


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## Bubba_Bruiser (Jan 13, 2012)

Yes they do!

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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Heck yeah! Awesome matching pair, Armando! Shikes, I'm just figuring up the component costs on those...


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Goags said:


> Heck yeah! Awesome matching pair, Armando! Shikes, I'm just figuring up the component costs on those...


Thanks Jerry. Yeah, it was a couple of dollars per rod, but well worth the investment. 

If my wife asks, they were free donated parts. I never touched the bank account, lol! :rotfl:


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## Skiff (Jun 5, 2004)

Haha! I like that donated remark. Beautiful work and great job on the photos!


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Skiff said:


> Haha! I like that donated remark. Beautiful work and great job on the photos!


Lol! Thanks for the compliments.


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## EdK (Jun 20, 2012)

Extremely well done works of art. You Sir definitely do it right!


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

EdK said:


> Extremely well done works of art. You Sir definitely do it right!


Thank you very much for the compliment. It's been a blast building rods and I'm looking forward to building on my skills in the years to come. I still have some things I want to learn to expand my capabilities.


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

Great work! I love the RV stripper, works great for shorter rods. Technically beautiful. Do you have a photo studio? You take such good pics.


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Fishsurfer said:


> Great work! I love the RV stripper, works great for shorter rods. Technically beautiful. Do you have a photo studio? You take such good pics.


Fishsurfer, thanks for the compliments. No, I don't have a photo studio, but I have some nice camera gear. I got into photography a few years back and learned about composition, and more importantly, I learned how to use my camera, what aperture means, and how the f-stop affects the final outcome to a photo.

In these photos, I draped a white sheet over my rod building table directly under the lights to minimize any shadows. I also used a good tripod (Manfrotto) with a good 3-way head on it to take each photo. I hope that this helps.

Thanks again for the great compliments!


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## Wafflejaw (Jun 15, 2010)

Extremely well done!..My kind of style!

My only gripe on the M1's is the finish coming off the thread for an edge...It disappears on that blank finish, hahaha


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## TXFishSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

Wafflejaw said:


> Extremely well done!..My kind of style!
> 
> My only gripe on the M1's is the finish coming off the thread for an edge...It disappears on that blank finish, hahaha


Hey, thanks for the compliments! Gotta love those glossy blanks!


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