7 1/2 foot rods
My standard 7 1/2 ft rod is based on the old Montague Fishkill.  Years ago I came across one in a pawn shop.  (I'd been passing the pawn shop for years and decided, on a lark, to stop in.)  I brought it home and put a 5wt double taper line on it.  It cast like a willow!  I stuck the rod back in the closet and forgot about it for several years.  "A bad investment," I told myself.  
monty

A few years later I pulled it out and checked it with a few different line weights and types.   I  put on a WF4F and the rod came alive!  I've never seen anything quite like the change in that rod.  I fished it, off and on, for a few years, then put it back in the closet again. 

When I decided to add a 7 1/2 ft rod to my lineup, that rod came to mind.   I miked it, added a little to the dimensions and built the taper as a 5 wt. As you can see by the soiled grip, I fish it a lot!
x-10 reel seat and grip

I didn't originally make this rod as a two tip rod.  When I showed the taper to some of the other makers they questioned the actually tip dimensions.  I agreed and checked the original taper size.   My original measurements had been right, so as an experiment, I built a second tip with a different taper.  In reality, I can't tell any difference in the way the rod casts.  It makes me wonder about all this taper mumbo jumbo.
sn x-10


I often build a second rod blank, while I've got my planing forms set for a specific taper.  It gives me a head start on another rod of the same type.    So I built this rod.
7ft 6in 5wt
Details
reel seat and grip detail
This rod is one of the few rod's I built without an owner in mind.


Fish on
As I said, I  fish this rod a lot and it works.  Here's a sample
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