Simon Reilly

Hello everyone,
My name is Simon Reilly and I'm new to the list. I've just
joined on the recommendation of Mike St. Clair, a member I
met on the Fly Fishing Forum. I also haunt the Rod
Building Forum under the username Splinters. I am from Co.
Armagh in Northern Ireland and have fished since I could
walk. I started fly fishing about the time I learned to
drive. My first fly rod was a really poor fibreglass
cheapie which nearly soured me from fly fishing.
Fortunately a chance meeting on the river directed me to a
little shop where a kind man called Ivan Reilly (no
relation) took the bad rod away and sent me home with a
second hand 9' Scottie and a decent reel. At the time I
had no idea how well I had been treated. Now I know I was
being mentored and appreciate just how much I got and for
how little. Anyway the die was cast and I have always
owned a bamboo rod since. My wife bought me Garrisons book
for my birthday in 2007 and I started gathering the tools
to build bamboo in 2008 after chancing on Harry Boyds site
on the net. I have completed five rods now ranging from
appalling to passable and have just bought a lathe to
start machining reel seat components. I am typing really
slowly because I recently discovered that fingernail
router bits will remove a thumbnail too. The learning
curve continues.

Regards,

Simon.