My new OLD rod project - Bloodshot UL rod handle

I remembered seeing on the internet that someone actually used a real snake head... well, a 'taxidermied' snake head to be exact, with it's mouth open wide showing its' fangs. Looks COOL....!!

and I got the craziest ideas when I saw that lures. Maybe I could do the same, but subsituting with the snake alike lure rather than the real thing.

This idea was last year's idea.... and I managed to do it bit by bit...

The Balsa wood 'BLOODSHOT' lure was dissected into 2 section, the head for the foregrip and the rear for the rear grip.

Something light for the reel seat. Fuji skeleton reel seat seems like a good choice couple with carbon tube insert.

One plus one equal to one hell of a customised handle....

Lathed a rubberised fighting butt for this rod. Tapered edge just to add a little kick to it. Look more unconventional.

This is the snake skin which I planned to use at the exposed blank at the split handle section. The exposed blank section looks too plain, snake skin inlay was added.

Test fit before the epoxy coating.



Then epoxy was coated onto the snake skin inlay.

After the epoxy dried, the rear part of the lure, the skeleton reel seat and the snake head was fixed up.

The dissected lure was coated with a layer of epoxy to protect the original lures paint from flacking and also to maintain its' glossiness.

The gap where the rod protruded out from the snake head was sealed with epoxy.

So much so for the handle. Next would be the guides....
I hope I don't have to wait till next year before I can complete this rod...