I've been following Greg's work, since he was a SoCal legend, and since I got into the fly game, there were 6 degrees of separation when it came to his company, Sierra Nets. I remember visiting my local fly shop when I picked up my first fly rod and reel combo, and one his works of art was displayed behind the glass at the check out counter. I looked at the net and immediately thought that I'd never be in the same arena as other fly anglers to be blessed enough to hold it, touch it, let alone own one.
2 years later, and much has changed. The 1 fly rod and reel combo I owned quickly became half a dozen. The "local" trips soon became 5 hour road trips, which soon became 10 hour interstate road trips, but the item that remained constant was that beat up Measure Net, that was affixed to my back wherever I went. It never left my side.
Now I have new companion.
It started first with a piece of ebony wood that Greg had procured. Ebony can be very difficult to find, and to see that he had a log (that weighed a ton), brought a smile to my face.
I was given fair warning that the log may not have enough workable wood to create the handle, but Greg managed to get a nice workable piece from the log.
And slowly it begins....
And a handle is slowly created....
I let Greg's creative juices take hold and had him design the hoop. I don't know the specific woods that he used, but I'm confident in the fact that he knows what he's doing.
The net's hoop has been glued, and the final filing has completed. The hard work of the inlay has now been completed:
Greg, starting the engraving with a .030" spiral-flute router bit @ 60,000 rpms.
Touching up the edges with a modified spiral carving bit.
California inlay in aluminum done, time for the fish.
Fish inlayed in bronze. The finished product!
Now for my initials inlayed in aluminum, to match the California inlay.
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I picked it up the other day, and I cannot wait for it to hit the water. The net comes with a matching magnetic net release, and a paracord lanyard customizable to any color.
If you wanna check out more of Greg's work, check out http://www.sierra-nets.com