Making a priest

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terryf

terryf

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Jul 10, 2010
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Pretoria, South Africa
Guys, some input please...

Anyone ever made a priest? (and before I get stoned, it is a device used to administer last rights to a trout)

Any trick to it? What did you use for the weighted end, brass, steel?

Any other pitfalls I might run into?

Appreciated, thanks :smile:
 
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LOL!!! Skiprat!!!
Almost the same except you knock fish out not people!:tongue:

My dad makes them and sells them to local fishermen and to fly fishing stores.
Makes them on a metal lathe out of stainless, brass and copper.
Most sre filled with lead shot for the extra heft!
I put up some pics somewhere, i will try and find them!

Andrew

Found it:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71646
 
bliksemse grapgat!!!!!

Thanks Andrew, I fly fish a lot and the price of a priest in Fly Shops here is exorbitant so I haven't yet bought one and when I was fishing in the Drakensberg pondering life whilst watching the Cape Vultures flying over head, I thought hell, why not just make one, can't be that hard!! :biggrin:

I'd have to figure a way round the brass or get a piece of brass as a starting point and work everything around that.

Nevertheless, much appreciated, I'm now starting to formulate a plan. :question:
 
A trout priest, (or it's big brother, a salmon priest) is very much a matter of personal preference. They can be as modern as tomorrow, solid stainless with collapsing handles and adjustable weights, or something your average cro-magnon would feel right at home with. A beautiful example I've seen that had been handed down through at least 3 generations, was simply a limb from a mesquite tree that had a knot on the end. What made is special was the care and skill that the bark had been removed with, leaving the dark cambium layer mostly intact, and then vines and thorns carved into the shaft and around the head. It had been shaped by nature almost entirely, and just happened to fit the human hand like an orthopedic casting. It had dozens of layers of hand applied and burnished oil/wax and was as waterproof as if it had been solid steel. Needless to say, it was not for sale :-(

One of the more traditional styles is made from the shaft and burr of an antler, shaped as much or as little as desired. Many are drilled and weighted with lead, then finished to waterproof. Some have resin cast around or onto the burr to make a more uniform striking surface. All have some sort of lanyard attached to hook it to a belt or fishing vest. This can be as ornate or more so than the shaft itself.

The ultimate test, of course is how well it works FOR YOU at it's appointed task. Testing this seems to involve large amounts of time spent standing in cold running water cursing bitterly, and to me seems to make the crafting of one of these more trouble than it's worth. I prefer sitting back at the camp with a cold Lone Star, and waiting for those afflicted with this particular malady to return and fix dinner. YMMV :-)
 
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