Thread: Fisherman's Priest

That's a beauty, but I'm not sure what a "Fisherman's Priest" is. Is it like a bonker?

A fisherman's priest is for dispatching a fish which you are going to keep (hopefully for eating)

Thanks, we Americans are not so formal in our speech, we call them bonkers, as in bonk that fish on the head!

Originally Posted by Dalboy

A fisherman's priest is for dispatching a fish which you are going to keep (hopefully for eating)

Thanks for the explanation Derek. You had me wondering. I thought it might screw apart, for storing ??? like a sewing wand.

It looks good, and that texturing really did work well.
Going fishing?

I can tell you, you will not need it in Lakes Entrance, just came back from 5 days fishing and not even a bite.

Maybe because I went out in middle of day for 6 hrs and not morning or evening.

But looks like it could do the job if you do get some fish.

Looks almost too good for wacking fish.Well done.
Ted

Nice bit of turning Derek….
I never heard of the term “Fishman’s Priest’’ before.
It’d be a crying shame to use such a beautiful piece of woodwork on a fish….
Never had need to knock the fish with anything, just catch them & into the bag or bucket, the scaling & gutting ready for the pan, now I'm hunger...
Cheers, crowie

It's for administering the fishes last rites.

Originally Posted by Dalboy

A fisherman's priest is for dispatching a fish which you are going to keep (hopefully for eating)

My understanding is that it's called a priest because it administers the last rites.

Did you add some weight to it or is it just wood? My son-in-law is a keen fly-fisherman, and I am considering making him a priest as a gift at some stage, and was told I'd need to put a little lead in the business end to weight it properly. He is also a priest, so I thought it would be fun to make a priest for the priest. I have a little piece of African Blackwood I have set aside for the job, and my feeling is that it should be heavy enough.

Originally Posted by PLD

Thanks, we Americans are not so formal in our speech, we call them bonkers, as in bonk that fish on the head!

Oh dear... In Australia, bonking used to happen in the back seat of a car . I can only imagine what would happen if you were caught bonking with a fish>.....
Jim

Originally Posted by Colin62

Did you add some weight to it or is it just wood? My son-in-law is a keen fly-fisherman, and I am considering making him a priest as a gift at some stage, and was told I'd need to put a little lead in the business end to weight it properly. He is also a priest, so I thought it would be fun to make a priest for the priest. I have a little piece of African Blackwood I have set aside for the job, and my feeling is that it should be heavy enough.

Colin,
I have made quite a lot. Used white gum. Heavy enough not to need any extra weight.
Phil

Thank you all glad you liked it.

You can use it as is as it is made from hardwoods, but some may like it a little heavier in which case some metal could be inserted into a hole in the head and then plugged.

I have another one made from 1 piece of Oak as below

DSCF2697.jpg

I don't normally do spindle work so along with using the spiralling tool it gave me a little practice in spindle turning

Originally Posted by powderpost

Oh dear... In Australia, bonking used to happen in the back seat of a car . I can only imagine what would happen if you were caught bonking with a fish>.....
Jim

Well even in America, bonk can have many meaning...

Originally Posted by powderpost

I can only imagine what would happen if you were caught bonking with a fish>.....
Jim

Or using a fisherman's priest to bonk with

Cheers

Tim