In April, Sea Sniper added new team diver, Daren Smith. Early on, we all recognized Daren's natural abilities so we had to get him on board. What better way to break in a rookie that with a bunch of good trips and a brand new Pro 65.

With upcoming trips to the Channel Islands and Baja California, the size debate commenced. Since the gun was going to be used primarily for Southern California yellowtail and white seabass, I voted for a Pro 60, but Daren and Jeff Croci lobbied for a Pro 65 with an 11/32" shaft for the possibility of big pelagics in Mexico. In the end, I lost, as I could hardly argue about how successful the Pro 66 guns Jeff and I built for Panama were.

As with all the team guys, Daren was hands-on with the project. We selected a wood called afromosia, which would be experimental. It turned out to be somewhat easy to work with, with the exception that it was exceptionally dry. The grain had a reverse-directional "rope twist" that accepted the green and black dyes well.

Extra layers of epoxy were applied to prevent swelling or delamination of the dry wood, along with a little pearl flake to give it a little shine. One of the best discoveries of this combination of wood/dye/finish was the light-dark-light look when viewed from one end, and the dark-light-dark look when turned 180 degrees.

Over the course of the build, the gun was nicknamed "Afro-Ninja" after the popular cartoon series, and of course, the afromosia wood.

Daren's first wahoo and pargo taken on the same trip with the Afro-Ninja. He also shot his first dorado with it.