New Shipment of Silk

It's the little things in life. I just recieved a new shipment of silk. The colors that are available are amazing. I truly enjoy picking colors and seeing how they turn out once on a rod.

I will be giving a presentation on bamboo rods this Monday night at Heart of America Fly Fishing Club.

Ferrules 2.0

Here is the newest version of the composite ferrules. The 8'6" 4 weight went out last week and it sounds like it won't be coming back! So this will be the demo. It's an 8'4" 4 weight.

The more I work with these, the happier I am about them. They add something to the rod that which is hard to describe. I have said it before it removes the hinge that the metal ferrules bring to a rod. On faster rods the hinge provides extra strength and speed, so its not necessarily a bad thing. Soon I will be starting on a 3 piece rod with these ferrules.

New Ferrules Coming Soon

I have come up with a new design for ferrules. They are made of a composite material that is more flexible that carbon fiber and lighter than fiberglass. I will put this rod through all the tests this spring and summer and hope to have some ready by late summer or fall.

Its amazing the feel you get from the bamboo when you don't have the hinge of metal ferrules in the rod. The one problem with this material is it has only one color and thats black. So in the finish product they will be over wrapped with silk.

I hope also to do some 3 piece rods with this material.

Joe Tomelleri

Today I was able to hear Joe Tomelleri talk about his art work. I have always been an admirer of his pictures of trout. When I sat there and listened to all the work and detail that had to go into each pictures, it was amazing. It reminded me a little of making a bamboo rod.

In the picture below he is showing and discussing his many trips to Mexico in search of trout. He had many stories and videos from his trips. He hasn't been in several years because of the unrest in that country, but hopes to go back soon.

One funny thing that I learned about him is, he loves to fish for carp. Here in Kansas City we have an abundance of them, so they are easy to find. Someone asked him if he has ever drawn and sold pictures of a carp? His answer was no, because no one would buy them. Carp are an interesting fish, but most of us admire the trout for their colors.

Currently he is working on pictures for a book on the fishes of Idaho.

I can't get enough of his artwork. Here is his website below. If you don't recognize his name you will recognize the artwork.

http://www.americanfishes.com

What Makes My Rods Different

I sat down this week and jotted down a few things that make my rods different. Sometimes different isn't good, so I left those off the list and I will only name the good ones!

1. My Tapers - I have come up with my own tapers. I developed these with the help of my mentor Curt Elder. 
2. Varnish - I use one of the best varnishes produced. It costs around $130 for a gallon. I want my rods to last a long time and stand up to the abuse a fisherman puts on it. The varnish I use contains Linseed oil and Tung oil. These two ingredients have proven they will stand up to the test of time. 
3. 5 Star Cork - I don't like the way that pitted cork looks on a rod. There isn't anything wrong with it, but I like the smoother transition of the better cork. 
4. Hariki Ferrules - I use these ferrules because I know they are the best! They are expensive and a pain in the butt to get. Yet, they are worth it!
5. Hollow built - All of my rods are hollow built into the tips. This produces a better action rod. 
6. Long Rods - My rods are designed to be longer. I want to be able to cast 10' or 80' with the same rod. Shorter rods have a hard time delivering on this.
7. Reel Seats - I use woods that can't be found most places. I want you to be as proud of your rod as I am. Plus, I don't want it to look like every other rod being made today.
8. Price - I have never felt comfortable fishing expensive rods or reels. I grew up poor and that has stuck with me I guess. I think that my price is very attractive for what you get in a rod. Most people that offer what I am making have prices much higher than mine. My 8'5" 3 weight is out of this world and for only $1400 that's a steal!
9. Low # - I don't make that many rods. I don't want to become a slave to my shop. I also don't want to flood the market so that my rods are a give away when you have to resell it. Last year I only made 18 rods. 
10. Custom - All of my rods are custom built. I change the internal taper to reflect how I want the rod to cast and fish. I DO NOT have one set internal taper that I use on all of my rods. 

Update and Customer Pic

Well, I have been very busy in the shop. I have quite a few rods in the works. In about a month I should have some rod pics to post. During the next year I will only be making lightly flamed rods. I am going to hold off on the blondes and darker flamed rods for awhile.

Here is a customer pic from Texas. The rod is an 8'3" 5 weight.

Customer Pic

This pic is from a good customer with a big brown. He caught this on his Carpenter Bros 8' 5 weight. It measured 24" and he had to have a fellow fisherman help him land it because it wouldn't fit in his net.  I had this happen to me this summer on the Henry's Fork. I went up to the Trouthunter the next day and bought a new net. It was a hard decision for me because they aren't cheap.