8'5" 3 piece 3 wt

This will be the first 3 piece 3 wt I have sold. I have toyed around with them for several years, but always using alternative material ferrules. This rod has Hariki ferrules and does an excellent job with them. Their lower weights help balance the rod better.
This rod has about the only upgrade I offer and that is the cork centered reel seat. I plan on making more of the 3 piece rods this year. I especially want one for myself!

New Quad Leaving Soon

Here are a few pics of a 8'3" 4 weight quad about to go out the doors. With the cork reel seat it has a finished weight of 3.25 oz.

I will be starting my fall orders in about a week.

Great Article

A couple of weeks ago a customer sent me this write up from a rod builder/designer named Paul Brown. My customer and his friends are collectors of Mr. Browns rods because they feel his rods are some of the best rods ever built. I have read this write up several times and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. Once I feel like I have a good grip on all of the information he is presenting I am going to fill it right next to E. C. Powell's article of fly rod design. I personally feel like these two articles might be in the top five ever written on the subject. They don't throw a lot of numbers at you and they don't build a word maze for you to navigate. Its just simple information that holds true.

Customer Pics

Here are a couple of pics from a customer who was visiting the Madison River last week. The pics are of an 8'1" 3/4 weight. One thing you might notice on the rod is the varnish on the flat side of the grip. What happens is when you varnish next to cork, it tends to soak up the varnish. What most builders do is then sand the cork to give it a cleaner look. I personally think it gives it more of a unique look. One might say its an artist's touch. However, I do sand it off if the customer requests it.

A Few Pics of Harriman State Park

These were all taken at Harriman State Park. This moose calf and its mother were regulars outside our cabin in the mornings.

Fishing on the Ranch

Here are a couple of pics of myself fishing on the Harriman Ranch. Pictures are by Yudai.

Akimaru and the Bamboo Rod Ferrule

While on my trip to the Henry's Fork I was able to spend a lot of time with Japanese builder Akimaru. For those that don't know who he is, he is very well known in Japan. He has written numerous books about fly fishing. I believe this was his 32nd year coming to America to fish the Henry's Fork. Aki is well known for going around Japan telling the fly fisherman about the Henry's Fork and what a "Holy Grail" it is. He also runs a school to teach others how to build bamboo rods. My last post talked about one of his student's Masa. One of the requirements to graduate from his school is that the student has to come to America with him and catch a 20" trout on a rod that they have built.
Last year he introduced a bamboo ferrule for his rods. To say its simple and sleek is an understatement. While he was here this summer he delivered several of these rods to customers fishing the Henry's Fork. These rods received glowing reviews from their new owners. These rods aren't for the "light in the wallet" customers if you know what I mean.
He is currently working on a 3 piece version of this rod. Aki had the prototype with him on this trip and it was a stellar rod. In the first picture Aki is casting a Carpenter Bros. 8'3" 4 weight quad while we were staying at the Harriman Ranch.