My dear Humpy

Doing a deer hair workshop at a FF club next week.
Haven't tied any Humpy's for ages. Love these little critters! 😀

Christian Hörgren

Here's a short video on the Swedish rod builder Christian Hörgren. Christian's style is typically clean and functional. Probably equals to what we call 'Scandinavian style'. Christian builds custom rods, mostly fiberglass rods using blanks from contemporary and vintage manufacturers. He is working on a series of own designed fiberglass blanks.

The elusive Rooster fish

There are some fisheries I doubt I'll ever do it myself. Golden Dorado of the Amazon, Dolphin fish (Mahi Mahi) and the Rooster fish. The fishing itself sounds amazing, but the amount of time, money and effort that goes with it to become even modestly successful just sounds too much. Or am I just too lazy?...

The video called 'In search of Grande' shows how frustrating it can be to catch a trophy Rooster fish. Keeping one's sanity in this video by just enduring the endless effort needed to catch the 'Grande' is quite entertaining.



Here are 5 tips if you do decide to go Rooster hunting. 😀

Kamchatka, the end of the last wilderness

Kamchatka is probably the last wilderness on earth from a fly fisher's viewpoint. This video shows how an amazing place is slowly but surely losing the battle against exploitation by man. Sad but it's reality...



I wrote about a DVD on Kamchatka's amazing fishing almost 10 years ago here.

The DT versus WF myth (and why fly line companies hates DTs)

The numbers of fly lines available these days are astounding. If you look carefully the majority of fly lines on the market are variations on the (Weight Forward) WF form factor.

The main reason the WF form factor being predominate, one has to look from the manufacturers point of view. Fly line companies are developing many different variations on the WF form factor. More variation on the WF theme is more sales!

The name weight forward is misleading too. A WF is basically a DT chopped in half and integrated with a thin coated running line. There is no weight put forward than there is on a DT (unless it is designed to be as such, see the section about fly line design).


Let's start with the origins
The Double Taper (DT) line as profile (or form factor) comes from the days we used silk fly lines as our every day lines. The reason the DT form factor was developed was to prolong the day's fishing. Once one part of the fly line got water logged and didn't float well (despite being greased) you turned over the fly line and you got to fish the dry part for another couple of hours. Pretty smart!

Cortland invented the modern PVC fly line in 1953. The modern fly lines with a plastic (PVC or Polyurethane) coating eliminates the problem of the old silk fly lines getting water logged as the outer coating protects the inner braided core from getting wet.


Fly line, the 'money maker'
Until around 2000 fly lines were just a 'necessity'. Check out the line section in the Orvis 1984 catalog. Just two floating line models, one economy line and a high end line in a DT and WF. The niche lines here was a line with a fluorescent coating for fishing in low light situations and a shooting head. That's it!

Things started to change some 20 years ago. Fly line companies, especially Rio which was acquired by Far Bank Enterprises (investment company that also owns Sage and Redington) in 2005 from the original founder Jim Vincent, started to experiment with different fly line designs for both single hand and double hand rods to try to help fly fishermen use the right fly line for the type of application or condition. So nowadays fly line companies like Rio, Scientific Anglers and Airflo have specialized fly lines for virtually every situation (wind, delicate, distance, dry fly, nymph, streamer, etc.) and every type of fishing (trout, bass, redfish, bonefish, etc.) imaginable.

Now from a business standpoint this development is pure genius as fly line companies get to sell a lot more fly lines than they used to! Fly line companies are developing many different variations on the WF form factor as the DT form factor has less possibilities to make variations as well as being more costly to manufacture.

One of the biggest changes in recent fly line history is caused by the ever increasing stiffer rods of the last 15 years. Fly line companies started to make lines to get these fast rods load a bit easier. This is done by making them much heavier then they used to be. Lines like Rio's Gold and SA's MPX are about 1.4x to 1.5x line weight heavier. Some lines are even a full line weight heavier! One could question why don't the rod companies just make rods that casts fine with the fly lines within the regular mass specifications by the AFTTA?... 🤔


Now lets talk about a few myths about the DT!

Myth 1: DT presents more delicately than WF

One of the most persistent myth of the DT is the idea that a DT allows a more delicate presentation than a WF.  If you pick up a fly line brand that has both WF and DT versions of the same model (e.g. Cortland 444, check the picture) the profile of both lines are identical up to around the first 30 - 35 ft.

So far there has been only one exception with a fly line model that was available as a DT and WF: the (now out of production) Rio LT from the late 2010's where DT and WF had a deliberately slightly different design.

Unfortunately these days there aren't many companies that sells a fly line both as a WF and DT with the same taper design. 

Update: As per early 2022 Cortland sells two line models both in DT and WF (444 Peach and Sylk) and Orvis (Hydros DT and Hydros WF). Rio sells the Mainstream both in DT and WF but I'm not sure whether they have the same taper design.

Myth 2: WF casts further than DT
The typical WF is in fact not the best choice for distance casting! A WF's belly usually ends around 35 ft. Once you're casting past the belly and into the thin running line, you're 'out of gas' as the thin running line won't turn over the thicker and heavier belly portion of the line very well. Yes, you can shoot the fly line once the belly is out of the rod tip, but the distance gained is a lot less than expected.


So what should I use for distance casting?
For distance casting you try to get maximum loading of the rod to use the energy stored in the rod to 'kick out' the fly line as far as possible. The DT with it's longer belly is actually ideal since the additional mass in the longer belly is what you need to bend (or load) the rod deeper. With your casting stroke you are pulling (the mass of) the fly line (like in tug-of-war) against the tip of the fly rod resulting in loading the rod. As long as the rod can release the stored energy to pull the fly line in the direction of the cast, the fly line will follow.

But trying to achieve distance with a DT, there is a penalty compared to the WF with the thinner running line. The remaining thicker & heavier belly portion of the DT slides out the guides less easier (more friction) and cause more drag (wind resistance) in the air during its flight. You will need a rod with a strong butt section to cope with handling the fly line with all that mass (it's a DT remember?) in the air.

The so called Long Belly fly line (a bit of a crossbreeding between a DT and WF) is what you want for casting controlled long distances. The longer belly (some are up to 60ft) will load the rod deeper similar to what a DT does and on the final delivery cast the thin running line runs through the guides easily. The thin and light running line also doesn't drag during the flight as much as with the DT's thick belly.

Scientific Angler's Expert Distance and Royal Wulff Long Belly are good Long Belly lines. There are variations on the long belly theme. Some lines have a long rear taper that gets smaller in diameter very gradually, almost like a Long Belly. SA's Trout is such a line.

Some recent WF lines are indeed designed as weight forward as in the front belly portion the weight is much more concentrated. These short belly lines have a much shorter belly compared to a regular WF lines. This design allows fast rods to load easier on shorter distances.


So why should we still bother using a DT?
The saying that with a DT you get 'two fly lines for the price of one' is kinda true. As one part gets worn out (coating cracked, stepped on, etc.), you still have the other end you can use that hasn't been exposed to the elements & wear. So far it's true. In real world people turn over the fly line way too late, as in years. After years of storage on the reel the other part is probably all messed up under pressure of layers of line coiled tightly against the smaller arbor of the reel. This part of the fly line will have major memory problems and probably have problems with the tip staying afloat as the tiny air bubbles in the coating that makes the fly line float have been 'squeezed' out.

The solution is to turn over the line regularly, like every 2-3 months. And don't store the line on the reel longer than necessary. Take the fly line off the reel and store it on the plastic container that came with it. This way you will get a longer use of the fly line, like twice as long! And now comes the clue: fly line companies don't like this! They want to sell lines. Once your fly line is worn out they want to sell you another $80+ spanking new WF rather than you turning over your DT and extending the life of your fly line. 😀

So when is a DT 'better'?

+ If you just don't want to buy a new line every (one or two) season.
+ If your rod (and your casting abilities) can handle it, casting longer distances is more accurate.
+ If you make roll casts regularly beyond 30 ft.

+ You can pick up the fly line off the water and immediately cast away rather than first needing to retrieve all the thin running line of a WF line to get into the belly portion before casting.
+ If you mend a long fly line beyond 30 ft (stack mending is the only mending technique at such a distance by the way. See below at one of the updates for more info).

So what are the downsides of a DT?
 Some thoughts to be taken in consideration with a DT:
- You can't have as much backing on your fly reel as with a WF as a DT fills up your reel really fast. Solution: use a larger reel.
- There isn't much choice in DTs these days. Fly line companies usually have only one (if at all!) DT model in their range.
- A DT might not be the best choice for certain conditions (for instance windy) or type of fishing (like fishing with very bulky or heavy flies).
- As mentioned earlier you need to turn over a DT regularly (like every 2-3 months) to take advantage of extending the life of the fly line.

Fly line design

Three major innovations in fly line design

When looking for a fly line for predominantly dry fly fishing, look for a fly line with a long gradual front taper as opposed to one that has a short and abrupt (or blunt) front taper. The first 15-20ft of these 'dry fly' lines are, because of the line design, very 'light' (less mass). Due to its design these type of fly lines don't load a fast rod well when casting short distances. Choose a medium action rod or go one weight up with the fly line if you still want to use a fast rod when fishing close.

Delicate presentation depends on more aspects besides merely fly line design. The most important part being ones casting abilities to make a delicate (applying just the right amount of speed to the fly line on the) delivery cast and some other issues like the leader used (length, leader formula etc.).

Did you know that there are only four fly line manufacturers in the world? That's Scientific Anglers (used to be owned by 3M, now owned by Orvis), Cortland, Rio and Airflo. These four manufacturers produce 95% of the fly lines for different brands like Orvis, Sage (although Sage no longer offers own brand fly lines), Winston, Royal Wulff, Loop, Vision, Guideline, Epic, 406 fly lines, Cabela's, etc. A small amount of fly lines are made in China using less advanced technology. But that could change in the future?...

If you're a rocket scientist and want to get even deeper into the math and physics of fly line, check out this article.

Hope this helps!


Update Dec 10, 2019:
Stack mending is a mending technique that's very effective when nymphing in deep and/or fast moving water where a regular mend won't get the job done. After the delivery cast (overhead or roll cast) is made, cast small roll casts aimed at the tip of the fly line to add lots of slack line. I saw this technique for the first time in the 1980's Doug Swisher's (VHS!) video, "Advanced Strategies for Selective Trout".

Since that video is copy righted, here's a video I found that shows it:



Update July 1, 2019:
I was driving to a business appointment today and decided to listen to a podcast and ended up with one April Vokey did with Carl McNeil, the owner of Swift Fly Fishing. Besides an enjoyable podcast about the history behind the man, Carl also talks about fly lines.

Listen around the 51:00 mark about the benefits of Long Belly fly lines (or even a DT) for distance casting. A more elaborate but very interesting is around the 52:00 mark about how fly rod manufacturers (or designers) rate their fly rod and how arbitrary this is.


Update Sept 3, 2017:
There is one more line manufacturer in the UK: Northern Sport Fishing. This is probably the manufacturer of lines like the Shakespeare Worcestershire lines and Barrio fly lines.
Thanks for the update Thomas!


Update Aug 28, 2017:
Tom from 406 Fly Lines commented on this post.

'Hi Jay,

Very interesting article. I have a couple of comments. 406 Fly Lines does use different profiles between the WF and DT - the reasoning being that we wanted to the lines to have a similar feel from the 2 weight through the 8 weight. Also as a company who deals directly with the Manufacturer I can tell you the cost of manufacturing between a WF and DT is minimal. I believe the real reason companies don't make more DTs is that it's a simple design and the WF can be configured in a multitude of different designs hence more sales. With the rise in popularity of fiberglass rods and the steady sale of cane rods the DT will be around for quite awhile. As an aside our DTs outsell our WFs by at least 4 to 1.'

Thanks Tom for your comment!

1st internet bass bug swap

A piece of fly tying history, way before forums, Facebook or even websites about fly fishing!
A list server with fly tying enthousiasts decided to do a, probably the first ever, bass bug swap in 1996.

Mark Devino was the swap master. The St. Louis Sports magazine published Mark's article (Jan 1997) on this swap.

I was probably inspired by Joe Messinger's frog and Chris Helm's deer hair mouse. Sounds like centuries ago! 😀

Review: Douglas Outdoors Upstream Plus

Big thanks to Maarten Bruinenberg, the owner of QFlyshop, for allowing me to review the two rods!

Douglas Outdoors' rod series called the Upstream was a big surprise for me and many others. I really love the smooth medium action of the Upstream. Loads of feedback on even the shortest casts. So much the opposite of all the fast rods that has been flooding the market the past years. After this success Douglas Outdoors decided to launch the Upstream Plus, a beefed up version of the original series. QFlyshop sent the first two rods (9ft #4 and #5) it received directly to me to take a look at them.

The Upstream Plus has the same 'natural tonkin' colored blank as the original Upstream. It's certainly not a 'sexy' color but after the initial look, it doesn't bother either. The grip and the reel seat has been altered to a nice comfortable snub nose-like grip and an unlocking seat with a cork spacer. The upper and lower 1/8" part of the grip has a varnished composite cork section similar to the Scott G2's grip.  I couldn't really feel the cork of the grip as I left the plastic wrapping on the cork but it looked pretty familiar to my regular Upstream. Not the quality of a custom built rod, but certainly a quality cork grip.

It also has the same spigot ferrules as the original Upstream with alinement dots so setting up the rod is a breeze. The rods come in a handsome grey colored aluminum tube. The tubes are very roomy, so traveling with two rods in one tube is no problem. The overall finish might not be up to par with rods by Sage, Winston and Thomas and Thomas but certainly comparable to, and maybe slightly better than, rods from Vision and Guideline.

All rods in the Upstream Plus series being 9ft (all 4 piece), makes them 'all purpose' and more familiar to the general fly fishermen looking for a rod in the most popular line sizes (#4 to #6). Since I'm a 4 weight junkie the first rod I grabbed was the 4 weight rod. For both rods I matched with a true weight fly line (not overweighted like the SA MPX or Rio Gold): the Orvis Hydros WF #4 and a SA Expert Distance #5. Although the Expert Distance is a long belly fly line, both fly lines are true to it's weight (median of the AAFTA fly line specification) in the first 30 ft. 

Both rods feel extremely light in hand: the 4 weight is an astounding 2.5 oz / 72 grams while the 5 weight is equally impressive at 2.7 oz / 77 grams. The Upstream Plus being beefed up is quite an understatement. It's much faster than I expected. Especially the mid and butt section has been strengthend quite a bit giving the rod a very powerful action. The tip section isn't as flexible as the original Upstream so casting very short distances won't feel as delicate.

The remarkable conclusion is that the 4 weight version is a much stronger rod than the 5 weight rod. Relative to the line weight that is. The 4 weight rod felt too stiff lacking in good feedback on shorter (15 to 25 ft) distances. Even the longer casts I didn't quite feel the right feedback I wanted. The 5 weight version felt like a different rod, its action giving a much more balanced feed back on all distances. Obviously casting nice tight loops with both rods is a no brainer.

Both rods being quite powerful they had no problem casting up to 60-70 ft. I did try to cast 80+ ft on the 5 weight since the fly line used is a distance casting line. I didn't remove the plastic grip wrappings so getting a good hold of the grip when casting long distances was a bit awkward. Fishing a dry fly at 80ft is of course madness so the fast action should be translated to a fishing application. I'd like to see how the rod handles a heavy nymph rig or a large hopper-dropper combo 25 to 40 ft.

A bit bothered by the initial casting of the 4 weight rod I decided to swap reels. The 4 weight rod came alive with a 5 weight line! The stiffness was gone and smoothness appeared. In fact I loved this combination. Great feedback at shorter distances and it handled casting up to 50-60 ft superbly. The 4 weight rod being significantly lighter than the 5 weight rod, the rod felt amazing. The 5 weight rod seems to have a more balanced action altogether and handled the 4 weight line remarkably well. Obviously the rod felt a tad faster than with a 5 weight line, it still gave good feed back except for the very shortest distances.

The next afternoon I tried the 4 weight rod with an overweighted line (an older Airflo Ridge, about a half line size heavier). The rod immediately felt much livelier. Better feedback on shorter distances and it handled longer casts without a hitch. In fact I really enjoyed casting this rod. For the final insight of the rods would be fishing them, but for now it's certainly clear that the Upstream Plus series is complementary to the original Upstreams series. For most fishing conditions I think the 4 weight rod is too stiff. Use it with a heavily overweighted fly line like the SA MPX or go one line weight up. The 5 weight rod is a great 5 weight rod probably capable of doing almost everything a 5 weight rod should.

Priced at $495 the Upstream Plus series isn't a steal as the original Upstream series ($350), but it's certainly priced in the range of entry to mid range series from brands like Sage and Winston. The biggest challenge for Douglas Outdoors is the unfamiliarity of the general public with the brand as well as limited availability at fly shops. Both Sage's entry level as well as the new Winston Kairos are priced at the same price range but are built in USA as opposed to the Douglas rods built in Korea. This alone will surely become a challenge to convince someone looking for a mid priced rod...

Casting instructions by Joan Wulff

Winston has a nice series of casting instructions by Joan Wulff, the grand lady of fly fishing.
Here are all the episodes stitched together.

These are basic casting instructions, yet always good to see if you're still on track.
I'll post an article about fly casting with my thoughts about casting soon.

Double review: G. Loomis NRX LP & Livingston Western Glass

Here's the promised look at the G. Loomis NRX LP 8.8ft #3. I decided to throw in the Livingston Western Glass rod as well since they are similar in length and line weight. The difference is the material: the G. Loomis is graphite while the Livingston is made of fiberglass. Are there more differences?

Let's start with the G. Loomis. It's a mystery to me why G. Loomis rods have been 'under te radar' of the general public the past 10-15 years. I've discussed about this several times with George Anderson (owner of Yellowstone Angler). The recent yearly shoot outs of 9ft #5 rods by the Yellowstone Angler the NRX LP fly rod by G. Loomis were killing the competition.

I think there are two main reasons for the low attention by the general public of G. Loomis as a premium fly rod brand: lack of the right marketing and missing the right key figure, like Jerry Siem (head rod designer at Sage).

Let's start with the last one. Jerry looks like a very knowledgeable (he explains the technical jumbo-jumbo with the right words) and has a very sympathetic appearance. Steve Rajeff, the head rod designer at G. Loomis, is arguably the most knowledgable fly rod designer. But his appearance is a bit grumpy and his presentation is too intellectual. Simply said, Steve is the brilliant VCR engineer who also wrote the manual. These manuals are basically not a nice reading.

Then the marketing. Also a similar style as the VCR manual. Too much emphasis on the technical specifications rather than creating fly fishing setting you just want to be a part of. Here's the department where Sage excels: their ads have the right ambiance. You want to be there and be the guy in the ad. One final word on the rods: G. Loomis needs to hire a 'cosmetics manager'. Their rods just don't look as appealing as a Sage or Winston.

Now let's take a look at the rod itself. The 8.8ft #3 is a rod that hasn't had much, if any, coverage by the reviewers. But just as its big brother, the 9ft #5, it's a phenomenal casting rod. The tip has that right amount of softness that allows you to cast close (15-25 ft) with good feedback. The butt section of the rod has the strength to cast 40-45 ft with great precision. The rod has no problem with casting distances, 50-60 ft, a 3 weight has 'no business being there'. The strong butt section also means the rod can handle large fish with ease.

The original NRX had this weird color scheme of a dark grey blank with bright baby blue guide wraps. I think I heard once that Steve wanted this to make sure the rod stands out from other rods. It sure does, but not the way I think a great rod should. The LP (Light Presentation) model were available in two blank colors, the same as the NRX but also in a dark translucent green color with dark green wraps. A much nicer to the eye color scheme. Recently G. Loomis dropped the grey/blue version all together.

The grip of this rod has the right shape and length for the size of the rod. To me the proportion of the grip and reel seat should match the size of the rod. The cork(?) they used does feels a bit rubbery. The size and shape is really nice. The reel seat is also I would have liked more if it had a more classic look. I'm not a fan of high tech looking seats (the Asquith, G. Loomis' new top of the line rod does have a more traditional looking reel seat). I fished the rod last september with a SA Mastery Trout (DT3). Great match!

The resurgence the past 8-10 years of fiberglass has resulted in some amazing blanks and rods. The real improvements didn't come from the traditional rod companies but from smaller niche companies. The Epic blanks are making a huge impression, while small boutique rod builders like Chris Barclay, Steffen Brothers and Kabuto are making exquisite rods using their own proprietary taper designs. More recently a fellow by the name of Dusty Smith from Livingston, Montana joined with the list of small boutique builders with his Livingston Rod Company.

I received my Livingston as a custom finish from Shane Gray. He finished the blank in a more classic look with a cork seat, simple but elegant looking ring and cap and a small but very comfortable mini half wells grip. I think it looks very appealing and minimalistic. Obviously it's also very light. The slightly faster and lighter S-glass used in Dusty's blanks and rods are made to his design by the New Zealand blank builder CTS. CTS also builds the blanks for Swift (Epic). Livingston's fresh water fiberglass blanks and rods can be ordered with the unaltered white translucent color or dark brown. His saltwater fiberglass rods come in a cool blue color.

This 8.6 ft #3 in 3 pieces is quite a remarkable rod. To start with, it's extremely light, in fact it's a few grams lighter than the G. Loomis rod (71 vs 76 grams, 2.5 vs 2.7 oz). Also the blank is surprisingly slim. And finally the length is somewhat of a surprise as I thought fiberglass beyond 8-8.5 ft would be too heavy and (especially with a light line weight) slow. This rod has a very strong butt section while the tip section is soft, a lot softer than the G. Loomis.

The action can be best described as 'modified progressive'. The softer tip allows for very delicate casting, you really need slowing down slightly to allow the soft tip to do the job. Thanks to the soft tip it also casts a DT 2 superbly. Dusty explains why and how he designed this rod:

"…  I guide and fish Yellowstone Park, am a dry fly addict, and fish PA and NY a couple of times a year. I have always wanted a long 3wt and could never find one that wasn't a 4, especially for Soda Butte Creek, Pebble Creek, the Upper Gibbon, the Firehole, and the Middle to Upper Willowemec (in the Catskills).

The rod casts best at 15 to 25' because those are the average casts for a lot of those streams, and I didn't want it to cast off the tip like the Epics. If I have to cast 30-50' like on the Missouri of the Delaware I grab my 5wt. I retained power in the butt because we hook 20" fish in a lot of our smaller waters out west."

The surprising thing is this rod casts very delicate up to 25 ft, as Dusty explains, but the strong butt section kicks in when casting well up to 50-60 ft! I've tried a WF3 (Orvis Hydros) as well as a DT3 (Sage Quiet Taper II) and both lines felt wonderful on this rod. The rod handled the heavier mass weight when using a DT3 on longer casts very well.

The soft tip will collapse (resulting in tailing loops) if you force the tip (typical of casting with fast graphite rods) on the longer distances. The casting stroke needs to be lengthened a bit more as well use the stronger butt section to get the rod moving. You also need to slow down on the casting, especially the back cast, to allow the loop to unroll fully. Make a smooth very straight stroke not to mess up the delivery. When done correctly the line flies to the destination like a jet!

Both rods have similar specifications, yet their characteristics are quite different. Casting both rods side by side does show that the graphite material has less feel than fiberglass. To make a blunt statement, the G. Loomis feels mechanical compared to the Livingston. The Livingston has tons of feel as you can really feel the rod load and unload when casting. In fact, I just couldn't stop casting the rod.

The G. Loomis is a very versatile rod capable of casting a hopper-dropper as well as a nymph rig without any problem. It's also an exceptional dry fly rod. I haven't fished the Livingston yet so I'm not completely sure about what flies it can handle. Dusty designed the rod primarily as a dry fly rod. I'll have to check if it can handle some light nymphing (could be a great sight nymphing rod!) as well as handle a more wind resistant attractor dry fly like a humpy or a hopper. The longer length of both rods makes mending a breeze. Anyone looking for a light rod without sacrificing length, do try when you run into one.

Update Nov 2018:
I sold the G. Loomis NRX LP. The Livingston is so sweet I don't see any reason to keep the NRX LP.

Here is a very good video from Tim Rajeff on how (or not to) to cast a fiberglass rod.

Passing of Tom Morgan

Monday June 12, 2017 Tom Morgan passed away. Former owner of R.L. Winston Rod Company and Tom Morgan Rodsmiths, was 76 years old. He sold Winston to David Ondaatje in 1991. Not long after he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He started Tom Morgan Rodsmiths in 1995. Here is a wonderful article about Tom's ideas about a good fiberglass rod, but it's basically his life story. More great articles from or about Tom are here.

It's impressive and also sad to see an old and almost paralyzed man running a rod company with the intense drive to build the best fly fishing rods possible. Here are two nice articles about his life not so long ago. His legacy will for ever be remembered.


Update October 20, 2017:
The new owners of Tom Morgan Rodsmiths changed their website, including a new URL and content. Unfortunately this also means all of Tom's thoughts and articles about fly rods and fiberglass on the old site (the links in this post) are now gone...

Update October 26, 2017:
The whole content of 2015 Tom Morgan Rodsmiths' website is still archived here!
Save the articles as PDF before also this archive is deleted forever.

Update June 2020:
This podcast with the new owners of Tom Morgan Rodsmiths was recorded two years ago.
Gives a very interesting insight about the decision to leave their old lives and run Tom Morgan Rodsmiths.

Argentina dream stream indeed...

Argentina is certainly on my to do list!

Review: Epic 580 Limited Edition

The Epic series of blanks and rods from the New Zealand based company Swift Fly Fishing Company has been discussed here before.

My rod was one of the five limited editions George Minculete finished for Swift in 2016. I've had George finish several rods for me before and as usual the workmanship is superb. This series has a translucent grey (Epic calls it Slate) color. A bit less vibrant than their usual bright colors, but certainly equally striking. You might call it the stealth version.

George managed to build five of these buggers and I'm sure he was wasted after finishing the last rod. Creating five perfectly identical rods is no small feat. The stunning marble like wooden spacer really pops out. The grip on these rods is one could say George's signature snub nose grip. The corks used are obviously the best one can get. It feels super comfortable in the hand and looks very sleek too. The epoxy on the wraps is another of George's specialty that I've not seen done better. The (roomy) fiberglass tube that comes with the rod is a nice touch.

So, how does this good looking rod cast? The 580 (8 ft #5 3 piece) is probably Epic's most popular blank of the series and that's no surprise. Modern glass rods are much lighter than the old fiberglass rods from the past. This rod is barely 3 oz (86 grams). The action is quite different than its smaller brother Epic 480. Much faster without feeling stiff, it just delivers the line with amazing feel, authority and accuracy.

The tip has the right amount of softness to be able to cast short distances (2-4 meters, about 6 to 12 feet) with good feed back well as well. The Epic 580 shines in the 4 to 12 meter (about 12 to 40 feet) range yet still able to cast a tight loop on longer distances. I also tried a 4 weight line on the rod and the rod had no problem what so ever. Obviously using a 4 weight line will make the rod feel a tad faster. This practically eliminates the need to get a 4 weight rod as well. Anyone used to fast graphite rods should have no problem casting this rod's medium fast action without any adjusting needed.

The feeling of the rod loading and unloading is probably the main difference between most graphite rods and fiberglass (and bamboo) rods. This feeling is very appealing and almost demands the caster to slow down the casting stroke to a bare minimum. When playing a fish, the more flexible characteristics of fiberglass rods makes it even more fun. If you haven't felt this, I urge you to try casting a fiberglass rod soon. It's quite addictive.

I've fished this rod (with an Orvis Hydros WF4) last fall with a hopper dropper rig as well as a nymph with a small yarn indicator and I can't say anything than huge thumbs up for both the blank as well as the finished rod.

Here's a short video of a trip I made in fall 2016:

Cris Carpenter

The past couple of years I have been interested in an ultra light #3 (or even a #2) bamboo rod in the 8 - 8.5 ft range. Not an easy task to make a bamboo rod longer than 7.5 ft in very light line weights and still keep a certain level of snappiness. Longer rods for 'Western fishing conditions' (8 - 8.5 ft) in the #5-6 weight have been popular since the 1950's, but last 10-15 years longer lightweight rods in the #4 have been appearing from makers like Per Brandin, James Reams, Bjarne Fries and Mario Wojnicki.

After some research I recently got in touch with Cris Carpenter, rod maker from Missouri, near Kansas City. Cris was heavily influenced by Californian bamboo rod makers like Mario Wojnicki and probably Per Brandin as these two rod makers shared a rod shop together for a period. Later he learned a lot from rod maker Curt Elder on hollowing techniques. Cris' orders are mostly light (3-4 weight) rods in the 8 to 8.5 ft lengths.

Cris generously offered to send me a demo rod of one of his best taper, an 8ft #3 in 2 piece to review. Just before shipping he refinished his demo rod with a new grip. A few days ago the rod arrived.  The rod I took out of the tube still has the grip covered with plastic. Cris made a no frills Garrison-like cigar grip with a very nice dark burled wooden reel seat.

The initial feeling of the rod after I put the two sections together was a very light (due to hollow building) and lively rod weighing a mere 3.4 oz (96 grams). The ultra thin guides is probably one of the many choices Cris made to keep rod as light as possible. The blank has a stealthy matte finish thanks to the hand rubbed oil of some sort rather than the usual dipped varnish. I also like the short ferrules.

Making bamboo work for long and light line weight rods is not as simple as one might think. To make a rod cast such light line weights means less material is needed. A (for bamboo measures) long rod also means keeping the rod structurally strong enough, so there is a slight paradox going on here.

The rod has a very nice medium progressive action. Tried some different line weights, ranging from a 2 weight to a 4 weight. I liked it best with a 3 weight. The rod casts an amazing line, especially in the 25 - 40 ft, typical fishing distances. But the rod will cast tight loops to 50ft without much of a problem (despite it was too windy for my taste), although this is a distance a 3 weight rod has 'no business being there'! We're talking about a 3 weight rod and yet it's quite amazing with this rod feels like I'm casting a heavier line weight. The authority of the smooth medium action really is remarkable.

Since this is a demo rod, there are certain aspects I'd like different if I'd order one right away. On rods longer than 7.5ft I prefer a 3 piece rod. I am curious how Cris would keep the same taper in a 3 piece version. I'd also prefer a slightly stronger butt. A slightly stronger butt would allow to cast off the nice soft tip with a short casting stroke even better at shorter distances. This will increase accuracy. And yes, it would give the rod a bit more oomph for casting 30+ ft. I'd also prefer a cork seat rather than wood to keep the weight even lower. At last, I'd like a slightly shorter and thinner grip. And maybe a different shape, although I was surprised how nice this cigar shape feels in hand.

Cris Carpenter is definitely a rod maker that should be noticed. Long and light rods is certainly not for everyone but if that's what you're looking for, do get in touch with Cris. He really knows what it is needed to make a lively yet authoritative ultra light rod. Cris' next step in his rod offerings are quadrate rods. He just started experimenting with spliced joint rods. Although I've never tried a spiced joint rod, eliminating a metal ferrule would probably make the rod feel like a one piece rod.

Thank you Cris for letting me try this rod!

Fiberglass vs graphite

Always enjoy how Tim Rajeff explains fly rod technicalities. This one is especially good for who still have prehistoric ideas about fiberglass.

Movement

Nice video of fishing in New Zealand with bamboo rods

The lost world of Mr. Hardy

Watch this documentary about the reel and rod manufacturer Hardy here.

Why are fly lines still sold with integrated running lines?

Why are fly lines still sold with an integrated running line?

I have tons of fly lines (now used as lawn casting lines) with 'worn out' heads, usually just the first 4-6 meters, and all with running lines that are still able to be of service for many years.

Why don't fly line manufacturers sell fly lines as a 'shooting head plus' with, say 2 meters, running line to prevent hinging effect at the head/running line connection?  Fly lines for double handed rods are sold this way and changing heads (e.g. floating line to a sink tip to fish with streamers) is a breeze.

Maybe this way the price of fly lines can be kept at around $60 maximum? ;)
This also helps keeping the carbon footprint of the fly fishing community lower.

Less tiring streamer rod

I've had a few typical streamer rods (9ft #6) in the past. All these rods cast amazing but the leverage of the 9ft length and the force generated by the rod on the wrist was really tiring. When fishing streamers you are making a lot of casts. The wrist gets quite a beating during a day. The typical streamer rod is not for me. I'll look for a shorter 6 weight rod one day.

Many years have passed and after much looking around I think I found a solution in a Steffen Brothers fiberglass blank: 8.3ft #5/6 in easy to travel 4 piece. Of course my friend George was the one to build it.

The Steffen blank, the last one they rolled in the 4 piece configuration as they now only make 2 or 3 piece, is supposed to be a smooth medium action with a not too soft tip. A too soft tip makes casting large wind resistant flies like streamers difficult. Although I intend to use it as a heavy trout rod, I also would like to be saltwater ready for ultra light saltwater application when needed.

And grips! George and I had many chats about grips. And I'm really picky on grips. At first I thought about a snub nose grip, but it would probably feel too flimsy when chucking large streamers all day. How about a full wells grip? After a while I said I'm looking for a heavy trout rod rod with the looks of a mini bonefish rod. The result is a mix of a snub nose and a full wells grip.

George did a great job on this. The rod is in transit right now, but I'll post an update after it arrives and give it a few casts.

Watch this classic!

Watch this classic, Doug Swisher - Strategies for selective trout, now for free on Youtube!
I watched this video back then (late 1980's?) many times and learned a lot.

More classic videos, these two are about casting, by Doug Swisher

Graylings and bows

It has been a while I have caught some serious numbers of graylings. When planning the trip for september I looked for a stream with abundant amount of graylings. Not an easy task since the grayling population has diminished in many rivers and streams in central Europe. And the very unstable summer to boot, some serious weather luck was needed. But boy did I luck out...

This trip I was supposed to be accompanied by two friends but they both had to cancel due to various reasons. The 4 day trip turned out to be pretty epic! Also thanks to the great, albeit a bit hot, weather.

The first two days were spent on a tributary of the river Inn in Austria, about an hours drive from the historic city of Passau in southern Germany. Too bad I didn't had the chance to visit the city of three rivers. This stream is divided into several sections, belonging to several leaseholders. The two stretches I fished were held by the local hotel where I stayed. All together almost 8 km long. What a great stream it turned out to be.

From the moment I stepped into the water, I saw several pods of fish cruising along the banks. In fact I was surprised the number of fish count this stream holds. Within minutes I was into a small grayling. The typical erratic shakes of a grayling trying to get loose of the hook felt very familiar.

With the anticipating heat I should have started earlier, but from about 8 AM up to around 1 PM turned out to be the most productive part of the day. After around 2 PM, the temperatures hit the high mark of 30 degrees celsius making the fish slow down their activities as well as the fisherman. No need to say that you have to keep yourself hydrated all day long. Also keep yourself protected from the harsh sun rays.

During the heat the best spots were found around deeper areas as well as faster currents with ample oxygen. What a joy to fish a stream full of graylings! I can't remember catching this amount graylings the past 15 years or so. Among several graylings barely not reaching the magic 50 cm mark (most were around 35 to 40 cm) I also caught a couple of chubs as well as rainbows. I even caught a bunch of roaches in the slower parts!

The next day was even better. I fished the other (longer) stretch and while again a very hot day the fishing was amazing. Besides the obvious looking spots, I also enjoyed looking for that only fish in a small seam under the bank or just next to a fallen tree. With just a flick of the wrist, casting a couple of feet of line is all that is needed. This stretch turned out to be very diverse. Just be ready for some serious physical exercise with long walks, rock climbing and bush whacking.

For the second part of the trip I visited my favorite river in southern Germany. Boy what a treat I was given. The fishing was spectacular to say the least. Rainbows as well as brown trouts were in great numbers and in very good condition in spite of the very low water conditions.

It's always amazing in how shallow spots fish manage to hold. I encountered fish in spots that most would never consider even have a look at it. This fellow was spotted in a shallow moss covered gravel area that barely covered its back. Although the fish manage to hide between, under or maybe in the rocks it's still a good idea to look for that familiar shape of a trout. I've seen and caught many fish by wading slowly spotting the gin clear water and sight casting it with a nymph.

The past four days really made me realize how much I enjoy fly fishing. The stress relief and relaxation it gives as the result of pure focusing on the fishing as well as the physical work out of wading all day, climbing rocks and miles of walking. The days were over before I knew.

After a long day 'at the office' the food at the local Italian restaurant was nothing short of spectacular. Great to know that all the guys working at the restaurant are football maniacs like me, so between the servings we watched matches of the Champions League on a huge screen next to the counter.

To show how lucky I was with the weather, the evening of the last day the dark clouds gathered above the hills and started raining. The next morning I left with some very welcome rain for the river to recover from the heat of the past days.

Update 30 Sep 2016:
Rods I used are the G. Loomis NRX LP (8.8ft #3), custom built G. Loomis IMX (9ft #4) and the Epic 580 Limited Edition. I'll do a short review on the NRX LP and the Epic 580 soon.


A short video I made from a couple scrapes of tape:



Watch the video in high quality (at least 720p) by selecting the HD button.

Douglas Upstream

Oops, I forgot to mention the rod called Upstream from Douglas Outdoors in my previous posting about my 4 weight rods. Well, only because the ones I mentioned were all 9ft rods while the Douglas Upstream 4 weight is just a few inches short at 8.8ft.

I fished the Upstream a couple of hours during a short trip to southern Germany this past weekend. The weather was glorious after several rainy days. The river was slightly higher than I wished, but hey I finally got to fish the Upstream!

I really loved the smooth medium action of the rod on the lawn. Loads of feel on even the shortest casts. So much the opposite of all the fast rods that has been flooding the market the past years.

On the water it proved to be a smooth casting and fishing rod too. Fishing a hopper dropper rig as well as a double nymph rig was no problem for this ultra light (weighing a mere 1.7 Oz!) rod. Hope to fish it more extensively during my coming fishing trip in september.

The three musketeers

The nice weather inspired me to have a look at my 9ft 4 weight rods (yes, I love 4 weight rods!). The three musketeers are the G. Loomis 490-4 IMX, Sage 490-4 RPL and the Sage 490-4 LL. All three from the same era of fly fishing history.

The fast graphite rods as we know today began in the end 1980's with the introduction of high modulus graphites developed by the aircraft companies like Boeing.

G. Loomis introduced in 1987 the IMX graphite and the rods with the same name. Sage (originally started as the Winslow Manufacturing Co.) introduced in 1989 Graphite III with the legendary Sage RPL series. These days we might even call these rods medium-fast action rods as rods have become faster and stiffer.

The RPL (Reserve Power Light) series were manufactured for quite a long time. Starting from 1989 and discontinued in 1997. The blank reincarnated in 1997 as a budget rod series called the VPS. In 1987 the LL (Light Line) series started as rods using a slightly lower modulus graphite called Graphite II. In 1989 the LL rod series (discontinued 1999) were also built with the new Graphite III.


Update March 2019:
I sold the Sage 490-4 RPL