Visit to RL Winston rod factory

During one of my trips to Montana in the mid 1990's I planned to visit the RL Winston rod factory in Twin Bridges on our way to Yellowstone National Park. But unfortunately the building was closed because the company was attending a big fly fishing show elsewhere in the country. It's now almost 20 years later and due to a slight change of travel plans during this trip, I had a few hours to spare to drive to Twin Bridges on my way to Bozeman.

I remember having a map on my lap while driving during my last trip in 2005. Nowadays we have this amazing technology called the iPhone, a map app and an unlimited ultra fast LTE temporary data plan for just $60!


The scenery of the trip from Helena to Twin Bridges was amazing.


The last part of the trip to Twin Bridges slowed down a bit due to road construction on highway 55. Both directions had to take turns to drive on the same lane that was available.




Finally Twin Bridges


The familiar view on the Twin Bridges water tower with the Beaverhead river


After a short drive outside the town, the RL Winston rod factory looked just as I remember from many pictures. As famous as this factory is to fly fishermen, it also looked like every other warehouse I've seen along the roads. I parked my red rental car and walked around the front yard. There was this neat little lawn with a sign.






While entering the building I expected the general manager of the plant welcoming vistors with coffee and cup cakes. Too bad I was too late for the daily factory tour at 11 AM. A small front office and a door next to it with the sign 'Winston museum' was all there is.




A room of about 6 x 6 meters (around 20 x 20 ft) with some memorabilia of the history of Winston was displayed. The most eye catching item being a frame with a dozen or so rods from the past, only bamboo and fiber glass rods. There I recognised the Leetle Feller (misspelled as 'Light feller') and the Stalker (misspelled as 'Stalber') glass rod. I wonder how they could make these mistakes on their heritage?...








Besides rods, there were many pictures om the wall. Many of them I remember seeing them in the old Winston catalogs I got at home.






Many tools of era gone by


Gary Howells, one of the best bamboo rod makers ever




A view of the workshop



Did you know that the Sage head rod designer Jerry Siem started at Winston?


It's nice to know the guestbooks of vistors are kept.




Next stop: A day with George Anderson on the Armstrong spring creek!

My 2018 USA trip:

1) Upper stretch of the Elk river (BC)

2) Visit to RL Winston rod factory

3) A day with George Anderson on the Armstrong Spring Creek (MT)

4) Backcountry fishing in Montana

5) West Yellowstone

6) Henry's Fork - part 1

7) Henry's Fork - part 2

8) Henry's Fork - part 3

9) Cutthroat fishing with Dusty & Colt

10) Fiberglass Clave 2018

11) Last day of the trip - Soda Butte & Lamar (YNP)

12) Drone video of my BC / Montana / Idaho trip

Start of USA/Canada trip Aug 2018 - Upper stretch of the Elk river (BC)

This blog started in 2005 as a means to keep my friends in Montana and Idaho informed about my fly fishing whereabouts. Almost 15 years later I'm back in the Rockies, the blog has come full circle.

My two week trip early August 2018 started with a short trip to British Columbia with my friend David, the owner of the Fish Tales fly shop in Calgary. I've known David since the early days of the internet in the mid 1990's. We participated on an internet fly swap and stayed friends ever since.

The idea I had was to fish Michel creek near the town of Sparwood, BC. Michel creek is well known as a very nice westslope cutthroat stream. Unfortunately this stream is recently listed on the restricted waters by the province of BC. This generally means these waters have limited tickets available for fishermen outside of BC and was sold out for the summer. Good thing BC Fishery is changing the reservation system because now these restricted waters are fully booked right away from the start of the year. The idea is to sell tickets in stages during the year. With change of plans the next morning we headed for the upper stretches of the Elk river above Elkford to look for westslope cutthroats.

When I arrived in Calgary the heat was on for several weeks. Due to the heat the whole western coastal area from California to BC there has been numerous forest fires. Daytime temps went as high as 37C / high 90's F! The typical amazing vista of the rocky mountains during the drive to BC was severely hazed by the smoke.



Frank Slide and the smokey sky


After checking in at our motel in Sparwood, we headed for the upper parts of the Elk river above Elkford. The second part of an almost two hour drive to the the upper Elk was a long drive on a dirt road up the mountains.





I'm not sure what caused it but the fishing was very mediocre during the two days in BC. The upper Elk river looked very fishy but the fish we caught were very limited in size and numbers. The extreme heat during this week was probably part of the reason the fishing was so slow.





The next day we decided to try a tributary of the Elk river. The sky opened up a bit after the thunderstorm of the evening before. This stream looked like cutthroat heaven with nice runs and pools, but the results were disappointing too. Fish size were around 8-10 inches.

Due to new restrictions on felt soles in parts of Montana, I bought a new pair of Patagonia Ultralight rubber soled wading boots at David's store. Boy do they feel different than the felt soles I'm used to. In spite of more than 10 years availability of wading boots with rubber soles, the manufacturers still haven't come up with a rubber sole that has the traction that comes even close to felt soles. Without cleats, it's it's like skating on ice on the slippery rocks!









I wanted to get to cross the Montana border before 6 PM, so we decided to call it a quits around 4 PM. David drove back to Calgary and I headed south on highway 3 and 93 to Montana. The idea was to drive as far south until around 9 PM, check in at a motel and drive to Helena to see my dear friend Don and his wife Rosi in the morning.

I arrived in Missoula around 9 PM and saw that all hotels/motels were fully booked. After a phone call to Don, I drove another two hours to Helena to spend the night at Don's place. This slight change of plans meant the next day I had about 3-4 hours to spare on my way to Bozeman.

I decided to drive to Twin Bridges to (finally) visit the Winston rod company.

My 2018 USA trip:

1) Upper stretch of the Elk river (BC)

2) Visit to RL Winston rod factory

3) A day with George Anderson on the Armstrong Spring Creek (MT)

4) Backcountry fishing in Montana

5) West Yellowstone

6) Henry's Fork - part 1

7) Henry's Fork - part 2

8) Henry's Fork - part 3

9) Cutthroat fishing with Dusty & Colt

10) Fiberglass Clave 2018

11) Last day of the trip - Soda Butte & Lamar (YNP)

12) Drone video of my BC / Montana / Idaho trip

Review: Zpey Dreamcatcher II - the ultimate lake rod?

I met Per Pedersen of the Danish company called Zpey at the recent Nordic Fly Fair in Elverum. Per graciously donated a fly line for raffle during the RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival later that month. At the Nordic Fly Fair I did some extensive casting with the Zpey Dreamcatcher II rod, especially the 4 and 5 weight. A short message to Per resulted in arrival of two rods for a review: 9ft #3 and 9ft #4.

Zpey entered the fly fishing market in the mid 2000 with a series of double handed rods with iconic the bent lower handle and has been popular in the Scandinavian salmon fishing scene. Especially with Henrik Mortensen Zpey had a very strong first step in the competitive market. In the meantime Zpey has established itself as a serious company with a good presence in the salmon fishing scene.

These days Zpey has expanded their product line with a broad range of fly rods as well as fly lines and shooting heads. The Dreamcatcher II is listed as a series of rods for typical large Scandinavian rivers, lakes and sea run browns at/near the Scandinavian coasts in the line weights 3 up to 7. All rods are 9ft long (except the 7 weight which is 9.2ft).

The action is typically beefy without being really stiff. The finish looks very similar to the rods made in the same Korean factory by Hardy, Greys, Douglas Outdoors and Loop. Both the 3 and 4 weight rod are finished in a full wells grip and (unusual for light weight rods) an extension butt. Not sure about the heavier rods (6 and 7 weight) but the rods don't look like they are saltwater safe as they both have a nice burl wood spacer.

I was especially curious about the 3 weight rod as opposed to the 4, 5 and 6 weight I cast at the show. Very thoughtfully Per sent the rods together with two reels filled with fly lines. Remarkably both reels were loaded with a fly line one line weight up. Casting both rods with a line weight heavy line feels very smooth and powerful. The action reminds me of the original Sage RPL. The tip isn't particularly soft like the G. Loomis NRX LP, yet it doesn't feel lifeless either. Due to the fast action, casting short around 15-25 feet, even though it still casts remarkably precise, definitely isn't their sweet spot. The best distances seems to be around 40 to 60 ft, while with minimum of false casting reaching to 80ft is quite easy.

Matching the rods with fly lines their own line class turned out to be quite a surprise. Yes, the lines do feel a bit too light up to 20ft, but all together they still cast and feel pretty much similar as with a line weight heavy. With a line weight heavy, the rods load a bit deeper and feels a bit smoother.

Casting a 3 weight line up to 60ft does sound odd. When does one need a delicate presentation like a 3 weight can at such distances (or even further)? The only situation I can think of is shallow lake fishing with long leaders. Fishing at these distances, you certainly need a beefy rod to set the hook. Due to the fast action too light tippet (7x and thinner) is probably not advised. Same goes for the 4 weight rod. This rod is capable of handling quite a broad range of fishing situations, but it's probably at its best when casting long delicate presentations on lakes or large rivers.

Now how does Zpey's rods fit in a very crowded global fly rod line up? For Scandinavian fishermen it is probably a logical choice but for others it is not an easy task. Priced at €510 (almost $600), it's a price range with some serious competition. It's not an entry priced rod (around $350) yet about $200 below the high end rods from established brands like Sage, Winston and G. Loomis. Targeting the American market is going to be quite a challenge with competition from rods with a similar action and price like the Douglas Upstream Plus, Sage Pulse and the Winston Nimbus. My advise would be to concentrate on the Scandinavian market with specific Scandinavian fishing conditions and style. Or as the ultimate (delicate) lake fishing rod.

Review: Douglas DXF

Just did some casting this evening with the new Douglas Outdoors DXF 4864 (8.6ft #4) which was kindly sent to me for a review by Qflyshop.

This rod is made for dry fly fishing. The action is delightfully moderate. Slightly more powerful than their superb Upstream series yet not as beefy as the Upstream Plus series. I particularly liked the rod's delivery between 6 m (20 ft) and 9 m (30 ft). That's probably the distance most dry fly fishing is done. The DXF couldn't match the superb feel of the fiberglas rod by Chris Barclay at 20 ft, but that can't be considered a flaw 😀

The rod has some surprising back bone at the butt section but it's surely not the rod for casting double hopper rigs at 50 ft from a drift boat. For gentle delivery to a sipping trout at 25 ft, it's a winner.

The rod is finished in a matte metallic green color and comes in a codura rod tube. I'd prefer the handsome aluminum tube of the Upstream and the Upstream Plus.

At $349 (in Europe € 349) it's definitely a rod that won't break the bank. Give the rod a test at your local fly shop. You won't win the distance casting competition but surely enjoy some great dry fly fishing on your favourite stream!

Ps.
I did do some distance casting before wrapping up. I ended up casting almost the whole line at around 80 ft. Sorry couldn't help myself! 😀

RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival Rotterdam 2018

It has been five years since the last RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival in 2013 was held here in Rotterdam. The road to the 5th edition has been a bit bumpy.

This year our promotion was solely based on social media rather than physical promotion at fly shops. As much as many think it is, social media's reach isn't as large as we hoped for. We were unable to reach the more casual fly fisher(wo)men. Next time we'll still support the promotion the old fashion way.

The preparation time (about 8 weeks) turned out to be a bit too short. Also planning later in the year, mid May, as apposed to February was didn't help either. We are not sure what hurt the sales the most but we didn't sell out by about 20%.

It was great to see people coming to the cinema to enjoy some amazing movies. Viewing on a large cinema screen is definitely a different league than a laptop screen or even a TV screen. It was nice to see the excited faces after the show. The diversity of the movies was just right to cater for interest of just about every type of fishery.

What did go extremely well this time was the number of sponsors. The give aways made available by the sponsors during the raffle were quite nice, including a free weekend at a fly fishing lodge along the river Kyll in Germany and a half day guiding in Slovenia.

We are looking to see if we can host the next venue in 2019 in another cinema in Rotterdam. We are also planning the date back to the usual period in February/March.

Finally I would like to thank our sponsors.

Next stop: a short fishing trip in June?

Nordic Fly fair 2018

Last weekend I was invited to tie some flies at the Nordic Fly Fair in Elverum, Norway. Elverum is about an 1.5 hour drive north from Oslo. My friend Roger Enger Lie, a superb fly tier himself, is the fly tying coordinator at the show. The venue was held at the wonderful Norwegian Forestry museum in Elverum.

In the late 1980's / early 1990's this show had quite an international attendance. But due to the rise of the internet and the costs of inviting international tiers the show has been closed down for more than a decade. Mid 2010 the show slowly made its comeback. Now it's basically focused on Scandinavian fly fishermen. This year's fly tiers line up, except two, were all from Sweden and Norway.

The show itself is of a much smaller scale than the other shows I've attended, giving it a very cosy atmosphere. I met many new friends and saw a few old friends at the show. The BBQ after the first day was very enjoyable with great food and friends.

Over the whole weekend an estimated 800 people visited the show. Many families enjoyed a day out, probably combining the show and a visit to the museum. I tied Humpies, Alien Bugs and some mice. Always love the look on the faces once they see the mouse (check out his finger! 😀).

The weather during the weekend was amazing. The locals said it felt like summer so I eagerly took many opportunities to go outside to try some rods (love the new Orvis Helios 3 9ft #4, the softer 'F' version) at the casting pond as well as simply having a chat with fellow tiers.

I also managed to haul in Zpey, that had a booth outside, as a sponsor for the coming RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival. Their new single hand rods, called the Dreamcatcher, are quite nice. I liked their 9ft #4 (how surprising?). Zpey's new fly line called Precision also surprised me as a smooth casting fly line. Several walks in the museum itself were quite interesting too. I wonder if anyone else thought there were nice fly tying material scattered all over the museum? 😀

The hospitality of Roger's family really made the whole trip one to remember. I would also like to thank the people of the Forestry museum for their hospitality as well. And thank you my fellow tiers for a great weekend! And thank you David Stenström for the photo of me making a mess!


Next stop: the 5th edition of the RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival in Rotterdam!

Tips for tying with deer hair

Here are some great tips on tying with deer hair from my late friend Chris Helm.

Birthday present

My birthday present arrived today from South Africa.
It's my Humpy painted by the talented artist Gavin Erwin.
Love it! 😀

My other Humpy paintings by:

Ryan Keane

Cindy Day

Marcel Terblanche

Books from South Africa

The African continent has, due to the British heritage, a surprising long tradition of fly fishing. Like Kenya that started with introducing brown trout in the local waters from Loch Leven in 1909. The Kenya's Fly Fishers Club goes back to 1919! CNN made a great documentary about the fly fishing history in Kenya.

My first introductory of South Africa as a fly fishing destination was by book  'The South African Fly Fishing Handbook' which I bought in the early 2000. Reading this book I encountered the typical fly fishing & tying culture of SA. Truth to be told, the reason I bought the book while browsing in a book store in the first place were the nice pictures where the fishermen caught their fish using the Orvis Superfine rods in gin clear small streams. Back in the 1980's as a school kid I marvelled at the Orvis rods in the various catalogs 😀

Recently Peter Brigg and Ed Herbst wrote a new book about the typical fly patterns that originated from South Africa. This book gives a very nice overview of the development of patterns that started with old English patterns from the early 1900's. The first shipment of the book got lost but the second shipment arrived after a long journey. I love the Humpy drawing by Peter! Thanks guys!

Busy year

It's going to be quite a busy year. At least till fall.

During spring we got the Dutch Fly Fair and the Nordic Fly Fair where I will be tying at both shows.
On May 15th I'll be hosting the 5th edition of the RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival in Rotterdam.

During the summer I'll be visiting some friends (and fish) in Alberta, Montana and Idaho. Going back to the places that started this blog back in September 2005. I'm happy I finally get to fish the Henry's Fork after all these years.

Probably also doing some fishing in June as well. Destination will probably be Austria again.

Keep posted for many news to come!

Update April 24, 2018:
The Dutch Fly Fair was wonderful.
Amazing weather, great setting and catching up with old friends.






















Next stop: Nordic Fly Fair in Elverum, Norway!

Finding Fontinalis

Wow what a documentary!
It starts as an exciting quest to beat the 100 year old world record for brook trout and ends as a conservation initiative to save the home of the brook trout in Patagonia.

Great story, amazing cinematography and mind-blowing scenery. This documentary can be seen with a VOD (Video on Demand) option in Vimeo for $7.99.

Italian bamboo maker Edoardo Scapin

I've seen many (short) videos on bamboo fly rod making. It's still amazing how a natural material like bamboo gets transformed to a beautiful fly rod.

This short video shows the very talented Italian maker Edoardo Scapin in his workshop and on the beautiful river where he enjoys fishing with his fly rods.