Rods on-hand 

Rod #1.  SII-Glass 7'6" 4 wt. 4pc. Fly Rod                $255 plus shipping 

 

Medium-fast SII glass 7’6” #4 rod in a 4 piece tip over butt ferrule configuration. Quality, black-braided, light uplocking reel seat with a dark maple burl insert, cork reverse-wells grip, black single-foot guides, and a black ceramic ring stripper.  Olive Rod comes with rod bag and black aluminum tube.  $255, plus shipping.  This is a really nice s-glass rod at a really nice price.

 

Rod #2.  Proprietary IM7 Graphite Fly Rod 7'6" #3/4, 4piece          $350 plus shipping 

 This chic rod consists of a rugged blend of matte black IM7 graphite giving it a smooth moderate-fast action that is a real pleasure to cast.  For transport, the 4 piece tip over butt ferrules make the rod light and compact. 

The up-locking UL3 seat is anodized aluminum and will hold any sized reel foot, while the grip is a modern reversed half-wells polymer produced by Winn Grips, famous makers of grip technology in the world of golf, tennis, and bicycling for reduced fatigue, enhanced control, and reduced injuries from repetitive motion.  

Stylish wraps are burgundy red nylon with gold metallic trim.  Guides include a chrome wire dark ceramic stripper, and chrome snakes.  The Rod comes with a black nylon bag and black aluminum tube, all for $350 plus shipping.

Rod #3.   Black Matrix IM6 Graphite Small Stream 6'6" #2, 2piece                      $350

This rod is featured in my section on graphite small stream rods.  It is a moderate-fast action in a stealthy charcoal gray color.  The 6'6" is a true 2 weight, and one of my long-time favorites for small streams and wet or dry flies.  Casts are progressive, accurate and smooth.  The rod comes with the tube and bag shown. 

 

 

 

 

Rod #4.  Honey Lamiglas Small Stream E-glass 7'0" 2 piece #3 Line   -         $435 

My 2019 version of the timeless e-glass honey lamiglas.  This slow-action classic requires a relaxed stroke that will make you forget all about the hustle and bustle and those whiplash fast graphite rods.  The 7’0” 3 weight is the choice of many anglers for all small stream fishing.  The rod comes with a custom cloth bag, and aluminum tube, and is fitted with an agate stripper, stainless steel chromed light wire snakes, and a nickel-silver Bellinger pocketed cap and ring with Garrison-style knurling.  The sliding ring is swaged for a perfect fit, the seat spacer is cork under the sliding ring, and brown cocobolo wood under the cap.  This is the configuration Garrison used when he wanted a strong, well-fitting seat, and it remains a classic today.  The wraps are candy-apple red with sunburst trim.  

 

Rod #5 E-glass Jenkins PLG 7'6" #5, or 7'3" #4, 2 pc.      $350 + shipping 

The Jenkins PLG blank is a red earth color, lightly sanded blank rolled from a traditional e-glass material. It is a moderate action rod with the progressive smoothness, harkening back to bamboo that only e-glass tapers can provide.  There are two lengths: 7’3” for a #4 line, and a 7’6” for a #5 line.
 
I build the Jenkins PLG with Lemke aluminum reel seats in either cap and ring, or down-locking thread-lock.  Wrap colors are brown nylon with gold trim.  This rod comes with a custom bag and a black aluminum storage tube.

 

Rod #6.  Proprietary IM7 Graphite 9'0" #5 weight                                     $350 (Sold)
 

Made of a proprietary blend of light, IM7 graphite, this blank has a smooth, moderate-fast action that is a real pleasure to cast.  Blank color is matte-black, wraps are olive with red accents, a black stripping guide, and chromed snake guides.  The rod is four piece for easy travel with a matching rod bag, and a quality, Pacific Fly PVC tube.  $350 is a real bargain for a rod of this quality.

 

 

Rod #7.  Custom TFO Finesse Glass 7'0" #3/4 wt.  Unidirectional S-Glass     $320 plus shipping 

The TFO Finesse Fiberglass rod has the same great action and casting characteristics of traditional e-glass, but with reduced weight, and quicker tip recovery.  Featuring unidirectional s-glass, these rods have a moderate action that is smooth, and deliberate; pleasing to those who appreciate feeling the rod work.  This is ideal for fishing small flies, with fine tippets on small streams.

Factory FSG models feature heavy, up-locking reel seats with hardwood spacers and too long, 7 inch reversed half wells grips.  My version features a lighter, premium aluminum REC cap and ring reel seat with a morticed brown cocobolo spacer, and a proportional 5.5 inch comfortable, hand turned, cigar grip cork grip.  Wraps are gold with brown tipping, chromed snake guides and a ceramic stripper.  My version also comes with a custom rod bag and black aluminum tube, all for $320.

 

Rod #8  NFC Iconoglass 7’6” #4 (once again available), or 8'#5 of S-2/Zentron Glass SALE $375 plus shipping

This is the latest by renowned rod designer, Gary Loomis.  His designs, over the years, have become legendary, and this new taper by North Fork Composites is of that ilk.

  

Zentron resembles other S-glass, but it has properties similar to graphite that gives this rod twice the modulus of regular glass with only half the weight.  It endows the rod with the feel and action of fiberglass, but with much improved strength, response, and damage tolerance that graphite cannot provide. Unlike earlier glass, there is also much less tip bounce.  The rod casts as smooth as silk.

 

I call my versions "The Ghost," because they are built on a clear (white) blank and wrapped with almost clear wihite silk wraps that give the rod an ethereal feel.  Iconoglass blanks also come in several colors that I can build by special request, although supply is limited at the present time.  AND these blanks are made in the USA!

 

 

 

 

Rod #9: IM7 Graphite 7'0" #3 weight Rod                                    $225 plus shipping

 

This is a moderate-fast rod built on a charcoal gray blank with translucent imperial purple nylon wraps trimmed with translucent yellow.  Guides are chromed stainless snake guides with a black hardoloy stripper.  This is a great rod for small to medium streams, and light tippets.  Rod comes with a custom flannel bag.  Sorry, no tube at this time.

 

Rod #10.  New Old Stock Fenwick Graphite GFL965 Build            $250 plus shipping

New old stock (NOS) build of a Fenwick high modulus graphite (HMG) gray blank.  This is the Fenwick GFL 96-5 (G for graphite, F for Fly, L for blank, 96” (8’) #5 line). 

In the late 1980s this was a popular, well-selling blank for Fenwick.  These make smooth casting, accurate rods that are a joy to cast compared to the whiplash casting of modern graphite.  Today, early graphite affectionados refer to them as “slow graphite,” and still eagerly seek them out. 

I have appointed this rod with a traditional birdseye maple down-locking nickel anodized aluminum reel seat, and a NOS Fenwick pre-shaped 7 ½” cork grip.  Guides include stainless snake guides and a silver frame NOS black ceramic stripper.   Windings are gray nylon with white and black accents.  I have overwrapped the sleeve ferrule in a fashion typical of the time.  The rod comes in a custom bag and black aluminum tube.  For sale at $250 plus shipping.

 

 

Rod #11 Livingston Rod Company 8'6" #5 wt.            $550 + shipping (SOLD)

These are the best glass rods on the market for big water and large flies, among other situations.  Livingston Westerns are light and responsive and flex deeply, but have a quick recovery.  Dusty Smith, the proprietor, rolls these right here in Montana, USA on his own mandrels and rolling equipment.  He works in black, or white glass these days. 

 Recently, being a small business dealing with Covid, blank availability has been a problem, but I was able to get this blank from Dusty last year, and built it out this winter for your consideration.  Dusty says that using newer, more advanced SII-glass has forced him to tweak the design, but he has now perfected it.  He has retained a 3 pc design that has the original feel, flex, and, performance of the original.  My experience in comparing this rod against my favorite, and much-loved, original Western is that he got it right.

 This rod is unsanded black glass with blue and white nylon wraps.  Guides are chromed stainless steel snakes, hook keeper, and a chromed wire ceramic stripper. Franke-style, hand-turned cork grip, with a Lemke dark nickel down-locking seat and dark gray burl wood spacer complements the fittings.  Rod comes with a black aluminum tube and a stylish trimmed black and blue bag.  $550

 

Thanks for Looking