Category Archives: Bamboo Fly Rods

Fly Fishing Crazy… 18 months on-line and growing.

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

It’s been an exciting year and a half at Fly Fishing Crazy, to say the least. I’ve been working hard to publish one of the best on-line Fly Shops where my customers feel comfortable browsing the many pages and products I have been able to assemble. My website www.flyfishingcrazy.com has been up and running for a little over a year and a half.

I began this humble venture as a means of supplementing my retirement income, so I can take a fly fishing trip or two. My goals were modest… a couple hundred bucks a month, clear profit, means a lot. Not being able to afford a Brick & Mortar store and stock thousands of dollars in inventory on my retirement income, I started cold calling all the major companies in the industry and asked if they would consider me as a dealer and, more importantly, if they would drop ship directly to my customers. No after No seemed to be the theme. Now, I understand that these companies need to protect the interest of their Fly Shop dealers, but how about giving the little guy (and I’m not talking physical) a break! Not being a quitter, I decided to call Brian at Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel. I had been fishing a 9’0″ 3wt Elkhorn Traveler rod and T1 reel for 8 years and it was always one of  my favorite outfits (and still is today). Brian has a small fly shop in Loveland, CO (recently moved to a larger and better location) and carries his own line of Fly Rods and Fly Reels. Brian was apprehensive at first, but I finally persuaded him that, although I couldn’t guarantee him any volume, an occasional sale is a sale. I must have perfected my sales pitch by then. Since I live in Colorado, I decided to concentrate locally on adding additional vendors. Rocky at Stone Creek in Greeley, CO must have felt sorry for me, too, and said yes. He gave me the name of a custom rod builder in Wellington, CO, Terry Johnson of TL Johnson Companies. I called Terry and found out that he has been in the business of building fly rods for over 25 years and knows more people in the industry than you can shake a stick at. Right away he said, sure a sale is a sale. Come to find out, he owns Fish Creek Rods as well. I just scored on a High End fly rod line but a really sweet import line as well.

That was enough to get started loading products and categories on my site. The business model I choose affords me low overhead and means I can offer competitive pricing and Free U.S. Shipping on all my products. I began with just Fly Rods and Fly Reels from Elkhorn, Stone Creek, Fish Creek and TL Johnson. As I visited local fly shops, I noticed that, in addition to the apparel and terminal tackle for fly fishing, they all carried books and fish art. So my next target was the art. I called Mike Savlen at Savlen Studios in NH and got permission to sell his Giclee prints of Saltwater Fish. Then in September I was able to sneak into the Fly Fishing Retailer’s Show in Denver and met Derek DeYoung of Livingston, MT, Matt Schliske in Fort Collins, CO and Vincent Su from Littleton, CO. I was able to add Derek’s freshwater artwork to compliment Mike’s and was amazed at the parachute flies Vincent tied with his patented 720-Vise, so I schmoozed him into letting me add his fly vise to my pages. Matt Schliske and his Rattlesnake Creek Krew buddies make some of the most gorgeous Bamboo Fly Rods you could ever lay your eyes on, and they cast as good as they look. Matt is a custom bamboo maker, but he has 4 standard models that I got permission to post on my site. Things are looking up!

I met a guy on Facebook, Joe Mahler, who is a graphic Illustrator. I sent him a message asking how much he charges for a custom Logo. He replied back with “between $1000 and $1200″. I gave a big hard swallow and replied back that, although I couldn’t afford that at the time, I really liked his work and would keep him in mind. About 3 weeks later, I got a FB message from Joe saying he had been looking at my site and he thought it was ‘Screaming for something CRAZY’ (do ‘ya think?) and that he had doodled a sketch and asked if I would want to look at it. I replied back with “Sure, but I still can’t afford it”.  He emailed me the black and white sketch and said that, in his mind, there was nothing crazier than a fly fishing bear. Right below that, he said he would be interested in taking a TL Johnson Fiberglass rod in exchange.  –SCORE– I couldn’t turn that deal down and that is where my Crazy Bear and Crazy Rainbow came from. The full logo is now available on my adult Tees and the Crazy Bear and Crazy Rainbow are available on kids Tees.

I met my next three artists on FB. Rob “Fishbone” Goins does some amazing aluminum fish sculptures, mostly saltwater, but his son in NC is doing freshwater aluminum fish sculptures and I am working on him at the moment. Rebecca Haydock and A.D. Maddox offer Giclee fish, and fishing scene, prints.

Last fall, I met Nathan Stodghill on FB and he introduced me to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. I started volunteering at the Denver VA hospital, teaching Disabled Vets how to tie flies, cast a fly rod and taking them out fishing. I mentioned to Terry Johnson that a couple of us volunteers wanted to hold a rod building class for the Vets and he donated a pile of out of production fly rod blanks and some guides. Matt White a local member of the Fly Rod Builder’s Guild, took the lead on the class and we had 8 Vets build there own rods. Stone Creek gave me a deal on rod tubes with reel pouch, David Brittain called Lamson and got reels donated and we took the guys out to a private ranch with 9 stocked lakes and a mile of stream to try them out. This year, I added a new vendor Shane Gray, Graywolf Productions, in MI. He builds custom bamboo and fiberglass rods, but he volunteered to build a custom graphite rod for us to raffle off for Project Healing Waters. Matt White also custom built one of the blanks from Terry and that will be raffled as well in January at the Denver Fly Fishing Show.

The Denver chapter of Project Healing Waters had a booth at this year’s Fly Fishing Retailer’s Show which I worked part-time. My time has been limited, since August, because of health related issues in the family, but I was able to work the show and meet some new vendors. I met Mike Westfall, owner of Blue Ribbon Nets. He is making some beautiful, 4 wood construction, fishing nets with standard mesh or rubber net. His Jacklin Guide model with rubber net compares favorably with Brodin nets.

All in all, it’s been a great 18 months. It’s a tough bunch of businesses to compete with, especially on the Web. Try doing a Google search for “fly rod blanks”. You’ll find me on page 1. I’m still trying to find my niche, but with a name like FlyFishingCrazy.com in the fly rod business, how can I  go wrong? Kinda rolls of the tongue like MacDonalds and Hamburgers.

If you want affordable quality at Crazy prices, check me out and watch for future additions.

Tight Lines——–<*))))><
Larry Snyder

http://www.flyfishingcrazy.com

larry@flyfishingcrazy.com

What if Fish Could READ?

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

If they could read, fish would be mightily impressed by some of today’s “glamour” FLY RODS. You know the ones – trendy names, slick advertising, hefty price tags. The “glamour” rod companies want us to believe that their rods are the best. Truth be told, the only thing that impresses fish is presentation.  Fish are impressed by how naturally your fly settles on the water, how delicately your rod mends line for a drag-free-drift, how exacting your cast is delivered to precisely where the fish is feeding, and how sensitively your dexterity is transmitted from rod to line to fly to water to fish.

When I go into a fly shop and pick up one of these pricey rods, I already know that they can cast a nice line. But, for the money, I look deeper. I look at the thread wraps and the finish. More and more, I can find flaws in almost all of them. A thread wrap or two with a slight gap. A finish coat that has a low spot where the epoxy didn’t flow evenly. Nothing critical to the fish-ability of the rod, but… COME ON… $800 plus dollars worth? This is a result of producing thousands of these rods and the company bean counters not wanting to affect profitability by rejecting the minor imperfections. I can almost hear quality control saying “Our name is enough to excuse those small flaws”. Or turning a blind eye…”What flaws?”

That’s why Fly Fishing CRAZY sells FLY RODS that are built for down-to-earth fly fishers who want fine, affordable, honest performance and quality above fancy labels and high budget-advertising. Let me begin with some import rods that will give you performance and value. Many of the Trendy Name companies have a lower end rod model or two that are imports (HINT – Assembled in the U.S.A. does not mean Made in the U.S.A.). Most import rods are made in either China or Korea. Korea seems to be setting the quality standard today for imports. Elkhorn Fly Rods and Reels are made in Korea under tight scrutiny from Elkhorn’s owner.  These rods are not fancy.  They have a clear finish as opposes to colorful paint jobs on high end rods. They don’t have the nickel silver hardware, but the hardware is high quality and very functional. They don’t appear to have any more flaws than the $800 rods and for a savings of about $600, I’m willing to accept a couple of thread and finish flaws. Put them alongside the glamour rods and they won’t catch the eye of the fisherman, but put them in the hand of an experienced fisherman and they will catch those illiterate trout all day, every day, with many years of service. One of my favorite rods is a 9′ 3 weight 4 piece Elkhorn Traveler that I’ve been fishing for eight years.  I’ve landed many trout over 20 inches with that 3 weight, too. For more details, read my blog Elkhorn Product Review or go to my Elkhorn products page.

.If you are looking for Made in the U.S.A., you need to look no further than Graywolf Products, T.L. Johnson and Matt Schliske for Bamboo Fly Rods, T.L. Johnson for graphite rods, and both Graywolf and T.L. Johnson for fiberglass rods.

I’ll start alphabetically with Bamboo: The smallest and most affordable of my bamboo makers is Graywolf Products in Michigan. Shane Gray has been building rods most of his life and offers a lifetime warranty. In addition to bamboo, he also builds fiberglass and graphite rods. The later two are built with quality U.S. made blanks that he purchases, but the bamboo is 100% made by Shane. Shhh… don’t tell anyone, but starting at about $900, these are a steal. Shane told me “I want my customers to feel like they got a great rod without feeling ripped off”. He builds his bamboo blanks using all the traditional tapers, especially Payne and Dickerson. And they ALL come with 2 tips. He will sometimes add a swelled butt to the traditional tapers that give the rods a little more backbone to punch into the wind easier without sacrificing the dry fly finesse of the bamboo. Shane Gray builds some of the nickel silver hardware himself and he turns his own reel seat inserts and cork grips.  His cigar grips are very traditional, but his reverse half wells grips are turned thin at the fore end so you can feel the flex of the rod all the way down into the grip. Shane’s custom bamboo rods are made under the S.A. Gray name. I recently had my custom S.A. Gray 7’6″ 4 weight Payne 100 taper rod along to show the volunteers at the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing class. These experienced fly casters used phrases like “Casts like Silk”, “Smooth as Butter” and “You stole that Rod”.  Pretty high praise I believe.
Next up, is T.L. Johnson Bamboo in Wellington, CO. Terry Johnson has been building rods for over 25 years. I’ve never cast one of his bamboos, but his build quality is flawless and even though his main forte is graphite, he builds a sweet looking “BOO”.
Last and possibly the best bamboo maker around is Matt Schliske in Fort Collins, CO. Matt and 4 friends he refers to as the “Rattlesnake Krew” build some absolute “works of art” in his garage. These rods will make your jaw drop when you lay eyes on them. They are way out of my price league, but after casting a couple at the Fly Fishing Retailers Show last September and literally drooling over them, I can tell you these rods are like Ferrari is to racing.

Up next… Fiberglass: Glass fly rods were almost forgotten in the 70′s and 80′s with the newer, thinner and lighter graphite rods. Today, there is a resurgence in glass rods. New techniques have brought about thinner, stronger and lighter fiberglass blanks. Fiberglass gives you the delicate presentation of bamboo without the price. Shane Gray of Graywolf products buys U.S. made blanks and then, using his lifetime skills as a rod builder, puts some beautiful classic touches in a fine fiberglass rod.
T.L. Johnson Synergy Glass rods are, possibly, the ultimate in fiberglass fly rods.  Terry’s new, 2010, SG rods are designed to be thinner and lighter. He builds his blanks in his own factory using the latest high-tech glass fibers and then adds a thin layer of low modulus graphite in the butt section to make a rod that is gentle to cast, light in hand and very durable. The graphite gives the butt an extra stiffness to cast into the wind, referred to as “Western Thinking” by Joe Cornwall of flyfishohio.com. You don’t need to look any further for a surprisingly sensitive and responsive fly rod.

Finally – Graphite: Terry Johnson makes his own blanks from high modulus graphite using his exclusive uni-directional, carbon helix construction techniques. These rods maintain superior hoop strength and improved response. His exclusive ferruling system reduces section to section flat spots, a lighter swing weight and smoother load transfer. The new 2010 models are thinner, lighter and stronger because of his unique blank construction. Terry then uses superior quality, ultralight components to build his rods lighter and stronger than his competitors. I am using a 2009 model SLX 9′ 5wt extra-fast action demo rod he gave me and I’ll put it up against any of the “yuppie” brands on the market today.  Terry has definitely thrown down the gauntlet to those trendy companies… BUILD IT RIGHT OR GO HOME!

Graphite FLY RODS from ELKHORN, T.L. JOHNSON, STONE CREEK, FISH CREEK, SHELBYVILLE and TALON.  100% U.S.A. made fiberglass FLY RODS from T.L. JOHNSON and GRAYWOLF PRODUCTS.  Bamboo FLY RODS by MATT SCHLISKE, GRAYWOLF AND T.L. JOHNSON. These are names that fish don’t need to READ to get hooked!

Tight Lines———–<*))))><
Larry V Snyder
Owner -Rocky Mountain Web Connection
http://www.flyfishingcrazy.com
email: larry@flyfishingcrazy.com

T.L. Johnson Rods – A Step Above!… and 100% U.S. made

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

What’s with all the name association in this country?  Today’s society seems to be all about what brand we own.  For years, here in the U.S. at least, car enthusiasts all wanted a BMW for sporty driving or Lexus and Mercedes if you were into luxury, or Toyota and Honda meant reliability.  None of them were U.S. companies.

When it comes to Fly Fishing gearheads, Made in the U.S.A. is the “IN Thing”.  But how many U.S. rod makers can actually say that ALL of their models are made in the U.S.A.?  I know of only one!  My guess is, NONE of the big name manufacturers can say that.  They may be able to say all are “Assembled in the U.S.”, but their low end rods have blanks made overseas.

Enter T. L. Johnson Rod Company.  Every rod… let me repeat that… Every rod that Terry Johnson puts his company name on is made in the U.S.A.  Terry owns his own blank shop where he builds blanks with a unique uni-directional graphite.  His 2010 rods are lighter in hand and stronger in strength.  Greater accuracy and more casting distance with less effort are the result of high-modulus graphite using exclusive carbon helix construction techniques.  Terry’s rods are perfectly balanced for short or long casts.  This unique construction creates rods that maintain superior hoop strength as well as improved response.  His exclusive ferruling system reduces section to section flat spots, swing weight and has a smoother load transfer.  All are backed by T.L. Johnson’s lifetime warranty… and did I mention U.S. made?

Here’s a rundown on his products.  I’ll start with his Glass Rod… the Synergy Glass is a 2 piece rod in 7’0″, 7’6″ and 8’0″ in line weights 4 and 5.  There appears to be a resurgence in fiberglass rods these days.  They are a gentler action than graphite without the softness of bamboo.  Terry’s new, 2010, Synergy Glass SG rods are designed to be thinner and lighter than his 2009 Synergy Glass rods.  Subtle and sweet yet powerful best describes the T.L. Johnson Synergy Glass fly rod.  The latest high-tech glass fibers and low modulus graphite are used to create a rod that is gentle to cast, light in hand and very durable, yet stays within the boundaries of traditional glass rods.  The SG rods are finished in a beautiful olive with matching wraps. The seat is a bright aluminum cap and ring with a cork insert.  The classic components of this gorgeous rod make it a great choice for dry fly, yet the slight bit of graphite used in the butt section gives it enough backbone to toss some nymphs.

Entry level for his graphite rods is the Emerger Series 2.  Fitted with quality components, but kept affordable, this rod is made for anglers who need a rod which meets budget criteria without skimping on quality. ES2 rods come in 4 piece configuration and are Medium-Fast action and a beautiful Cobalt Blue color. The ES2 is a true workhorse rod that won’t break the bank!  I don’t think you can find a finer rod under $400 that is made by a master craftsman from a U.S. made blank.

Terry’s top of  the line Legacy Collection consisting of 3 models; Legacy Light (LL), Legacy All Water (L2X), and Legacy Extreme Line Speed (LX).  All Legacy rods are 4 piece and Colorado Spruce Green.

LL Rods are very Light in weight, line weights offered are 2-5, and a medium action designed for fresh water dry fly fishing.  They come with high-quality components and a Classic Design Nickel Silver uplocking seat with wood insert.  LL rods come in a 7’0′ and 7’9″ 2 weight; 7’6″, 7’9″, 8’3″ and 8’9″ 3 weights; 7’6″, 8’0″, 8’3″, 8’9″ and 9’0″ 4 weights; 8’6″ and 9’0″ 5 weights are a bargain at $675.

L2X rods are a Fast action designed for fresh and salt water.  They come in 9’0″ 4-10 weights and a 12 weight, 9’6″ 5 and 7 weights and a 10’0″ 7 weight.  $685 up to and including 8 weights, $695 for 9 – 10 and $725 for the 12 weight.

Legacy Extreme, LX rods are an extra fast action designed for fresh and salt water. They are handcrafted with Classic Design Nickel uplock reel seat with cocobolo spacer standard.  LX rods are 9’0″ 4 – 10 weights and 9’6″ 6 and 7 weights and are $685 up to and including 8 weights, $695 for 9 – 10 weight rods.

If your looking for sporty performance, drive a T.L. Johnson rod.  If your looking for luxury, drive a T.L. Johnson rod.  And if reliability is of concern, look no further than T.L. Johnson.

Purchasing a T.L. Johnson rod buys you a certain exclusivity not available with the more popular U.S. brands.  Treat yourself to possibly the BEST rods “Made in the U.S.A.”

The quality of his rods are putting the fly fishing industry on notice.  ”Build it right or stay home.”

This is T.L. Johnson country!

P.S.  Until this year, Terry has not sold his blanks.  Now, all of his blanks are available for purchase at 1/2 the finished rod price.

Tight Lines————-<*))))><
Larry Snyder
FlyFishingCrazy.com
Phone: 303-755-2105
email: larry@flyfishingcrazy.com


If I should die before I wake… Let me Fly Fish in heaven!

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

I, like many of you, love FLY FISHING and some of my friends and family have called me CRAZY at times.  The feel of fighting a big fish on a FLY ROD and palming the rim of the FLY REEL to add additional, run stopping, pressure to an already smooth drag is exhilarating to say the least.

Think about those memorable fishing trips you’ve taken and then think of the destinations you dream of.  Imagine yourself on the fabled streams of Pennsylvania, New York and New England, then fishing famous Colorado streams like the South Platte River, Colorado and Arkansas Rivers, the Williams Fork, Frying Pan, Roaring Fork and numerous others.  Picture yourself in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park fishing the Yellowstone River, Slough Creek, Fire Hole, Gibbon, Lamar and Lewis.  Then have a blast FLY FISHING for Chinook (King) Salmon in late September and early October on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan.  I could go on and on talking about fishing in other states like northern California, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.  And let’s not forget Alaska. There is no place in the USA that can rival its beauty and fishing.

Pass your passion on to your children and grandchildren.  Teach them to know the joy of “Perpetrating the Fraud” with FLY ROD and REEL and to feel the pulsing, head shaking runs of trout, salmon, bass or even Bluegill on fly tackle.  Think of the joy you will receive when they tie their own handmade flies or build their own rods.

Those are the things that have sustained my passion over the years.  My hope is that you too can find the love for this sport, whether it’s taking up FLY FISHING for the first time yourself, feeding your current CRAZY passion, or even outfitting and teaching a child.  Let this be one of your greatest obsessions.

So, until Heaven calls, let me help you make your FLY FISHING memorable… and CRAZY!

Tight Lines————–<*))))><
Larry Snyder
Fly Fishing CRAZY

Some great Fly Fishing websites!

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

In the past, I wrote a blog about Tradd (Troutdawg) Duggans sites Fly Fish Addiction and Fly Fish Addiction Blogspot.  In addition to Tradd’s great sites, offering insight to Fly Fishing throughout Colorado and around the world, I have come across 2 other sites that offer Fly Fisherman a great deal to read and think about.

The first is Rocky Mountain Troutfitters. Wade Seymour started fly fishing Colorado waters at a very young age.  He worked as a guide at a local Denver area Fly Shop and realized that fame and fortune would only come with starting his own guiding business which he started this summer.  In addition to his fishing expertise he is EMT certified.  Although he specializes in fishing Rocky Mountain National Park, he is intimately familiar with the other “Troutspots” of the Colorado high country.  He recently created the Flying Pigs Club Blog named for his Dad’s quote “did you see that flying pig?” after landing a monster Rainbow .

Next is a new friend I met on-line today and had to call and talk to him in person.  Phil Light created flyfishreviews.com as a way to make available, to fly fishermen, a database of information on fly fishing gear of all types.  Phil lives near and fishes the storied streams of south central Pennsylvania.  Legendary waters like the Letort, Yellow Breeches and Falling Springs are his stomping grounds.  His website offers Product Reviews, Forums and Blogs.  It’s geared more towards the GEAR.  Visit flyfishreviews.com, create a login and get busy reading a writing reviews.

Tight Lines——-<*))))><
Larry Snyder
Owner and President of
Rocky Mountain Web Connection, LLC
and FlyFishingCrazy.com

2009 Fly Fishing Retailer Show – the Old and the New

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

The 2009 Fly Fishing Retailer Show in Denver concluded yesterday.  I only had one day to spend there so I didn’t get to visit all the booths.  Fly rods, fly reels, fly lines, fly tying, fishing waders, tackle bags, fish art and more where on display.

As you would expect, there were all the Old well know brands present, but I wanted to talk to and get to know some of the Newer or lesser known brands and products.  There were several that I was very impressed with.

To start out, I met with Teeg Stouffer the executive director of Recycled Fish and videographer Michael Mauro of Mauro Media who where creating a Fish Schtick video media of the show and the retailers who support Teeg’s non-profit organization.  Recycled Fish is dedicated to catch and release fishing and protecting our streams and lakes through ecologically water stewardship practices.  As stated on his website, “Catch and Release alone won’t solve the problems facing our fisheries.”  I encourage you to join his cause at http://recycledfish.org

Then I visited Vincent Su at his booth displaying his revolutionary 720 Vise that adds a new horizontal rotation dimension to the current 360 fly tying vises by having a fully rotational base.  This allows you to tie those extended body and parachute hackle flies with ease.  Look for these vises to be added to my Fly Fishing CRAZY site this fall.

Kendall Carson at Pins & Fins, LLC from Loveland, CO has some new breathable waist waders with far superior breathing and waterproof qualities than Goretex and advanced design in the foot section.

One fly reel company of note was Teton USA.  As the name implies, their fly reels are 100% made in the USA.

A couple of up and coming brands of fly rods, Mystic and Loop, that may not have quite the name recognition of Sage, Scott, Winston and St. Croix.  Mystic is a Michigan company while Loop is designed and built in Sweden.

Schliske Bamboo Rio Grande

Photo Copyright Matt Schliske - "Rio Grande" fly rod - http://www.bamboo-fisher.com

Schliske Finespot Bamboo Rod

Photo Copyright Matt Schliske - "Finespot" Fly Rod - http://www.bamboo-fisher.com

But, in my opinion, the show stealer is another Colorado company that makes some of the best bamboo fly rods you can find.  Schliske Bamboo Fly Rods are hand crafted in Fort Collins, CO by 35 year old owner and master craftsman Matt Schliske and his Rattlesnake Creek Krew.  The Krew is a group of friends who share the passion of creating gorgeous bamboo fly rods in classic styles.  Every rod has beautiful agate stripping guides and measuring wraps at 16, 18 and 20 inches so you don’t have to guess the size of that trophy.  With Matt, it’s not all about the Oooohs and Aaaahs of his customers reaction when they first lay eyes on the masterpiece they just purchased, but he gets excited about providing some of the finest fishing rods on the stream.  The rods I tried not only have the delicate presentation you expect from a great bamboo rod, but have the power to cast streamers and heavy nymphs long distances.  I am far from an expert caster, but I was easily casting a tight line and laying down delicate presentations out to 45′.  At any given time, there was no shortage of Schliske rods being tested at the casting pond.  People were just eating up the casting quality provided by these rods.  Oh, and did I mention the Oooohs and Aaaahs?  I hope to be adding these exquisite rods to be on my Fly Fishing CRAZY site soon.

Schliske Bamboo

Photo Copyright Matt Schliske - www.bamboo-fisher.com

Product Review: Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel is a small company in Loveland, CO.  They produce high quality, affordable products that will give you a lifetime of service without breaking the bank.  Elkhorn now offers over 50 models of high performance, affordable fly rods in weights 1 through 12. Three and six piece spey rods and hand crafted two piece, two tipped, bamboo rods are among the latest offerings.

But they didn’t stop there.  They also offer precision machine cut fly reels in their affordable lineup.  No “die-cast” or inexpensive shortcuts are taken in the construction of these quality fly reels. Currently, two series of Elkhorn fly reels, the MA and T Series, are offered to perfectly complement their graphite fly rods and a Classic Series that when matched to their bamboo rods will please even the most discriminating purist.

I’ve been fishing one of Elkhorn’s most popular Traveler Series rods for about 7 years now.  It is a 9’0”, 3 weight, 4 piece rod and is matched to an Elkhorn T1 reel.  I use this everywhere in Colorado.  I prefer the feel of the light line and progressive medium-fast action over my 5 and 6 weight rods when fishing Colorado streams and Rivers.  It generates some serious line speed.  The 4 pc. rod measures 30 ½ inches in the case.

Elkhorn Ultralight Pack Series 7 Piece

Elkhorn Ultralight Pack Series 7 Piece

If you’ve ever hiked into a remote area to fish, you know that light weight and compact is important. Elkhorn’s 5x Series 5 piece rods pack to 20-25 inches. And their Ultralight Pack Series 7 Piece Rods pack down to 17-19 inches.  Both have a seamless progressive medium-fast action. The 5 piece comes in 3-5 weight with a 9’ 8 weight available as well. The Ultralight 7 Piece comes in either a 8’6” 4 weight or a 9’ 5 weight.  I’ve never fished these rods, but have checked them out in Brian’s store and the 7 piece feels to have the action and flexibility of a 3 or 4 piece, while the 5X would compare to most 2 or 3 piece rods.

As I said earlier, Elkhorn makes some quality affordable fly reels to compliment their fine lineup of rods. Their most popular is the T Series. It is a mid-arbor reel that features an over-sized cork-on-delrin disc drag system for deep, smooth, controlled stopping power. This drag design ranges from free spinning to “stop them in their tracks” power. It provides a perfect choice for fresh or saltwater applications at a sensible price.  The T series is available in four sizes. The T-1 covers 2/3/4 weight lines , T-2 is 5/6 weight, T-3 is 7/8 weight and the T-4 handles 9-12 weight lines.  And, of course, all Elkhorn reels include a reel pouch.

Next is their MA Series. MA stands for maximum arbor which translates to faster line pickup and minimum line coil. These gorgeous reels are fully machined with multiple lightening ports to remove excess material without compromising strength. And these reels incorporate a cork-on-teflon disc drag system. The result is an ultra-light reel with work horse stopping power.

Elkhorn’s Classic Series reels are manufactured to replicate reels of much higher cost from days gone by, yet offer the same look and feel of these beautifully crafted reels. Machined from billet stock, these reels feature an authentic click/pawl drag system sure to please even the most discriminating purist.  Available in two colors: Antique Gold or Silver.  As with all Elkhorn reels, they include a reel pouch.

Now, for you ladies!  Elkhorn has incorporated pink and raspberry colors in some of their model rods and reels.  These colors are absolutely gorgeous and will stand out on the stream like a Gucci purse. I took a Raspberry Traveler Series 905-4 Rod and a Raspberry T-1 Reel to fly fishing class and the women couldn’t take their eyes off of it.  The t-3 and T-4 Reels also come in a gorgeous dark blue color as well.

Elkhorn T Series Raspberry

Elkhorn T Series Raspberry

Check out all these products plus the Western, Big Game, EX and Tonkin Split Bamboo Series rods, plus their complete line of blanks at www.flyfishingcrazy.com and for a nominal fee, Brian will even laser engrave your business logo and/or name in the reel seat for a truly custom outfit.

I’ll be seeing you at Fly Fishing Crazy.

Tight Lines———<*)))><

Larry Snyder

Owner: Rocky Mountain Web Connection, LLC