Tag Archives: fly fishing rods

New and Improved Project Healing Water fly rod from Fly Fishing Crazy!

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing
Healing Those Who Serve

As a proud volunteer for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing in Denver, CO, helping our disabled active duty soldiers and veterans has become a big part of my life.  Last year, ProjectHealingWaters.org gave me permission to produce a custom built fly rod to be sold exclusively through FlyFishingCrazy.com.   These rods compliment the great PHW rod sold by Temple Forks Outfitters.

The tittle of this blog states a New and Improved, fly rod from Fly Fishing Crazy, so what’s new and what’s improved?  First, I have introduced 4 separate grades of rods.  The first 3 are available in trout models and All-Purpose models which are designed for fresh or saltwater with all aluminum reel seats, small fighting butt and 2 stripper guides.  The top of the line “Evening Dress Blues” grade is only available in trout models.  It’s just too high class to try and make it saltwater worthy.  These rods are based on custom blanks made exclusively for Fly Fishing Crazy. The Freshwater fly rods are built on unique T.L. Johnson designed and built blanks in line weights 4-6.  The 8’6″ 4 weight rod is a Medium/Fast action incorporating a graphite resin system along with helical reinforcement.  The 9′ 4-6 weight rods are a Fast action blank that incorporates a unique graphite resin system that is a high modulus blend. The unique construction of these rod blank designs make them very light, yet extremely durable. Project Healing Waters fly rods are balanced to achieve low swing weight.  The All-Purpose models are available in 6-8 weight and are built on the same fine blank, but come with saltwater approved reel seats with small fighting butt, a full wells grip and 2 stripper guides.  All-Purpose rods will handle the big freshwater species too, as proven by Matt Smythe, The Fishing Poet, who fished one of my 6wt demo rods for steelhead on the Salmon River in New York state (read his review below).

Starting with the “Enlisted” Grade, you get a quality black anodized aluminum reel seat with walnut insert, a delrin winding check, Olive thread w/ three spiral NCP Olive accent wraps (BDU – Battle Dress Uniform colors), and black guides and tip-top.  The second grade is “NCO” Grade or “NCO” Grade All-Purpose.  This will get you a bright anodized reel seat with walnut insert (pewter anodized seat available for $10 more), delrin winding check, Branch of Service or BDU colors, bright guides and tip-top.  Next is the “Class A” Grade or “Class A” Grade All-Purpose which comes loaded with Nickel Silver reel seat with Premium Gun-Stock Walnut insert, Nickel winding check, Branch of Service colors and bright hardened chrome guides and tip-top.  Finally, the “Evening Dress Blues” Grade is adorned with Gun-Barrel Blued Nickel Silver reel seat, Premium Walnut insert, Blued Nickel winding check, Branch of Service colors and TiCH black snake guides and tip-top.  The hardware is upgraded to provide a higher quality rod for the price.  All rods are built on a matte finish blank and beautifully Hand Inscribed with “Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing”, rod length, line weight and serial number.

Why should you buy a custom U.S. built rod from FlyFishingCrazy.com?

You’re looking for a new fly rod.

Scenario 1: You go to the nearest fly shop and pay $300 – $800 and you get a nice rod.

Scenario 2: You pay $369 – $489 for a Project Healing Waters fly rod… you get free shipping in the U.S., a great custom built rod and 20% + $20 gets donated to Project Healing Waters to help our wounded and disabled vets.

IT’S YOUR CALL!                    and it’s well worth the 4-8 week build time for these custom U.S. made fly rods!

As an on-line fly shop owner, I have some great resources to draw on.  Terry Johnson of T.L. Johnson Rod Company in Wellington, CO is one of this countries best custom boutique fly rod builders.  Terry is producing all of my custom Project Healing Waters fly rods that will be sold exclusively through my website FlyFishingCrazy.com. Terry builds his own blanks here in the U.S. so what better choice for a custom rod to support our troops than one that is 100% U.S. made. Terry has been building rods for over 25 years and has worked for many of the big name companies before starting his own company in 2003. He is, in my honest opinion, one of the finest rod builders in the U.S., if not the world. Terry is a perfectionist and you can see it in his wraps. I chose one of Terry’s more affordable blanks for several reasons. I thought that the matte gray finish of his FX series rods would give a more military look and this rod should, by all comparisons of the “yuppie” brands, sell for $500-$600, but will start at $369 (fully optioned will be $489).

Project Healing Waters rod
Black thread with 3 spiral gold wraps

Branch of Service colors (available on all but the “Enlisted” Grade) are:
• Army – Black with Gold Accent *
• Navy – Dark Blue with White Accent
• Marines Corps – Red with Gold Accent
• Air Force – Blue with Silver Accent
• Coast Guard – Blue with Red Accent

* Having served in the 1st Signal Brigade USASTRATCOM, Phu Lam Signal Base, Viet Nam ’67, I have Army fly rod Serial # 001. It is an 8’6″ 4 weight built with Blued Nickel and Gunstock Walnut reel seat upgrades.  HOOOAH!

All rods are hand inscribed with “Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing”, rod length, line weight, and serial number.
They are custom built as they are ordered, so please allow 4-8 weeks build time.

Rod Features:

All Rods Feature:

  • U.S. built 4 piece matte finish gray, fast action graphite blank (4wt is med/fast action)
  • Extra fine reverse half wells cork grip (line weights 7, 8 and model 691-4 will have full wells w/small fighting butt)
  • Burgundy cordura pocketed rod tube included

“Enlisted” Grade rods include:

  • Reel seat is Black anodized aluminum with walnut insert on 4-6wt.  691-4 All-purpose and 7 – 8 weight rods have all aluminum black seat with small fighting butt
  • Delrin winding check
  • Guides and Tip-Top – black
  • Thread color – Olive with 3 spiral NCO Olive accent wraps (BDU)

“NCO” Grade (Freshwater and All-Purpose) rods include:

  • Reel seat is Bright anodized aluminum with walnut insert on 4-6wt.  691-4 All-purpose and 7 – 8 weight rods have an all aluminum C seat with small fighting butt
  • Delrin winding check
  • Guides and Tip-Top – bright
  • Thread color - Branch of Service colors (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy) and BDU

“Class A” Grade (Freshwater and All-Purpose) rods include:

  • Reel seat is Nickel Silver with Premium Gunstock Walnut insert on 4-6wt.  691-4 All-purpose and 7 – 8 weight rods have a gorgeous Champagne anodized aluminum seat with small fighting butt
  • Nickel Silver winding check
  • Guides and Tip-Top – chrome
  • Thread color -  Branch of Service colors only  (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy)

“Evening Dress Blues” Grade rods include:

  • Reel seat is Gun-Barrel Blued Nickel Silver with Premium Gunstock Walnut insert.
  • Blued Nickel Silver winding check
  • Guides and Tip-Top – TiCH Black chrome
  • Thread color -  Branch of Service colors only  (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy)
Project Healing Waters rod with Stone Creek Halcyon reel
Army Rod #001 with Stone Creek Halcyon reel
Read the Reviews… 
Brian La Rue of the “Fly Fishing Examiner” writes:  TL Johnson offers Project Healing Waters rod to benefit veterans
Kyle Perkins “compleatthought.com” writes:  http://compleatthought.com/2011/10/03/project-healing-waters-fly-rods/
Matt Smythe “The Fishing Poet” tested a 6wt on New York’s Salmon River Steelhead: http://www.fishingpoet.com/2011/11/fly-rods-for-a-great-cause/

In case you haven’t heard of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, let me begin with their Mission Statement. “Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings.” Founded in 2005 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, DC, with help from local Trout Unlimited (TU) and Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) volunteers, they currently have over 70 programs in cities around the U.S. and Canada.

I volunteer for the Denver, CO program, started by Clyde (Marty) Matinez in 2008. Beginning in January, the 2011 year started off at the Denver Fly Fishing Show where we co-hosted a booth with the Ft. Carson, Colorado Springs chapter. We then followed with fly tying classes at the VA Hospital in Denver. About 8 disabled veterans, mostly from the Vietnam era learned the basics by tying a Black Beauty, Woolly Bugger, Pheasant Tail, Elk Hair Caddis and Adams. Four weeks ago, we began a fly rod building class in the Nursing Home adjacent to the VA. Last week, we began a fly tying class at the VA clinic in Aurora, CO with 6 Vets with disabilities in attendance. As the weather warms, we will be starting casting classes at both the Denver VA and Aurora clinic. Out first, of many, outings will be at the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Lake Lehow on April 6th. The Vets should have an exciting day as it’s almost impossible to make a half dozen casts without a hookup.  In 2011 we provide 19 fishing trips and have a goal of 30 trips for 2012.  This brings me around to fund raising. Local trips are not a huge deal cost wise, but in order to take some of our soldiers on a trip of a lifetime to Alaska, we need to raise some money. Currently, at the 2012 Denver International Sportsmen’s Expo, we are raffling off 2 fly rods that were donated by Doug Borer Bamboo and custom builder and volunteer Jim Sawyer.

Several great companies in the industry are supporting Project Healing Waters. Temple Forks Outfitters is one of them. They donate $25 for each Project Healing Waters fly rod they sell. TFO has been selling their Project Healing Waters fly rod for several years now and, at $150, it is a great value for the money. But, like any $150 rod, it left the door open for U.S. quality and that is why I am offering my great rod to compliment the one from TFO.

There are many ways to support our troops. I have chosen to share my joy of fly fishing and the peacefulness of a trout stream or lake by volunteering to take a soldier fishing.  Project Healing Waters has taken on this venture on a nationwide scale and has made a difference in the lives of many veterans. Men and women who have a hard time finding a reason to smile will grin from ear to ear when they hook into a fish on a fly rod. I’ve witnessed this first hand. Please help them to regain the peace in their lives that they fought so hard to provide for us.

Buy a Fly Rod… Help the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings. The solitude of a trout stream or the calm waters of a lake have a healing power that can’t be explained, but also, can’t be denied!

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

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

Looking for a GREAT DEAL on FLY ROD BLANK BLEMS and Finished Rod blems?

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

Looking for a GREAT DEAL on U.S. made FLY ROD BLANKS and Finished Rods?  Check these out!!

If you’re familiar with T L Johnson Fly Rods, you will immediately know what a fantastic deal this is.  If not, I can say that, in my opinion, Terry Johnson is possibly the finest Fly Rod builder in the U.S.  He builds his own blanks using a helical uni-directional graphite.  Every rod that he puts his name on is meticulously built without any of the flaws that you can find in the factory produced “name brand” rods.

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!

T.L. Johnson blem blanks/ finished rods from old stock/ blems.  Unbelievable deals to be had, limited stock on most models.  All models are discontinued models and colors or cosmetic blems.  Blanks themself are first rate, color changes or small imperfections make them not production quality.  These blanks and rods are U.S. made by T.L. Johnson Companies.

Get more than 63% off a high end Extra Fast action T L Johnson Legacy Series Graphite Blank . Terry has made available some blems that have minor cosmetic flaws, almost unperceivable, scratches in the paint.  Being the perfectionist he is, Terry can’t sell these as new so we are going to blow them out at unbelievable prices. These blanks normally sell for $342.50 $125.00 NOW $115.00. Completed rods would sell for $685.
How about a med/fast action T L Johnson Emerger Series Blem and Discontinued Stock blank?  Full retail on these blanks is $187.50 $90.00 NOW $85.00. Completed rods sell for $375.

Sale is over on the Legacy Series finished rod blems.  See next paragraph for the Emerger Series finished rod blems. If that doesn’t flip your nymph, how about a finished T L Johnson Legacy Series Graphite Rod Blem for $250.00 (normally $685.00) That’s right… a completed T L Johnson rod for 63% off retail. Black Anodized Aluminum Seat with matching Green Woven Graphite Spacer (same reel seat as used on Winston B2X rods), Matching Black Stripping Guides and hard Chrome Snakes and Tip Top, Cordura Covered RodTube Included.
The finished T L Johnson Emerger Series Blem and Discontinued Stock Rods are $175.00 (normally $375). All Gloss Green finished rods come with Black Anodized Aluminum Seat with matching Green Woven Graphite Spacer (same as found on Winston B2X rods), Matching Black Stripping Guides and hard Chrome Snakes and Tip Top. Cordura Covered Rod Tube Included. Quality Seat Available on the other color models.

Blems are sold as-is with no warranty.
Any Questions call:
Larry Snyder
http://www.flyfishingcrazy.com
303-755-2105
or email: larry@flyfishingcrazy.com

Fish Creek Brightwater Rod/Reel Combo

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

Get a FREE Fly Reel with the purchase of a complete Fly Fishing Combo at Fly Fishing Crazy.  Purchase the new Fly Rod and Reel combo at the CRAZY price of $169.00.  The complete outfit includes a Fish Creek Brightwater Fly Rod with Rod Tube, a Fish Creek Brightwater Fly Reel and a WFF Fly Line with 50 yards of backing.

Fish Creek Brightwater Fly Rod

Fish Creek Brightwater Fly Reel

Fish Creek Brightwater Fly Reel

Fish Creek Brightwater Fly Rod

The Brightwater Series Fly Rod is a medium-fast action, IM6 graphite and comes in a beautiful Burgundy color.  The Brightwater Series Fly Reel is a Standard Arbor made with a Die Cast Ported Aluminum Frame, E-Z Change – Left/Right Retrieve conversion and a Click Drag on the 3/4 weight or Disc Drag on the 5/6 and 7/8/9 weights.  The fly line and backing come in a fly line box. The Rod retails for $149.99, the Reel lists at $79.99 and the Fly Line sells for $29.99. Individually the pieces of this complete outfit retail for over $259.00.

Fish Creek is a TL Johnson company.

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

Premium Fly Rod Blanks made in the U.S.A.

Posted on by Fly Fishing Crazy

Want to have one of the finest fly rods in the World, but it’s price is just a little out of your reach? Build your own!
T. L. Johnson Fly Rods are now available in blanks. The cost is half the finished fly rod price. That’s right… You can buy his ($375 finished) Emerger 2 fly rod blanks for $187.50. Even if you use high end compontents, you can build it for under $300. His SL3-X fly rod blanks sell for $362.50 whereas a finished SL3-X costs $725. Again, finish it yourself for $450 – $500. The SL3 and SL3-P blanks are $342.50 also.  The Legacy Light (LL) blanks are $337.50.  New models for 2011 are is HLX at $247.50 ($495 finished) and the FX, a new entry level rod, at $325 finished and only $162.50 for the blank.  That’s right, a 100% U.S. made rod for $325!
Don’t be fooled by who makes their blanks in the U.S. and who doesn’t. Unlike other manufacturers, Terry Johnson doesn’t put his name on his import line. His Fish Creek fly rods are built overseas to his exacting specifications and are great casting and affordable, but are sold under the Fish Creek brand. If it has the T. L . Johnson name, you know the rods are made entirely in the U.S.A. Terry has his own blank shop in Yuma Arizona where he builds all the blanks for his T. L. Johnson brand. His patented high-modulus graphite, using exclusive carbon helix uni-directional construction techniques, creates a blank with 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. T.L. Johnson’s commitment to the highest quality is apparent in his entire collection.

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!

Contact me if you have any questions regarding availability.
Tight Lines————-<*))))><
Larry
FlyFishingCrazy.com