T.F.M. STORE - Eagle Claw Featherlight & Crafted Glass

So it's been quite awhile since I've had any sort of stock of Featherlight fly rods or spinning rods in the T.F.M. Store.  For whatever reason the local distributor that I was working with just stopped answering emails or taking phone calls so it led me to a more direct route of getting and keeping these offerings in stock which should make things quite a bit better.

In my opinion, the Eagle Claw Featherlight fly rod is the quintessential "first fly rod" or "first experience with glass".  Consider these the PBR of angling.  Cheap with a cult following and easy to grab from behind the truck seat or trunk anytime you can get just a few minutes on the water.  Are they my favorite fly rod or spinning rod?  No.  But did the Featherlight open a whole new world to me in fly fishing twenty odd years ago?  Undoubtedly, yes.

So, here is the line up of Featherlight and Crafted Glass fly rods and spinning rods that I will be offering in the T.F.M. Store.  I am also reducing the price from $45 to $40 shipped in the U.S.A. which includes T.F.M. decals and a Retro Fly koozie of  your color choice.  Additional discounts available if multiple fly rods, spinning rods or a mix are ordered. 

EAGLE CLAW FEATHERLIGHT FLY RODS
6'6" 3/4 Weight - Two Piece  
7' 5/6 Weight - Two Piece
8' 5/6 Weight - Two Piece

EAGLE CLAW FEATHERLIGHT SPINNING RODS
5'6" Ultralight Glass - Two Piece - 2-6 Pound Line Weight - 1/16-3/8 Ounce Lure Weight
6'6" Ultralight Glass - Two Piece - 2-6 Pound Line Weight - 1/16-3/8 Ounce Lure Weight
7' Medium Light - Two Piece - 4-8 Pound Light Weight - 1/16-1/2 Ounce Lure Weight

EAGLE CLAW CRAFTED GLASS SPINNING RODS
5'6" Light - Two Piece - 2-6 Pound Line Weight - 1/4-1/2 Ounce Lure Weight
6'6" Medium - Two Piece - 4-12 Pound Line Weight - 1/4-5/8 Ounce Lure Weight
8'2" Medium Heavy - Two Piece - 10-25 Pound Line Weight - 1/2-3 Ounce Lure Weight

All spinning rods can all be ordered as a combo with an Eagle Claw spinning reel.  Email for details.

Interested in placing an order or have questions that I can answer?  Please send an email to thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.com.  I can take payment through PayPal, check or credit card.  International orders possible but shipping can get quite expensive.

Additional swag offerings in the T.F.M. Store and T.F.M. Decals pages. 

GT HUNT - Cosmoledo

No Zen here, just sixteen minutes of Grand Trevally badassery around the outer atolls of the Seychelles with the Alphonse Fishing Company.  HOT DAMN.



More goodness on the Black Fly Eyes Vimeo channel.

SCOTT FLY ROD COMPANY - The New F Series

A couple of months ago Jim Bartschi of Scott Fly Rod Company emailed to pass along that they were working on the next generation of the Fibertouch fly rods and everything would be ready for a debut at iCAST.  I've been eager to pass this information along and have some first look images along with more background from Jim Bartschi in today's post.   

The focus of the new Fibertouch fly rods was to circle back on the over 45 year long history of this series and boil it down to what made it sweet from the start with short, deep loading high performance fly rods that excel on small water.

Excerpts from several emails from Jim Bartschi...

"I've decided to look to the roots of glass and Scott's history.  I think we've lost some of the attributes of glass by speeding the rods up too much (F2 may have led that change).  I'm leaving S-glass behind and going back to a more traditional weave of all E-glass fiber.  

My goal with the series is to have true short range rods that load up with just a few feet of line out and shine in that 0-20' range.  Get the rods to load in very close and form sweet loops with a few feet of line out that have great stability and control while feeling light and responsive.  I want a lot of bend and feel in them, but with some engineering to keep them more stable than F2.  

In short, I want rods that really show off the attributes of the material in the application I think it works best-short light line rods for close range fishing.

These are all new tapers, back to E-glass with a new epoxy resin, newly designed hollow internal ferrule, new components-all best in class from snake brand universals to titanium strippers and flor grade cork.  A lot of mass was removed and the they feel very light but still track and recover well.  Wall thickness was also greatly reduced.  A combination of resin and layup allowed us to keep them light and stabilized which is not easy to reconcile with glass."

The new F Series is now here and offered in the following models in two, three and four weight and in four or five piece fly rods that are priced at $695.

• FS 6224 - 6'2" - 2 Line - 4 Piece
• FS 5834 - 5'8" - 3 Line - 4 Piece
• FS 6634 - 6'6" - 3 Line - 4 Piece
• FS 7235 - 7'2" - 3 Line - 5 Piece
• FS 7244 - 7'4" - 4 Line - 4 Piece

Fibertouch fly rods come with a lifetime warranty and are built one at a time in Montrose, Colorado with Snake Brand Universal snake guides, Flor grade cork grips, titanium SiC strippers, and CNC milled reel seats with measuring wraps and alignment dots.

I've said it before that I really think the introduction of the F2 in 2010 (can you believe that was 8 years ago?) was the turning point where the fly fishing industry woke up that there was a market and a real deepening interest in contemporary fiberglass fly rods by anglers.  It wasn't too long afterwards that most of the major fly rod companies started to introduce their own series of glass fly rods and it's really been neat to follow along with this over the years.

The Scott Fly Rod Company website re-launched this week and additional information on the new F Series can be found there.  Click through model by model for fly line recommendations as well.

ANGLING TRADE - Summer 2018

The latest issue of Angling Trade went live this week about the same time as iCAST was kicking off in Orlando.  This issue covers a lot of ground and industry news with a peek at some new fly fishing products coming to a fly shop near you.

Kirk Deeter of Angling Trade is going on camera each afternoon at iCAST with a run down of notable new products from the show and I'll update this post through the week with additional video links. 

DAY 1
DAY 2 (with commentary of the new Scott F fly rod series)

You can read the Angling Trade Summer 2018 Show Issue HERE.

KICKSTARTER - Tight Loops Presents "Big Land"

The latest film idea from Tight Loops is the end of a recent wave of Kickstarter projects that I've shared on T.F.M. the past week or so.  I have really enjoyed the work of Aimee and Chase over the past several years and "Big Land" looks like quite an adventure.  Make sure that you watch the video they created to explain the project.

Take a few minutes to visit the Tight Loops website and Kickstarter page to learn more about the "Big Land" project.  Follow along on their exploits and progress on Instagram and Vimeo.

THE MISSION - Issue 10

The latest issue of The Mission is live and ready for a read through on your lazy Sunday.  Always free and this issue is jam packed with goodness from all over the world to enjoy.

CHECK IT.

GRAYWOLF RODS - Another Milestone Reached with Build #700

A couple days ago Shane Gray of Graywolf Rods sent me a text with a photograph which showed "No. 700" written in white ink across a hand rolled Steffen Brothers fiberglass fly rod blank and it just made me smile.  I get a kick out of seeing  the ever growing list of custom builders find success in the craft of making fiberglass fly rods and Shane's work continues to set the benchmark for quality and consistency.  It's very neat to see Shane reach yet another milestone in his career as a custom fly rod builder.

It's fitting that No. 700 would be on a Steffen Brothers blank as those were some of the very first blanks that Shane built on and there's just nothing bad to say about that 8' 3/4 weight taper.  This is one of my favorite fly rods (I like it as a four weight) and everyone should have this fly rod in their collection. 

Shane wrote...  "Here you go with Build #700 of the numbered fiberglass fly rods since we first met. Although I have built countless other fiberglass rods, I only number the "mainstays" such as the Steffen, Mcfarland, Kabuto, Ijuin, Morgan, my own blanks which I offered for several years along with a few others.

The premium built glass rods are the only ones that get a consecutive serial number.

Thanks for the introduction to glass many years ago."

Take some time to visit the Graywolf Rods website and follow along with the latest shop news on Facebook and Instagram.