JP ROSS - Beaver Meadow S- Glass Blanks Price Hike Coming...

If you've filled up your car with gasoline or bought groceries lately then you've felt the pinch of rising costs and late this past week Jordan Ross of JP Ross Fly Rods & Co. reached out to say that due to supply costs that the price on the Beaver Meadow S-Glass blanks will be bumping up early next month.

So, if you've been on the fence about picking up a blank or two from JP Ross Fly Rods, now is the time to click the "Add to Cart" button.

 

There is a lot of good buzz about this latest version of the Beaver Meadow series of blanks and they fit nicely in that "trout weights" category for all your small stream needs.

The Beaver Meadow S-Glass blanks are available in the following lengths and line weights...

• 6'6" - 2 Weight - 4 Piece
• 6'6" - 3-Weight - 4 Piece
• 7" - 3-Weight - 4 Piece
• 7'6" - 4-Weight - 4 Piece
• 8' - 5-Weight - 4 Piece

Visit the JP Ross Fly Rods & Co. website to read more about the Beaver Meadow S-Glass blanks and other offerings.  Have questions?  JP is happy to hear from you through email.

P.S.  You'll get an additional 10% off if you sign up for the JP Ross Fly Rods newsletter list.
 

6 Good Reads

I hope that your weekend involves some quiet time to recharge and you have a chance to take a few minutes to read through this six-pack of articles which cover stories of addiction to becoming a phenom, a lost bird found again, a rabbit hole of stories from Marsh Wear, a trip south for Ivan, a V-Stick Custom Fly Rods shop visit, and a birthday celebration. 

GARDEN & GUN - NATHANIEL'S STORY

BIRD NERD ALERT

MARSH WEAR - THE TIDE LOG STORIES

TROUTS FLY FISHING - IVAN GOES TO PATAGONIA

CTS GOES ON A FIELD TRIP TO V-STICK CUSTOM FLY RODS

TOM MORGAN RODSMITHS - A BONEFISH BIRTHDAY

Okay, back to your weekend of leisure...

ORVIS Presents - If I Tell Them

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and more stories like this need to be told.  Press PLAY...

 

 

Hats off to James Sampsel of Humble Heron Fly Fishing & Fine Art for his bravery in telling his story.

BER FLY RODS - The Thomas & Thomas Lotic 744-3

On the international scene, Paolo Bernabei of Ber Fly Rods of Viterbo, Italy is one of my most favorite fly rod builders and it isn't because he always seems to figure out a way to sneak in a couple well placed T.F.M. decals into his photo sets either.  His work is well thought out and the attention to details within all parts of his build is immaculate.  

Need proof?  Check out his latest build on the Thomas & Thomas Lotic 7'4" 4-weight blank and see for yourself.  I agree with Paolo's thoughts that the Lotic should get more attention, especially in the four and five-weight.  These short and progressive tapers are wonderful to spend time on the water with.

 

Paolo wrote...  "Market launched in 2017, it was love at first sight with the Thomas & Thomas Lotic and today it is finally an honour for me to work on such a prestigious blank.

 

The spiral finish drove me crazy (my favorite), the lightness compared to the previous glass (Heirloom) is clear and the response times more swift.

 

Definitely a modern glass that does not tend to imitate bamboo, characterized by a highly progressive flex profile (as the Mother House declares).

 

The look of the rod is elegant and full of details, entirely agreed and decided with the customer who has excellent tastes.

 

The grip is ventiliated semi-Ritz that gives a unique comfort to the touch, and lets glimpse the deep blue between one disc and another.

 

The reelseat is composed of a beautiful and selected fragment of Zebrano from West Africa, from an hardware bi-metal brass and ergal ring and knurling in low relief, entirely made in my lab.  The guides are by Snake Brand and the honey banded agate stripping guide is made by Ernest Czeladz of Perfect Agate.

 

Wraps made of honey/gold coloured Japanese silk and honey tip complete the assembly.  It was a long and busy assemby but with great satisfaction.  

 

Dear Matt, I hope that you will be satisfied with my work.  Enjoy this jewel as much as you can!"

 

Visit the Ber Fly Rods website to see more of Paolo's work and follow along with the latest shop news on Instagram.

MAD RIVER OUTFITTERS - This Orvis Retro Style Reel is BACK

You had a first look at the new Orvis C.F.O. III fly reel in yesterday's T.F.M. post and today Brian Flechsig from Mad River Outfitters takes a deep dive into this heritage fly reel sharing his thoughts on why retro is so darn cool.

Mad River Outfitters puts a lot of focus on their YouTube channel and if you haven't subscribed, you certainly should.

BONEFISH & TARPON TRUST - SAVE THE SLIME

I can't remember the last time I put hands on a bonefish (it's been too long) but there is certainly some overlap with care for taking a photograph of any caught fish with these simple suggestions from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust on best practices once reach the boat with their 'Save the Slime' campaign.

 

Visit the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust website to check out the Save the Slime campaign and do your part to catch and release your catch with best practices to assist in their survival.  

 

I'm going to work on doing better about following suggestions #1 through #4 when I'm on the water.

GRAYWOLF RODS - The 2022 Trout Smiths Series Lineup

The wheels in the head of Shane Gray of Graywolf Rods always seem to be spinning and his latest announcement is that the 2022 Trout Smiths lineup has been released with a couple E-Glass fly rods and then a series of four-piece pack fly rods that range from 1/2 weight to 4/5 weight.   

These are limited premium fly rods with part of the offering available now for purchase.

 

Shane wrote...  "I have spent an exorbitant amount of time designing, fine tuning and building this year's new Trout Smiths rod line up.  I am currently offering the fiberglass fly rods I built under this brand name.

I will admit I have a limited quantity of each rod.  I make these rods myself and it takes time as I'm still a one man shop but I waited until I had a pretty good stock of finished rods before I released them.  I am building rods daily so I am confident that currently I have a zero wait time as several are ready to ship.

As far as how I chose the models in this year's lineup, I sent demos out to a few folks, and fished (Okay,  cast) several myself.  Any that did not come back with a 100% positive review I did not continue to make. So what I have available are the rods I think are the best I can offer.

The description of each series is here can by found on the Graywolf Rods website.

 

My warranty on these rods is simple.  Each rod is guaranteed for as long as I can build them.  If you break a section, I will replace with a new section for $50 along with the cost of return shipping.

Each rod comes with a nice rod bag made by Jillian at Between Two Banks and a quality aluminum tube with Trout Smiths sticker.

I feel like these rods fall into a sweet spot that is not seen everywhere with a couple 7' three-piece fly rods in 4-weight and 5-weight that are smooth, full flexing with a classic feel.  Consider this a true 4-weight and true 5-weight in all respects.

I designed the four-piece models as glass pack rods with models from 6' to 7'6".  This makes them easy to travel with and these fly rods pack some extra power.  They have a moderate quick action and the fly rods are cross weighted.  For me?  I prefer the higher line destination.

If you have any questions about the Trout Smiths series or anything else that I am building right now, please reach out through the Contact Me page on my website."

 

Visit the Graywolf Rods website for more information and keep up with the latest shop news on Facebook and Instagram.