The news release posted below from
Thomas & Thomas has been bouncing around the internet for several weeks now and it's a good read that's worth your time. 50 years is quite a history and Tom Dorsey's focus on design, craftsmanship and innovation will long be remembered. Thomas & Tomas CEO Neville Orsmond should be given a lot of credit for pushing the company to where it is today and it's been interesting to watch how his progressive direction and commitment to tradition has brought a lot of success, along with awards, with the T&T team in a relatively short time.
GREENFIELD, MA - May 30, 2019—When graduate student Tom Dorsey set out to build his own
bamboo fly rod in the late 60s, little did he know his experimentation would lead to the founding of a
rod making company that would endure the coming decades. In 2019, Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods
(T&T) celebrates its 50 year of crafting fly rods in the United States, and with that, reflects on what
it’s taken to make, “The rod you will eventually own.”
Consumed by a passion for fly fishing, but unable to afford the equipment, Dorsey and his brother-in-law Tom Maxwell (the two married sisters) set out to build their own bamboo rods. Trained by a
relative, the two soon became full-time rod builders. Thomas & Thomas was founded in
Chambersburg, PA in 1969. While the American fly-angling scene became saturated with and fixated
on the advances of mass-produced fiberglass rods, the Toms stayed the course of American
craftsmanship in their small cabin workshop which sat on the banks of a limestone stream. They
rejected the cookie-cutter techniques becoming all the rage and adhered to American traditions of
high craftsmanship and heirloom quality. That quality garnered the attention of angling legends Vince
Marinaro, Ernest Schwiebert and others who proclaimed T&T rods unrivaled in performance and
craftsmanship.
Not long after founding T&T, the Toms were presented with the opportunity to purchase rod making
equipment and the largest cache of Tonkin bamboo in North America in Turner Falls, MA. The
company relocated there in 1974 and continued operations.
Around this time, graphite entered the market. While the Toms rejected fiberglass through the 60s,
they felt their values could transfer to graphite (Though, T&T would make fiberglass rods as a retro
nod some decades later.). In 1977 they created their first T&T graphite rods, stamped with distinct
touches, such as stunning rosewood inserts. As always, they maintained a mantra of “form follows
function,” using the same rules applied to bamboo rod making.
Whether crafting graphite, fiberglass or bamboo rods, Dorsey emphasized that the T&T process does
not adhere to strict formulas produced by engineering software, but rather, good old fashioned
casting and hand-craftsmanship, “a tedious, but rewarding task, which I view as an empirical process,
more akin to the culinary arts than science. Try and then tweak, change, try again and change some
more. This not only requires good casting skills and technique, but diagnostic insight and an ability to
evaluate results—what to change, where to change, to what degree and what those changes should
accomplish.”
John Carpenter, a custom woodworker who joined T&T in the late 90s, noted, “The two Toms tried to
preserve the idea of a finely crafted handmade bamboo rods no matter what material they were
using. They continued to reject the standards of modern mass-produced, machine-made items in
favor of thoughtfully handmade items that would last through generations. That spoke to me because
it fit into my idea as a woodworker of how we should make finely designed and crafted things that are
designed to last and be appreciated.”
Each and every rod was tested and the smallest adjustments made by hand to correct any
imperfections, standards still in practice by T&T rod makers today. Because Dorsey was an early
adopter of two-handed casting, T&T built some of the first graphite spey rods on the American
market. It wasn’t until the 90s that the company’s graphite rods were painted T&T blue to make the
product stand out in stores. The color has remained a staple since.
Tom Dorsey sold T&T in the 80s (Maxwell left in the 70s.), whereby the company underwent a cycle of
ups and downs. Rod sales were boosted by increases in the average American’s leisure time in the
90s, as well as the release of the industry-altering A River Runs Through It (1992). In 2001, the
company moved across the Connecticut River to Greenfield, MA and floundered during the financial
crash of 2007, where it remained in a delicate state for some years.
In 2013, South African businessman and angler Neville Orsmond visited the T&T plant out of sheer
curiosity to see where his favorite rods were made. There, he realized the need and opportunity to
rescue the storied brand. In 2014, the chance to take the helm at T&T set the stage for the realization
of a lifelong dream – to work alongside Tom Dorsey, creating the world’s finest fly rods. Orsmond’s
aim was to infuse the company with new enthusiasm and ambition around the company’s goals and
marketing. Those combined factors have come together to grow the brand and the sales volume
reflects those efforts. Maintaining a strong commitment to an American-made product was also of
utmost importance.
“It’s been a collaborative process to rebuild the brand,” said Orsmond. “We’ve kept true to who we
are by employing people who have been with T&T for 20 to 30 years. That adds up to more than 100
years of experience building rods. People believe in identity and passion. It’s our job to continue to
evolve and improve, to build up and care for our anglers and fishery resources through conservation.
Fly fisherman believe not only in products but in preserving the outdoors, which makes us lucky to
work in this Industry.”
Over the years, T&T has developed a reputation as the Rolls-Royce of fly rods. In 1981 President
Reagan commissioned salmon rods as a wedding gift for Lady Diana and Prince Charles. Celebrity
anglers around the globe have been spotted with T&T rods in hand, among them, Eric Clapton, Dale
Earnhardt, Joe Montana, James Seals (of Seals and Croft) and others. As the company evolves, it’s
appealing to an entirely new kind of destination angler.
A new generation of fly anglers is pushing T&T rod design to the next frontier. Some of the premier
professional anglers on the planet are T&T advisors and ambassadors, including Keith Rose-Innes,
Christiaan Pretorius, Camille Egdorf, Richard Strolis and many others. These pros are testing
techniques and equipment in entirely new settings and conditions on new species. Using decades of
angling knowledge and experience in waters all over the world, these field experts consult T&T rod
builders on every design.
“Thomas & Thomas is not just a brand, it’s a culture,” said T&T advisor Keith Rose-Innes. “Their
passionate team takes the time to care for the sport in equal proportion to their drive to lead
performance through innovation. I purchased my first T&T Horizon series in 1998 and have enjoyed
20 years of a culture that has made me proud to be part of the T&T team.”
Along with angler expertise, T&T’s in-house craftsmen rely on top training. Old master knowledge
paired with a new, trained generation of master rod makers is the foundation of the T&T product line.
Graphite rod designer Joe Godspeed learned the trade from Dorsey. And T&T bamboo rod maker Troy
Jacques learned from Dorsey and Tom Moran.
“We design by feel and not by math and metrics. There’s always been a lot of stock placed in the
physical feel of our designs. That’s what I took away from Tom Dorsey,” said Godspeed. “We’re
increasingly shifting toward specialty products. Going toward the future, that’s setting us apart and
contributing to our growth. That’s going to be a trend with the company—creating things that are on
the cutting edge of what people are using for specialty tactics in the fly fishing world.”
T&T’s focus on construction, design, durability and refinement have won the company new product
awards for its graphite rods at the International Fly Tackle Dealer show on two occasions. In 1996 the
T&T Horizon series won Best Fly Rod - Saltwater and in 2018, the new T&T Zone 9ʹ 9wt, 4pc took the
same category. The company’s outstanding rods rest on the knowledge bank of Tom Dorsey and all
the master rod makers who have come through the company’s doors, combined with the latest
materials and the innovative T&T design process.
Bamboo remains a strong component of the T&T product line. T&T master bamboo rod maker Troy
Jacques has been with the company since 1991 and stuck through the good years as well as the
challenging. He initially came on as a graphite rod builder, but when famed rod maker Bob Taylor left
T&T, Troy became an apprentice. He was trained by Dorsey and by Tom Moran of Hardy’s fame, who
in 1993, came from the UK and remained for some years to observe Dorsey’s techniques.
Troy keeps reminders of his mentors in the bamboo shop: “To this day, I still use a lot of Tom Moran’s
techniques. I still have and use Tom Moran’s and Tom Dorsey’s tools. Gluing back then took three
people. Tom Dorsey ran the binder, I dipped the parts in glue, Tom Moran rolled the parts to set all
the strips and lock them in. To this day, I have Tom Moran’s glue shoes [Glue drips off the table and
makes quite a mess.]. I have Tom Dorsey’s too. Their shoes stand by the rod rack.”
In recent years, Troy’s taken his designs to the next evolutionary stage with the T&T Sextant saltwater
bamboo rods, looking to the practices of Dorsey and Moran, but listening to the demands of anglers.
"Today we have this whole cadre of young guys who are into saltwater. Bamboo has been left out of
the warm and saltwater species for the last few decades. But back in the day, these species were only
caught with bamboo. I always wanted to make a saltwater rod but didn’t have time. Its’ hard to find
time to experiment because everything moves at a snail’s pace with bamboo. When Neville bought
T&T and I spoke to him about it, he, Keith Rose-Innes, the anglers from Alphonse Island (Seychelles)
and Nick Bowles (of Dubai) gave me a lot of input. I said, ‘I’m not just going to do this for a few guys.’
But with their following, it made it viable,” said Jacques.
Jacques set out to build a rod on which he could fish a 200-grain sink tip for streamer fishing. He then
progressed to a prototype 9-wt, 8’ 3”, two-piece rod. Jacques experimented fishing
for stripers off Nantucket using a textured fly line. The rod performed so well that his party took turns
fishing the rod the entire day. From there, he developed the tarpon rod, an 8’ 5” 12-wt., two-piece
designed to push through wind, hold a long line in the air and fight tarpon and other species. Keith
Rose-Innes used this model to fish for tarpon in Apalachicola, a rod which was unveiled at IFTD in
2016 to great acclaim. There is now a full series available from 6-12 weight and Jacques is now
developing a blue-water 13-14-wt. bamboo rod.
“I’ve had rave reviews from anglers trying these rods. We have a new audience today, new anglers.
We have to listen to them and help them get to the next frontier of where they want to go. All the
jungle angling and all the focus on landing big saltwater species like GTs, the size of the flies,
everything is so new for fly fishing. That’s the way it should be,” said Jacques. “You should listen and
support anglers to help them go where they want to go. I’ve taken Dorsey’s tapers and done small
things to it to support someone coming from graphite over bamboo so they can give this a try.”
To celebrate T&T’s 50th, a commemorative bamboo rod will be on show at the 2019 IFTD show in
Denver and available for consumer purchase shortly thereafter. In the meantime, T&T brand users
can celebrate with 50 anniversary t-shirts, hats and other merchandise.
“To me, the company’s history is a reminder that relentless innovation and uncompromising
performance in pursuit of perfection is always a worthwhile goal,” said Orsmond. “We can’t wait to
celebrate the next 50 years.”
Visit the
Thomas & Thomas website and be sure to follow on
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