Kickstarter - The Reel Winder

There has been a small wave of funding site fly fishing projects that have went live lately but one that I think is a great idea is The Reel Winder that just went up on Kickstarter this week.  This is a helpful product and I can't help but like that it's "Made In Michigan". 

I could have used one of these, with a few extra spools, on the recent trip to Pyramid Lake since I was switching out fly lines in the hotel room, in the trailer, and on the shore of the lake during the trip to make sure I had the right fly line on a particular reel more than once on the trip.



Visit The Reel Winder website and Kickstarter page for more information. I am definitely backing this project.

Angling Trade - Spring 2015

The latest issue of Angling Trade is live and full of industry updates, new products, and a few solid articles to read through on traveling to Cuba, customer service in fly shops, and a great #keepemwet piece by Geoff Mueller.

Visit the Angling Trade website for more information.

ECHO Glass Switch + Spey

Some of the more exciting new fly rod offerings in fiberglass for this year has certainly been the ECHO Fly Fishing Glass Switch and Glass Spey fly rods with seven different choices from a 10'6" three weight switch to a 13' eight weight spey rod.  

ECHO Fly Fishing really covered all the two hander wants and needs bases with these fly rods and they surprised everyone with a price point of under $300 for any of the fly rods in the two series.

From the ECHO Fly Fishing email blast...

"All-new for 2015, Echo introduces the first major production run of fiberglass Spey and Switch rods in the industry. Why fiberglass? Good question. Fiberglass recovers more smoothly than graphite, giving the caster a better sensation of how the line is loading the rod. Improved feedback through the casting cycle results in a fun, effortless, bug launching. 

Echo Glass Spey and Switch rods feature sensitive tips to protect tippet when slinging surface patterns on a dry line, and plenty of "sneaky power" to catapult long, heavy sink tips with ultimate ease. Steelheaders looking to increase their "hook-to-hand" ratio will be impressed with the way these rods absorb the energy of active, unpredictable fish."

ECHO Fly Fishing also released these three short films which highlight the Glass Switch and Spey rod offerings.






Want to know what grain fly line matches each Glass Switch and Glass Spey rod best?  Click HERE.

Visit the ECHO Fly Fishing website for more information. 

The Trout Bus

There is a lot going on in the fly fishing underground and one new project that popped up on the radar last week was the Trout Bus which is a road trip project (and so much more) that Gabe Parr is kicking off with a new website, social media pages, and a GoFundMe page.

Take a few minutes and check out the Trout Bus website, sign up for the blog, click "LIKE" on the social media pages, and toss a few coins (or other support) to Gabe on the GoFundMe page.



Check out the Trout Bus website for more information.  I'm looking forward to seeing where Gabe goes and what comes out of this incredible adventure.

STREAMERS INC

Remember FISHSKI from last year's Orvis Down The Hatch Film Fest?  John Arnold, a.k.a. scumliner, follows that up with this year's entry, STREAMERS INC, which the Missoula crowd got a first look at this past weekend. 



John always puts a lot of work into his short films and this one is no exception.  It's a lot of fun.

Visit the Vimeo scumliner media page and follow along with the latest hijinks in Craig (a depressed streamer community...) on the Headhunters Fly Shop blog.

C. Barclay Fly Rod Co. - Introducing The 64p

There are a handful of small shop fiberglass fly rod builders that certainly are not content to just build on the blanks of others and who actively work to design and create very special offerings in the process. 

Chris Barclay of C. Barclay Fly Rod Co. has been working on a series of semi-parabolic fiberglass fly rods, first with the 75p and now with the introduction of the 64p, a 6'4" four piece four weight that looks to be another excellent offering to his line up.

Chris wrote...

"I have mentioned this rod before but I am pleased to officially introduce a new rod for C. Barclay Fly Rod Co.  This rod is a semi-parabolic 6’4” 4 piece 4wt inspired by the venerable Paul Young Midge taper as well as the Mario Wojnicki 77p4.  These are short but surprisingly capable rods and I wanted to add something similar to my lineup.  I took my Limited Edition 75p taper and modified it to create my 64p.  I chose to make this more of a semi-parabolic taper that is very user-friendly with ample feel and finesse at very short distance but also is capable of reaching out and a controlled mend.  WIth a 20” section length these make a very packable rod.

Like my LTD 75p, this blank is unsanded e-glass painted a sunny yellow with black spigot ferrules.

As with my other rods, I like to keep the styling and build simple.  Each rod will include my brass CBFRCo. seat hardware, minimal and lightly contrasting wraps, Snake Brand or Perfection running guides, Mildrum stripping guide, top Flor quality cork grip/seat, custom handmade rod sock and brass capped aluminum tube.  Some custom options will be available as well.

As a friend recently said, ‘Great news! This lil’ baby has all the finesse of a 2-3wt, but with the line control of a 4wt. If anyone is considering a shorty UL up to say 3wt they should fish this stick first.’

The price on these rods will be $565 plus shipping.

For those who would like to preorder one of these rods, I am offering them available for a 10% discount with free shipping and an anticipated delivery of 2-3 months.  Space is limited for these preorders to 5.  This, however, is not a limited edition but a permanent fixture in my lineup."

Something that Chris always does well is create short videos of him casting different fly rods giving potential customers the chance to see how the flex and taper are and the 64p looks pretty damn sweet.



If you have any questions or would like to place your name on a pre-order, please contact Chris Barclay at
cbarclayflyrods@gmail.com

Visit the C. Barclay Fly Rod Co. website for more information and follow along with the latest shop news on Facebook and Instagram.

T.F.M. X VEDAVOO Mason Jar Coozies

Scott Hunter and I have been scheming for a few months now on several select items of Vedavoo gear to offer in the T.F.M. Store and the first item we're rolling out is the ever handy Mason Jar Coozie with a Retro Fly or Comrade patch sewn on the front.

The Mason Jar Coozie is perfect for for your favorite cold or hot drink and the "Made In U.S.A." build quality of these is impressive.

These coozies hold a 16 ounce jar and can also be used to hold your favorite bottled brew.

I have the following Retro Fly and Comrade Mason Jar Coozies in stock and ready to ship...

RETRO FLY PATCH
- Woodland Camo
- Red
- Gold
- Forest Green
- Olive Green
- Tan
- Grey

COMRADE PATCH
- Woodland Camo
- Red
- Gold

The Vedavoo Mason Jar Coozies are priced two ways.  If you don't need a jar then they are $20 each or if you do need a jar then it will be $25 to cover the cost of the jar and added shipping.  Pricing for shipment on international orders is not a problem.

Each Mason Jar Coozie comes with a couple T.F.M. and Vedavoo decals.

I can take payment through PayPal, check, or credit card.  

To place an order, please send an email to thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.com.

As always, thanks for the support and I am looking forward to seeing where these stellar coozies end up.  

This Is Fly - Issue 51

Let's all just ease into our Monday morning.  Grab another cup of coffee and enjoy flipping through the latest issue of This Is Fly.

CHECK IT.

6 Cool Things To Read

When you start looking around it really is impressive the level of content that is around on the fly fishing internet day in and day out.  Here's the six articles that have hit my radar of what's good over the past week or two.

ALEX LANDEEN - CORN DOGS AND LADDERS
Just when I thought I came back from Pyramid Lake with a few decent images, Alex Landeen comes in with his own take on the lake with both words and photos that are always worth a look.

BADFISH X MR. LOWCOUNTRY JOURNAL
It's always good to see the Flood Tide crew getting recognized outside of the Holy City and Doug Roland of the Lowcountry Journal covers a lot of ground in this interview.

CATCHING SHADOWS - FLYCRAFT STEALTH REVIEW
Rich Strolis of Catching Shadows goes in depth on his review of the FlyCraft Stealth and it's worth a read if you're considering one of these two person rafts.

CHI WULFF X MR. BLUE HALO - READ PART 1 & 2
If you're not reading Chi Wulff every day then you are missing out and you also likely didn't catch the two part interview with Cortney Boice of Blue Halo.  Make sure you read PART 1 and PART 2 of this excellent Q&A.

THE NEW YORK TIMES X JAMES PROSEK
I've long admired the work of James Prosek and this is a well done article and video to enjoy.

THE VENTURING ANGLER X TIM ROMANO
Tim Romano has a lot on his plate from working with Field & Stream, Angling Trade, and whatever book or photography project that he is currently working on and this interview is a good insight to everything that he constantly has going on.

I hope you enjoyed.  Now, get back to work...

A TIght Loop - Spring 2015

The latest issue of A Tight Loop is live and ready for a flip through to enjoy fly angling highlights from all over the Midwest.  Spring is (kinda) here and it's time to get outside.

CHECK IT.

TESTIFY

A highlight of my week so far was filmmaker Aaron Peterson sending along an email with a link to this short film which is a visual adaption from John Voelker's timeless prose "Testament of a Fisherman". 



This was filmed in various locations around Marquette, Michigan, including Voelker's Pond, and it's beautifully done. You just might want to watch it a half dozen times before getting back to work.

Several summers ago I had the opportunity to spend a weekend at Voelker's Pond and if you haven't read that post or seen the images taken during the trip please do.

This Week In #glassisnotdead

Another week brings another mash up of images from all over the angling world tagged with #glassisnotdead.

Over 9,200 images and counting...

@adventurestarts

 @chuckragan

@dgreg7

@duiweaver92

@esocks77

@jreynolds_fly

@klflyshop

@magogsmelt

@mtnbrookrods

@natewilsonftw

 @rcschaper

@s_clemens

@thangobrind

@theflyus

@tommybaranowski

@troutlore

@walker29er

@wesleywhiteproductions

Be sure to hashtag your photos with #glassisnotdead and a favorite photo may turn up in a future T.F.M. post.

Catch Magazine - Issue #40

The latest issue of Catch Magazine is live and can you believe it's their 40th issue?  Time flies and this issue is a whirlwind trip around the fly fishing world in photographs.

CHECK IT.

Guilty (Not Really) Pleasure

It wasn't to many years ago that I thought fishing with ultralight spinning rods and crickets was somehow not "real" fishing.  Whatever.  Have a couple children and the taste for a weekend fish fry and it all makes perfect sense.  This is a guilty pleasure that I just don't feel guilty about at all anymore. 

There were a few proud dad moments on this trip as both children suddenly wanted to learn to do three things... 

First, put their own crickets on the hook even though Hadley thought it was gross.

Second, each of them wanted to cast on their own which meant more than a couple casts wrapped up in the trees and I was thankful they were both using the ever sturdy Featherlight spinning rods.

And third, once a bluegill or bass was caught, they wanted to figure out how to get the hook out.

I guess once they learn how to clean up the mess of bluegills caught then my job will be done.  This part is not likely to happen anytime soon...

We went home from the pond with a YETI cooler nearly full of bluegills on ice and after a couple hours of cleaning fish after fish yesterday morning, we had a tasty fish fry with our family last evening with a pot of grits, green beans, and a small piece of buttermilk pie for dessert.  It just doesn't get much better than that.       

REVIVE - Spring 2015

There has been a virtual wave of online magazines that all went live with new issues this week and one of the first that I want to highlight is Revive.  This quarterly fly fishing journal just seems to get better with each issue.

In this issue of Revive I am excited to have the first of a series of articles dubbed "Prime Glass".  These pictorials, with a few words mashed in there too, are coming from two angles and will highlight my fly fishing photography taken with prime or fixed camera lenses as well as cover fly fishing with fiberglass fly rods.

This first article highlights the recent trip to Pyramid Lake and there are a few images published that haven't been included in "The Ladder Diaries" series of posts so please click through to give it a look.

CHECK IT.

GREENIES INVADE

Remember Mr. Yukon Goes Fishing?  Need a few quick reminders?  Check HERE, HERE, and HERE.  He's back with his latest GoPro edit with Greenies Invade.  Enjoy.



Check out Yukon Goes Fishing and the Vimeo page for more goodness.

LOON LIVE - Bow-Dacious/Bass Buster

Got plans for tonight?  Have you checked out a LOON LIVE fly tying session?  Tonight Matt will be filling up the minnow box with the Bow-Dacious and Bass Buster. 

These sessions teach you how to tie various flies along with highlighting the various Loon Outdoors products that make these flies that much better.

Check out the LOON LIVE website for more information and to register for tonight's session and view the library of past fly tying sessions too.

Find Your Water - Cutties & Couloirs

Episode 2 of Redington's Find Your Water series dropped this week with a mash up from Wyoming of cutthroat trout and pow.  Good to see the Butter Stick get some play as well.



Check out the Redington website for more information.

Graywolf Rods - Seele Fly Rods #400

I am highlighting this recent Graywolf Rods build for several reasons besides this six weight being drop dead sharp in cosmetics.

First, this is the 400th numbered build that Shane Gray has completed since he first started building on glass blanks a few years ago.  This is undoubtedly impressive and it has been really neat to see Shane grow from a part time builder to making the move over a year ago making Graywolf Rods his full time job.  Without a doubt, he has a long list of customers to thank to have made this move possible.

Second, this build also serves to let you know that Shane is now building on Seele Fly Rod blanks and can order any blank that they offer.

Shane wrote... "This Seele Fly Rods blank build marks a milestone for me, my 400th serial numbered fiberglass fly rod build.  

I started to serial number all main stay fiberglass builds shortly after I meet Cameron of The Fiberglass Manifesto and his love for fiberglass fly rods inspired me and countless others. 

I recall Mike McFarland offering fiberglass builds many years ago and with the advancements in his taper design, and trying out this 8'8" 6wt model at the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo last month, I felt it was a great fit for #400. 

The #400 build consist of the Seele Fly Rods 8'8" six weight four piece fiberglass blank, a buckeye burl wood reel seat spacer, all blued hardware and a slim modest wells cork grip.  I wrapped the rod in light olive, tipped black with trim bands of antique gold.  All finished in spar varnish.  The action of the rod is smooth and progressive with a wonderful feel, and you won't forget the reserve power in this rod. 

This fly rod has been sold but I would also like to let everyone know that I can purchase blanks directly from Seele Fly Rods if you'd like to have one built for you as well."

Congratulations Shane.  Looking forward to seeing the next four hundred builds now.

Check out the Graywolf Rods website, Blog, and Facebook page to follow along with the latest builds and shop news.