Saturday, June 3, 2023

TIGHTLOOP FLY RODS - Thomas & Thomas Lotic 744-3

I know that it was just the other day that I shared George Minculete's work from Tightloops Fly Rods but this Thomas & Thomas Lotic build is just so stunning that it deserves a T.F.M. post as well. 

The Thomas & Thomas Lotic fly rods certainly aren't talked about enough among "Glass Geeks" and certainly should be.  They are just wonderful tapers.  Short, crisp, and smooth are all words that I think of from fishing this series and offered in a 3, 4, and 5-weight. 
 

George wrote...  "A special project I've recently finished.  Simply put, the Thomas&Thomas Lotic represents the state-of-the-art in fiberglass rods made today. As soon as I picked up this blank I knew it will be something special.  Looks like a modern take on a classic taper with a crisp feel and a snappy action. 

The blank was purchased by a good friend who had the factory rod at some point, saying that this Lotic 744-3 was the best four weight he has ever cast.  That intrigued me the most to build this rod. 

We decided to go with a six inch "snub-nose" modified wells grip and a classic uplocking Lemke reel seat in bright hardware and dark, almost black wood to complement the royal blue colored blank as good as possible. The blueish-grey Yli silk tipped white in key spots was a good match and the Struble Mfg. blue agate was a must.

More recently I started to source out locally made aluminum rod tubes, trying to make them as minimalist and exquisite as possible. My friend had some ideas of laser printing on the tube caps and the result was stunning.

The rod was ready just in time for the Romanian Fly Fishing Expo event this month and was able to cast it. This Lotic is indeed a very stable rod for glass to cast at almost any fishing distances. I've put my trusty Airflo line that I use at casting demos and the rod threw stable, effortless tight loops like butter."






Visit the Tightloop Fly Rods website to see more images of this build and be sure to follow along on Facebook and Instagram for the latest shop news.

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