While there is a lot of glass talk around here, we honestly don't geek out enough about the parts and pieces that make up these exceptional fly rods that we all enjoy. I've been remiss (thank you for your patience, Steve) for not passing along sooner that Struble Manufacturing has released what they consider perfection in slide band reel seats for fly rods 0-weight to 4-weight with the Model 27s.
Available in four different finishes and in either uplock or downlock, the Model 27s can further be configured with over a dozen different wood inserts. In short, lots of options.
Scroll down for the story behind the Model 27s and check out some of the various finish options too.
Available in four different finishes and in either uplock or downlock, the Model 27s can further be configured with over a dozen different wood inserts. In short, lots of options.
Scroll down for the story behind the Model 27s and check out some of the various finish options too.
Steve Van Winkle at Struble Mfg. wrote... "I’ve always been a small water guy. I learned to fly fish on the one of the tiny creeks around Bozeman. Show me a river where 16-inch fish are the norm, and I’ll head to the creek I can step over to chase their diminutive cousins. As a consequence, this infatuation means I feel like I’m waving a pole vault when fishing anything heavier than a three weight line.
Small rods and blanks fill my shelves and almost all of them have slide band reel seats. My first ever “nice” rod
was an Orvis Brook Trout four weight. It held the reel against cork with
two utilitarian, diamond-knurled aluminum rings. I’ve been a fan ever
since. Like the small rods and small water they’re designed for, the
simplicity of slide bands captivates me. Nothing to break, nothing to
jam, nothing to grind grains of sand between threads.
When
we acquired Struble a few years ago and began sifting through boxes
long left in the back of forgotten shelves, I was on a quest to find
what I considered to be the finest slide band reel seat of all time: The
Struble Model 27. The Model 27 was one of two slide band styles Struble
Mfg. produced in its history but was completely unique in design. While the
Model D2 and D2s (the smaller version) were the standard, downlocking
cap-and-ring design with cylindrical cap resting beneath the wood
insert, the Model 27 offered both down and uplock configurations and unique
sweeping hoods that were a Struble Mfg. original and held a reel securely in a
mortised wood or cork insert.
The original Model 27
was made of nickel silver and had a .687 outside diameter. This tended
to be a little heavy and heavier duty than light line rods needed. It
works well with a 4-6wt, but is a little beefy for the light line
weights where slide bands really excel. The design was too good to let
fade into history, so we determined to offer a new Model 27, only smaller.
The
Model 27s began a couple years ago when we had new plans drawn up shrinking
the original. The result is the same venerable design as the trusty
Model 27, only with a .640 inside diameter-- perfectly sized for 0-4 weight fly
rods...and it still holds a reel securely in a mortised seat. The
combination remains uniquely Struble and offers rod builders more than
the same ol’ cap and cylindrical ring seat.
We’re
offering them in black and champagne anodized and hand-polished bright
and dark nickel finishes.
U27S DARK NICKEL - UPLOCK
U27s BRIGHT NICKEL - UPLOCK
D27S BRIGHT NICKEL - DOWNLOCK
U27S CHAMPAGNE ANODIZED - UPLOCK
D27S CHAMPAGNE ANODIZED - DOWNLOCK
Visit the Struble Manufacturing website to see these and their entire catalog of offerings. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram for the latest shop news.
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