406 FLY LINES - 10 Year Celebration and Fly Lines Giveaway

Some things sneak up on you and when Tom Brodhead of 406 Fly Lines sent an email the other day announcing their 10th anniversary, it was a quite a pleasant surprise.  Ten years.  Wow.  We figured that along with an update from Tom that we'd give away a few fly lines, too.

Looking back at the T.F.M. introduction post, I'm struck by how little has changed with 406 Fly Line, and that is a very good thing.  It's an indication of Tom and Alexis doing things right from the very beginning.  The tapers, in both weight forward and double taper, are wonderful.

I was also surprised that in ten years, the price of their fly lines have only increased in price by $10.  They are a great deal, especially for a "Made in U.S.A." product that excels with unmatched performance at that price point.  If you fish glass or bamboo, these fly lines need to be part of your kit.

Tom wrote...  "Well it's been ten years since we first opened the doors on 406 Fly Lines and we're still alive and kicking.  Hard to describe our feelings at this time but really happy the company has flourished and we are looking forward to the next ten!

T.F.M. has been by our side from the beginning, offering encouragement and acting as a sounding board to keep us on the right path.  With that in mind we would like to offer the fans of T.F.M. a choice of three lines by responding in the comments section on why you picked 406 or when our lines made a difference in your fishing.  Perhaps simply where you use them on a regular basis.  It's really up to you - we would just like to hear your experiences.  Cameron and I will randomly pick three lucky people to receive a 406 line of your choice."

Beginning today, and continuing through Sunday, January 18, 2026, leave a comment below, or on the giveaway post on Facebook or Instagram for a chance to win the 406 Fly Lines of your choice.  There will be three winners chosen at random from the comments.  We look forward to hearing your stories.

Visit the 406 Fly Lines website and if you don't have one (or even several) of their fly lines in your stash, you should.  They are just wonderful on glass, bamboo, and old school graphite.

LOST COAST OUTFITTERS - How to Fish for Striper in the Surf Zone

The other day we highlighted the gear that you need for fly fishing the surf with this T.F.M. post from Lost Coast Outfitters and George Revel is following that up with a video on the techniques you need to catch stripers in the surf zone.  



Visit the Lost Coast Outfitters website and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

BOB WHITE STUDIO - Painting for John

Yesterday morning I sat down with the latest issue of Trout Magazine and reading artist Bob White's article with reflections on painting over 200 pieces of art to accompany John Gierach's writings, I was hoping that the pages, paintings, and Bob's writing would somehow find their way online to share.

I woke today to find that Bob shared a link to the article layout on Instagram and it is well worth a few minutes of your day.  Click the "+" sign a few times to fill the page for easiest viewing.

Trout Magazine continues to get better with each issue.  If you aren't a member of Trout Unlimited, the magazine is worth the annual fee of membership alone.

Visit the Bob White Studio website to see more of his work and writing.  

THE FLYFISH JOURNAL - The Big C

The folks at The Flyfish Journal unearthed a fun one from the Columbia River with John Bartlett that was first published in 2017.  

The weekend is the perfect time to scroll through the exclusive article and then press PLAY here...



The Flyfish Journal continues to publish some of the very best content in print, online, and in film.  Subscribe and follow along if you're not already.

HOOKSWAIN - A Fiberglass Rod, Built the Long Way

I've been following along with Jacob Sotak of Hookswain on his 4-weight fiberglass fly rod project, that he dubbed "Codename Bronco".  What was begun last March, is now complete.  

I really dig the multi-color wraps on that chestnut brown glass blank.

Visit Hookswain for all of Jacob's thoughts and photographs of the build process and subscribe to his always interesting Substack page while you're there.

KABUTO RODS - Limited Model 67116 Blank Order Offering

One of the more interesting fiberglass fly rod releases of 2025 was certainly Model 67116 two-handed fly rod addition to the Kabuto Rods lineup and I'm excited to see that Yasuyuki Kabuto is offering a limited number of blank orders with your preferred blank color choice, too.  

This "limited number" is capped at five orders, so if this blank is on your build list, best to order now.

From the Kabuto Rods Facebook post...

Due to many requests, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be accepting a limited order of 5 two-handed rod blanks.  Each blank will be painted after the order is placed, so please let us know your preferred color.  Because two-handed rod blanks take a long time to produce, we don’t normally accept orders. However, when production allows, we plan to open orders on an irregular basis.

Visit the Kabuto Rods website for more information and to place an order.  Follow along with the latest shop news on Facebook and Instagram.

HOT STUFF TATTOO - Danny Reed Musky Tattoo

One of the highlights of when I turned 50 was getting tattooed by Danny Reed of Hot Stuff Tattoo and I am completely in on celebrating a life goal or focus with lasting ink.  

Danny ended last year tattooing with a large musky that I thought would be fun to show off here with his initial sketch to the finished leg tattoo.  What fish would you have tattooed on yourself?

 

 Danny wrote...  "One of my last tattoos of 2025 was this musky for Dave. Dave wanted to commemorate a great year of dedicated musky fishing. Stoked I was able to help him make that happen."

Check out more of Danny Reed's ink work on Instagram and if find yourself in Asheville, book a session at Hot Stuff Tattoo.  Don't sleep on Danny's offerings with Crooked Creek Holler.