Bespoke Rods

10/25/2021

Over the years I have always been fascinated with the idea of multi-task rod builds. This was mostly caused by my engineering background and a quest for the elegance of simplicity. So when Orvis released their line of Helios Blackout rods the concepts behind them spoke my language.

One of the rods was a 5wt in 9ft 6 inch that could cover large water or work from a boat but had a sensitive tip so could be used in place of a 10 ft nymphing rig when needed it felt perfect for the north eastern Tennessee water that i love to fish when visiting family. In the past I’ve been building trout Spey/switch rods with 3 stripping guides and an extra 3rd section to convert to an 8+ foot second rod when the Spey length 4 piece is too much, but this meant extra rod piece had to be carried. So when one of my favorite suppliers, Proof Fly fishing, offered a 9ft 6inch 5wt blank I decided to give it a try.

The rod is a sweet casting unit if a tiny bit on the heavy side at 120 grams. It uses single foot guides and a down locking RL Reelseats Bright silver seat to add butt weight for balance and beauty.

The rod casts well and distance is not a challenge to achieve, roll casting has great authority and accuracy with the current SA line hat i hade to test.

this will become a go to rod for travel as it can fit a number of tasks. I will post more as I’ve had time to beat on this one to learn what it likes.

09/25/2021

A new one just for fun, a salt 6, built off an excellent value blank from getbentflyshop.com 9 foot 6wt with American Tackle BTRLC NanoPlasma Blue TiCH stripping guides and Snake Brand Guides with ECOating finished in blue 100 translucent silk wraps. presents as a simple yet elegant rod.

09/18/2021

Just can’t leave the Bens fiberglass blanks alone. A 1wt 6’6” dressed with a two way seat by RL Reelseats of Idaho and weighing in at 66g the action is without a doubt the best

08/28/2021

7ft 6 4wt Bens blank with RL Reelseats up locking Mod with Struble’s tiger agate stripping guide. Casts to perfection

08/28/2021

Just cant leave Bens of holland blanks unbuilt.. 7-6 4wt RL Reelseats uplocking mod for a single ring, smooth caster ultimately controllable.

08/08/2021

This build is based on the marvelously well balanced 7 foot 3 weight 5 piece blank provides by Ben’s fly rods of Holland I have 5 blanks from this man and every one of them I’ve built is magic. Lightweight and totally responsive blanks do not get better as a starting point for any build. Flor ventilated grip with a reverse mounted RL Reelseats slip ring seat and an all up weight of 67 grams.

07/10/2021

necessities of business have kept me locked down for some months, but the acquisition of a Bens of holland blank can even override those requirements. Now to find the perfect RLReelseat and a good color for wrapping, Anglers workshop had some Flor cork………decisions..

12/12/2020

Trout Spey 2/3

Spey casting is an efficient and enjoyable method to deliver a fly, this is a 11 foot 2/3 weight carbon blank in chestnut silk with a full sized Spey grip. The rod weighs in at 4oz so when matched with a 1980’s Waterworks Lamson Litespeed this setup becomes a long range bug chucker for big water, ...

12/12/2020

A bit of the blues

I’ve never been drawn to standard carbon blanks as I have always fished small water and the feel of glass or bamboo has always been a better match for that environment. Well mow I live nearest the coastal waters of South Georgia and small water is hard to come by so when I came across this 9foot 9...