I have been on a mission to find the perfect trout rod for twenty years. Every year a manufacturer will claim they’ve got it. I’ve tried them all and I’m sad to report, for all the technology, the rods are getting worse rather than better, and manufacturers are feeding off the ignorance of a generation of anglers who have never had a good rod in their hands. Sound preposterous? Yes it does, but over half of the markets ‘top echelon’ rods do not balance in hand. This would never have occurred thirty years ago because it is a basic principle that any respectable rod builder would never dream of violating.

In my search for the perfect rod, I have tested action, responsiveness, pick-up strength and balance. I have seen, fished and sold the worlds “best” fly rods, only to see the manufacturers own claims disregarded in a year when they replace the “old” best with the new “best.”

I got tired of this and decided I would make my own damn rod. I took every good quality that I wanted from many of the rods I’ve used over the years and brought them into a series of 3 five wt. rods. These rods are tested, tried and true. They are made from start to finish right here in central Pennsylvania, one at a time. The blank is manufactured here and is unique, as is the taper.

Books