Blog & news from the custom rod shop

Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

from beyond the rod shop.......

10/11/2018

I absolutely love to see photos from anglers of their fishing adventures. I really do. It's as if I'm right along there with you. As a rodmaker, it can be hard to find time to get away & travel to some of the places where I send rods to, so it's especially nice for me to see the places where the rods that came to life in my shop end up.

My friend, Randy was gracious enough to send me some photos of his travels in the western USA this summer. He's a very skilled & knowledgeable angler indeed & was kind enough to answer some of my questions, too about the fishing out in those parts. Thanks, Randy! Just look at these gorgeous places & fish!!

Here's a shot he took from the Big Horn Mountains:

Oh, how I want to be there & cast my line into that water!!

Here's a couple from the Black Hills:

Here's a couple from Clark's Fork in Wyoming:

Just look at how clear & smooth that water is! Any movement in a place like this could easily put all the trout down for a while. It takes a skilled angler to catch fish here, which of course, Randy did:

I'm extremely blessed to be a rodmaker & meet so many wonderful anglers & great people. To see more of these photos & many of the other ones anglers have shared with me, please check out the Beyond The Rod Shop page of this site.

I hope you're all getting some time out on the water this autumn!!

autumn fly fishing is here!

10/1/2018

It's my favorite time of year again, & it's really hard to beat fly fishing in the fall. The weather & the water temps are cooling down & with that, the return of the hatches. That, in turn, means rising trout!! There's nothing quite as gorgeous as a trout decked out in it's fall colors! Add to that the streams are vacant of many anglers & with the leaves soon to be changing colors you've got the recipe for some beautiful days on the water fly fishing for trout.

Trout aren't the only show in town either in the fall. Bass become more aggressive as the water cools & their instincts tell them winter is coming on. They begin to feed ferociously, bulking up for winter. You would be very remiss if you ignored fly fishing for small mouth & large mouth bass in the fall. Can't get out to the stream? Well any local pond will do as well, as the fish there try to pack on the pounds for winter as well. Bluegill, crappie, sunfish can give you a very memorable day of fly fishing this time of year.

It's a busy time of year, no doubt, but I hope that you can all get some time this autumn to wet a line on your favorite pieces of water. Some of your best memories of the fishing season this year could be made this fall. Good luck on the water!!

classical series bamboo available

9/20/2018

This rod just got listed on the Available Rods page & I think you're really going to like it! This one is a 7'-6", 3 piece / 2 tip, 4/5 wt bamboo rod made up as a Classical Series, but with a few upgrades. I believe this rod is going to be right at home on almost any trout stream & that most anglers are really going to love fishing with it. Dry flies, wets, nymphs, & small streamers, this rod will fish them all equally well.

This rod features:
- Down locking cap & ring style reel seat with aluminum hardware & a gorgeous Amboyna burl wood spacer.
- Cigar shaped cork grip.
- Nickle Silver winding check (in front of grip).
- Nickle Silver strap & ring style traditional hook keeper.
- Chromed, stainless steel stripping guide, line guide, & tip tops.
- Orange silk thread wraps throughout, tipped in black silk.
- Nickle Silver ferrules.
- Custom made rod bag featuring a traditional angling print.
- Custom made PVC brown canvas-covered rod tube with padded ends, zippered closure, & leather tag describing the rod inside.

The reel seat has a gorgeous exotic wood spacer made of Amboyna burl. This wood is usually reserved only for my higher grade Custom Series rods, but I couldn't resist using it on this rod. I think you'll agree this makes for one of the best looking reel seats you can have on a fly rod.

This rod not only has strikingly good looks, it feels great to cast, too. That's why I think any trout fly angler would treasure this rod. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me & I'll be happy to help in any way that I can. For more info & to see even more photos, please visit the Available Rods page of this site.

coq de leon feathers

9/12/2018

Coq De Leon feathers are taken from a specific line of chickens that originated in the village of Leon in northern Spain. For those of you not familiar, these birds grow some very special feathers. Hackles made on them are the cleanest, neatest hackles you will ever use. Each barb of each feather is perfect & so very fine - like gossamer silk. This makes for a superior hackle on wet flies, streamers, & nymphs, as the feather moves so well in the water. No feather looks as life-like in the water as the Coq De Leon.

Spain has a very rich history of fly fishing - especially in the northern mountain region. Anglers from all over the world have coveted these feathers for generations because they're the best you can get. Some believe that it has something to do with the soil & environment in Leon that made these chickens grow special feathers. At any rate, these extremely desirable feathers were rarely available to fly tiers on the market until Whiting Farms in Colorado got involved in breeding these birds.

Below is a video taken on Whiting Farms explaining all about how they got into raising these birds & all about their special feathers. To anyone who ties their own flies, this is very interesting.

9/11

9/11/2018

restored vintage fly rod now available

9/7/2018

I've recently listed on the Available Rods page, this completely restored vintage South Bend model 59-9 bamboo fly rod. Unlike most 59-9's I've handled, this one has a very moderate / fast action. As a 6 or 7 wt rod, it would be great for larger trout or bass.

Improvements made to this rod during restoration include:
-Rod shafts completely re-varnished.
-New, & more, chromed stainless steel line guides added to the rod. Now it has the proper number of guides - & in the right locations - to cast a line better than it ever did before.
-Bamboo rod sections have been straightened. When assembled, the rod sections line up straight. Bends & sets in the bamboo have been removed.
-New red silk thread guide wraps tipped in fine black silk.
-New hook keeper.
-Original "Comficient" grip, reel seat, & original agate stripping guide cleaned & polished.
-A new custom-fit red flannel rod bag with black embellishment stitches & a new custom-fit black canvas covered PVC rod tube with leather tag have been added to this rod.

I was able to retain the original South Bend label, which is still 100% intact. In addition, the original factory ink indicating the model was also retained intact. It also has it's original factory ferrules, too.I was able to retain the original South Bend label, which is still 100% intact. In addition, the original factory ink indicating the model was also retained intact. It also has it's original factory ferrules, too.I was able to retain the original South Bend label, which is still 100% intact. In addition, the original factory ink indicating the model was also retained intact. It also has it's original factory ferrules, too.

We can roughly date this rod to the 1950's from it's reel seat. It has one of the more rare & desirable marbled Bakelite spacers in a gorgeous yellow / cream color. For those of you not familiar with this style of reel seat, the reel is secured onto the rod by tightening up an internal screw from the butt of the rod.

Honestly, this is one of the finer 59-9 rods I've cast a line on & it's in great shape. The bamboo is intact with no gaps or glue lines. The original agate stripping guide is in excellent condition. There's still a lot more life in this rod & many fish for it to catch!

For more detailed information, & to see many more photos of this rod, please visit the Available Rods page.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me & I'll be happy to help you.

mixing dubbing colors

9/5/2018

There are times & places you'll want to get the color of a fly exactly the same as the natural bug. These are times when any old brown, olive, or cream color just won't do.

To get dubbing in a color you can't buy you're going to have make it yourself, which will require some research. If you're lucky you can find a recipe for the proper color mix in a reference book (Hatches II, et al). Lacking that you'll need a photo of the bug you're trying to copy - or even a real life sample. Some experimentation will have to happen before you get the color just right.

Fortunately, mixing dubbing is easy to do. Start with the colors of dubbing you'll be mixing together, in the correct proportions. Here, I'm mixing up some dubbing to get the color of the Whitefly (Ephoron leukon) nymph which calls for 1 part cream; 1 part yellow; 2 parts brown.

Put the pieces of dubbing you want to mix together in a jar with a good, tight fitting lid. Pour in some hot water (not boiling) until the jar is about two-thirds full. Let this sit for a few minutes to allow the dubbing to soften in the warm water.

Now shake the jar vigorously for at least a minute or two. You'll see the colors of the dubbing begin to mix together.

Drain the water out of the jar & pat dry the dubbing mix on an absorbent towel. Examine your results.

Chances are you'll need to do this at least one more time to get the colors mixed through. Each time you do this you can see the dubbing softening in the water & mixing together more & more. Compare this photo below of the dubbing in the water to the one above. You can see the colors mixing even more on my second time through.

You can see just how much more the colors are mixed through after a second time in the jar:

I'm pretty happy with this color, so I'll stop here. It's pretty close to the color of the natural Whitefly nymph, which is a burrowing nymph & lives in areas of the stream that have a sandy bottom. This should work.

Remember, nature is rarely perfect so a few mild streaks of color in your mix is fine. Also note that you should let the dubbing air dry for a while. Some mixes will change color a bit after the dubbing is completely dry. Certainly make sure it's totally dry before you store it away in an air tight container or bag!

Mixing dubbing to a custom color (once you have the proper recipe) is quite easy. You'll be able to tie flies that match the color of the natural bug more closely than anything you could buy in a store or from a catalog. Happy mixing!!

happy labor day!

9/1/2018

I hope that you all have a safe, relaxing, & fun Labor Day weekend. For those of you who must be at work this weekend, thank you for being there.

Happy Labor Day!!!

choosing the right leader length

8/27/2018

For those of you who are fairly new to fly fishing, or if you've never really given much thought to your leader, there are situations for a leader of a certain length. These days, unless you tie up your won leaders, we mostly use prefabricated leaders - usually the 'knotless tapered' types you see in stores & catalogs everywhere. These leaders come in various lengths & there's a reason for that. After you consider it, it really is common sense.

Here is a video that does a pretty good job of explaining why certain prefabricated leaders are available in different lengths & why you might choose one length over another for various fishing situations.

more bamboo in the rod shop

8/20/2018

I've received another shipment of raw bamboo into the rod shop, so I'm all stocked up to make your next custom bamboo fly rod! I spent a hot & humid afternoon sorting it all & bundling it together into groups for different types of rods: heavier cane for larger rods, lighter bamboo for smaller ones, etc. I'm already figuring out a few really special rods to make!!

It has been a busy summer here with rod orders continuing to come in & completed rods going out the door. I've been here all summer long, working away making some very cool fly rods folks have requested. Planning bamboo, gluing up rod blanks, making reel seats - it has indeed been a busy summer!

So as the summer wanes & we slip back into cooler temperatures with autumn fly fishing, know that I'll be here to serve you. Feel free to contact me with your ideas about that special fly rod you've always wanted made up just for you. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer!

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the pliant rod:

from beyond the rod shop.......

autumn fly fishing is here!

classical series bamboo available

coq de leon feathers

9/11

restored vintage fly rod now available

mixing dubbing colors

happy labor day!

choosing the right leader length

more bamboo in the rod shop

The Pliant Rod

These rods are available right now. please Go to the "Available rods" page for more details:

7'-6"
3/2, 4/5 wt
classical
bamboo

(restored) vintage
south bend 59-9

10'-0", 4 pc, 5/6 wt
custom series graphite

hand stitched leather accessories

full set of matching leather accessories now available:

NEW!! SEE MORE ROD PHOTOS!!!

Watch Some Videos!!

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