Blog Archives

Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

the glo bug fly

2/27/2017

Sometimes the simplest patterns work the best; & sometimes the patterns that look like they might be a little tricky to tie are the absolute easiest. Funny how that works.

The Glo Bug falls into those categories. When I was learning how to tie I though, how do you make a perfectly round ball of yarn on a hook? Once you see how, it couldn't be easier. Also, the Glo Bug is extremely effective. It can be a real go-to pattern for steelhead & salmon, but don't neglect it on early season trout either. Look in any live bait shop & you're sure to find jars of cheese or salmon eggs for the bait angler to use. They work well at catching those early trout & so will the Glo Bug.

Here's a short, easy to follow video showing the best way I've seen so far of tying the perfect egg pattern. As you head out to the cold waters at this time of year, be sure to give pattern a try.

the fly fishing presidents (re-post)

2/20/2017

The following article is a re-post of one I wrote about six years ago. Considering that today is President's Day, I figured I'd share it with you again......

In honor of the upcoming Presidents Day, I thought I might mention a little about how the sport has been in the office for a long time. Presidents Day was first celebrated on Washington's birthday, February, 22 in the late 1800's. By 1971, the holiday had been moved to the third Monday in February & had been designated to honor all those who have held the office.

Quite a few past presidents have been fly anglers, some more addicted to it than others. Of course, not all presidents were fly anglers, or ever even tried the sport, but many have at least given it a try. It's no big surprise that Theodore Roosevelt was an avid fly angler & of course Calvin Coolidge is the fly fishing president that gets a quick mention in "A River Runs Through It." I think it's also well known that Jimmy Carter is a skilled & knowledgeable fly fisherman. But I never knew that Herbert Hoover was as devoted to fly fishing, saying the sport "restored & nourished" his soul. The sport was a very important influence on his thoughts. He once said: "Fishing is a ...discipline in the equality of men - for all men are equal before fish."

No matter what your politics may be, I think every president should give the sport a try. As we all know, it ca be a great way to relax & spend some much needed time in peaceful thought.

(I often wondered: are there any fish in that fountain?)

reel seat wood: making them beautiful

2/13/2017

The wood spacer in a fly rod's reel seat can go a long way to enhancing the rod's appearance. Obviously, we want a very nice piece of wood in the seat & there are many different species of wood that can be used. No matter which wood is chosen, we want to get the most out of it - we want to bring out all of it's natural beauty so that even common woods look eye catching.

Here is just such an example. This is a reel seat spacer made from walnut. That's a very common & traditional wood for fly rods. Here's what it looks like raw, turned to shape & sanded:

Okay, that's a very nice piece of wood. Note the grain in the wood & its direction. This spacer is beautiful in this unfinished form, but we can make it even better......

Now let's see how it looks after I've applied several coats of varnish, buffing between each coat, & then polishing the finish after the final coat has set up (what we call "finishing the finish").......

Just look at how the proper varnish has brought out the beauty in the walnut grain!! Now let's see how it looks when we add the metal hardware to the spacer, as it will appear on the fly rod:

I think this reel seat is going to look great on a fly rod, don't you? By taking the time to do it correctly, we've taken a beautiful piece of wood & made it gorgeous. This seat is going to look much better on your fly rod that almost any mass-produced rod simply because more time & care was taken with it. A beautiful piece of wood in the reel seat is another hallmark of a quality fly rod.

NEW BAMBOO FLY ROD NOW AVAILABLE

2/9/2017

Please visit the Available Rods page to check out this rod I've just listed there. It's a 6'-0", 2/2, 3 wt Classical Series Bamboo fly rod that I think you're really going to like. This rod is in new condition & has never been fished, having served as a demo rod being lawn cast only.

If I may be so bold to say, this rod is beautiful. It features a unique rod making technique called "tiger striping". This is done by flaming the raw bamboo more heavily in certain locations before the bamboo is even split to make the rod. The result is an almost random looking pattern of small, darker stripes on the rod shafts. A very cool look, indeed!!

This rod has a medium action that is just so silky smooth that you're going to love casting your wets, nymphs, & dry flies with it. The rod is very light in the hand, very responsive, & sensitive. I think you're going to love casting & fishing this delightful little rod.

This rod features:
-Cap & ring style reel seat with beautifully knurled aluminum hardware & a nicely grained walnut wood spacer
-Nickle-Silver winding check, above the grip
-Traditional cigar shaped cork grip
-Chromed, stainless steel stripping guide, line guides, & tip tops
-Nickle-Silver ferrules
-Tiger stripe (flamed) rod shafts
-Beautiful orange silk thread wraps with red tipping
-Black soft cotton flannel rod bag with orange embellishment stitches
-Black canvas covered PVC rod tube with padded ends, zippered closure, & leather name tag describing the rod inside

For more info about this rod & to see more photos, please visit the Available Rods page of this website. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have about this rod.

reduced available rod price:

While you're over on the Available Rods page, check out the new, reduced price on the other rod listed there. It's a 5'-0", 2 pc / 1 tip, 3 wt Prudential Series bamboo fly rod.

This neat little rod has a moderate fast action which will allow you to pick up line off the water at a very short distance. This action will also allow to you to fish only with the leader when necessary, in those tight spots along small, brush covered streams. Plus, the versatility of this rod will allow you to cast dry flies, wets, nymphs, & even some small streamers. Think of it as a rod that can do a bunch of different types of fishing well, for those times when you want to fish with a shorter rod.

This rod features:
-All cork grip & reel seat with two aluminum slide bands for reduced weight
-Nickle-Silver winding check (above the grip)
-Chromed, stainless steel line guides, stripping guide, & tip top
-Nickle-Silver ferrules
-Green silk thread wraps
-Green, custom-fit soft cotton flannel rod bag
-Green, custom-fit canvas covered PVC rod tube with padded ends, zippered closure, & leather name tag describing the rod inside

Please feel free to contact me anytime to discuss either of these rods & with any questions you might have.

2017 pa trout stocking list now available

2/6/2017

Believe it or not, soon the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission will begin stocking adult trout into the streams, rivers, & lakes of PA. Are you planing a fishing trip to the Keystone state this year? Well, if you are you can plan to hit your favorite spots at a time when they're filled with trout for you to match your wits against.

The list can be searched by county. Simply enter in the county that you'll be fishing in & you can see when & where the Commission will be stocking these trout. To view the list, click HERE.

Additional info can be had on the Commission's website, including interactive maps showing each stocked water - with GPS coordinates to boot. You can read all about the different fishing seasons in PA, buy a PA fishing license, & even watch some videos, too.

No folks, it won't be too much longer before the trout are going from the hatcheries to the streams & you know what that means - it won't be too much longer before we're casting our flies to rising trout!!!! I can't wait for that!!!

a neat fly tying tool

2/2/2017

Rarely am I up on the latest fly fishing products to hit the market & rarely do I go for the newest & latest gadget......& there are always new products coming out all the time. This is especially true for fly tying, where there are countless little tools & gadgets to add to your tying table. That said, I recently discovered a new, neat little tool......

The Hareline Bend-A-Blade is a tool that will help in forming deer hair heads. It helps to hold the razor blade in a curve while you cut the hair. With this tool, you no longer have to worry about the razor popping out from between your fingers & flying around the room. It also makes the job a lot quicker when tying up a bunch of flies with deer hair heads. Since you can adjust it, it makes for going from one size fly to another at the vise easy & quick.

I don't normally go in for new gadgets, but I thought this one was a good idea & worth giving a try. You can pick one up at your local fly shop that is a Hareline dealer, or a trusted source to buy one online would be J. Stockard fly fishing.

(please note: I'm not affiliated with J.Stockard or Harleine in any way. I only mention these as sources for this article)

Below is a forty second video showing how the tool works.

the pliant rod:

the glo bug fly

the fly fishing presidents (re-post)

reel seat wood: making them beautiful

NEW BAMBOO FLY ROD NOW AVAILABLE

reduced available rod price:

2017 pa trout stocking list now available

a neat fly tying tool

The Pliant Rod

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

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

4'-4" one pc, 3/4 wt
"banty" bamboo

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

leather accessories

DISCOUNTED REEL CASES
(IN LIMITED SIZES & COLORS):

NEW!! SEE MORE ROD PHOTOS!!!

Watch Some Videos!!

Categories

Archives

the pliant rod:

the glo bug fly

the fly fishing presidents (re-post)

﻿reel seat wood: making them beautiful

NEW BAMBOO FLY ROD NOW AVAILABLE

reduced available rod price:

﻿2017 pa trout stocking list now available

﻿a neat fly tying tool

The Pliant Rod

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

6'-4" 2/2, 4/5 wt​classical series bamboo

4'-4" one pc, 3/4 wt"banty" bamboo

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

leather accessories

DISCOUNTED REEL CASES ​(IN LIMITED SIZES & COLORS):

NEW!! SEE MORE ROD PHOTOS!!!

Watch Some Videos!!

Categories

Archives

reel seat wood: making them beautiful

2017 pa trout stocking list now available

a neat fly tying tool

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

4'-4" one pc, 3/4 wt
"banty" bamboo

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

DISCOUNTED REEL CASES
(IN LIMITED SIZES & COLORS):