I've recently made some improvements to the leather covered rod tubes that I make in my shop. I thought I'd like to let you know about them. 

I've started to use a better quality, vegetable tanned leather for these tubes. You can choose between light brown (shown here) or mahogany - the same colors as the leather fly wallets I make. This is very good leather with a natural grain. No two pieces are the exactly the same & will have a slight distressed look, or will show some grain in the leather. 

Just like the canvas covered PVC rod tubes, these leather tubes can be made to fit most size of fly rods, to an exact fit for your rod. The heavy canvas shoulder strap is not only adjustable, but easily removed for convenience when traveling, or packing the rod tube. ​

​The aluminum tube used here is heavy-walled (1/8" thick) which makes these tubes heavier than what you're most likely used to. We use these heavy tubes because if you're housing a special rod, you want to protect it well & a thick, strong tube will do just that.

As these tubes are special order items that are made completely by hand, there will be a short wait time for them to be made for you. You can pay in full up front, or if you prefer, a down payment of half the total can be made to begin the tube, the second half due only after your rod tubes are completed.

For more information & photos of these rod tubes, please visit the Leather Accessories page.

Please contact me to discuss the leather rod tubes you need for your fly rods. 

I hope that this will be the only time I address this issue concerning the COVID-19 virus. Since you've no doubt heard about this issue & the fallout from it, I wanted to let everyone know that I am still working on rods & accessories, still taking orders, & continue to ship orders out - just as I did this morning. As I work from my little workshop, I've not had to make any adjustments to how I conduct business. So, please feel free to contact me & we'll continue on just as we always have from a custom rod & accessories perspective. 

However, it is not business as usual for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. They have announced changes to the trout season & to the adult trout stockings throughout the state. They will not be allowing volunteers to assist in the stocking this season & they will be consolidating stream stockings. What this means is that your favorite stream will be stocked with trout in only a few places where access is easy from the road (think:bridges). In addition to that, your stream might be stocked only once this year, rather then the stockings being spread out across the prime months of the trout season. Yes, trout will migrate, but only so much. If you fish stocked waters & go far from the road, you will probably notice a decrease of the trout population. 

This is a shame, as the volunteers who assisted the Commission stock trout (of which I am one) did a lot of work to make sure that the fish were spread out so that the trout were not overcrowded & put in spots that offered food & shelter. This certainly allowed for more fish survival & better fishing. I don't envy the Commission folks who have to do the stockings all themselves. It will be a huge task without the aid of the volunteers. 

I hope that you all stay safe & healthy as we go through this trouble & that it passes quickly. Please know that I'll be here, working on all your fly rods & accessories every day, so please feel free to reach out & contact me. As I said at the beginning, I hope this is the last & only time I need to address this issue. Stay safe, everyone!   

​I think this tune by the Doors states it all very well:

I thought I'd take a moment to discuss, on this St. Patty's Day, the fly called the green weenie. It is a simple pattern that has magical powers to catch fish. Yup, that's right, it's a magical fly. Why? Because it seems to catch fish on days when nothing else will. It works in all seasons, too.

Seriously though, the green weenie is a fly that seems to attract trout both because of it's shape & color - bright chartreuse green. It can imitate some green caddis flies & also green inch worms, too. It's effective as both a wet / nymph fly & also great when fished as a streamer. ​

​I've heard many different versions of the history of this fly. Mostly though, it's considered to have originated in Western PA. It supposedly gets it's name from the green weenies used at Pittsburgh Pirates games through the years. Those green weenies would hex the opposing baseball team while giving good luck to the Pirate players when the weenie was pointed at them. Read more about the green weenie of the Pirates, HERE.

No matter where it came from, or how it got it's name, the green weenie remains an effective fly for trout as well as steelhead in many places outside of Western PA. It is a great fly to start someone out with in fly tying, too, because of how simple it is. The legendary PA outdoor sports writer Charlie Meck called this one of his "one minute flies" because that's about how long it takes to tie one. 

Here's a short video showing how to tie this pattern:
(one note: this is a slight variation of the green weenie in this video. It's traditionally made with medium, or even micro, chenille - not the fuzzy stuff shown here. It's also usually bright or fluorescent green. I'm showing you this video because the tying is spot on, the colors are close, & it's the best video I could find to show how to tie it.)

​If you happen to be looking for trout rather than a pot of gold, the green weenie is an excellent pattern to try. You'll have a lot of luck when you try this magical fly!!

If you're going to be anywhere near the state of Maryland on Saturday March, 14th (even if you're not), make plans to attend the 2020 Maryland Fly Fishing Show. Unlike other big shows that are lead by the big companies in the fly fishing industry, the Maryland show is much more personal. However, don't think that means it's small - 'cause it's not. This paragraph from their website says it best:

"The large commercial Shows certainly have their appeal, but if you really want to experience fly fishing through the eyes of professional bamboo/graphite/glass rod builders, classic tackle dealers, national known artist and authors, regional guides not to mention our local fly shops throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania then this is a must attend event. We will have on display more than 70 vendors and booths chock-full of everything fly fishing—ALL FOR SALE AT SHOW PRICES!"

As you can see, there's plenty of something here for everyone who fly fishes. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend this year, but please go & check it out. I'm betting that you'll be very glad that you did. You can find out all the details about the show on their website HERE. It would be a great way to kick off your fly fishing season this year!