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Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

New Rod Available

4/30/2013

I've just listed another rod over on the Available Rods page. This one is sweet, if I do say so myself. It's a 6'-4" 2 piece / 2 tips split-bamboo fly rod with a very nice moderate action.

I made this rod to try out a new taper theory I was fooling around with on paper. I wanted to make a bamboo fly rod that would be on the short side, weigh next to nothing, yet have a ton of power for casting distances accurately. I'm proud to say that this rod accomplishes all that!!

I also wanted to add a feather inlay to this rod, as it was the perfect opportunity to see how some different feathers than I normally use in inlays would look. Well, I think it came out nicely. It features a simple, natural mallard side feather framed by two brown dry fly hackle feathers. These simple feathers look very classy to me while being suggestive of so many traditional fly patterns. Again, I'll be adding this design of inlay to my offerings.

I'm very excited about this rod & will be adding it to my list of rods. When I placed the butt section on a postal scale - the area where all the hardware & grip are - it came in at 2.7 ounces. This rod does feel very light in the hand & hitting the target while reaching out to distances beyond forty feet was almost effortless. I think you're really going to enjoy fishing with this rod.

For more photos & info about this rod, please see the Available Rods page. If you have any questions at all about this rod, please contact me. This is a great chance to get a beautiful rod that casts like a dream!!

Machine Made By Hand?

4/23/2013

Some bamboo rod aficionados concern themselves with the way in which the bamboo in their rod was formed, or planed. Some among them believe that the splitting of the bamboo into strips & cutting the rod taper into them is best done all by hand. This method, they feel, allows the bamboo to be cut in harmony with its natural grain & thus resulting in a smoother & stronger rod. Others don't concern themselves with the method of manufacture as much as the design, components used, & the attention to detail by the rod maker. It's the age old debate of 'man vs. machine'.

Each side of this debate has some validity to their beliefs. Obviously nobody wants a rod that has bad joinery because the blade of a beveling machine ripped gouges into the bamboo strip, for whatever reason. Likewise a bamboo fly rod that cast like a dream & has perfect joinery between the strips but is finished out with poor wraps, varnish runs, cheap hardware, etc. won’t ever command high prices or respect, I'm sorry to say. Are rod makers that use machines to split, bevel, & taper their bamboo strips cheating or taking a short cut? Do the rod makers who split & plane by hand with an old fashioned block plane & form produce a better rod? The answer in both cases, I feel, is no.

Any experienced machinist will tell you that every piece of equipment has its own intricacies & tendencies that need to be addressed. Each machine is a little different & a good machine operator is both aware of this & compensates for it. A machine is a tool & anyone using it will need to be very skilled in its use to get the best results from it. Some machines are so complicated that it takes years of practice to master, while others are simple (think: toaster vs metal lathe). So when a rod maker uses, say, a beveller to shape their bamboo strips into triangles it takes a certain level of skill & working knowledge to get good results with the beveling machine. When you add in the fact that the rod maker might have designed & built the beveling machine themselves, that level of competence is even higher.

Some rod makers straddle the argument by using machines to split &/or bevel the bamboo strips, but finish the process of tapering the strips by hand with a block plane. That's not a bad idea as planning by hand is a slower process which allows you to see & address problems before (or as) they arise. You have more time to correct a piece of bamboo that might be inclined to grain lift, or see a node that needs to be straightened-out again. All of this can save material & give the rod maker a tactile feel & knowledge of the bamboo in the rod.

Myself, I do all the work by hand the old fashioned way. I don't use bevellers or milling machines to shape the bamboo. All my strips are split by hand on my work bench. I hand plane every strip from start to finish. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't use a machine to help in my work if I felt it was absolutely necessary. Personally, as a rod maker, I'm stuck in a loop where I have work enough to keep me too busy to have the time to design & build a machine, but I'm not so busy that my operation is going to crumble without the aid of machines to speed up the process. Some rod makers are that busy though. Their work & reputation is such that they have a lot of rod orders - more than they could fill in a timely manner doing all the work by hand. In most cases these rod makers are very skilled & so their attention to detail & experience with the machines they use is not a factor in the quality of the rods they produce.

The skill & the high attention to detail it takes to make a good split-bamboo fly rod is the point, no matter if a machine is used to help make it or not. An inexperienced rod maker is not going to consistently make excellent fly rods even if they had an unlimited budget & all the equipment imaginable. However, a skilled & competent rod maker could probably make do with the simplest of tools. It keeps coming back to that, doesn't it, - the rod maker's abilities? That's the answer to the debate for me. Besides, that's what you're buying when you purchase a rod: the rod maker’s skill, not the method they used to make the rod, but the end product. For me, I'll keep doing the work by hand because I work better that way & think that some folks appreciate that I do everything by hand, especially in this day & age. Ultimately though, in the end, it's the rod maker's level of skill that will make for a good all-around fly rod.

Taking Time To Watch The Trout...

4/20/2013

The other day I was out along the stream, ready to enjoy a nice day of trout fishing, when upon stepping into the stream I realized I had a massive leak in one of my waders. As the water was very cold, this made for a very unpleasant experience. So I left the water & sat down on the bank to assess the problem. After drying my foot & sock out (& emptying the wader) I realized my wader had a huge gash cut into it. Attempts to patch the wader were fruitless for reasons I won't go into here, but it left me with limited options for my fishing.

Where I was is a smaller, heavily brush covered stream. The banks are overgrown with vegetation & trees are towering overhead. There are very few places to fish this stretch of stream without wading. Of course that didn't stop me from trying. Unfortunately, try as I might, I just couldn't get into a good position to the trout anywhere from dry land. I considered going back in, getting my foot wet again (for the third time) to cast & fish as quickly as I could in the hopes that I might land at least one fish that day. But that water was so cold......

With limited options I decided to take some time to really study this stream for my return trip when I would have a new pair of waders. Sitting high on a bank, I found a place where I was able to look down onto the stream. There I watched several trout feeding under the cover of a fallen tree. As each trout had staked out it's position, I was fascinated by how each one seemed to have its own method of feeding.

Some would just sit in the drift not moving at all & only taking food that would have otherwise hit them square on the nose. Others would float up & down in elevation to take a meal. The most interesting of the trout to watch were those who would rut around with their noses on the soft bottom for food. This was very similar to the way a pig uses it's snout to look for food. Every time I would see the white flash of a trout mouth opening, I would wonder exactly what they just ingested.

I don't know how long I sat there, but I'm sure it was quite a while. I remembered that this was something I used to do a lot more often - just sit & watch the trout. It seems that lately I've gotten away from this & I really shouldn't because I seem to learn something new every time I do. Even though I wasn't able to catch a one of them, these trout still provided me with a very pleasant way to spend my time.

Some Thoughts On How To Play A Trout

4/17/2013

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we lose a fish we have hooked. It can be heartbreaking at times. This can happen to you even if you've done nothing wrong. All we can do is to make sure we're playing the fish well & using all the tricks in out bag to tire the trout out, making the act of bringing it to hand easier for both us & the trout.

Maybe the biggest mistake made when an angler hooks up with a trout is holding it too tightly. It's exciting. Our adrenaline is pumping. It's natural to keep too much tension on the line. But you have to avoid this - especially with bigger fish. If the trout wants to run, let it. Keep only slight tension on the line - like the drag from your reel. Just make sure you hold your rod tip UP! It won't be long before the trout tires. When it does, start bringing it in. It will take another run. Fine. Let it go again & repeat the process. It's runs will get shorter & shorter. Eventually it will be close enough to net or take by hand. The number one key to playing a trout successfully is to keep your cool & remain calm.

On the subject of line tension, too many anglers have the drag on their reel set way too high. You don't need all that tension on the line. Your reel's drag should be set to offer only a slight resistance to the trout.

When the trout makes it's run, follow it. Don't allow it to go to another section of the stream without you. If it runs down or up stream follow it, reeling line as you go, so as to keep steady pressure on the fish.

If you've hooked into a large trout that's out in the faster current & refusing to move, get below it & pull your rod towards the bank you're standing on. Get your rod parallel to the bank. Most of the time this will move the fish out of the faster current where it's difficult for you to have any control.

If your trout runs under a log or takes your line around a root or other obstacle let the line relax entirely. Take all tension off the fish & wait. Eventually the fish will think its troubles are over & gently swim out from the tangles, freeing your line with it. Then you can resume your fight when your line & trout are back out in open water. If the trout's not moving from it's cover for a very long time, give your line a few pumps & then quickly relax the line again. Sometimes this will frighten the trout out from the cover they've taken.

Maybe the biggest mistake anglers make that causes difficulty in landing a trout is the rod they use. In these days of lighter rods & lines you want to make sure you have enough rod to land a good trout. Make the sport be more about finding & fooling the fish, rather than the fight. Besides, if you tie into a really big trout on a very light rod you might get into a prolonged battle with the fish that could end up killing it unintentionally.

Opening Day Check List

4/11/2013

It's that time of year again here in my area: the first day of trout season in all waters. So, I thought it might be a good idea to go over some of the things you'll want to have prepared for your first trip out to the stream this year. Here's some things to look over before you leave.

1.)Fishing license: Seriously, sometimes it's overlooked or forgotten about all together. You want to make sure you're legal to fish where you're going.

2.)Fly Rod: Clean it up, make sure you don't have any loose guides, etc.

3.)Fly reel: Dig it out & take a look to make sure it's still clean & working good. Now is the time to find a problem with it - not along the stream. If you haven't greased or oiled it all winter, do that now.

4.)Waders: The water's very cold this time of year. Make sure you don't have any leaks & fix any that you find. You won't last long in the cold water with a wet leg & foot.

5.)Fly line: Make sure it's clean & ready to go. If it's old, stiff, & cracking then go get a new one before you head out to the water.

6.)General Tackle: Go through your fly boxes & make sure you have everything. All those flies you tied this winter - don't leave them at home because you forgot to put them in your boxes. Make sure you've got enough leaders & restocked your supply from last year. Split-shot, too. This is the last time to go through your vest or bag to make sure you have what you'll need.

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to look at the obvious things before we run out the door on our first fishing trip of the year. That can lead to major disappointment. So take the time to go over your equipment before hand & you'll be glad you did. Good luck on the stream & save some fish for me!!

Opening Day In Pennsylvania

4/8/2013

The first day of trout season is a really big event all across the state of PA. Actually, we have two opening days - one earlier for the south-east corner of the state, but the majority of the state's opening day is a really big deal. I'm sure it's a big deal in the other places where trout live & people fish for them, too. Maybe it's because of my having seen & experienced it, but I can't imagine that it's celebrated any more than in PA.

PA isn't a small state & the trout are a draw for those who live in less desirable trout-fishing locations. So the population of PA swells on the first day of trout to some extent. When you add these folks to the number of resident anglers who go out on the first day, you get quite a crowd at every trout stream in the state.

The trout opener is also a tradition each angler celebrates in their own way. Some have to be in the same spot every year waiting for the clock to come around to the opening of the season, the same as they have always done for as long as they can remember. Some anglers must go fishing wit the same group of people. Some have a tradition of camping out along the stream the night before. There are as many rituals & traditions as there are anglers, I think. For many, these traditions are serious business & not to be messed with.

At this time of the year, it's a common question to ask someone "so, where you going the first day?" This question always gets an honest answer. That's because the trout opener in PA is kind of seen as a way of starting with a clean slate. All things being equal, everyone is starting from the same point. There haven't been any secret discoveries yet about what the trout are taking, or maybe where the state stocked them more heavily, etc.

The trout opener here (always a Saturday) is big business, too. Equipment, tackle, & licenses are sold. Food & drink are bought. The list goes on & on. When trying to explain how popular the opener is in PA to folks who have never witnessed it, I say imagine a state-wide tailgating party - one that stretches to every corner of the state & all points in between. It's bigger than Memorial Day, The 4th of July, the Superbowl or a Steelers play-off game all combined. In other words, if you haven't seen it, you can't imagine it.

So where do I go on opening day? I sleep in & dream of trout, then mill about the rod shop most of the day. Maybe, if its really nice out, I'll go out in the evening. Not to catch a trout - those fish have been pretty worked over by then. No, I'll go just to wet a line & say "hi" to some friends & hear how they did. Hey, everybody has their opening day traditions. Avoiding the crowd is mine.

Book Review: "Trout Madness"

4/5/2013

Before there was John Gierach to coin the term "trout bum", there was Robert Traver. The writings of Traver are true, quintessential trout bum material. With a unique point of view & a sense of humor & self-deprecation, Traver's books are an absolute joy to read. "Trout Madness, Being A Dissertation On The Symptoms & Pathology of This Incurable Disease by One of Its Victims" is truly a fly fishing classic & a must-read for all trout anglers.

Robert Traver was the pen name for John D. Voelker, who was a lawyer, Justice of The Supreme Court of Michigan, & a successful writer. Along with fishing related books he also wrote the court room drama "Anatomy of A Murder", which was eventually made into a movie starring Jimmy Stewart. Although he had all those successes, I'll bet that if he was still around today, he'd tell you that fishing was the most fun & pleasure he had.

"Trout Madness", originally published in 1960, takes the reader through a series of short essays & stories that cover an entire range of thoughts around fly fishing. Poignant & funny, Traver's writing truly does flow from the page making this a very easy book to read. Like all good books, you won't want it to end. This is because, like a lot of other gifted writers, you feel like you get to know Traver while reading this book & he seems like the kind of guy you wouldn't mind tagging along with you to the stream. He's a knowledgeable & experienced angler you can pick up a few tricks from with a laid-back attitude & an ability to poke fun at himself. This book is filled with examples of this.

He writes with humor & humility about finding new & promising places to fish, dealing with poachers, his terrible mess of a fish car, getting directions to the stream, getting lost, frightening innocent people to death just by his appearance, all of his useful (& useless) tackle, the agonizing anticipation of the opening day of trout season, etc. Through it all you find in Traver an angler you can relate to. You'll be nodding your head in agreement, or trying not to laugh so hard you fall out of your seat. At least I was.

Personally, I wish more angling writers wrote like Traver & that there were more books like "Trout Madness" being published today. In a sport where "the experts" seem to get more technical & specialized every year, it's refreshing to spend some time with Traver - just your 'average Joe' angler with a great sense of humor & insight. This book is truly worth reading. Do yourself a favor & pick up a copy. Honestly, it's one of the best books I've ever read.

Which Fly Line To Use?

4/1/2013

I thought today I'd address a pretty common - & intelligent - question. Many folks, when getting a new rod from me often ask which type of fly line they should use with their new fly rod.

First off, some rod makers recommend specific models of line by specific manufacturers. They have designed their rods with this fly line in mind. When that's the case, I strongly suggest that you follow that rod maker's advice. A lot of time & thought went into it, so you're probably going to get the best results if you use the line they specify.

I don't design my rods in this way for a couple of really big reasons. One is that I don't trust the large tackle & fly line manufacturers to keep certain products in production & available. So I'm not going to go through all the hard work & time to design a rod with an exact model of fly line in mind, only to see that line become no longer available someday. Then we'd be left searching for "the next best thing" &/or not getting the most out of the rod. Another reason I don't design a rod to a specific model of line is because everybody casts a rod differently. There are so many variables when designing a rod that all a rod maker can really do is make a rod that meets the criteria for the fishing that the client has described & the way they fish. Make the BEST rod possible for those conditions & everything should be just fine.

So, when someone asks which line to use on their new rod, my answer varies based on the client's situation.

If you're an experienced angler & also keep up on all the latest tackle innovations, etc then I recommend that you use your judgement. You've cast many of the lines on the market, know the difference in how they act, & know you're own casting very well so use what you think is best for you - after you've wiggled the rod some.

If this is you're first custom made rod & you really want to see the difference between the factory-made rod you've been using & the new custom-made rod, then use the same make & model of fly line you've been using (in the correct weight for the new rod). This will truly show you the difference. With so many variables in the mix when it comes to comparing fly rods, using the same line will take away one of those & give you a better comparison between the two rods.

No matter what your situation (if your an experienced rod collector or getting your very first custom rod) I urge you to visit, or find, a local fly shop who's staff you trust. By all means take your new rod (& reel if you like) to the fly shop when looking to buy a new fly line. Show them your set-up & talk to them about the type of fishing you want to do with it. I'm sure any legitimate fly shop folks will be more than happy to work with you to get the best fly line for you onto your reel. Like rod makers, they want you to succeed & enjoy the sport.

As you're getting your gear ready for the upcoming trout season, take a few moment to look over your fly line. Maybe a call to your rod maker & a trip to the local fly shop will be in order.

the pliant rod:

New Rod Available

Machine Made By Hand?

Taking Time To Watch The Trout...

Some Thoughts On How To Play A Trout

Opening Day Check List

Opening Day In Pennsylvania

Book Review: "Trout Madness"

Which Fly Line To Use?

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