Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker
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Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

the pliant rod:

blog & news

clamshell reel cases: more sizes

4/25/2019

 
Over on the Leather Accessories page, you'll now see the clam shell reel cases that I make available in three sizes. I recently added a larger case to accommodate salmon & saltwater reels.  
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These cases are designed to house both regular & wide spool reels. Of course they're also perfect for any classic style, hard rubber, vintage fly reel or any reel that's special to you. The three sizes are:
​-Large: will accommodate any fly reel up to 4" high x 3" wide (from back plate to top of handle)

-Medium: will hold any reel up to 3 1/2" high x 2 3/4" wide (from back plate to top of handle)

-Small: any fly reel up to 3" high x 2 1/2" wide (from back plate to top of handle)
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No matter what size reel you have, there's a clamshell case to fit. For more information about these cases & to see more detailed photos of them, please visit the Leather Accessories page. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me & I'll be happy to help.  

earth day

4/22/2019

 
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Every April 22nd, Earth day is celebrated in order to bring attention to the need to maintain & protect the environment. It began back in 1970 & is now observed in 193 countries around the world. 

Obviously the environment is an important subject to any angler, especially to preserve those cold, clean waters that trout need to survive. 

​Whatever you do to help keep the planet healthy - from the smallest things to large endeavors - thank you. If we all do a little a lot will happen. 

happy easter

4/19/2019

 
To all of you who celebrate the Holiday, may you have a peaceful & blessed Easter!!
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why i love a trout stream

4/16/2019

 
​Rarely do I like to get sentimental about things, but if you'll bear with me, I'd like to a little bit here. I always feel a little emotional at the beginning of another trout season & this year is no different. I think most of us get this way at one time or another. So, if you'll indulge me, here are a few reflections on my love of trout streams. 
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​I'll admit it: trout streams draw me to them. They always have, ever since I can remember. I think it's a combination of the mysteries they hold about what's going on underneath the water's surface & just the shear beauty of them. I have fished many streams in many places & have yet to find any single trout stream that did not reflect a sense of dignity. 

I love a trout stream because you never step into the same stream twice. It is always changing. As in life, sometimes that change is gradual, other times sudden. It can be a benefit to you, or it can ruin one of your favorite spots to wet a line. But the change is there, always & you never know what you will experience each time you go there. You must always be willing to adjust to it's changes. 

I love a trout stream because there's something compelling about moving water. It's always going somewhere. If it's an unfamiliar stream I'm always torn between moving along the banks to see what's up ahead or staying where I am to enjoy the great new pool I've found. I want to get the most out of it each time & learn as much as I can about it. It's a new place, with new experiences & lessons to be learned. 
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I love trout streams because time stands still when I fish them. I'm not my age - or any age. It could be any year in time. The bird songs are the same for me as they were for my great Grandpa. Just one good looking rock, one decent windfall that looks as though it would be home to a trout can easily take an hour or more of my time, & to me it feels like only a few minutes have passed. No matter how hard I'm concentrating on the flow of water, or my line, or the fish, my mind never fatigues along a stream. It's only along a stream that this happens. Nowhere else in life will I willingly stand in the cold, heat, or rain for hours on end without moving.

I love a trout stream because of its natural beauty. I have never seen an ugly one - even one that flowed next to a parking lot was gorgeous in it's own way. Each stream has so much more to offer than just the fish. The plants, birds, trees, & overall surroundings are something to be observed & can provide you with a full day of entertainment. A stream is always a busy place, if you look around. And this is just the parts of it we can see! Below the water's surface there's a whole other world with all it's drama playing out. And if I'm lucky enough I might hold in my hand one of the most majestic, gorgeously decorated creatures the Creator of the universe saw fit to put on this planet. To release a trout you've caught back to the water, watching it disappear into the flow, is both a very rewarding & peaceful feeling. 

I love a tout stream because no matter what is going on in my world, I feel at home along the stream. I go there to celebrate life's good events; to heal wounds; to contemplate any problems or obstacles. Mostly though, I go there to fish, to learn what it has to teach me that day, & to make lasting memories. I can honestly say that some of my most cherished memories have been made along a trout stream. 

And those are some of the reasons why I love a trout stream. Thank you for indulging me. Why do you love a trout stream? 
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joe brooks documentary

4/12/2019

 
Work continues in the making of a film about the famous angler & writer Joe Brooks. In the video below we see the impact he had on fly fishing in Argentina & Patagonia. These locations are now destinations for fly anglers, but 60 + years ago when Joe first went there, they were unknown to all but the locals. Joe fished there, wrote about it, & as a result helped to create a whole new haven for anglers & economy for the locals. 

If you're unfamiliar with who Joe Brooks was you need to do yourself a favor & pick up any of the books he wrote. In the last half of the twentieth century Joe was a legend among fly anglers. He changed the way many folks fish. The techniques that many of us use today were his. If you've not read any of his works, you seriously owe it to yourself to check out his writings. I promise you it will make you a better fly angler. 

Enjoy this short film about how Joe Brooks put fly fishing in Patagonia on the map & learn a little about what an incredible angler he was. 

leather fly books: details

4/8/2019

 
A few years ago I had a request from an angler for a much larger version of the leather fly wallet that I make. Upon making it for him I came up with the idea of another accessory I call a "fly book".

These fly books were fairly well received by anglers, but I always thought there were a few ways I could improve them. Well, over the winter I made many big changes to the leather fly wallets I offer, making them from far better materials than in the past - so I figured I'd take the time to redesign the fly books, too.
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Now these fly books are made from a much better, heavier vegetable tanned leather in a rich chestnut color. Instead of using a snap, they now feature a stud closure. This makes it much easier to open & close them (& looks better, too).

Instead of having pages in them made from the old material that wouldn't accept barbed hooks, they now have two large pieces of 3/4" thick wool to hold the flies. This wool will accept hooks with & without a barb & is thick enough to wick away a lot of moisture from your flies, plus it acts like padding for any delicate hackles, wings, tails, etc. 
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Another big improvement to these fly books is the addition of side panels. These do two things: they keep your flies from being crushed & it it keeps anything inside the wallet from falling out the side. This is a huge improvement!

I designed these fly books in response to requests mostly from salmon & steelhead anglers for their larger flies, but you could easily also store any wets, nymphs, or streamers in them of any size. Over all these improvements really make these books strong & sturdy. They're almost box-like in their construction.
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two sizes: large & small

I make these fly books in two sizes & there is quite difference between the two. 

The small book is made to fit into a large pocket of most fishing vests. Closed, it measures 4 inches x 6 inches wide & is 2 inches thick. It weighs only 6.8 ounces empty. There's plenty of wool inside to carry enough flies, no matter their size, for a day on the water making this book a very convenient way to carry your flies with you.

The large book is made to be more like a piece of luggage for your flies. It's really big! When closed it measure 6 inches x 8 inches wide & is also 2 inches thick. Now you might not think that two inches in both directions is that much bigger, but let me say that you can hold a ton of flies in this large book! 
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While the small book was made to carry with you along the stream, the large book is too big to fit into most fishing vests - though it would fit into a shoulder bag, if you carry one instead of wearing a vest when you fish. Rather, many anglers actually own both sizes. They store their flies for an entire trip in the large book & load up the flies they'll need for the day into the small book to carry with them. Together, they're a great set of matching pieces to house your flies. 
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You should note, that even the small book is much larger than my traditional fly wallets. The wallets are a very popular accessory that I make, but these newly designed books are catching up with them quickly. Try one - or both - & I think you'll see why. When you use all three of these items together (fly wallets, large & small fly books) you'll have a wonderful system for housing all your streamers, wets, nymphs, steelhead, & salmon flies. 

For more information about all these items, please visit the Leather Accessories page. If you have any questions about anything you see there, please feel free to contact me & I'll be more than happy to help you. 
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(re-post) the legend of the blue trout

4/1/2019

 
Since today is a day for shenanigans & tomfoolery, I'm re-posting this oldie but goody from years ago. Enjoy........
Once upon a time, a faithful fly angler named Norman was fishing in his favorite stream. He was an especially faithful angler because he hadn't caught a fish in five years. Others had, he knew. 

​For five long seasons he watched as the rods of his fellow anglers bent with life to the power of fighting trout. Always pleasant to others, Norman congratulated the other anglers on their catches & was happy for their success - in spite of his own lack of luck. They were in there, teasing him - mocking him it would seem. Through the five years Norman tried everything he could think of. He read all the fly fishing books & magazine articles he could, following their advice & directions to the letter. He even went so far as to hire a guide on his home waters, but was declared a hopeless case. 

Finally one day, Norman couldn't take it anymore. He sat down along the stream bank & wept at his terrible streak of fishless days. This was the end of the line for him. He made up his mind to sell his rod & all his gear when he got back home.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there when he heard approaching footsteps of someone coming thorough the woods. Wiping his eyes & trying to hide his shame, Norman saw him emerge from the bushes. He was a tall man, decked out in a flannel shirt with an old fishing vest stained from years of use. His old rubber hip waders had been patched so many times you couldn't tell where the patches began & the original wader ended. He smoked an old broken pipe & wore a torn & rumpled felt hat on his head that his long grey hair stuck out from underneath. His long grey beard was twisted & gnarly. Even though this was his home stream, Norman was sure he had never seen this mystical angler before. 

The strange angler approached Norman & stood above him. "I understand what you're going through", he said. "For five long years I've been watching you go without a fish. Many times I thought of offering you some advice, but I could see nothing you were doing wrong. However, your faith & persistence in attempting to catch a trout have earned you this prize." The mystical angler then pulled an old tin from his vest pocket & produced a fly for Norman. "Take this & cast it down & across in front of that log on the other side of the stream over there. It will only take one cast. Your hard times are over if you'll fish this fly." Reaching up & taking it from his hand, Norman saw that it was the strangest fly he had ever seen. It had a deer hair tail of translucent green, a body of what looked like fur from a tabby cat, & polka-dotted hackle of red & white. "Thanks," said Norman. Looking up he saw the angler was gone without a sound - as if he had vanished.

"My goodness, I must be cracking up" thought Norman, but there was that bizarre fly in his hand. Figuring he had nothing left to loose, he tied on the weird fly to the end of his tippet & waded out into position to cast.

The fly landed on the water. It took a good drift as Norman mended his line to get a good swing in front of the log. Suddenly his line stopped dead in the water & he felt the pull. Setting the hook, the fight was on. The fish dove down & Norman played him well. Swimming in figure eights Norman pulled the line to straighten him out. The fish went for some underwater branches, but Norman moved it away. Suddenly the trout surfaced for only a second & as he gave slack line he thought the trout looked different somehow, but didn't have time to ponder it at the moment. For every trick the trout tried, Norman knew a counter-move. Back & forth they went like this for hours.

Finally, tired & worn out from the fight, Norman brought this prize trout to hand. It was then that he noticed it was blue!! It was a blue trout!! How could this be? 



While staring in stunned silence at this rare sight, suddenly the fish spoke to Norman. "You put up a good fight" the trout said. Startled by this Norman dropped the fish & his fly snapped off his line, but the fish didn't swim away. It floated in the stream with it's head above the water & said, "I have not been played with such care, grace, & skill by an angler as you. I have been bested by you, sir. It has been an honor to be brought to your hand. For your skill & sportsmanship I will grant you three wishes before I swim away. However, choose your wishes quickly, as a hatch will soon be on & I must leave you."

He couldn't believe this was happening. Certainly he must be loosing his mind, but there was the trout, blue as could be in front of him. Norman's thoughts began to race as a grin formed on his face.......

No one knows what happened after that, but Norman never had another fishless day in all his years. So despair not fellow anglers who may be struggling to catch a fish. If you are faithful, persistent, & celebrate the successes of other anglers, regardless of your bad luck like Norman, you may just be lucky enough to find the blue trout. 
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Seriously though, folks, blue trout do exist - in hatchery trout. This is a naturally occurring, but rare, abnormality found mostly in rainbow trout & in a few brown trout as well. It's believed that this mutation occurs because of an abnormality in the fish's thyroid that produce hormones that cause the odd coloration. At PA Fish Commission hatcheries, they separate these trout out from the others that will be stocked. That's why you never hear of anyone catching one. These blue trout can be found swimming in the pools at the hatcheries. If you want to see a blue trout, contact a PA Fish Commission hatchery to see them.

​To read more about blue trout, please click HERE.


There's nothing magical about a blue trout....or is there??..........

    The Pliant Rod

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