Blog Archives

Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

New, Reduced Prices on Available Rods....

9/28/2012

Why not get a new fly rod to use as you get back into the stream for some fall fly fishing? I've got several vintage fiberglass fly rods listed on the "Available" page that will work great for you. Plus, I've just reduced the price on most of these rods. The new prices make them a really nice bargain.

I've also got a new, never used, Classical Series bamboo fly rod listed on the "Available" page as well. It, too, has had it's price reduced significantly. I honestly believe that you're not going to find a rod of this quality at a this price anywhere else. It's one of the most versatile rods that you can get & will handle a large range of fish in many different fishing situations. Want to pursue trout? This rod's perfect for that. How about small mouth bass? No problem for this rod. It's one of the few rods I know of that will cast a dry fly like a dry fly rod & will also throw a nymph or streamer with comfort.

These new, reduced, prices make these rods very affordable. This is a great opportunity to get a really nice rod (or rods) at a small cost. Considering the quality of these rods, I think you'll be very pleased with them.

If you have any questions, etc, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Trout Eats Human.....Film At Eleven

9/27/2012

Trout are opportunistic when it comes to food. Very much so. This story is even more proof of that fact.

A camper out at Idaho's Priest Lake ended up losing four of the fingers on his left had in a wakeboarding accident. The digits were lost into the waters of the lake. This was in June.

Time marched on.....

In September, on the same lake about eight miles from the wakeboarding accident scene, an angler was having an enjoyable day catching trout. Little did he know what he would find when he began cleaning his catch. Yup that's right, he found one of the missing fingers inside the trout.

Weird, but true. The angler called the police who were able to trace the finger print of the misplaced digit back to the camper, who didn't feel like claiming his lost property.

The next time you decide to keep a couple of trout for the dinner plate, just remember this story. You never know what you might find in your trout's belly.

To read the entire story, go HERE.

Fly Fishing Books....

9/26/2012

Books & fly fishing go together like hand & glove. In fact, I've heard it said, that more books have been written about fly fishing than any other sport. I tend to believe that based on the number of new fly fishing books that are always comming out & the amount of books from the past. Fly anglers have always been a literary crowd, more or less, and there always seems to be a book available about every aspect of the sport.

For those of you who are just getting started into fly fishing, I'm sure you're aware that the sport has a rich history. Folks have been writing about fly fishing since before the printing press & there are a lot of old tomes out there to read. Some are out of print & some are still available today. I think every angler will find their experiences along the water enhanced by learning & reading about the history of fly fishing. One of the most fascinating ways to do this is to read old books from days of yore on the
subject.

While I don't portend to be an expert on classic fly fishing literature, I am familiar with many older titles on the subject. Below is a list of some of my favorite older fly fishing related books (in no particular order):

-"The American Angler's Book"
pub. 1864 Thaddeus Norris

-"Favorite Flies and Their
Histories" pub. 1892, Mary Orvis Marbury

-"The Compleat Angler" pub. 1676,
Izzak Walton

-" A Treatyse of Fysshnge Wyth an
Angle" pub. 1496, Dame Juliana Berners

-"A Modern Dry Fly Code" pub.
1950, Vincent Marinaro

-"Trout" pub. 1938, Ray
Bergman

-"The Way of a Trout With a Fly"
pub. 1921, G.E.M. Skues

-"The Idyll of the Split Bamboo"
pub. 1920, Dr. George Parker Holden

-"Caddisflies" pub. 1981, Gary
LaFontaine

-"Poul Jorgensen's Book of Fly
Patterns" pub. 1988, Poul Jorgensen

-"The Complete book of Fly Tying"
pub. 1991, Eric Leiser

-"Fishing Bamboo, one man's love
affair with Bamboo Fly Rods" pub. 1997, John Gierach

-"The Longest Silence" pub. 1999,
Thomas McGuane

-"Splitting Cane" pub. 2002, Ed
Engle

These are just some of the books I really like & that I think you'll enjoy too. If you're looking for a good reference point to begin researching older titles, HERE is a great place to start. Also take a look on the "Classic Trout Fly Fishing" website as well.

Of course, folks are still writing about the history of the sport. New titles delving into all aspects of fly fishing's past are being published all the time. The best place to look for these books is "The Whitefish Press". They are the premier publishing house for books that concern the history of angling. There you can find books on subjects that you simply cannot find anywhere else.

This winter I encourage you to tie some flies & curl up with a good fly fishing book. There are many out there to choose from.

Fall Trout Stocking In PA

9/24/2012

Well, Autumn is here & with that comes another opportunity to go after trout. This summer, for many of us, was a hot one. I'm sure there were many places that saw trout perish in the drought & heat of this past summer. Fortunately in Pennsylvania, the PA Fish & Boat Commission will be stocking trout across the state again soon.

Trout fishing is so popular here in PA that there is demand from anglers to have a fall trout stocking program. Now, the fall stocking isn't as large or as spread out as the spring stocking program, but almost all the famous & popular streams get stocked. This is especially true for streams that have either a "delayed harvest" or "fly fishing only" regulation areas.

To search for the streams that will be stocked in PA this fall, go HERE. You can also see when they will be stocked & the species of trout that will be making that stream their new home. If you have the time, you can also volunteer to help the Commission stock these trout.

Fall is my favorite time of year. After the heat of this past summer, I'm ready to have some trout bend my fly rod - even if it means hooking some fallen leaves floating on the water. It's just so nice to be outside along a trout stream in the autumn that I can't wait!!

"Die Forelle" (The Trout)

9/12/2012

For those of you unfamiliar with "classical" music, you are missing out on an entire genre of great music. It's not as stuffy or up-tight as you may have been told. In fact, there is so much variety among the genre, that there is something in it for everyone.

Franz Schubert was a composer who, it's very safe to say, was a musical genius. He composed many different types of works, especially short little songs for a singer & piano.

Below is a video of one of Schubert's short songs. Entitled "Die Forelle", or "the Trout". It is also the basis of a very famous Schubert string quintet. I'm not so sure about the accuracy of the German translation in this video, but It's good enough to be mostly accurate. Here is a simple, pleasant melody that tells the story of the trout & the fisherman. It's a catchy tune, too. So don't be surprised if you find yourself along the stream, tying on a dry fly while humming this tune.

Catching The Biggest Trout During A Hatch

9/7/2012

The key to targeting the biggest trout in a stream while most of the trout are feeding on an insect hatch is to use streamers. Yes, that’s right; you’ll be throwing a big streamer while everyone else is floating a small dry fly. Even though that may sound odd to do, you could very well be rewarded with the biggest fish & the most action during the hatch.

If you think about it, this approach makes perfect sense. The really big trout survive by eating other fish – more so than insects. Of course the size of these big fish will be relative to the average size of fish for every individual stream. So don’t go thinking that you can catch Moby Dick in a pool the size of a bathtub. However by using streamers during a hatch you’ll probably catch the biggest trout in that particular stream.

These bigger fish are predators & so take on all the behaviors of a good hunter. Many times, while a hatch is going on, these big ones will sit on the bottom of the stream watching all the other fish rising to the hatch. They wait & watch patiently, hiding. Then when a rising chubb, etc gets close & is focused solely on the insects, the big fish strikes quickly. This is a lot like a cat hunting a mouse.

The best way to take advantage of this behavior is to use streamers that imitate common forage fish for the stream you’re fishing: Wooly Bugger, Mickey Finn, Sculpin, Muddler, etc. Because different actions will trigger the bigger fish to strike, you’ve got to experiment with different approaches of the streamer you’re using. Try a dead drift approach by letting the fly hang in the drift, giving it a twitch every now & then. Perhaps let the fly bob up & down in the water, just above where you think a bigger fish would hide. Overall you’re trying to make your streamer look like a small fish feeding on the hatch. If none of that works, try putting your streamer right in the big trout’s face. Big fish are territorial & won’t let a smaller fish push it around. By making your streamer act aggressively to a larger fish, you’ll be picking a good fight with the trout.

It’s probably a good idea while using this approach to use a shorter leader of 7 feet in length – or shorter – to help set the hook. When using this technique, strikes will be fast & hard, like a bolt of lightning.

So while it may sound odd to tie on a streamer during a nice hatch (& of course it will take discipline to resist tying on a dry fly) you could very well end up with the biggest fish that the stream can hold.

Fixing A Broken Rod Tip...

9/5/2012

It happens - sometimes to even the most careful of anglers. It might not even be your fault. The delicate tips of fly rods can & do get broken in countless ways. The majority of the time, it's a car or truck door. That's why you should NEVER lean you rod in the crook of an open car door. When it happens, though you've got to move on. But what if that was your favorite fly rod? You don't want to retire it - ever.

Most tip breaks are close to the tip top - usually an inch or two down from the top. If that's happened to your rod you can fix it & (overall) it shouldn't effect the action of the rod too much. Plus, this is a fix you can handle yourself pretty easily, with a little guidance. Here's how you do it:

1.) Prepare the rod for a new tip top where it broke off. If there are shards of material (graphite, fiberglass, bamboo) you'll have to carefully cut them off with a very sharp razor blade. You want a nice, even tip top - like it was when it was being built, only shorter now. After any shards have been dealt with, lightly sand the area where the new tip top will go with 1,000 grit sandpaper. Get the area nice, smooth, & clean.

2.) Find the size of top guide you'll need. There's a good chance that it will be a different size than the original, but even if it's the same size, now's a great time to put a new guide that's brand new on your rod. Tip tops, or top guides, are measured in 64ths of an inch. So, measure the diameter where your new tip top will go (best done with calipers, etc) & determine the size of top guide you'll need. There are many places to buy fly rod tip tops. HERE is my personal favorite.

3.) With the new tip top in hand & the rod ready, take a small needle file (or even a bent paper clip) & make sure there is no debris inside the new tip top. Once your sure it's clean inside, dry fit the tip top on the rod. It wouldn't be a bad idea here to put a small piece of masking tape below where the tip top will go. Mark a line on the tape that will help you line up the new tip top with the other line guides. This will make it easier when positioning the new tip top on the rod.

4.) Mix up a small portion of two part epoxy. It's better if you use an epoxy with a slow set-up time & a high bond strength. With a small round toothpick, put some of the epoxy into the tip top's tube. Next put a little on the end of the rod. Now gently slide the new tip top onto the rod. You might hear small "popping" sounds - that's okay because that's the air escaping from around the glue. Don't use too much pressure - the rod should never bend while you're doing this. Make sure you have the tip top lined up with the other line guides - sight down the rod section to make sure - & then clean up any excess glue with rubbing alcohol (or whatever the epoxy manufacturer recommends. Now set the rod aside, allowing the glue to set up completely.

That's it!!! It's really not that hard & I think just about anybody can handle this job. With a little time & patience, your fly rod will be back on the stream landing fish in no time.

As always with rod repairs, if you run into problems or have questions before you start, contact a competent rod maker. Of course I'm always willing to help you out, & you should feel free to email me anytime. I hope this little tutorial has helped at least a few heartbroken anglers.

The Pliant Rod

News from the shop of Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker along with industry news, profiles of interesting characters, reviews, history, & whatever else strikes our fancy. Your comments & feedback are welcome. Please email me your thoughts.

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

There are currently no available rods for sale. I will be adding more rods here very soon, so please be sure to check back often. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me to inquire about the next rods to be listed & with any other questions you might have.

hand stitched leather accessories

Cases, bags, & other fine heirloom quality leather angling accessories.

NEW!! SEE MORE ROD PHOTOS!!!

Please visit my Flickr pages to see even more rod photos including those available for sale, different rod features, & more. I'll be continuing to add photos there, so check it often.

Watch Some Videos!!

Take a look into the rod shop & see some rods in living color motion pictures!! Check out my youtube videos.

the pliant rod: