So you've probably heard about Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the North Eastern United States. If you live in another part of the world, then this is just a passing news story, but if you live in the North East than it's not something you're likely to ignore.
There could be serious damage with this storm. I'm not going to over-dramatize it (I'll leave that to the media coverage) but people could get hurt & property will get damaged. We should all say a prayer for the safety of everyone in this storm's path. From a fishing perspective, if you were planing a trip to the north east sometime soon, you better check ahead. It's more than likely conditions won't allow for fishing. Expect most, if not all trout streams in Pennsylvania & New York to be done for the year, as flooding will probably be very damaging with the storm. The last hurricane that hit my area of western PA destroyed a state fishing hatchery. So the effects of this storm could very well have lasting effects on fishing conditions. For those of you in the storm's path, or with loved ones in it's way, you can track the progress of the storm HERE. You can also see many graphs, maps, etc of potential storm damage areas by going HERE. Finally, & perhaps most important, you can help those who will be effected by this storm by donating to your local Red Cross. Many folks will be effected & I'm sure will need help & comfort during this very dangerous & difficult time. On a personal note, my local area is supposed to get smacked w/ flooding & damaging winds. So if you contact me & don't hear back right away, be patient. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Hopefully that won't be an issue, but you never know. I'll be busy trying to keep the bamboo dry & tied down so it all doesn't blow away!!! Mucilinin is a paste that acts as a floatant on fly lines & dry flies. It is, in my opinion, a wonderful product. I use it all the time. In fact, you won't find any other floatant in my fishing bag I like it so much. It's made from an ancient formula & something about using this time-tested paste just makes me feel rooted to the traditions of fly fishing. That, & it works really well.
I was asked a short time ago if a fly rod could be coated with Mucilin or any other type of paste floatant. This person wanted to know if you could apply it like a wax - smear it on, wipe it off. Well, I've never heard of this being done before & I wouldn't recommend it. First off, it's not going to last nearly as long as wax will. I should think it would wear off half way through a day of fishing, if not before. Second, Floatants leave surfaces feeling really slick & that could cause problems when holding your rod while releasing a fish, etc. I always suggest using a good carnauba wax on fly rods. Yes, the same wax you'd use on a car or a boat. Be sure to use pure carnauba wax only & avoid those that have cleaners & other chemicals added to them. Applied properly, it will give your rod good protection & enhance its beauty.. Also, try different brands of wax to find the one that works best on your rod's varnish. By the way, Mucilin comes in two varieties these days: regular (red label), & silicone (green label). It's highly recommended that you use only the red label Mucilin on bamboo rods. The silicone in the green label stuff can react with some varnishes on some bamboo rods & damage the varnish. Besides, the red label Mucilin is the old traditional one. So keep your floatant on your fly line (silk or synthetic) & on your dry flies where it belongs. Find a good wax to use on your fly rod, apply it properly, & years from now when your varnish is still in great shape you will be glad that you did. I'm always looking for ways to improve this website. My goal is to make this site more than just an advertisement for my fly rods, or a catalog. I want this site to be a resource for fly anglers. If an angler visits this website & learns the answers to some questions they have about fly fishing or fly rods; or if something they read here inspires them to think about something in a new way, then I'll have met this goal.
So, in the last few months, I've changed some things around on the the website. I hope these changes help to make this site more user-friendly for those who have questions. There's now a new page on this site: "Tackle Tips". This page contains information about maintaining & how to make simple repairs to a fly rod. Using this information will show you how to fix your fly rod, or how to avoid needing repairs in the first place. "Designing Your Custom Fly Rod" was made to walk you through ever aspect of your potential custom fly rod. If you're looking to buy a new rod - even one from a large manufacturer - then read this page to become a more informed buyer. You'll read about everything from reel seats to tip tops & garner food for thought about every aspect of a fly rod. You can learn more about how I approach rod making on the "Rod Making Philosophy" page. Here I explain how I look at my responsibilities as a rod maker & how I respect all clients & potential clients. I also offer advice on that page about how to choose a rod maker & how to find your first bamboo fly rod. If you have questions about what to expect from me when you contact me about making your custom fly rod & the other services I offer, you'll want to check out the "Frequently Asked Questions" page. Hopefully this will give you a sense of how you & I work together & let you know that I'm available to all anglers for advice, help, or just to say hello. More than anything else, I want folks to enjoy the sport of fly fishing. I want to provide you with a level of service higher than you'll find anywhere else. Hopefully this website will help me do that & I'll be adding more info to these pages often. To that end, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what you think about this site & anyway you think I can improve it. Of course, you should always feel free to contact me anytime to discuss all things fly fishing. I've just listed a restored vintage South Bend fly rod on the "Available" page, model 47-9'. It's a 3 piece bamboo fly rod that I have given a restoration to by replacing the line guides, re-varnishing the rod, etc. I've also added line guides so that the rod now has the appropriate amount of line guides in the right locations to allow the rod to cast a line better than it ever did before. I've also added a custom made rod bag & tube with the rod. Both the bag & the tube have been made to fit this rod specifically. I think you'll like this rod. It's a fun, relaxing rod to cast. If you like vintage rods & the history that comes along with them, but also want them to perform like much more expensive rods, then check this rod out. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions. For more photos & a detailed description of this rod, including details of the restoration work done, please see the "Available" page.
You've been fly fishing for a while & wondered about bamboo rods. You've heard great things about them & their traditions. You've even had the opportunity to wiggle or lawn cast a friend's bamboo fly rod. You have come to the conclusion that you want a bamboo rod yourself, one of your very own. As you begin to look into buying one, you realize just how many choices there are available to you & instead of finding answers, you've only ended up with more unanswered questions. You're afraid of a worst case scenario: you spend a lot of money on a rod that you won't like.
First off, forget all the old stereo types you might have heard about bamboo rods being heavy, slow buggy whips. Modern rod tapers, glues, & construction techniques allow us to do all kinds of things with bamboo today. Because of these developments in design & construction, a bamboo fly rod can be made with just about any type of character or action that you can imagine. There are very few, if any, limitations to bamboo as a rod material these days. In other words, as you begin your search for your first bamboo fly rod, don't worry about bamboo not being able to do what you want it to do. Narrow your choices in rods by deciding how you'll use the rod: where, how, type of fish you'll be catching, etc. Then you'll know exactly how you want the rod to perform. If you need help deciding these things, contact a rod maker. A good rd maker will be more than willing to answer your questions & help you decide what you want in a rod. Cast as many bamboo rods as you can. Go to sporting shows & fly shops & ask to wiggle a few different bamboo rods. Do some research on the internet & ask other anglers what they thinks about bamboo fly rods. The more input you can get, the better. Keep in mind that bamboo is a natural material. No two rods will ever be exactly the same - even production rods of the same make & model. There's two main routes to go when buying your first bamboo fly rod: 1.) But a used rod, either production or by an individual maker, based on your budget. 2.) Employ a rod maker. If you know that you're going to eventually have a rod made for you someday, then it makes sense & it's cheaper in the long run to wait until you've decided on a particular maker for your first rod. Ultimately this is the best way to go. Remember, having a custom rod made for you is more than just having your name written on the rod. A rod maker can tweak a rod taper for the rod to do exactly what you want it to do. To hire a rod maker, it's worth the wait. Most rod makers offer different levels of rods at different prices. This means that in many cases, you can have a rod made for you to meet your needs at a cost the same as (or less than) some used upper-end production rods. So when choosing your first bamboo fly rod educate yourself. Don't be afraid to ask questions - even if you think they're dumb. Contact as many rod makers as you can , ask them all your questions, & compare their answers. Finally read about bamboo rods. Here is a short list of books I feel will help you learn more about bamboo rods & give you an idea of how to go about finding your first bamboo fly rod. 1.)"Fishing Bamboo" by John Gierach. 2.) "Splitting Cane" by Ed Engle. 3.) "Casting A Spell" by George Black. So we're in the height of an election year. You'd have to be living under a rock not to know that. All the political ads recently got me thinking about past politicians who were anglers. The one in particular that came to my mind was President Grover Cleveland. He was an avid angler in his day & it was well known how much he loved the sport. He didn't keep it a secret, either. He wrote for "The Saturday Evening Post" about his love for fishing.
One particular writing of his that is very amusing is titled "A Defense of Fishermen" in which he attempts to explain to those that don't fish why anglers do the things they do. He explains how anglers are anything but lazy, why they wear the clothes they do, even why an angler might use profanity & why that's okay!! It's an entertaining & short read that I highly recommend you check out. For a short overview of the writing, click HERE. To read the entire short work, go HERE. No matter what your political leanings are, there is something in Cleveland's writing here that I think every angler will agree with. |
The Pliant RodNews 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. Celebrating two decades of making custom fly rods!!
leather accessoriesCases, bags, wallets, & other fine leather angling accessories.
See more photos from the rod shop & stream sides!
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.
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