Blog Archives

Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

Fly Fishing Gift Ideas: Fly Boxes

11/30/2011

This Holiday season, (now through Christmas) I will be featuring different gift ideas for fly fishing or the special fly angler in your life. These are just suggestions & ideas that run the gamut of big & small gifts for your Holidays. Hopefully this will help to make your shopping a little easier. (Unless otherwise stated, I'm not affiliated with any products or dealers discussed here. I only mention them as recommendations.)

Fly boxes are a great idea for any fly angler. You can never have too many, & there's always bugs to tie that will quickly fill up all your boxes. These days there are tons of different designs of fly boxes out there & you can find a box at just about any price. So, where to start when choosing fly boxes?

Well, if you're looking for a light weight box that will hold a lot of flies & take a beating, I don't think you can go wrong with the boxes by Cliff Outdoors. Available in many configurations, they even have a box designed specifically to hold flies for a full day's fishing: a day box, if you will.

Another style of box is that offered by Meiho and Versus. These have clear, transparent covers over each compartment so you can see what's in the box at a glance. Available in different sizes these are real handy boxes - some are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. That's just where I put my popper box when I'm fishing the bass ponds on those hot summer days.

All these boxes are available from The Contented Angler Fly Shop. Contact Joe & Amy Gablick there for advice when deciding which boxes are best for your needs.

If you're looking for tradition, beauty, & function in a fly box then I'd recommend a Richard Wheatley fly box. The Wheatley name is synonymous with fly fishing & quality. These boxes have been used by discriminating anglers for over 150 years. They are timeless. They are classy. They are the best you can get. Any one of their fly boxes would make a truly special gift for any angler.

New Rod Available: Vintage Fiberglass

11/29/2011

Over on the "Available" page, I just listed a vintage fiberglass St. Croix "Pacemaker" fly rod. It's a 6 wt, 8 ft rod with a very nice action. It comes in a new rod bag & tube. The price is only $75, an unbelievable bargain!!

I gave this rod a make-over by giving it the correct amount of line guides & put them in the right places. As I've said before, many vintage production rods were built on fine rod blanks. Unfortunately, many of them weren't made with enough line guides in the best places or sizes. This was to save on production costs. In other words, these rods never met up to their full potential as casting tools. By fixing the rod's line guide problem, I've turned it into a rod that will cast a line like the more high priced rods of the same era - actually, even better!!

This rod was made between 1961 to 1969. It has the original grip, reel seat, winding check, tip top, & ferrules. I gave it all new line guides, silk thread wraps, & re-varnished the rod. It now looks & will cast better than it ever did.

Click on any of the photos above for a better look. To learn more about this rod, please read the full description on the "Available" page. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. This is a sweet vintage rod at a fantastic price!! Plus, it would make a great Holiday gift for any fly angler.....

Fly Fishing Gift Ideas: The Whitefish Press

11/27/2011

Fly Fishing has a long history & a tradition of literature. I've heard it said that more books have been written about fly fishing than any other sport. Most fly anglers have always loved books & I don't think you can go wrong by giving an angler a fly fishing book.

A great place to look for books - especialy those about the history of fishing - is The Whitefish Press. They are publishers & have a selection of books that you just can't find anywhere else. Every book they publish is of great quality & a fascinating read. Take a look at their catalog & I'm sure you'll agree.

If I could pick only one book from The Whitefish Press to have on my shelf, it would be "Forgotten Fly Rods, Vol 1" by Dr. Todd Larson. This is a very addictive book for any angler who's the least bit interested in the history of fly rods. You'll learn about many innovators who's names have been lost in history. I highly recommend this book. In fact, I once wrote a review of it, which you can read HERE.

Take a look at The Whitefish Press for your gift giving ideas. I know you won't be disappointed.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

11/23/2011

I hope everyone has a safe & happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Project Healing Waters Wins Toyota's Halftime Hand Off

11/17/2011

This year, Toyota is giving away $150,000 to different non-profit sports-related organizations. Each week during the halftime show on NBC tv's Sunday Night Football, a different winner is announced. The winning group is chosen by popular vote. This last week the winner was Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. They will receive $10,000 from Toyota!!!

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings. I've been a supporter of this group for a while now & I can't say enough good things about them & the work they do. Please, If you can, support & donate to this fine organization.

Tippet Sizes

11/15/2011

If I were guessing, I'd say most fly anglers today use knotless tapered leaders with monofilament tippet material. Of course, tippets & leaders come in different size diameters. This means that you have to use a suitable diameter leader & tippet for the fishing conditions & the size of hook / fly you're using. In my experience, the best way to figure this out is by experience, - using different size flies with different size tippets. However, the tackle industry does offer suggestions. Most of you have probably seen this before, but for those of you who haven't here is the 'tippet - to - fly - size' guide:

tippet / fly
8x = 18 - 32
7x = 14 - 26
6x = 10 - 22
5x = 8 - 18
4x = 6 - 16
3x = 6 - 14
2x = 6 - 10
1x = 2 - 8
0x = 1/0 - 2
x1 = 2/0 - 2
x2 = 3/0 - 2
x3 = 5/0 - 2/0
x4 = 6/0 - 3/0

If you're anything like me (kind of lazy), you're reluctant to take the time to change tippet &/or leaders when fishing - especially when the fishing is good. I sometimes find myself trying to cast a streamer on a very thin tippet until I get so many wind knots that the line breaks on the first fish I hook. I know, I know - how much time did I save by not changing to an appropriate leader? Don't be like me. Take the time to use the best size tippet for the size hook you've got on. It will save you time, wind knots, & much frustration & heartbreak on the water.

p.s. - In future posts, we'll discuss fly lines, braided leaders, & making your own leaders....

New, Lower Prices...

11/14/2011

In order to get some clutter out of the way, I've lowered the prices for some of the items listed on the "Available" page.

The Horrocks-Ibbotson 9 ft, 3/1 restored bamboo fly rod is now only $175.

Also now with lower prices are the books "Modern Fly Tying Materials" by Dick Talleur (now out of print) & "Fly Tying With A.K." by A.K. Best. Both books are brand new. They have a list price of $35, but are now only $20 each.

Please go to the "Available" page to learn more about these items & to see the other rods, reels, fishing bags, & books I have listed for your consideration.

Veterans Day

11/10/2011

Tomorrow, November, 11 is Veterans Day. Please take time to honor our veterans - go to a parade, observe a ceremony, fly the flag, thank all the veterans you know. If you don't know any, just take a quiet moment to think of them & their loved ones & ponder where we might be if not for their service & bravery. To all who are & have served in our military, thank you.

Vintage Fly Line Designations

11/9/2011

Perhaps the biggest point of confusion for those who have just recently been bitten by the "vintage fly rod bug" are those strange letters found on the butt shaft, near the inscription, on older rods. What the heck does "HDH" mean? Is that some kind of model number or something? The answer is no. Those letters found on older rods are telling you what size fly line your rod was made to use.

Way back in time, fly tackle manufacturers decided they needed to standardize things to make it easier for anglers when deciding what tackle to buy. The earlier fly line designations were done with letters, instead of the number system we use now. For many of you collecting older fiberglass & bamboo fly rods, these letters are the only designation on your rod. However, at one point when they were phasing in our current number system some rods had both letters & numbers. So, if you weren't fly fishing back in the ol' letter days, you're going to need some kind of de-coder ring to make sense of the old letters. Well, here's what the old line letters translate to in our modern system:

IGI = DT3 / IGJ = WF3

HFH = DT4 / HFG = WF4

HEH = DT5 / HEG = WF5

HDH = DT6 / HDG = WF6

HCH =DT7 / HCF = WF7

GBG = DT8 / GBF = WF8

GAG = DT9 / GAF = WF9

GAAG = DT10 / GAAF = WF10

GAAAG = DT11 / GAAAF = WF11

GAAAAG = DT12 / GAAAAF = WF12

As you can see, the number system for fly lines we use today is much more user-friendly. It's so much easier for someone new to the sport to see the differences in lines at a glance. So if those letters on your old fly rod were confusing you, just compare the letters on your rod to the ones above & you'll have a good starting point when figuring out which line works best for you on your vintage fly rod.

Fly The Alley

11/3/2011

If you're going to be anywhere near North-east Ohio during the weekend of November 11th - 13th, then try to swing by Geneva-on-the-Lake for the annual "Fly The Alley" event.

If you're a steelhead angler, than you should know about this area, commonly referred to as "steelhead alley." It happens to be in the heart of Ohio's wine country. So along with wonderful fly fishing opportunities, this area also has a lot to offer any wine drinker.

The event, taking place at The Lodge at Geneva, will offer seminars on casting, steelhead fishing, fly tying, etc. There will also be wine tastings & other entertainment.

The expert guides who will be there giving instruction include:
Jeff Liskay

Greg Senyo

Will Turek

April Vokey

The seminars will take place inside & out throughout the weekend. It sounds like a great learning experience in a beautiful place. To learn more, click HERE.

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: