Ladies & gentlemen, I'm happy to report that the state of the rod shop is great!! That's all thanks to you folks. The past year was a challenging one, to say the least, with personal struggles & a lot of obstacles but as the year ended things began to really improve & come together. I've been reminded this year that often we need to be patient & let things work themselves out. In the process I met some really fantastic people.
It was another year of meeting new people. The coolest thing about being a rod maker is all the nice people I get to meet & work with. It's just awesome to have good friends all over the place, around the world on different continents. It, to me, shows how fly fishing can bring people together from all walks of life who would never otherwise get to know each other.
I'm proud of the rods that came out of the shop this past year. There were some really nice ones, too if I may say so myself. I was also lucky to be able to make many different rods, too. Everything from a small banty rod to a longer salmon rod & everything in between. You folks have fantastic vision of what you want your fly rods to be. I'm always learning new things from you about what makes a beautiful fly rod.
The accessories I make in the shop gained popularity again this year. I'm very proud of those items as a lot of time & thought went into their design. I'm so glad that I can serve anglers in that way in addition to the rods.
I'm really looking forward to the coming year. Every year I make new plans about what I'll do in the rod shop & this year is no exception. I have some very cool rods in the works for some very nice folks, & there will be even more fiberglass rods this year, too. That's awesome as I love glass rods. I'm also going to continue circulating some new demo rods in the mix, so look for the retired ones to be listed on the Available Rods page throughout the year. There will be quite a variety of rods.
I'm also planning on making some huge advances in the accessories I offer. Folks, there are some really nice, new designs in the works that I just didn't have time to complete this year. I'm working on a high-end fishing bag that will rival anything you've seen on the market before; leather fly wallets that are nicer than those you see selling for the price of a graphite rod (but mine won't cost that much); & some other new accessories that are going to go in a whole new direction & will (hopefully) set the standard for what a bag, case, tube, or wallet should be. I'm very, very excited about it & can't wait to show them to you all.
None of this would be even remotely possible without you folks. Thank you all so much. It has been a true honor & a privilege to help & work with you all. You folks are the reason I keep doing this & keep doing it every day. To you all I'm so grateful. I'm looking forward to next year - working with you all, the rods we're going to make, & the new people I'll meet.
Thank you all so very much!! I'll see you in the New Year.