The water was low & clear in the stream, which is why I was using a 4x tippet that day. I knew with the size of fly I was fishing, I should have gone up to a heavier tippet, but I was worried that the fish would see it. That's why I was using 4x that day - or so I told myself. It seemed like a good idea at the time, anyway.

The fishing was slow that day & maybe my mind wondered a little bit. I think that happens to all of us when the fishing's slow & the weather is nice. I had been at it for some time, trying different drifts & approaches with nothing to show for it except a couple of chubs & one nice Fallfish. I was drifting my line through some medium sized rocks when it happened.

​A large bass shot out from nowhere & thrashed my fly! I set the hook & readied myself for a good fight, but the bass had other ideas. It simply turned it's head & - snap(!) - broke off my fly, leaving my limp line & leader to float slowly down stream. The situation called for profanity, so I let go with an expletive. 

We've all been there. In my excitement over what had just happened I told myself that the bass had broken me off by snapping my tippet. My goodness, it must have been even bigger than it looked!! Imagine the power that fish had. It had to be the biggest bass in this stream, for sure. Right? Well.....

When I got my tippet back in my hand & calmed my mind a bit, I began to think things over & soon realized what had really happened.

That bass didn't snap my tippet just by turning it's head, it had help. The more I looked at the situation, the more I realized what had gone down here. The bass struck my fly, for sure, but in my haste to set the hook - & the way the fish turned it's head - my tippet rubbed hard against the rocks. The fish hadn't broken my tippet, the rocks did. Actually, I broke my tippet off against the rocks when I set the hook! It was me (slaps forehead). When the fish rushed my fly, I was so focused on the fish that I ignored everything else. If I had only waited a split-second longer to set the hook.......

So there in a matter of seconds I went from a hero in my mind, who could draw the biggest bass in the world out from hiding to hit my fly, to just a fool who got over-excited & broke his tippet on the rocks. Now that I think about it, maybe that bass wasn't as big as I first thought.........But at least I had some action!!

​I've always said that fish are great equalizers: they don't care how rich you are, or how old, or how smart you are, or even how much you know about fishing. Fish long enough & they will make a fool out of you sooner or later. Plus, if I've learned anything, it's that when the fishing is slow & your mind wonders & you think nothing is going to happen, that's probably exactly when it will happen!!

Some of you may have heard the term 'mirror matched tips' in regards to a bamboo fly rod & wondered what that meant, exactly. Well, it has to do with the nodes on a rod that has two tip sections. Let me explain....

When we make a bamboo fly rod, we have to deal with the nodes. These are like knots in a piece of wood. The grain of the bamboo often changes direction a bit here & so the nodes must be straightened out & flattened by the rod maker. It's also because of this irregularity in the bamboo grain at the nodes that we don't want two nodes next to each other on adjoining strips in the finished rod. As a result, the rod maker must stagger the nodes in the layout of the bamboo strips, so no two nodes are next to each other. 

​There are several different methods of staggering nodes in a bamboo fly rod & each has it's place & uses, depending on how the nodes are spaced on the raw bamboo. This is where mirror-matched tips sections come into play.

The term mirror matched tips basically means that where you see a node in one tip section, you will see a node in the other tip section in exactly the same place:

This is the mark of a very fine bamboo fly rod & shows the attention to detail the rod maker gave to the rod. The idea being that, as no two pieces of bamboo are ever exactly the same, we can give each tip section the closest we can to the same 'feel' when the tips are mirror matched like this. It also proves beyond any doubt that the tip sections were made from the same larger piece of raw bamboo, which can also help to give some consistency between the two tip sections.

Of course there are many rods made with two tip sections where the tips are not mirrored in their node placement. Most of the time this is no big deal & it doesn't mean that the rod is inferior in any way. Often times the raw bamboo a rod maker has to work with will not allow for mirrored tips. In fact, some of the sweetest feeling bamboo rods I've ever cast did not have mirrored tip sections. As bamboo is a natural, growing plant, Mother Nature often has as much to say about exactly where the nodes go as does the rod maker.

Now the next time you hear a rod collector, vintage rod dealer, or any bamboo fly rod aficionado mention a rod with mirrored tip sections, you'll know exactly what they're talking about.

October is here!! With it comes some great fly fishing opportunities, too. This is probably my favorite month of the year for many reasons, but mostly it is because the fishing can be incredible in this month.

Trout are back to the activity of eating more & spawning as the water temperatures come back down. The cool nights & gently warm days are great for aquatic insect life & the trout that eat those bugs. Plus, as this is a busy time of year for most folks, the fishing pressure is usually much less now than in the spring of the year.

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission is actively stocking adult trout right now all across the commonwealth. If you're planing a trip here for some autumnal trout fishing, be sure to check their stocking schedule for times & locations HERE.

Trout aren't the only show in town this time of year, either. This can be a fantastic month for bass fishing, too. If you've never fought a bass on a fly rod you are missing out on some of the best action you'll ever experience!

In fact, it's a great month to pursue all kinds of fish with your fly rod - from crappie to bluegill & even pike - the fish are (or soon will be) trying to put on extra pounds for the winter. This aggressive feeding can make for some fantastic sport for us anglers.

Make some time to get out there & enjoy some October fly fishing. You'll be glad you did!!

Of course, we've all seen the news of the damage the last two hurricanes that have hit the USA have caused. Let's all say a prayer & try to help the folks of Texas, Louisianan, & Florida. While those folks have entirely too much water, other places are too dry. 

Here in Pennsylvania we're lucky. While not in an official drought, we're close & our crops & trout streams could really use some rain. Everything here is dry & the potential for fires is higher than it normally would be at this time of year.

So if you're here in the East & you go out to do some camping & fishing & have a nice little campfire going, please be sure to put it out completely before you leave. Don't leave anything smoldering or even warm to the touch. Make sure your fire is completely out long before you decamp, just like the folks who had this fire did:

I hope that those effected by the hurricanes can get back on their feet again soon. For those of us in places where it's dry, let's all be responsible when we go out into the woods.

​I hope you're all getting some good early autumn fly fishing in & enjoying yourselves!!

The varnish on a bamboo rod, or the varnish on the wraps of a synthetic rod, has a life span. Over many decades of being exposed to the sun, water, dirt, & other elements encountered while fishing (not to mention the constant flexing of the rod) the varnish on a fly rod will eventually need to be replaced.

How do we know exactly when a rod should be re-varnished? Well, let's remember that the job of the varnish is to protect the rod & wraps. When the varnish is compromised - to the point that it allows moisture through - it's time to replace it. It's at that point that the bamboo or silk thread of the wraps are coming into direct contact with the outside elements of the world & it won't be long until the glue holding the rod together starts to fail, or the thread begins to fray, if you continue to fish with the rod in that condition.

​Let's take a look at new rod varnish. It should be smooth, clear, & have a glass-like appearance to it, like these two rods do:

Let's say you've got an older rod, or you're looking at buying one......you've had a good look at it & see some break-down of the varnish beginning. You wonder if it should be re-varnished before you begin to fish the rod. That's a fair question. The best answer I can give you is to see if the varnish is still clear & if it looks like water can get past it to the rod beneath.

Keep in mind that by keeping a rod clean & waxed you can greatly prolong the life of the varnish. Wax not only makes the rod look better, it adds an extra layer of protection, & doesn't allow water & dirt to collect on the varnish as easily. 

Take a look at the rod varnish below. Here you can see that the varnish is definitely starting to break down. It doesn't have much life left to it. However, if this rod is kept waxed & clean, as well as stored properly out of the sun when not in use, it should be able to make it a couple more seasons before it has to be re-varnished.

Now let's go to the other end of the spectrum. Here's a rod who's varnish is totally dead. This varnish is useless & has run it's course. It isn't protecting the bamboo of the rod at all anymore. If this rod were going to be fished at all, it really should be re-varnished completely. Take a look:

There are bamboo fly rods out on the stream that are over 100 years old, still seeing action. The reason they can still be used is because the owners have taken good care of the varnish & most certainly had it re-varnished when it needed it. There's no reason why you're rod couldn't last that long, too if you did the same.

I hope this little guide to rod varnish has helped you some. If you have an old rod, or if you're on the fence about buying one that has some varnish issues, hopefully now you have a better idea of how to judge the condition of the varnish. Knowing this can help you to determine if a vintage rod is worth the asking price, or if you need to have an old rod re-varnished before you fish it in order to protect your investment in it.

If you're still not sure about the condition of a rod's varnish, ask a qualified, experienced rod maker that you trust. Showing the rod maker photos of the rod & the varnish in question is always a big help, too. Of course, I'm always more than willing to help out in that department so please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.

Sixteen years later, we still remember that terrible day. Let's pause to think about those who lost their lives & how it effected all of us. Those evil bastards tried - but failed - to bring us down. 

Sometimes you will see a fly rod with dark metal parts. Usually, these have black line guides & the rest of the metal will be a darker color, sort of a 'gun metal grey' color. This darker color is accomplished by giving the metal a surface treatment called 'bluing'.

In some instances, like bamboo fly rods, you will see a lot of blued metal parts such as the ferrules, winding check, & maybe even the reel seat metal. On synthetic rods, it's not uncommon to have all black line guides & reel seat metal (coated at the factory through a special, commercial process) with only the winding check blued.

Whenever a rod maker blues any metal parts it's important that they get them to match as closely in color as the other darkened parts on the rod. This will give the rod a look of uniformity & you won't have any particular metal looking way different than the others.

​In the photo below, I'm tasked with bluing this winding check to match this stripping guide. This is what it looked like to begin:

Can you see the difference in color from the Nickle-Silver winding check in comparison to the stripping guide? Now, after bluing the check, this is what they look like:

Bluing, like everything else in rod making, takes time & practice to get good at. The end results, though, are well worth it. Now these two different colored parts look like matching parts & belong together on the same rod.

Since the late 1800's America has been taking the first Monday in September to celebrate & honor the contributions workers have made to the country. When I think of it terms of celebrating labor, I like to think of all those rod makers who came before me & their contributions to my craft. 

My trade - that of making fishing rods & other tackle & accessories - has changed a bit since the first national Labor Day, but the spirit of making rods the best we can remains the same. No matter what you do for a living, I'm sure there have been many changes to your work over the years as well. 

I hope that you all can take some time to relax & have a little fun over this long weekend. Have a safe & happy Labor Day America!!

My parents always taught me to look both ways before I crossed the street. Of course the lesson there is that you should always pay attention to your surroundings & where you're walking. Recently that lesson came into play for me.....

The other day I was walking along a trout stream, negotiating my way over some tricky terrain (tree roots & rocks), while simultaneously looking at the flow of water in the stream, picking my spot to enter the water, when I looked up & saw this about 6 feet from my head!!!.......

I stood perfectly still, watching & being sure to make no sudden moves that would shake the tree. While these paper wasps were busy at their work, they paid me no attention - thank goodness!! I took a moment to snap a few pictures with the camera & then slowly backed away. Later, as I came to the stream from a different angle, I told myself "roll cast only here - no backcasts!!!" I'm so glad I happened to look up when I did.

Hope you're all getting some fishing time in this late summer!! Be safe out there & watch your back casts!

In the very short video below, legendary angler Left Kreh talks about the equality that fly fishing imposes anglers. I couldn't agree more with him. The one thing that always amazes me about this sport is how it brings people from so many different backgrounds together. The fish will rise for the rich as well as for the poor; for the old & the young alike. 

It's always good to hear from Lefty. After all these years spent in fly fishing & the outdoors, we would be wise to take what he says into account.