American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining."
-President George W. Bush
September 11. 2001
blog & news
For those of us who experienced that day, we can never forget. Let us all take a moment today to remember those 2,977 innocent lives taken on that horrible morning 22 years ago today. "A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of
American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining." -President George W. Bush September 11. 2001 I hope that you all have a safe & enjoyable long Labor Day weekend. If you must be at work, thank you for doing what you do! I'll be here in the rod shop, so please feel free to contact me with anything I can help you with. Happy Labor Day!
I wanted to pass the word along that my friend & fellow rodmaker, Jeff Wagner, will be participating in the VeloSano Bike to Cure event in Cleveland, Ohio on September 9th. This event raises money for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic locations all over the world & will have riders from all over coming into Cleveland to participate. Jeff will be riding a 25 mile course that day.
Now, most of you who read these pages of mine are probably already familiar with Jeff & know his work. After all, the custom fly rod - & especially the bamboo fly rod - world is very small. Most of you are aware of the high quality of work Jeff puts into his fly rods & fly reels. But what you might not know is that he has a street bicycling habit! The reason I'm bringing this up is because of the progress Jeff has made, & his dedication to doing this, have been nothing short of amazing. He's has been kind enough to show me some of his training routines / rides & let me watch as he charts his own progress. In a very short time he's gone from someone who occasionally rode an old cruiser bike casually to a full on athlete. Let me tell you, it's extremely inspiring to see someone (older than me, haha!) tackle a challenge like this ride & improve themselves. Way to go Jeff! If you would, please sponsor Jeff's ride - any amount will help go to a good cause of kicking cancer's butt. You can read more about Jeff's motivations for doing this & sponsor Him by going HERE. Cleaning the metal ferrules on your bamboo or vintage fiberglass fly rod is a necessary, yet simple, task. It doesn't take very long to do. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, so I've taken a lot of photos of the process - it's easier to show than to describe. For regular fishing use of your fly rod, cleaning the ferrules is a job you'll probably only do once or twice a season. Naturally, if you fish the rod a lot, or use it in harsh conditions, you'll need to do it more often. Either way, over time the metal surfaces collect dirt that can be hard to see & they can oxidize, making the fit difficult. Just one note: This is how I clean ferrules. If you've got a different way that works better for you, by all means do it your way. The important thing is that you keep the ferrules clean. supplies needed:The supplies you'll need to clean your rod's ferrules are few & easy to get in almost any general store. 1.) Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol 2.) Cotton swabs 3.) Soft rags - paper towels will do; or a polishing cloth (microfiber, etc.) 4.) 0000 steel wool - optional for really bad ferrules 5.) Beeswax or Ivory bar soap (w/ no additives) - this is optional, but recommended the process:To clean a female ferrule, dip a cotton swab into the rubbing alcohol to saturate it. Put it into the ferrule & wipe it all around inside. Be sure to get all of the sidewall of the ferrule & the bottom inside as well. Cover the ferrules wrap at the base with a paper towel or soft cloth, just to keep any alcohol off the rod, as it could dull the varnish. You'll most likely have to do this at least a few times. Use a new, clean cotton swab each time. Keep this up until the cotton swab comes out the ferrule with no dirt on it. In the example below you can see that the swab still has some dirt from inside the ferrule on it. Depending on how dirty your ferrules are, you can end up with a large pile of swabs for the trash. To clean the male ferrules, moisten a soft rag or paper towel with the rubbing alcohol & wipe the slide section of the male down with the rag. Again, try not to get too much alcohol on the rod or the ferrule wrap. You can wrap the alcohol moistened cloth around the male slide & give everything a good wipe / twist. Use a different cloth, or section of the cloth, each time. Keep doing this until all the dirt is off the ferrule & the cloth comes off the ferrule looking clean. If your ferrules are in good shape & like new, that's it - you're done. That was easy, right? What if you've got really filthy ferrules from an old rod you just acquired or found. Maybe you have a rod that hasn't seen the light of day in years & the ferrules look really dirty. For really bad jobs, you would clean the female ferrule the same way (it's just going to take longer & use more cotton swabs). To clean really atrocious males you can moisten some 0000 steel wool with the rubbing alcohol & clean them the same way as shown above. Use caution here: you don't want to go so far as to start taking metal off of your ferrules. Use a very light touch, as you can easily mess up the fit of your ferrules doing this. Please don't use anything more abrasive than the 0000 steel wool - no sandpaper or scouring pads for this! Once you get the ferrule looking clean & all the grime off, wipe it down with a soft rag & some more rubbing alcohol to remove any invisible bits the steel wool might have left behind. extra:You can go a step further if you want & coat the male slides with either beeswax or Ivory soap. This will do two things: 1.) protect the ferrules from oxidation 2.) help them to slide together better. This can also be a useful practice for ferrules that are slightly looser in fit by tightening the connection between them. All of the rods I make currently get a coating of beeswax on the ferrules. Ivory soap works very well, but it needs to be reapplied each time before you assemble the rod. Beeswax stays on the ferrules much longer & only needs to be applied a few times per season after cleaning your ferrules, but it holds & attracts dirt which can damage ferrules. Any time you notice the fit of your ferrules getting looser or tighter, clean them & reapply the beeswax. To apply the beeswax or Ivory soap, simply rub it evenly over the slide of the male ferrule only. Shown below is the beeswax being applied to the make ferrule's slide section. You might want to smear it around with a soft rag. Once you get experience with doing this, you'll be able to adjust & tweak the fit of your ferrules to exactly how you like it & the two will slide together very smoothly. Should you put too much wax on the male (if it suddenly got much too hard to slide into the female), simple wipe it off. The wax will come right off with the rubbing alcohol, so even if you mess this part up it's easily undone. Finally, check the fit of your ferrules to make sure you got it all good, the way you want it. conclusion:It's a pretty simple process to keep your ferrules clean - & it's easy to do. Once you have them clean, I suggest that you keep them that way. It will take you less time to clean them & your rod will last for many more seasons of fighting all those fish you tie into!
As always, should you have any questions about ferrules, cleaning them, or anything else, please feel free to contact me. I'm always happy to help my fellow anglers when I can. I hope you found this both useful & helpful. Happy ferrule cleaning! Earlier this year an individual contacted me, asking about a bamboo rod I had made that was recently re-discovered in someone's basement. They wanted to know if I could share any info about the rod with them - how old it was, it's possible value, & any other background info about the rod.
I didn't recall the rod from the written description they gave so I asked to see some photos of it, which they emailed to me straight away. When I opened the photos on my browser screen I was suddenly transported back in time, as if I had entered some kind of time machine. I've made a lot of rods through the nearly two decades I've been at this rodmaking game full time, but this rod was special and so elicited the time travelling effect on me. Rather, I should say, that the person who got me to make the rod was special, and the memory of him is what took me back to fifteen years ago when the rod was new & on my workbench. He was a damn fine human being, at least in the time that I knew him. Even more, this rod was made for a very special cause to help some really deserving people. Seeing the rod again after so many years made me remember a good man I was privileged to know before he passed - and it reminded me of that period in my life & my rodmaking, all of which was a pretty cool experience. Looking at the rod I could see that it was in good condition - used, but well cared for. I always like to see that because it means that the fruits of my labor have been appreciated. More than that, though it made me appreciate the fact that the rods I make - some of them, anyway - will outlast me. There's a permanence to a good bamboo fly rod. It's something you can pass down to the next generations of anglers, provided you've been a good steward of it and it (& you) avoid calamity. Maybe this is one of the reasons I was drawn to making rods. When I think about it, an object that endures is a special thing. How long did your previous TV work? My toaster didn't live to see it's fifth birthday. I could go on but you get my point. In today's world of disposable objects it's pretty neat to have my hands in something that will hopefully stand the test of time - & fish! I'm pretty lucky in what I do, making fly rods. From the outside perspective it hopefully looks like I make nice fly rods that anglers enjoy and use to make many good memories with. From my inside view they're more than just fly rods. To me, someone I've gotten to know - at least a little - and had conversations with, and maybe even became good friends with, is attached to almost every rod I've made. For me that is, by far, the best part of my work. All of this flashed in my mind while looking at those photos of that old fly rod - but especially the memories of the good man I have attached to that specific rod. All I can say is "thanks, Ray. Once again you've made my day"!! I hope that you all have a safe & happy Memorial Day weekend! Along with taking some time to enjoy yourself (& hopefully catching some nice fish), please take some time to reflect on the meaning of the day & remember those who served & never came home. In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. If you're going to be in the Demorest, GA area on March 25th, the place to be is the Soque River Soiree. This is event is put on by the Soque River Watershed Association & will be a great time for all who attend.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the SRWA is a non-profit group that works to protect & restore the Soque & it's tributaries - in fact, the entire watershed. They're a very active group doing a lot of clean up work & river improvement & protective projects along with a lot of educational events, too. As the Soque is a tributary to the Chattahoochee, it's a pretty important river for that entire region of the country. It's good that such an active group is doing the work to keep the river clean, safe, & healthy for millions of people. I've been honored to be a part of this year's Soque River Soiree. If you attend the event, you'll be able to bid on a custom graphite or fiberglass fly rod made by me - to the winner's specifications. I'm looking forward to working with the lucky winner. Even if you can't attend the event, but would like to help out such a good organization you can do so by buying some of their cool merchandise HERE; or you can donate directly HERE. For more info about this fine organizations, please visit their website HERE. (Special thanks to Mr. Rob Bennison of the SRWA for connecting me to this wonderful organization). I don't know about you, but for me it's always a pleasure to watch a skilled angler working a fly. You can tell within a few seconds if you're watching a really good angler & then you can't take your eyes off of them or their fly line. You can see such an example in the video below. In it fishing guide Scottie McPherson is shown working a dry fly through a gorgeous little trout stream somewhere in Australia, I believe. Better than just watching him work, Scottie talks through all of his moves & his reasoning behind everything he does. It's almost as though he's thinking out loud. It proves to be very educational, relaxing, & pleasurable to watch. One thing I noticed that's not really pointed out in the videos: watch where Scottie places his feet. I was taught a valuable lesson many seasons ago about foot placement when you're fishing - not just when you're wading. It can be the key to getting a good drift & hooking up with more fish. You'll also notice that he doesn't wade when he doesn't have to. That's another very valuable point to consider! Take some time to sit back & enjoy this gorgeous video. If you're like me it will easily pull your attention into it & you'll be right there with this skillful angler, spending time catching gorgeous trout along a beautiful little trout stream! As we close out another year its time once again for my annual tradition of delivering the State of The Rod Shop Address. This year I’m very proud to say that the state of the rod shop is very good! Why am I so proud of that this year? Because, maybe more than any year in the past, we successfully navigated a mine field of obstacles both professionally & personally. Sure, there were some problems:The same issues with the supply chain that hounded my rod making last year continued on throughout 2022. However, the limitations on some items & raw materials changed somewhat. It was an adventure (& frustration) to discover new items I never imagined would be difficult to get. When something like this happens, I have to come up with alternatives or create work-arounds in the shop. All of this eats up time & throws my scheduling for rod deliveries off. It might not matter so much if the quality of the rods I make wasn’t such an issue, but since the principle of not compromising quality has got me where I am today, I’m not about to cheapen my rods because it’s the convenient thing to do. The hardest challenges I faced this year were of a personal nature. All I’ll say here about it is that being a care-giver for a sick loved one is both a frustrating & rewarding experience. Fortunately, things are looking up & I am extremely grateful to all the skilled medical folks out there. I don’t know how you do it every day, but we’re so lucky that you do. Rods did get made:All that said, it’s crazy to me when I look back & see how many rods left the rod shop this past year. No wonder the time flew by so fast! Below here are just some examples of the bamboo rods I was honored to make this yr: I was also honored to make some really nice graphite & fiberglass fly rods this year as well. Here are a few examples of those: rods got fixed:While I don’t advertise it, I do sometimes take on rod repairs & restorations of vintage rods. I got the chance to bring back some cool rods to life this year. It's always awesome to touch history. Here are a few of the many rod repairs & restorations from this past year: The leather got worked, too:In addition to the normal lot of fly wallets, reel cases & rod tubes, I was able to take on a couple of really neat leather accessories projects this year. One of those was the restoration of a leather fly wallet that was a client's family heirloom. The elaborate & beautiful carving on this wallet, made by a friend of the client’s family many years ago, was very impressive. I was also honored to be able to make a larger, custom case for transporting rod tubes. This project took on a life of it’s own & was a challenge for me simply because of the size & scale of it. Being 36 inches long, it was the biggest leather case - physically speaking - that I’ve done in a long time. But I think it came out pretty well in the end. Looking ahead:I had some plans for this past year to add some new & different accessories & other items for you all. Unfortunately I was never able to make the time to work on them enough to bring them to fruition. This was another frustration. Live & learn, as they say. This year I’m not going to try to force the issue. Instead I’m going to keep on making the rods on order & focus on getting caught up there. Then, if I have extra time available for the extras (new rod tapers, accessory designs, etc) then I’ll work on those. My main focus for next year is to fill custom rod orders. Gratitude:This year I was reminded that I don’t - & can’t - do this alone. I’ve always enjoyed the independence of working alone, but this year especially I realized just how much I rely on my rod clients. All of you - without exception - were extremely kind, patient, & understanding with me. Many of you helped me with your kind words. It kept me going & helped more than you know. For this I am grateful & I thank you all. Next year is shaping up to be a good one here in the rod shop. Sure, there might be some challenges, but that happens. If so we’ll get through them together. I’m excited & looking forward to making the best fly rods I can while working with all of you. Thank you all so much for allowing me to continue doing the work that I love so much!! Now, onto the new year!! Happy New Year!!
To those who celebrate the Holiday, I want to wish each & every one of you a blessed & merry Christmas! As tradition here goes, below I share with you my favorite recording of one of my favorite Christmas tunes. It reminds us of the reason for the day. May you all have a very merry Christmas!! |
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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