Just like a fly rod, the choice of a fly reel is a pretty personal thing. We all have different opinions & ideas of what we like in our tackle. Take the fly reel - some like a more modern style reel & the features that come with it, while others prefer the simplicity & traditional looks of a classic 'click & pawl' type of fly reel. 

When you're fly fishing for trout & other similar fresh water fish (like bass, bluegill, etc) the reel typically functions mainly as a holder for your fly line. Drag systems need not be intricate or complicated (naturally this is a different case when deep sea fishing or other large game fish pursuits). 

Now, there's noting wrong with using a more modern fly reel with a more complex drag system if that's what you like, but for trout fishing you don't really need it. To that end, you might want to look at used, classic 'click & pawl' style reels. 

The video below sums all this up very well. I like the presenters concise thoughts on the matter & I agree with him on this issue. If you're looking for a good fly reel for your trout fly fishing, than by all means take a look at some classic reels. 

Bamboo rod makers (myself included) owe a debt of gratitude to Hoagy B Carmichael (son of the famous song writer), for documenting on film & in print the methods & techniques of rod maker Everett Garrison. The video below is of the documentary Carmichael made of Garrison in the 1970's (I believe). 

The book that Carmichael put together of Garrison's rod making was responsible for the resurgence of bamboo fly rods in the 1990's - though the book had been published twenty years before. I don't think you can find a full time rod maker today (again, myself included) who hasn't studied that book intensely. In it you will find all the information you could ever want or need to learn how to make bamboo fly rods. Some have referred to it as the bible of bamboo rod making. 

No matter if you make bamboo rods or not, if you have any interest how they are made this video is fascinating, in that we get to see just how Garrison would bring a rod to life - from the raw bamboo to the completed product. What's more, we get to look over the shoulder of the man who really helped to advance the craft of bamboo fly rod making. 

Even though this film is over forty years old (at least) not much has changed in bamboo rod making since that time. Many of the steps & processes shown here are what I find myself doing everyday, even now. It reminds me just how timeless rod making (& pretty much everything in fly fishing) is. Because of this, I really enjoyed watching this great documentary. I hope you do to. 

The Pflueger Medalist is, by far, one of my favorite vintage fly reels. When folks ask me about a good reel to pair with a bamboo or fiberglass fly rod, the Medalist is always one I suggest. You just can't go wrong with them. 

One problem these reels have for some anglers is how the gear in the drag system is oriented. If you prefer to reel in your line with your left hand, as I do, on some models of Medalists you're going to need to reverse the gear to have the drag work properly. This isn't a big issue & it's not nearly as complicated as it might seem. In fact, its a lot easier to show you than to explain it. The video below does a great job of doing just that. 

Take a few minutes to review this video before you attempt this for the first time. Once you get into the job you'll see how easy & simple it is. Now you can enjoy your Medalist reel with any hand you like!

Some of you may have come across a bamboo fly rod marked as "Sharpe's of Aberdeen" as the maker. You can sometimes find these rods kicking around at yard sales & flea markets. You can certainly see them offered by vintage tackle dealers on the web, too. 

Sharpe's was / is a Scottish rod & tackle company & they have been around for a long time. Many of their rods were mass-produced, but on the better side of what you probably think of mass-produced rods. Some were impregnated rather than coated with varnish. Often you'll see them with the Farlows name on them. Farlows is a famous retailer in London dealing in fly tackle, as well as many other things.

One thing that trips up some new rod collectors is when they see a Sharpe's rod & notice that the but section is shorter than the tips. That's not uncommon in these rods, as they made many models with staggered ferrules. The video below does a good job of explaining this. 

I'll write more about the history of Sharpe's when I have the time, but the video below shows some of their rods - from very rare to the more common rods - & a few of the reels they made as well. What's nice about the products Sharpe's made is that it provides a step up for the beginning tackle collector. They are good, very usable rods that you can collect & fish with today.  

I'm sure that most fly anglers are familiar with the writer John Gierach. If you aren't, then please get yourself a copy of one of his books - any one will do - & I'm sure you're in for an enjoyable time. Those of you familiar with Gierach's writings know that he's a big proponent of bamboo fly rods. They come up in every one of his books & he even dedicated an entire book to the subject.

Last year he wrote a brief article about bamboo rods for Bloomberg News. In the article he address the mystique of bamboo fly rods, & touches on why some folks prefer them to rods of other materials. When addressing the question of why someone would spend so much more money on a bamboo rod then a modern graphite fly rod, his answers is, in my opinion, really good:  

He goes on to talk about the differences of bamboo rods - how each rod is unique & feels slightly different; how many anglers like the feel of casting bamboo - how "warm" they feel & the "friendliness" of a bamboo rod. 

One point he makes that I think is really worth mentioning is that a bamboo fly rod will 'break in' as it ages & is used. Bamboo rods have a tendency to 'warm up' after they are fished for a while. I've never been sure if this is the bamboo material being tempered over many casts, or if its a psychological thing where we anglers get more used to the feel & rhythm of the rod. Whatever it is, I know that the vast majority of bamboo fly rods get better with age, where graphite or fiberglass rods will (after many years) wear out. As Gierach puts it:  

I couldn't agree more with that.

You can read the entire article on the Bloomberg News site HERE. 

"The Rodmaker" is a film, about 20 minutes long, about famed Michigan rod maker Morris Kushner. Kushner made innovative & unique bamboo rods of his own design. He was a very respected & interesting character to the folks who knew him. 

Scott Mann, a multimedia producer of InSight Productions, & John Roman, made the film back in the early 1980's (Kushner was Scott's Grandpa). Unseen for many years, Scott offered the movie for sale on DVD for a while. The DVD is no longer available, but Scott has graciously put the film online for all to see & enjoy. Not only that, but he has also posted the full interviews with rod maker Bob Summers & author John Voelker (Robert Traver) that he conducted for the movie - the unedited interviews which are fascinating to listen to. I'll post those here separately later on, too. 

The film is a fantastic look back at an often overlooked, but important rod maker - & as such, a look into fishing history. It's a fascinating & well told story. Thanks to Scott Mann for allowing us all to enjoy it, as I'm certain you will. Enjoy!

If I were forced to fish with only one dry fly, I would choose the Adams. It looks like nothing in particular & kinda like everything all at the same time. There are times when you just can't be sure what the fish took it for - but that's what makes it so great, because it just works.

This pattern has been around for a long time. The video below does a very good job of explaining how this fly pattern came to be, what the original version probably looked like, & briefly discusses the many variations of the Adams that have appeared through the years. If you're into history, dry flies, &/or fly tying I think you'll enjoy this short, but informative video below.  

Jack Hargreaves was a television host in England from the middle to the late twentieth century. Some of the shows he hosted discussed 'country life', to which fishing is a part. So naturally he took his viewers fishing on many of his TV shows. 

The video below is in 2 parts. In the first, Jack shows us the development through the years of the fishing rod in England. Here we can see how different materials came into, & went of fashion of, fashion for fishing rods. We can also see how the fishing reel developed along with the rods. In the second part, Jack takes us fishing with a friend & philosophies a bit on angling in general & what goes through the mind of a dedicated angler at times.  

While none of this covers fly fishing specifically at all, I find very informative, entertaining, & charming. I hope you will, too. Enjoy! 

Ari 't Hart is an artist, reel maker, & creative individual from the Netherlands. His fly reels are of a truly unique, futuristic design. In fact one of his reels is included in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Each one of his reels is a work of art itself & they command very high prices on the fly fishing tackle collectibles market. Expect to pay high prices for his work.

In addition to fly reels, Mr. Hart has also been known to make fly tying vises. These are truly fascinating vises - as much a piece of art as they are functional. 

On top of all the interesting & unusual designs of the items he makes, the quality of each is second to none. He is a very skilled, knowledgeable man, indeed! 

Below is a short video of an interview he did recently where he tells us how he got into the work he does & his thoughts & philosophies behind it all. If you're not familiar with his work, search the internet for examples & I think you'll be impressed. 

I don't think there's any aspect or item associated with the sport of fly fishing that someone doesn't have a collection of. Leather fly reel cases, in the traditional style, are no exception. Sometimes folks have an old reel & they want a case that would have come with the reel originally, when it was new, to make a nice outfit. Having a matching case will increase the value of your vintage, collectible fly reel. 

However, some folks have modern made reels that they cherish & want to protect better than a soft-sided case can. Maybe they have a modern reel that's made with classic aesthetics & they want a vintage-style leather case to house it in? A perfect fit for those folks would be the clamshell or D-block reel cases I make & offer on the Leather Accessories page. Considering what some of the vintage leather cases can sell for, my cases can be a very affordable & appropriately styled alternative.

The video below discusses these vintage cases, what's collectible, & the prices that they can fetch. If you've got one or more gathering dust on the shelf, or if you enjoy collecting these cases, you might find this information very interesting. You'll also note that it's mentioned in the video that while Hardy, Farlow's, & other reel makers were often assumed to have also made the cases for their reels, they did not. The vast majority of the English made vintage reel cases were made by Wheatley - the same folks who were famous for making those luxurious metal fly boxes!