Category Archives: Fly Rods

January 20, 2020 · 10:52 am

Heartland Fly Fishing Festival recap

I had a terrific time at the Heartland Fly Fishing Festival in Lebanon, Indiana over the weekend. The show had a really good turnout and we were able to talk fly fishing all weekend of course.

The highlight for me was getting a chance to talk to Chuck Kraft once again. Chuck is a legend of our sport and has designed many extremely effective flies. To name a few, the Kreelex, Clawdad, CK Baitfish, and many creative top water bugs.

Paul Beel and Chuck Kraft

Chuck also has his own signature rod produced by Reilly Rod Crafters. Check them out for some quality fly rods!

I had an enjoyable time talking to the many people that attended and was pleased to see many younger people interested in fly tying and fly fishing.

I spoke with many of the exhibitors as well. Such as the people from the Orvis store in Carmel, Indiana, Moving Waters Outfitters out of Zionsville, Indiana, and Kevin Feenstra from Feenstra Guide Service up in Michigan.

I had interesting conversations with Mangled Fly a new guiding service from Northern Michigan. Jon Ray and Ed McCoy were great to talk with and we may have some plans to work together a bit. Jon had some Eli Berant streamer patterns tied up using my Werewolf Hair, which was really cool!

I also spoke with Tony who owns Semper Fly Rods
and specializes in his own line of rods, plus custom fly rod builds.

I spent some time at the casting pond with certified instructor and friend of mine, Don Pendleton. Don is the person who taught me how to cast. We were practicing some 60 foot roll casts trying to hit a hoop at the end of the pond. We had some interesting conversations regarding Joan Wulff and Mel Krieger. Two fly casters you should look into if you want to improve your fly casting.

Three good fly tying friends were at the show and I spent a lot of time chatting and having fun with them. John and Katie Demuth of Demuth Fly Fishing and Joe Jackson Sgt. Bassfisher.

: Yukon Cornelius tied by Joe Jackson

Speaking of friends, my buddy Eric Corya, who you might know as @CarpStalker1 on Instagram stopped by and we chatted for awhile. We are both ready to hunt some carp this year. Hopefully I will have plenty of photos to post of Eric and I catching some carp on the fly!

There were many demos and speakers during the show and I highly recommend this fly fishing show to anyone who is interested in our sport. Next up, a show in Cincinnati!

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Filed under Fly fishing show, Fly Rods, FrankenFly, Michigan, Streamers, Werewolf Hair

November 3, 2019 · 4:58 pm

Uncle Jake’s Fly Shop and Smitty’s Sports Shop

There is a real nice fly shop located in Battle Creek, Michigan that I’ve personally visited. This place is a real gem and has an interesting history. The fly shop has many fly tying materials and flies and other supplies. Because it is housed inside an even older business known as Smitty’s Sports Shop, normal fishing tackle is also available. Uncle Jake’s is owned by Paul “Jake” Jakubiak and his wife Cat. Jake has many years of fly fishing experience in teaching fly fishing and fly tying. The shop holds classes for both rob building and fly tying. If you ever wanted a fly shop that you could go and hang out in, buy what you need, and just relish in fly fishing splendor, this place fits the bill. If I were closer, I would be there all of the time!

Jake recently filled me in on the fascinating history behind Smitty’s and Uncle Jake’s.

“Smitty’s and Uncle Jake’s are two separate businesses and both still exist inside Smittys Sport Shop.

Smitty’s has been a neighborhood sporting goods store for many years. I believe close to 75 years.

Murray “Smitty” Smith passed away many years ago. His wife Kate passed away back in 2006.

Seven to eight years ago Smitty’s was a mess and was up for sale and Uncle Jake’s was looking to grow. The sale never worked out but I was asked to move Uncle Jake’s into Smitty’s anyway and to grow both. That’s what Cat and I try to do. We keep Smitty’s running and with it our fly shop.

I have been Uncle Jake’s since the early eighties. I’ve tied for 50 years and taught fly tying and rod building for 45. Our business revolves mostly around that and fly fishing. But to say I’ve taught hundreds would not be an exaggeration.”

So as you know mom and pop shops like this one are getting to be a thing of the past and I would hate to lose another one. It is up to us to keep them going. If you are in the area or passing through, stop by and check out Uncle Jake’s. If you live in the area you should definitely be going in and getting what you need at Uncle Jake’s. The address is 1408 W Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, MI 49037.

Uncle Jake’s has a Facebook page here.

Cat inside the shop.

Outside the shop at night.

Fly tying materials.

Murray “Smitty” Smith

Murray and his wife Kate Smith.

Paul “Jake” Jakubiak

Old photo of inside Smitty’s.

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Filed under Fly Fishing, Fly Rods, fly tying materials, Michigan

February 6, 2019 · 3:39 pm

Winston Bamboo Is Back!

I wanted to post this news from R.L. Winston Rod Company, since a lot of us in the fly fishing industry were aware of the fire they had last year. This is good news.
-Paul

The R.L. Winston Rod Company is thrilled to announce that we have reopened our Bamboo Shop in a new facility in Twin Bridges, Montana. The old Winston bamboo shop was housed in the original R.L. Winston Rod Company building in downtown Twin Bridges. On May 7, 2017, a fire started at 3:00 in the morning, destroying the building and all its contents including bamboo rod inventory, machinery and raw materials. Despite this tragic loss, we have been determined to continue our 90-year commitment to the legacy of building the most beautiful, highest performing bamboo fly rods available.

Since the fire, we’ve worked diligently to not only find a new location for the bamboo shop, but also replace all the unique tools, and machinery. After two years of effort, it’s extremely rewarding to get back to work.

Bamboo has been at the heart of the R.L. Winston Rod Company since 1929, when Robert Winther and Lew Stoner first began innovating using split bamboo cane. Lew Stoner’s patented hollow-fluted rod design process allowed us to set numerous bamboo world distance fly casting records, and is still in use today.

We thank our customers for their patience and we are extremely grateful that Winston Bamboo fly rods will continue to set the standard for hand-crafted bamboo fly rod perfection.

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Filed under Fly Fishing, Fly Rods

February 6, 2018 · 9:47 am

TFO Drift Fly Rod: Features & Initial Thoughts On This Revolutionary Fly Rod

From Mad River Outfitters:
“One of the most significant advancements in specific nymph rods… ever. It grows from 9′, 10′, 11′ 3″ to 12′ 3″. It fits your needs depending on your conditions and water without having to re-string the rod!”

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Filed under Fly Fishing, Fly Rods

April 26, 2017 · 10:06 am

TFO Impact Fly Rod Review

I recently had a chance to get my hands on the new Impact fly rod from Temple Fork Outfitters. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. From what I read, part of this rod’s origin consisted of test rods being sent out to many casting and fishing experts, like Bob Clouser, Lefty Kreh, Flip Pallot, and Larry Dahlberg, to give you some examples. TFO then made adjustments to the rods according to the feedback they received. Granted, a fly rod is a personal preference and even the experts have their own preferences. However, it seems they were after something really special with this fly rod. So I was definitely excited to try one.

When I first took the butt section out of the sleeve, I noticed how light the rod felt, even if I was only holding one section. Then what attracted my attention was the modern looking reel seat and the emerald highlights around the thread wraps near the guides. It’s a very nice looking rod. NOTE: With a little research I noticed the larger sized rods have the modern looking reel seats and the smaller sized rods have rosewood inserts.

So I went out to test cast this new rod using a 250 grain sinking line with a single hook streamer tied on the end. Now, with the full rod in my hand, I could more closely feel how light weight this rod is. It felt great in my hand. With that first casting stroke, it felt effortless to cast. Having just fished with my 6wt Clouser rod, the softness of the Impact showed instantly. Of course, the Clouser is a stiff action rod after all.

I then tied on an articulated streamer with lead dumbbell eyes to see how it would throw something with some more weight. I have to say, more than any rod I’ve casted, even with the flexibility of the Impact, it had enough power to shoot the streamer extremely well. Usually when a rod has that kind of flexibility, I have to use the sling shot and flick of the wrist technique to wing the streamer out there. I didn’t have to do that with the Impact.

I spoke to Captain Austin Auducci and asked him to give me his opinion of the TFO Impact. Austin is the owner and head guide of Grab Your Fly Charters located in the Chicago area.

“I’ve used it as a streamer rod and also to throw top water flies like the BoogleBug. It performs well at both applications. It has the power to throw streamers and it provides a more delicate presentation when throwing top water flies. I do not hesitate to give them to my clients to use.”

What I plan to do in the future is grab a smaller weight Impact for a dedicated dry fly rod. I believe the Impact would make a terrific trout rod. Actually, Austin mentioned the same thing to me.

I’m starting to get the feeling the Impact would be good at many applications. I even read a post from a saltwater fisher stating how much he uses Impacts for salt.

The price point is a little higher than the other TFO rods, but not by much. One of the most attractive features that I love about TFO rods in general is that you get a quality rod at a good price. Even at this price, the Impact is still a bargain in my book.

I was completely happy using my Clouser and my BVK. To be honest, I wasn’t looking for another rod. But after casting the Impact, I plan to use this rod much more. I think it has the ability to become my go-to rod.

-Paul J. Beel

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Filed under Fly Rods, Product Review

February 16, 2017 · 8:10 am

The Rod

I love the rod making and the fish pursuit in this video. It’s very well done and went well with my cup of coffee this morning!
Head over to http://www.bamboorods.se/ if you like to find out more about the rod maker.
-Paul

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Filed under Fly Fishing, Fly Rods

November 9, 2016 · 8:46 am

TFO Unveils BVK Spey Rod Series

Let us introduce the BVK family of two-handed rods.

From traditional lines, to modern scandi lines and mid-bellies, this three-rod BVK family features a faster, stiffer feel that melds perfectly with swift, touch-and-go style casts.

Think light and responsive. The BVK family of spey rods are ideal for touch-and-go casts and those throwing longer heads and lines. Photo courtesy TFO.

Think light and responsive. The BVK family of spey rods are ideal for touch-and-go casts and those throwing longer heads and lines.

The 12’8” 6-weight, (400 to 600 grains), rod is the stand-out dry line/summer run rod for steelhead. Ideal for floating tips and dry line work, but also has application as a two-handed overhead rod. Middle of the fairway grainage on this rod should be about 425-480.

There is a reason why 13-foot, 7-weight two-handed rods are so popular. They can cover just about any species specific technique, whether it’s battling steep banks or wind ripping up from your favorite run, this rod is small enough to cast in tight quarters while maintaining enough length to lift longer lines off of the water. The ideal grain window for the 7-weight, are lines between 450-650 grains, with the sweet spot being 480-575 grains.

The 13’4” 8-weight, (500 to 700-grains) model has a thin profile, and a light in hand feel, but, make no mistake it was built to handle big water and big fish. Triple density, floating lines and a variety of longer line approaches feel right at home on this rod. For those who desire to go after big salmon and steelhead in deep, fast water with big flies, heavy heads and tips, these rods have the power for the job.

Rods come adorned with Tactical Series stripping guides and ultra-lightweight chromium impregnated stripping guides. A trimmed down, reconstituted cork handle allows for ergonomic handling and durability in the wettest fishing conditions.

BVK two-handed models retail for $485.95-$495.95.

For more information please contact Temple Fork Outfitters at, or by telephone, (800) 638-9052.

TFO Ambassador Thom Thornton casting an earlier prototype of the BVK Spey on the Sandy River in Oregon. Photo courtesy of Thom Thornton.

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Filed under Fly Fishing, Fly Rods

November 10, 2013 · 12:13 pm

Beaverkill Fly Rods

Every once in a great while I like to deviate from fly tying related posts to emphasize fly fishing in general, which is why we tie flies in the first place. After all, things like fly rods are what send our labor of love flying through air landing on top or under the water to try and catch that next fish.

I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with the President of Beaverkill Rod Company, Anthony Magardino through email for some time now. He is a class act and I hope to get my hands on a new Beaverkill Fly Rod next spring sometime. Please read below to find out more about the Beaverkill Rod Company and check out what they have to offer over on their website.

BKR_5424_Logo_4c_Final

Originally, founded in 2001, the Beaverkill Rod Company is named for the Beaverkill River, one of the most legendary fly-fishing destinations in the Catskill Mountains.In the 1880’s Theodore Gordon cast the first dry fly in the US on the famed Beaverkill in Roscoe, N.Y. or so the story goes. The fact is Gordon did introduce dry fly fishing to the US and he fished the Beaverkill with great success. The Beaverkill is, of course, one of the most famous trout streams in the world. For us the name combines tradition, innovation, and value. Anthony Magardino, has spent every summer since childhood on the banks of this legendary river learning the art of fly fishing, and he now honors that connection with this innovative new line of fly rods.Take your passion for fishing to an intense new level with a new concept in fly fishing rods manufactured by The Beaverkill Rod Company, based in New York… and, proudly manufactured in the USA. Whether you are a novice angler or a seasoned veteran, when it comes to your fly rod, you always look for the perfect fit. Our carbon-fiber rods offer, strength, lightness, and a wide range of actions. After years of research and development we are confident we successfully achieved all the goals we set-out to accomplish with the official launch of our Legacy line of Beaverkill Rods, and appreciate the support we received from many legendary names in the industry. Our rods are only built using proprietary Beaverkill lustrous emerald green blanks and top-quality components.

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Filed under Fly Rods