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I test my fly rods in all seasons and under all conditions.
Dunsmuir Rod Company |
Yes, I think bamboo fly rods are beautiful, but I'm not in the business of crafting rods which perform their best while mounted on the wall. I subscribe to the school of building that believes hollow building a bamboo rod (removing the pithy center material which contributes nothing to rod performance) creates a rod with all the beauty and nostalgia of rods from bamboo's classic age, yet delivers exceptional performance far beyond most cane rods. Hollow-built rods dampen more quickly, and offer a livelier feel in the hand. I build both six-sided (hex) and four-sided (quad) rods. Each excels in a particular situation, and my tapers are carefully refined to deliver maximum performance when hollow built, even to the point where I alter a rod's internal taper. Developing a taper is time-consuming work, but it results in a rod that performs better. My grips and components are carefully selected to perform well on the river, and -- needless to say -- I test my rods in tough, real-life conditions before I offer a taper for sale.
I make my rods so that they feel light in the hand…. Lots of feedback, loop control, aerial mends, tireless casting -- those are the qualities I strive for in my rods. My favorites are the 8'3" tapers. My hollow-built 8'3" rods feel like an 8' rod, yet pick up line and cast like an 8.5' rod. Simply put, they fish like long rods but feel like short rods. What makes my tapers different from others? Well, a lot of it has to do with the company I keep. I fish with anglers like Tom Chandler, Dave Roberts, and Jimmie Reams -- people who fish a lot, and don't let a little rain, wind or high water stop them. My friends have a passion for bamboo and fishing dry flies to rising fish. They know a good bamboo rod when they fish it, and they're not shy about letting me know when a prototype isn't cutting it. The Upper Sacramento River is my home water, and I fish it year round. I get a lot of opportunities to fish dries - everything from a #6 Caddis and #10 Green Drakes, to a #22 Baetis. I design my rods to cast well, and then stick and fight trout. I build my rods to fish 200 days a year -- in rain, snow, sun and wind -- because that's what I do.
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