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A set of 3 Mainstream Series Split Bamboo fly rods. Named after the Mainstream of the AuSable River in Northern Michigan (maybe even near Brack Hill Road) these rods are the most popular style of rod I make. High gloss spar varnish finish applied to the flamed bamboo, bright nickel silver ferrules & reel seat hardware and chrome Snake Brand guides all contribute to a contemporary appearance. Reel seat fillers are figured hardwoods and burls - some of which are shown further down this page. The guides are all wrapped with fine silk and then sealed with multiple coats of thinned spar varnish prior to varnishing the completed rod. All Mainstream rods also contain a nickel silver stripping guide with either an agate or jasper stone insert in a range of colors - some of which are shown below. The rod package is completed with a Powder Coated aluminum storage tube with a Vent-Seal cap and ring, which allows you to either close the cap with or without small ventilation holes open to allow air into the tube, and a heavy fleece sleeve to protect the tube from day to day dings and scratches as well as insulate the tube from excessive heat while stored in your vehicle. |
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A bakers half dozen nickel stripping guides in Moss Agate, Banded White Agate, Red Agate, Speckled Jasper and "Coffee Bean" Brown jasper. |
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This is a photo of of the "Vent Seal" cap and ring on the Tuxedo Black powder coated tube and fleece tube sleeve. |
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The following three reel seats are all nickel silver sliding band with a pocketed cap. This is a very clean, understated seat that works well on 3 wt. to 5 wt. rods. The sliding band and the cork check have a fine diamond knurl. This type of hardware requires a round filler - this particular filler is Madrone burl which nicely accents red wrapped rods. |
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Maple burl is always nice. Again this is a round filler which is stabilized before the high gloss lacquer finish. The warm caramel to tobacco hues always look great against a flamed bamboo rod. |
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This last filler is walnut burl - a classic when attached to a flamed rod. In my opinion, this combination is the first choice for a traditional bamboo fly rod.
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In this photo we have a different style of cap and ring reel seat. This is a mortised stabilized maple burl filler with a rope knurl on the cork check, ring and cap. The cap is cylindrical because the mortise accepts the foot of the reel. This style of seat is also available in straight or diagonal knurl, up or down lock and just about any type of wood - subject to additional charge. |
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This is a down locking pocketed cap and collar threaded seat with a medium diamond knurl. The filler is stabilized black ash burl. This style of seat works well with heavier rods (5 - 7 wt. 7 1/2 - 8 ft.). Again, just about any type of wood filler is available subject to additional charge. |
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Sorry for the cheesy photography but you can't really appreciate these wraps without seeing them in person in the sunshine. These are all 3/0 or finer silk usually finished in thinned spar varnish to increase the transparency. This rod is finished in Light Olive Green tipped Black. |
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This wrap is Dark Olive Green tipped Black. This color almost appears black until viewed in sunlight when the rich Dark Green becomes visible. One of my favorite colors! |
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This guy is the old favorite Chinese Red. Probably the brightest wrap I routinely use - shows the black tipping nicely. The Ferrule Plug shown here is included with all Mainstream Series rods - turned from bamboo with a cork plug surface. Now includes a loop of bright chartreuse backing line to improve visibility (when dropped!) |
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This final wrap is Java Brown tipped Black. This color is typical of the wraps used on many classic rods built by Payne and Dickerson. The silk on this particular rod was treated before varnish to preserve the rich brown and maintain a more opaque color. You can work towards a more transparent, darker brown by omitting the color preserver step. |
| If you can describe it, I can turn it. All my grips are loose rings glued up on the blank. Exceptional cork is becoming one of the hardest materials to locate - I buy the best I can find and throw a lot away. A couple of favorites styles are . . | |
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What can I say - my version of a Western Grip. |
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The always popular cigar. |
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A Reverse Half Wells grip based on the traditional "Fenwick" HMG and FenGlass fly rods. |