Fly Fishing Colorado » Fly Fishing

Allen Fly Fishing – An American Success Story

Marshall — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:39:54 +0000

1/9/12

Reflecting on my journey through the 2012 Denver Fly Fishing Show, my highlight was a chance to meet and talk with Justin Allen Geisel CEO/Owner of Allen Fly Fishing and Evan Burck the Product Development Manager / Staff Pro.

Justin is a soft spoken unassuming person with a big heart and a commitment to succeed. The story of Allen Fly Fishing is a story of sacrifice, hard work and long hours on the road to success. In other words, it is a true entrepreneurial story of American Success.

The story starts back in 2008 when the economy went in the tank. Justin was working for his family in their plastics injection plant. “We were needing to lay people off. At the same time our plant manager just had twins. I didnt want him to be laid off so I took no pay for one year while they kept the factory open and people employed.”

At the end of the year, his father came to him and said,” Justin. You need to do something else now.” So Justin used the supplier contacts from the plastics firm to make contacts for fly fishing products. And Allen Fly Fishing www.allenflyfishing.com was born.

Justin said, “I started with my Alpha reel and then went into hooks as a filler product. Then the hooks took off and have became one of my popular products. Also, I owe the start and growth of the company to my wife (Courtney). Not many people will put trust into someone with no money to try to make something work.”

Justin sells fly tying hooks over the web at prices the big manufacturers can not beat. For about $6.95 you can get 100 hooks. This is roughly twice as many hooks as most suppliers will sell you for the same price. Allen Fly Fishing’s premium hooks are less than $13.00 for 100 hooks.

After two years, Justin brought out his first line of fly rods and more reels at affordable prices. And his prices on all his current line of rods and reels are still affordable.

There are three series of fly rods. The XA starts at $229 and runs to $249. The XA are all 4 pc medium-fast action rods built using a combination of 33 and 36 modulus graphite in the blanks for strength and smoothness of casting action.The weights run from 3 through 10 with a 3 wt 10 ft, a 4wt 10 ft and a 5 wt 10 ft suitable for czech nymphing for $239. There is a 10ft in 6, 7 and 8 wt with fighting butt for $249. The rest of the XA series is the standard 3 wt through 10 wt starting at 6 ft 6 inches and ending at 9ft for $229 and $239. The XA is designed as a general purpose rod for throwing dries, nymphs and streamers. The XA series is built with an internal ferrule for a smoother action under load. (The one I cast was certainly smooth casting with some 50 foot of line out and another 20 on a shoot.) The series sports a titanium chromium plated stripping guide for salt water protection with titanium chromium plated single foot guides that are the smoothest casting I have tried in a long time. On weights 3 through 5 a half wells grip is used and on weights 6 through 9 a full wells grip is used with a fighting butt. AAA cork is used in all grips.

The Myth is the next step up in the Allen Rod Series. The Myth is a fast action rod built with a mix of 40 and 46 high modulus in the graphite blanks. They also feature the internal ferrule design, Silicone Carbide (SIC) lined stripping guides and the titanium chrome plated single foot rod guides. Rod weights are 3 through 6, all 4pc with lengths from 6ft 6 inches through 10 feet. The Myth has been designed for precise close in casting. Yet it has the backbone to reach out for those long casts too. Grips are a half wells with a carbon fibre reel seat to reduce weight. Pricing is $279 except for the 10 ft rods at $299.

The Olympic series was originally designed for salmon and steelhead fishing with the two handed rod. The Olympic series is now gaining favor amoung trout and bass fishers too. Two handed rods are easier to cast and put less arm and shoulder strain on aging muscles than one handed rods. The Olympic is a medium fast action with a powerful tip for loop control of heavy spey, skagit or scandinavian fly lines. The stripping guide is titanium chrome plated and the traditional snake guides are titanium chrome plated for corrosion resistance. Rod weights run 5 through 9 with lengths starting at 12 ft progressing to 12 ft 6 inches, 13 ft, 13ft 6 inches and 14 ft depending on the rod wt. Prices start at $329 progress to $339 and end at a modest $349 for the 9wt 14ft model.

All rods come with a rod tube.

Rods without reels are not much good. Justin and Evan have developed a nice line of Trout reels plus the Alpha and Alpha II reels to meet your fishing needs and conditions. http://www.allenflyfishing.com/pages/reels

Allen Fly Fishing offers an excellent warranty on their products.
http://www.allenflyfishing.com/pages/warranty-registration

Per Justin “We have a new Trout reel being released in April and a saltwater reel in May. We also have another rod coming out in Feb ($150-$160) called the A.T.S. rod. (Allen Trout Series).”

So here we have the capsule version of Allen Fly Fishing, leaving out the 36 hour days, little sleep, traveling, struggle to stay afloat until success was achieved. This is how success is achieved by not quitting, getting the break sometimes and by plain old hard work the American way.

Wishing you at Allen Fly Fishing much continued Success.

Marshall, Editor and Author
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Every Thing You Need for Fly Fishing
www.successfulflyfishing.com
“Successful Fly Fishing for Trout”

Colorado Fly Fishing Conditions – Bear Creek 10/11/11

Marshall — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:20:21 +0000

Colorado Fly Fishing Conditions – Bear Creek 10/11/11

Tuesday was one of those Indian Summer days that cried out "Fly fishing today!" The weather promised to be sunny and warm around 65 degrees at O'Fallon Park outside of Kittridge, CO. There is nothing better than Colorado Blue Sky, a warm sun, the burbling of your favorite trout stream and cooperative trout to make your soul sing.

The air temperature was 44 degrees when I arrived at O'Fallon at 8:45. As I was starting to gear up, my partner Douglas Borer of D'Borer Hand-made Bamboo Fly Rods showed up. By the time we were geared up, the sun had come over the mountains and burned off the clouds leaving that Colorado Blue Sky that has to be experienced to understand its beauty.

We started fishing the Head Pool above Bar Pool. Doug had one strike before hanging up in the trees. After wading across the pool to retrieve flies, we moved downstream to try the MiniPool without any luck. Usually this little pool is good for at least one fish but not today. Bar Pool was not any better. I spotted one small brown at the tail of the pool but neither one of us had any strikes in Bar Pool today.

Back to O'Fallon Park at the east end of the park. Doug was working Three Rock Pool while I moved to a run just before a plunge waterfall downstream. This small run is usually good for one or two fish. Today I got a nice 7 inch brown out of the run. The opposite side run was barren of fish today.

Fishing below the plunge pool did not yield any fish either. Guess they did not like my plain gold ribbed hares ear in this area. Back upstream, I saw Doug catch and release a nice 8 – 9 inch fish. (on Bear Creek in this area these are average size fish). Doug was using a small green flashback gray midge he ties. In three rock pool, Doug caught and released 4 fish while I was fishing my way back upstream to him.

Heading back to the main parking lot we fished some of the deeper runs along the road without any luck. Fishing a pool off the main parking lot, I caught this nice 13 inch rainbow.

After lunch, Doug fished Old Dam Hole for a while before heading home.

Then Doug headed home. And I headed downstream to East Corwina Park. On the way out of O'Fallon, I saw one other fly fisherman. That is what I like about this time of year. Solitude, friendship and good weather.

My ususal spots in East Corwina did not yield any fish even though I could see 3 fish working in the main pool. Upstream from the bridge I did catch two small brown trout on the plain hares ear.

Time to beat the rush hour and I headed home.

Summary:
CFS – 18 to 20
Air – 44 degrees at 9 am and 65 at 3:30 pm
Water Clarity - good and clear to 3 feet unless the bottom was covered with weeds. The it turned green
Water Temp – estimated at 55 to 60 degrees in the afternoon.
Hatches: sporadic blue wings during the late morning and early afternoon. One or two large PMDs doomed to failure, a caddis or two
Flies: small gray midge with green flashback size 22, plain gold ribbed hares ear size 16

Tight lines and good fishing,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything you need for fly fishing

Colorado Fly Fishing Conditions – Dream Stream 9/10/11

Marshall — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:51:56 +0000

A Day in Landon Mayer’s Gym

A day on the Dream Stream with Master Guide Landon Mayer is like a day in the gym. Landon is a big fish hunter. He prowls the stream like a cheetah running a gazelle to ground. Colorado’s Dream Stream is about 2 1/2 miles between Spinney Mountain Reservoir and Eleven Mile Reservoir. The fish are wild fish and move around a lot depending on stream flows, food supplies, cover and other stream conditions. Landon told me because the fish move so much, you have to move to find them.

Landon believes it is better to sight fish than blind fish. In that I would concur. Landon prowled the opposite bank from where he set my partner Joan McCord and myself in our first beat. Landon stopped indicating he had spotted a large brown holding between two weed beds. He had rigged me with a small baetis emerger top and a trico spinner bottom. I had caught a small rainbow on the trico earlier. I made some 2 to 3 dozen drifts toward the big brown without any success. Finally, the brown did a bulge rise just to give us the fin. Down and Up the stream during the morning without any big success.

Just before lunch, Landon set Joan up along side a fast run between two rocks. The space was some 10 inches wide but was holding a huge brown. Joan worked this fish under Landon’s guidance for about a half hour. Then Landon went hunting upstream and set me up in a big pool – run with 3 large rocks in it. The pool dropoff held two Dream Stream monsters along with some smaller browns. (Smaller as in 15 to 18 inches).

As I watched Joan, I saw her set the rod on Big Boy. The rod bent deep into the butt section. Joan hollered for Landon but she lost the fish before he arrived at her beat. So Landon headed downstream looking for fish. About 10 minutes later, Joan hollered for help. She had caught the big guy again. Landon ran up and started giving her instructions to follow the fish downstream. Joanie and Landon disappeared around the bend. Some 15 minutes later, they came back around the bend. I knew Joanie had gotten her big trout to the net by the smile on her face.

During the lunch break I saw the picture and the fish was a Hawg. After lunch, Joan fished the pool – run I was fishing. Landon took me upstream to a run with 2 large rocks in the middle and a fast seam on the far side from me. I tied on an #18 bwo emerger I use on Bear Creek as my tail fly. Working the seam and between the rocks for over 20 minutes, I finally hooked up with a small trout and lost it. Then right in a row hooked up with two larger fish in between the rocks. Both fish pulled upstream with a heavy bend in the rod from the fish and the salad hanging from the line. I lost both fish from horsing too much.

Another 15 drifts, I had a nice fish on during the rise to the surface along with a pound of salad on the line. This was definitely a trout as it headed downstream. Landon was right there telling me how to keep the rod high and to the right of my body while staying even with the fish as it was going downstream. Over and around rocks, through a deep bankside run I followed the fish hoping it would tire soon as my arm was burning.

Finally, it looked like the fish might be ready. I got its head up and on the surface. Landon had his guide net out and was reaching for the fish when it sensed the net. Downstream again for another 100 feet before he was ready again. This time Landon got him into the net. We picked off the remaining weeds before taking some pictures and letting him go. The fish took my #18 bwo emerger.

This had been a perfect weather day, a perfect fishing day as both Joan and I had hooked a great fish and we were going home just as the weather started to blow a cold wind across the fields.

If you have not been on stream with Landon Mayer, treat your self to a trip with a Master Guide.
www.landonmayer.com 719-210-0619. Landon will cut years off your learning curve hunting big fish.

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything you need for fly fishing

Colorado Fly Fishing Conditions – Tomahawk Wildlife 9/2/2011

Marshall — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:21:00 +0000

While the day was outstanding, the fishing was only fair at Tomahawk Wildlife Area today.
CFS = 59 – 62
Air = 75 degrees around 2 pm
Sky = Clear – few clouds and sunny
H2O = Clear to 2 to 3 feet — Water Temp estimated around 55 to 60 degrees.

My friend Michael and I fished from the last bridge parking lot south for about a mile. While fishing took work, we did catch fish. Mostly small 6 to 10 inch browns. Almost every riffle held several of these little guys. Tailouts on fast runs same thing. The strange thing was the undercut banks did not yield any fish of size. This does not mean they were not there but enticing them to strike was another subject.

While fishing this lower section, we talked to two guides from The Hatch fly shop in Pine Junction, CO. Both of their groups were catching fish but having to work for them. The first group, the fly of choice was a large size 8 or 10 Amys Ant with a red sparkle body.

After lunch I fished just below the bridge for awhile without any luck. Fishing under the bridge yielded a nice 12 inch brown. Michael had hooked and lost a nice 12 or 13 inch rainbow just south of the bridge.

We then moved upstream from the bridge. In the edge of a pool formed by a bank collapse, I hooked up with a nice 13 inch rainbow holding just over the edge of a sandbar. Upstream more small browns in the riffles.

Flies that worked for me. A two nymph rig with a small black mayfly emerger as the tail fly about 18 inches behind the point fly.

As we were putting our gear away, I talked to another fisherman that had taken 3 nice browns 19 to 22 inches in the morning. So the big guys are still there.

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com

Get A Grip

Marshall — Wed, 18 May 2011 10:06:12 +0000

GET A GRIP

You may have heard the saying before. Most of us probably don’t think much about the cork grip when fishing. Cork grips come in a variety of grades. Fluor grade Portuguese cork is the accepted top grade. After that it depends on whose brand of handle you use. Super, Grade A , B and C are some of the grades I have seen. The main things to look for are:

1. Is the handle smooth with few pits and filled spots.

2. Do filled spots appear to be securely glued so you won’t develop uncomfortable pits from use.

3. Does the handle fit your hand comfortably? This is very important to your ability to cast and control the rod. A handle that is too small or too large will tire your hand over a day’s fishing.

4. If purchasing from the web, what are the return and warranty policies of the website.

What is the big deal about the handle other than it should be smooth and comfortable to hold? Comfortable to hold is the operative phrase. When casting, most of us use the thumb on top, the V grip or the forefinger on top grip to hold and control the rod. The grip must fit the hand comfortably for the rod to become an extension of your arm. The better the grip fits your hand, the better you can apply power properly to the rod during your cast, the better you can control the vertical casting plane of the rod and the better you can hit the back and forward stops to form tight loops.

A grip that is too skinny or too fat for your hand will tire you out and lessen your control over the rod. The shape of the grip is also important. Today grips come in four shapes

1. Cigar for weights 1 thru 3. These are similar to the half wells grips without so much flair at the back of the grip.

2. Half Wells with a cutout for the top reel seat. These grips have a smaller front end a larger middle and flair at the back end. These grips are often found on rod weights 1 thru 6.

3. Full Wells grip have a full front end to allow the thumb to apply power during the cast, a middle to fit the palm and a flared back end to rest the heel of the palm against. Generally found on rod weights 6 and up. And most often these will have a one or two inch fighting butt.

4. The new Snub-Nosed Wells grip found on St. Croix Bank Robber rods in 6 and 7 weight and on Sage TXL-F small stream rods. (I have cast the Bank Robber 6 wt with the snub nosed grip and found it tiring. The seven wt with the full Wells was quite comfortable. I have not tried the seven wt with the snub-nosed Wells grip.

1 and 2 are half Wells Grips. 3 and 4 are full Wells grips with fighting butts.

Snub-nosed Wells grip on the Bank Robber Rod.

In 2009 I purchased a big brand 9ft 6wt rod. This rod has taken me over a year to learn to control properly. Mostly because the grip is 2/64ths to 3/64ths too large for my hand and tires my thumb out quickly on long casts necessary for the FFF certification test. While learning to use this rod, it would sometimes turn 30+ degrees during a cast because I could not hold the grip comfortably with the thumb on tip hold. The V grip was only slightly better. I know the size of the grip was the main issue because I have tried 2 other exact same brand and model rods with handles slightly smaller and experienced no loop or control problems.

So when you purchase your next rod, take some time to hold the rod. Feel the grip. Is it comfortable? Is it too small or too large or just right? Is the grip the right design for you? Look at the construction. Ask about the grade of cork used. Remember the cork grip is where the hand meets the rod. The average fly fisher makes some 200 casts in a day on stream. You want your day to be fun and not a struggle to control your fly rod.

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything you need for fly fishing
www.successfulflyfishing.com
A Try Before You Buy Book

Colorado Fly Fishing Conditions Arkansas River 3/29/11

Marshall — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:56:55 +0000

This is from Greg Felt at Arkanglers in Salida Colorado.

March 31, 2011

Tuesday (March 29, 2011), I floated from Cotopaxi to Texas Creek. Yes, the flows were low but we managed to get through just fine. Yes, we had some wind, varying in direction and intensity, but not enough to become the defining aspect of the day. Yes, we had a strong blue wing olive hatch, a regatta of mayflies skating down the surface and yes, the fish were up and on them.

It’s true that before that hatch began we caught a lot of fish subsurface on a red two bit hooker and a small chocolate midge and that after the hatch subsided we found plenty of browns still hanging along the edges, willing to take a dark streamer or a royal stimulator.

I’d be exaggerating if I said we saw more than one wade angler over that entire nine miles or that there were any other boats on the water. Truth be told, it was a day that spoke to many of the great attributes of this river and that reinforced for my guests and me why we love the Arkansas and keep returning to her currents.

Back in the office and looking at the forecast, I’d be remiss if I didn’t send word of more fine days ahead. We had a 67 degree afternoon today, with tomorrow projected to be 64 and Saturday 71. Sunday looks cloudy with a chance for rain but still a high of 64. Monday sounds wet and cold, a high in the 40s, and then we return to 60 degree weather again.

We tend to look for cool, wet days as the drivers for our better blue wing olive hatches but this week has seen strong hatches in full sun, with fish taking adults and emergers at or just beneath the surface. The low flows are allowing fish to spread out, as there is more slower water in which a brown trout can effectively hold, and this decreases the competition while making more of the river productive for anglers. Wading is easy now and one can cross and recross the river as the terrain dictates. It all begs the question: What exactly are people waiting for? Caddis? Probably, but one needn’t forego good fishing until then.

There’s a lot of good public water that is accessible to the wade angler. The low flows have kept boat traffic light. We have good availability for wade or float trips and our two miles of private water, now available for rod fee fishing, have been sitting vacant most days. Our shops are fully stocked, the staff fresh and ready to assist. Everything seems to be in place, ready to roll.

I don’t have any special deals to offer. No “operators are standing by” sort of call to action. All I can tell you is that there are great days ahead down here, great days that have already gone by, and that my fervent wish is for as many of you as possible to experience soon a day like the one I had on Tuesday. It will be with me for quite awhile, I’m sure of that, and I didn’t even take a cast.

Greg Felt

ArkAnglers

www.arkanglers.com

719-539-4223

If you want a great guided trip stop in at Arkanglers. Greg, Carol Neville or any of the other guides will give you a quality experience.

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything You Need for Fly Fishing
Information and Affordable Fly Fishing Tackle

International Sportsman Expo starts today

Marshall — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:14:12 +0000

Thursday 1/6/11

The International Sportman’s Expo ISE starts today 1/6 and runs through Sunday 1/9/11. The ISE showcases fly fishing, fishing, boats, hunting, camping and sports travel primarily. Many fly fishing notables from Colorado will be there such as Landon Mayer and Pat Dorsey. The ISE is a good place to see an over view of the outdoor recreation industry offerings.

The ISE Hours:
Thursday Noon to 9:00 pm
Friday, Noon to 9:00 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

TICKETS
$15.00 Adult
FREE – Youth and Children 15 years and under
FREE – Active Military with military ID card

Parking: FREE Parking & Shuttles at Coors Field. Ride light rail to the Convention Center station.

Complete information on the ISE or to buy Tickets Online. ISE Denver

Tight Lines,

Be sure to stop by the Denise Lake Lodge booth at 421c and say hi to the Lodge Owners Elaine and Jim. The Denise Lake Lodge and B&B is located on the Kenai Peninsula near the town of Soldatna, AK. The Lodge offers fine food, great lodging and superior fishing experiences. Tell them Fly Fishing Colorado Referred you.

Marshall, Publisher
www.bestflyrods.com
Find your best fly rod here

Denver Fly Fishing Show Time Again

Marshall — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 03:31:10 +0000

Seems like just yesterday, I was doing a post for last years show. This year the Denver Fly Fishing Shop will be Jan 7,8,9 at the Denver Merchandise Mart at 58th and I-25. The Show is held in the large auditorium section behind the hotel. There is a lot of parking which fills up fast on Saturday in particular.

As usual, the Federation of Fly Fishers will be offering fly fishing education in fly casting, fly tying and knot tying at the FFF Learning Center at the FFF booth. The High Plains Drifters, a local FFF Club, will be offering fly casting analysis to improve your casting stroke along with basic casting instruction. The HPD will be teaching kids fly tying.

The Destination Theater section is designed to help you make a decision about an exotic fly fishing trip. There are a ton of booths offering the latest in gear and clothing.

Show Hours: Fri 10 – 6; Sat 9 – 5:30; Sun 9 – 4:30

Admission:
Adult: $15 for one day
$25 for two-day pass
$35 for three-day pass
Children under 5 free, under 12: $2
Scouts under 16 in uniform: free
Active Military: $10

See you at the show in the FFF-High Plains Drifters booth.

More Show Information

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Publisher
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything you need for fly fishing

Orvis Access Fly Rods are in the Fly Shop

Marshall — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:35:59 +0000

11/15/10

The hot new Orvis Access Fly Rods are in the shop just in time for the holidays. At just 2 1/2 oz for a 9ft 5wt 4pc, these new Access fly rods are so light weight, they rival the famed Orvis Helios.

The Access Fly Rods Feature:

A Deep Root Beer Blank color
Woven graphite carbon reel seat in matching root beer color
An attractive anodized aluminum gold reel uplocking reel seat
All Chrome Guides
Sunburst wraps with gold tipping
Gold ferrule alignment dots – a nice touch to make assembling your rod fast and easy
Super Grade -Smoooth Cork Handles
Safe Passage Rust Colored rod tube with internal dividers
Designed by Orvis rod designers based on performance tapers and actions used on the Helios.
The Access rods series is lightweight yet has the ability to throw long casts in heavy winds. They are designed for big water and big trout. Available in both freshwater and saltwater models
Covered by the Orvis 25 year warranty and the famous 100% satisfaction guarantee
Priced at an affordable $350

Order your Orvis Access Rod today This rod makes a fine Christmas present too.

The Weight Comparison Chart shows where the Access Fly Rod stands in the weight comparison per dollar category.

Brand	Rod Model	Weight	Price	Price / oz
Orvis	Helios	2.375	775	326

Orvis	Hydros	2.625	495	189

Orvis	Access	2.5	350	140

Sage	Z-Axis	3.375	695	206

Sage	ZXL	3.313	695	210

Sage	VT2	3.25	475	146

Sage	Flight	3.438	330	96

Sage	Vantage	4.188	250	60

St Croix	Legend Elite	2.75	440	160

St Croix	Imperial	2.75	190	69

Stone Creek	Halcyon	4.375	160	37

The Access fly rod is sure to offer years of high quality satisfaction service at an affordable price.

Order your Orvis Access Rod today This rod makes a fine Christmas present too.

If you are starting out your fly fishing career, consider booking an Orvis Fly Fishing School. There are 12 schools being held around the country from Key West to Manchester, Vermont, to Edwards, Colorado to Bend Oregon and places inbetween. Let an Orvis certified instructor teach you the basics of fly casting, stream entomology and how to catch fish on a fly rod.

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything You Need for Fly Fishing
Fine fly fishing tackle plus knowledge equals fish

The Bank Robber

Marshall — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:13:08 +0000

The Bank Robber

I had been reading about the new Bank Robber fly rod from St. Croix Rod Company. This rod series was designed by St Croix rod engineers with Kelly Gallup’s advice and help. Kelly Gallup is a famous outfitter, designer of flies such as the Butt Monkey and Zoo Couger and owner of a lodge on the Madison River in Montana. The new Bank Robber rod uses the new 3M ^tmnano particle matrix resin to bind the blank’s graphite fibers together. This new silca particle resin is supposed to offer greater resistance to blank buckling on the compression side of the rod when it is loaded. If you overload a rod, the blank can become damaged at the point of overloading and may break at that point.

Today, I got a call from Steve Johnson owner of Royal Stevens fly shop at Girard Place located one block north of Hampton Ave on Gilpin. The new Bank Robber rods were in. I hopped in the car and headed for Royal Stevens.

The new Bank Robber rods only come in a 6 wt and a 7 wt at this time.

The blank is a beautiful steel grey color
The stripper guide is Fuji K and the tip top is Fuji MN both lined with Alconite to reduce line friction
Snake guides are hard chromed
Guide wraps are protected by two coats of slow cure Flex Coat
The cork grip is flora-grade cork. This is the highest grade of cork available. The grip on the rod I tested was one of the smoothest I have ever tested
The grip on the 6 wt is a modified full wells grip with the top flare slightly smaller than normal but it was comfortable to hold
The reel seat is an unusual machined anodized aluminum skeletonized grip with elongated diamond shaped cut outs to hold your streamers or large nymphs
The really unusual part is the rod blank extends to the end of the butt cap and can be seen through the reel seat cut outs
The reel seat is a double uplocking type and holds the reel securely in place
There is a small fighting butt.
Manufactured in Park Falls, WI, USA
MSRP is $400

Casting Characteristics

There was a severe wind blowing during the casting test today. Since this rod was designed to pound big streamers into the bank under adverse conditions, this wind was going to be a perfect test.

For the first dozen casts, the rod felt stiff to me. Rather like my Sage Z-Axis did when I first started using it. Then I started to get my stroke adjusted to hit the stops front and back hard enough to form good tight loops.
Most of the casting had to be done on a horizontal plane about 2 or 3 feet off the ground to escape the wind.
Working the rod for some ten minutes, I could tell this was a powerhouse of a rod. You could easily cast a full fly line with it. (Steve told me that he had done so on Friday after working with the rod a while) Because of the wind, I did not try this much line but I could throw 60 feet easily without much effort.
The Bank Robber 6 wt is a reasonably light weight rod for this line weight.
Given the wind conditions today, I was quite pleased with the power, lightness and casting feel to the rod.
If you have been using a 7 wt or an 8 wt rod for your heavy trout or bass fishing, you might want to try the St Croix Bank Robber instead

Tight Lines,

Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
Everything for your fly fishing needs