April Updates

Like every project I've worked on so far - our films and DVD's included, I employ a pretty simple design philosophy. "Look at what everyone else is doing - and don't do that" The L U N A R reel certainly typifies that approach.

The L U N A R reel is a fusion of modern materials and classic design. The L U N A R  project has been an 18 month design partnership between myself and renowned fly reel designer Alex Kaplun -  we've looked hard at how trout anglers actually use a fly reel and have incorporated many subtle design features that (hopefully) will not be immediately obvious.

Alex is an extremely experienced & creative engineer and our design certainly reflects that. The LUNAR runs on a precision stainless steel ultra thin section bearing developed for the robotics industry, it features a quick change spool that can be swapped out in a matter of seconds without having to unscrew any retaining nuts, a classic asymmetrical click pawl mechanism, full cage design and an oversized exposed rim to facilitate palming. 

The LUNAR has been designed with strength, quality and durability in mind.

Drop most modern fly reels on a rock and you're pretty much screwed, the LUNAR on the other hand is one tough mother.

Full cage design. Very strong and prevents fly and running lines from catching & jamming - this reel cannot eat fly lines!

The handle assembly is constructed of 6 separate parts - is self lubricating and will never seize or squeak.

The Spool will be produced in two options. A translucent amber CNC machined thermo plastic that is lighter and many times stronger and more robust than aluminium. And for the traditionalists, a machined Aircraft grade aluminium ported spool. Black.

Each reel comes with a unique hard ballistic nylon presentation case and a neoprene field cover.

The LUNAR fly reel will be produced in limited numbers, each with it's own registered identifying serial number, and will be available for pre order soon

Here's a short clip showing the main design components of the L U N A R Fly Reel.

Bob Wyatt's latest book, "What Trout Want" is continuing to cause a stir. A brilliantly written and well-crafted exposé fly fishing's greatest myths - Selectivity, matching the hatch, pressured fish, fish feeling pain, precise imitations, & drag-free drifts.

We have only limited numbers of autographed copies remaining - these are destined to become collectors items, make sure you grab one before they are gone.

We also have a great value bundle of Bob's book plus his two fly tying DVD's which features the patterns expounded in his book, and plenty of words of wisdom to really get you thinking.

Practice Fly lines, Loon Nip n Sip, High Viz indicators all being run out in our closeout section

Our unique Epic Unidirectional S2 FastGlass Fly Rod blanks are taking the rod building community by storm. These blanks are fast, crisp, lightweight and extremely powerful- certainly not terms you'd use to describe your average glass rod of old.

If you are not of the rod building persuasion and would like to own what is probably the worlds most unique fly rod blank we have some great options available to get you own custom Epic Rod built.

We are constantly amazed at the builds being produced by our Epic Rod builders - these eye-popping fly rods are both exquisite and functional, if you'd like to treat your self to something really special get in touch with one of these guys.

• Leiderman Fly Rods. USA - Matthew Leiderman. http://www.leidermanrods.com
• Grey Wolf Products and Services. USA. Shane Gray  http://www.graywolfrods.com
• Renaissance Fly Rods. USA. Peter Emmel http://www.renaissanceflyrods.com
• Tightloop Fly Rods. Romania. George George Minculete http://tightloopflyrods.blogspot.com

Here's a gorgeous Epic 476 evolving from Tightloop fly rods - thanks to George! http://tightloopflyrods.blogspot.ro/2013/04/swift-epic-476-work-in-progress.html

"The man who coined the phrase "Money can't buy happiness", never bought himself a good fly rod!"
~by Reg Baird

Epic blanks are now available direct in the U.S from Custom Fly Rod Crafters. Bob and his team are offering Epic blanks to the public via their excellent rod building store at http://www.flyrodcrafters.com

Each blank comes with a high quality rod sock, and the option to purchase a very slick looking a Aluminium rod tube at a great price.

For those of you that are still attaching your flies with a clinch not, or worse, an improved clinch (it's even weaker) here's the absolute best terminal knot for trout fishing.

These instructions advocate four turns. The original uses two and is every bit is strong but half the size.

We've had a spring clean at our YouTube channel, added a few more clips and generally made things easier to get around. New clips are added regularly so make sure you subscribe to see the latest.

Here's a few tips on how to execute the pile cast - a great slack line cast, as long as there's little wind! http://youtu.be/O6uHddBAH7g

Continues to be about the most popular fly casting DVD there is. You can download a selection of clips for free from our site here 

The full 90 min DVD is available at our store, good fly shops and at Amazon - just google it up