The hardest part of building a rod for yourself is deciding the composition of the rod. It’s also the most enjoyable. I decided I wanted to go with “simple elegance” with a black and gold accent. The reel seat was easy, blackened nickel silver, but the spacer was a little more challenging. Snake Brand sent me four buckeye burl spacers to choose from and trusted me to return the ones I didn’t use. The black and cream is the perfect fit as you can see from the picture’s. The stripping guide is also blackened nickel silver with a black agate center, simple elegance perfected. The guides, hook keep and tip top are bronze for that gold look. All of it is wrapped with black gossamer silk with gold and black tipping.
You never know how a rod will function until the last coating is dried and you string it up for the first time. Well, all I can say is this is a sweet casting rod! So much so, I am going to play hooky tomorrow just to try it out.
The reel seat is blackened nickel silver down locking seat with a Buckeye burl wood spacer. The wrapping is black silk with gold and black silk tipping. The hook keep and snake guides are gold bronzed and the stripping guide is blackened nickel silver with a black agate.
by: Patrick Ryan
]]>So recently when we saw a post from C. Barclay Rods showing us how different our blank could look when a different style is embraced, it turns out we were the one that was most happy.
]]>In describing the MUIR vision rod, this is what I wrote.
Imagine you are in a time machine and that time machine stops its light speed flight and the door opens. It opens to a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains, and a river coming right out of the rocks that frame your vision. Its the late 1800s and you are walking around Yosemite Valley in California and you come upon a man sitting on the side of the river. Just sitting... and looking.
You approach him in your trucker cap with flat flap and sling back, or your fedora and fly fishing vest and you ask him, "what the hell are you doing?" he answers... " just listening. I found this new fern I had never seen by the river... so I decided to sit down beside it and make its acquaintance. I wanted to see what it sees every day."
You just met John Muir, and he had a vision. His vision was to encourage all people to go to the mountain tops. For only at the mountain tops could you understand and recharge, and experience natures grace. He believed that in that vision you would experience something you never realized you could experience.
... This fly rod is far from anything as powerful as what John Muir is, and stands for. It is however one of those fly rods that helps you experience fly fishing, like it is your mission, or even your religion. 5 pieces, easy to pack not on your back pack, but in it.
We hope that if John Muir ran into you with this rod, and you pulled it out of your sac... he would look at you, smile, and know that you "get it."
John Muir was the founder of the Sierra Club and also the visionary for the National Parks. In a way, he is our hero.
So recently when we saw a post from C. Barclay Rods showing us how different our blank could look when a different style is embraced, it turns out we were the one that was most happy.
We released the MUIR in rod form and also blank form, with hopes that we would build relationships with some custom builders. Rod Builders that we felt were cut from the same cloth. Chris is one of those builders.
There are a couple things that make C. Barclay a different style. One is his grips. They are simple and also elegant. I like simple in design, and I never would have put a grip like this on a MUIR, but now that I see it, I love it.
He hand signs each rod as most rod builders do, and adds a serial number. In this case it looks like the MUIR was number 121 in 2016.
Elegant Silk Wraps and fine thread accents make his work timeless.
Here is what Chris had to say about our Muir Blank.
Here is a rod I've been working on for a while. It's a JP Ross MUIR 7' 3wt 5 pieces and makes for a sweet pack rod. Packs down around 18" and handles a 3 & 4wt line. The action reminds me of the old black Scott 7' 3wt 5 piece rods made several years back.
Check him out here. http://cbarclayflyrods.com/
Thanks Chris for building this rod in your style, you are an inspiration to other rod builders like me.
Sincerely:
JP Ross
]]>
this rod is no longer in production.
]]>
After that I had been reading about the Kabuto blanks and contacted him and got one of his blanks. While this was all happening I decide to sell the 10' 6wt because I wasn't using it and the 6' 2wt graphite as well to pay for the build of the Kabuto. I got a call from JP Ross rods and he said he would be glad to buy it back and give me credit. I sent it back to him and he gave me more than a fair price. So I used the credit for JP Ross to build the Kabuto. He didn't like the way the wraps were working with the blank and called me to let me know. He has done this on a couple of the builds to be sure I would be happy. I can't say enough about his built and customer service.
I don't have anything to do with JP Ross rods. I have never meet him personal, only talk to him over the phone. I have known him, I think for 3 years. I'm writing this to you so you know why I pick JP Ross and so if anyone else is interested in you building a rod. Please let them read this and if they want to call me please give them my number. Hope all is well with you and your family. Thanks for all you have done. John
I am looking forward to finishing this rod this week and shipping it to the west cost for my friend to see. Although I have done more elaborate rods, I feel this one is done tastefully elegant. I have spent many weeks in Japan for my day job as a product specialist and product manager for an electronics materials company. It is for this reason that I feel I understand the Japanese culture very well. Being that this Kabuto is from Japan, I was careful in the way I wrapped and even chose colors. No red, no accent colors, simple lines, and clean workmanship. My goal would be to have even Kabuto look at this rod and agree that it is worthy of the build.
]]>
]]>