Gunpowder Stream Report and Great Feathers Fly Shop Blog
Great Feathers is a Baltimore and Gunpowder River area brick and mortar fly shop staffed by fly fishermen and fly tiers with a passion for the sport. Our blog posts provide you with the latest stream reports on the Gunpowder and interesting posts on fly fishing anf fly tying information.Friday, November 28, 2008
A review of the new Hardy Glass Rods
From noted rod builder Andy Manchester:
"Hello Well I finally found the time to devote to sampling the new offering From The House of Hardy. The Trout Fisher 8' 5wt 3.40 oz. is the rod I had the opportunity to put through it's paces ! The Line I sampled the rod with was and Orvis Wonderline WF 5 the reel a Hardy. The rod esthetically is eye candy the thread work and finish truly superb. The reel seat and grip design are reminiscent of the early Palakona The only noticeable difference was that the cork filler matched the cork color better on the new model and there was more filler than I would have expected. The use of filler and good grade cork rather than floor grade cork should be expected on production rods, If I were purchasing one of these rods I would defiantly seal the cork before I fished the rod to guard against premature loss of the filler. The rod has 8 guides including the striper personally I would have liked to see one more guide but that is arguably a personal preference not a key point ,again the norm for a production rod. The ferrule was very well done and the fit leaves plenty of room for the effects of time !
Now for the casting the rod loaded with little more than a leaders length of line,the action is progressive and the rod has that sought after and seldom seen punch, short precise cast were a snap,at the mid length 40' the rod was screaming for more line and the action was easy to feel ,I was quickly connected,no need to strip loads of line to pick up the line,the rod has back bone and pick ups were performed with ease.I was able to get 60' of line out with little trouble and the presentations were fabulous throughout !!.
I will not try to compare this rod with any other ,thats like comparing children this rod need not a likeness to any other rod and will stand on it's own ! I fell in love with the rod in the first 5 minutes and it wasn't the looks of the rod it was the feel and performance of the rod that won my heart. When double hauling with the rod the rod was wanting more not what you would expect from a 5 weight. I am sure heaver tippets for streamers or bass bug fishing the rod should handle a 6 WT with no problem. The only thing I didn't like was the rod tube cork cap plug the fit was loose and not my idea of how a rod should be stored again a personal preference and you could easily purchase a screw cap to fit the tube if you were so inclined.
Now I am bracing at the bit to cast the rest of the series and if they perform like this one the House of Hardy has hit a home run in my opinion. Tight Lines and Hardy Trout Fisher Loops Andy M "http://fiberglassflyrodders.yuku.com/topic/6582?page=9
Cheers,MikeK
"Hello Well I finally found the time to devote to sampling the new offering From The House of Hardy. The Trout Fisher 8' 5wt 3.40 oz. is the rod I had the opportunity to put through it's paces ! The Line I sampled the rod with was and Orvis Wonderline WF 5 the reel a Hardy. The rod esthetically is eye candy the thread work and finish truly superb. The reel seat and grip design are reminiscent of the early Palakona The only noticeable difference was that the cork filler matched the cork color better on the new model and there was more filler than I would have expected. The use of filler and good grade cork rather than floor grade cork should be expected on production rods, If I were purchasing one of these rods I would defiantly seal the cork before I fished the rod to guard against premature loss of the filler. The rod has 8 guides including the striper personally I would have liked to see one more guide but that is arguably a personal preference not a key point ,again the norm for a production rod. The ferrule was very well done and the fit leaves plenty of room for the effects of time !
Now for the casting the rod loaded with little more than a leaders length of line,the action is progressive and the rod has that sought after and seldom seen punch, short precise cast were a snap,at the mid length 40' the rod was screaming for more line and the action was easy to feel ,I was quickly connected,no need to strip loads of line to pick up the line,the rod has back bone and pick ups were performed with ease.I was able to get 60' of line out with little trouble and the presentations were fabulous throughout !!.
I will not try to compare this rod with any other ,thats like comparing children this rod need not a likeness to any other rod and will stand on it's own ! I fell in love with the rod in the first 5 minutes and it wasn't the looks of the rod it was the feel and performance of the rod that won my heart. When double hauling with the rod the rod was wanting more not what you would expect from a 5 weight. I am sure heaver tippets for streamers or bass bug fishing the rod should handle a 6 WT with no problem. The only thing I didn't like was the rod tube cork cap plug the fit was loose and not my idea of how a rod should be stored again a personal preference and you could easily purchase a screw cap to fit the tube if you were so inclined.
Now I am bracing at the bit to cast the rest of the series and if they perform like this one the House of Hardy has hit a home run in my opinion. Tight Lines and Hardy Trout Fisher Loops Andy M "http://fiberglassflyrodders.yuku.com/topic/6582?page=9
Cheers,MikeK
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Gunpowder River Fly Shop Great Feathers Fly Tying Classes
Above is a small taste of what sets us apart.
Introduction To Fly Tying!
New to fly tying or thinking of starting.
Great Feathers will be holding our first in a series of classes Saturday November 29th from 12 - 3pm Classes will be limited to 4 participants and taught by a commercial tyer with over 35 years experience teaching and tying patterns for the Gunpowder River, Central Pa., and the Catskill region.
This is a fun filled course and you will leave with the ability to tie flies that catch trout!
Class fees are $35.00 per person and pre-registration is required. Call 410-472-6799 to sign up or ask any questions you may have.
Labels: The way it's supposed to be.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A New Fly Shop
Great Feathers is celebrating our 15th year at our Sparks location this month.
So...what's new about us?
Here's a taste if you haven't been in lately:
Fly Rods By;
Orvis
Hardy
Grey's
Temple Fork Outfiters
Diamondback
Cortland
Redington
Fly Reels By;
Orvis
Hardy
Grey's
Redington
Ross
Fly Lines By;
Orvis
Rio
Cortland
Waders From;
Orvis
Redington
Hardy's
Greys
Flies;
Over 20,000 flies in stock from Umpqua, Orvis, Spirit River, and from many local and in-house tiers.
Fly Tying Materials;
Cookshill
Veniard
Collins Hackle Farm
Partridge
Mustad
Tiemco
Gaelic Supreme
Daichii
Grip Hooks
Whiting
Bob's Hackle Farm
Umpqua
Hareline
Wapsi
the list goes on....we have arguably the largest and most comprehensive fly tying department of any shop in the Nation.
As well as the largest selection of terminal tackle from every major brand in the world.
Whether you are brand new to the sport, or a veteran of many seasons we guarantee you've never seen anything like we have built.
If you want to see what a fly shop is supposed to look like, staffed by pro's with decades of experience..stop by and see the New Fly Shop in town!
BTW Interested in tying flies? We have the best selection of fly tying feathers and a variety of fly tying materials at Great Feathers.
So...what's new about us?
Here's a taste if you haven't been in lately:
Fly Rods By;
Orvis
Hardy
Grey's
Temple Fork Outfiters
Diamondback
Cortland
Redington
Fly Reels By;
Orvis
Hardy
Grey's
Redington
Ross
Fly Lines By;
Orvis
Rio
Cortland
Waders From;
Orvis
Redington
Hardy's
Greys
Flies;
Over 20,000 flies in stock from Umpqua, Orvis, Spirit River, and from many local and in-house tiers.
Fly Tying Materials;
Cookshill
Veniard
Collins Hackle Farm
Partridge
Mustad
Tiemco
Gaelic Supreme
Daichii
Grip Hooks
Whiting
Bob's Hackle Farm
Umpqua
Hareline
Wapsi
the list goes on....we have arguably the largest and most comprehensive fly tying department of any shop in the Nation.
As well as the largest selection of terminal tackle from every major brand in the world.
Whether you are brand new to the sport, or a veteran of many seasons we guarantee you've never seen anything like we have built.
If you want to see what a fly shop is supposed to look like, staffed by pro's with decades of experience..stop by and see the New Fly Shop in town!
BTW Interested in tying flies? We have the best selection of fly tying feathers and a variety of fly tying materials at Great Feathers.
Labels: fly tying feathers
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