Welcome to C.L. Crumbliss Fly Rod Co. My fly rods are an ongoing work to provide anglers with the best possible tools to enjoy their time on the water. I build my rods on fiberglass and bamboo which you can see on the corresponding pages.
Update: March 2019
I’m currently wrapping up a few new personal rods to fish this year. I have a 7’6″ 3/4 3pc rod and 8′ 5wt 4pc rod that I’ll be testing out. I’ve only made one other multipiece bamboo rod besides these two and they present some challenges with the extra ferrule weight and stiffness in the tapers. I did recently buy a Fiat Spider convertible so I wanted some packable rods for a few upcoming trips.
I only have one rod currently for sale, and it’s a great one but a delicate 3wt that needs to find the right owner. The taper is my design and after a few prototypes I believe I have it right, it’s the rod I fished quite a bit last summer in Colorado on some of the small high elevation meadow streams.
I will have a pair of 7’3″ 4wt rods and a pair of 7’6″ 5wt rods available by late April early May. Once they’re finished up I’ll add them to my available rods page. I’ll also be making a few nodeless rods this summer but I’m undecided on the tapers right now.
Update: December 24, 2017
I thought this would be the year I made a few bamboo rods that would be for sale. I’m very happy with the 7’3″ tapers I worked on last year. The nodeless 4wt and the standard 5wt were both well received at the Carolina Cane Gathering and then have been extensively fished over the six weeks I was in North Carolina this past summer and the frequent evening trips for bass and bluegill in central Florida.
This summer I decided that I really missed having a driftboat and the opportunity to guide visiting anglers. I’ve also been asked by two fly shops in North Carolina to consider guiding for them as well.
This past summer I really contemplated buying a driftboat, but knowing the driftboat market in the Southeastern US is limited already, and I was really only looking for a skiff style boat I decided to build exactly the boat I wanted. In August I bought plans for the Freestone Skiff from Jason Cajune and began building the boat in my school shop. It took just over four months and 200 hours of work but I am very happy with the end result and ended up with the exact boat I wanted.
I’m sure there will be a few bamboo rods made this spring, I don’t know if any will be for sale. I also have a couple fiberglass blanks I’ll be finishing up as time allows.
I almost forgot to add that I’ve republished my book, Fly Fishing Central Florida’s Freshwater, and also made it available in an ebook format. Contact me if your interested in a signed copy, otherwise it can be found on Amazon here.
Update: April, 2017
I’ve just finished the last two of the six bamboo rods I made this year. I’m very happy with how they have all turned out. This year has been quite a learning experience and I’m happy to say I’m confident enough in my bamboo rods that I will be selling a few next year. This year I’ve:
- Made my own ferrules and reel seat hardware
- Constructed a nodeless rod
- Started making my own snake guides
- Stayed with the same finish process all year (it works for me)
- Gave a bamboo rod to a good friend
- Designed a tool for bamboo rod makers
I’m very excited about the simple little tool I’ve designed to help align strips before glueing. I’m going to be sharing a few samples with the rod makers at the Carolina Cane Gathering. I don’t really want this to be a business venture, the design on all three took less than an hour, and the materials cost is minimal, but I also realize I can’t just be mailing these all around the world and eating the shipping cost. I will be adding a page to my site with pictures and prices for the tools.
Next year I’ll be offering my first bamboo rods for sale. I’ve decided to focus on one taper (yet to be determined) for the year and make 3 or 4 rods off that taper to sell. I’ll also be building some experimental tapers to help choose the taper for the following year. I anticipate the rods will be ready for delivery in March 2018. As I firm up the details (after fishing a couple of the rods I made this year in North Carolina all summer) I will be updating the bamboo page on this site.
Although I’m not going to be importing any more fiberglass blanks I’m willing to build your custom build on a provided blank. I will also be building out blanks on occasion if I find something unique.
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While I don’t view myself as a traditional “custom” rod builder in that you contact me, place a deposit, and wait for your rod built to your specifications, I do however offer completed fly rods for sale on the available rods page.
If you have any questions about the rods which I produce please contact me as I’m ultimately working for you and love to hear about your experiences and desires in a fly rod.
C.L. Crumbliss 