And thank you so much for making that brace for us. We both just had the time of our lives fishing them. They were perfect for fall fishing on the Firehole and the Gibbon. Roberta also was singing your praises.

Damn those are sweet rods.

Cheers,
Chuck

Big Sky Anglers

November 15, 2011

Freestone Rod Review (unedited).

Find one. Cast it....better yet...fish it.

Freestone Rod Shop is based in Montrose, Colorado. Bernard, Sam, and Len run the show. They build grass and graphite and are not new to the scene....not one bit. Combined, they have 89 years of rod making and design behind their craft. Thomas & Thomas, Scott and Winston were all blessed with their abilities over the years. Gary Loomis made the blanks to their exact specifications, working together to make the perfect rod. New ideas have come about and now they are sharing them with us. Yeah, it's another high end rod company entering the market in toughest of times. But they don't care. These fellas have something figured out. This rod expresses itself - even when just sitting in your hand. Cast it, or better yet, fish with it , and you will see for yourself what I mean - if you can find one. Freestone Rod Shop only builds a small number of rods per year, thus making them all to perfection and already highly sought after. From what Bernard says, they are flying off the shelves at a rapid pace and they are already taking orders for 2012.

I first saw a graphite prototype during the summer of 2010, handed to me by my buddy Jonathan Heames. "This rod might change your life," he noted. That rod was an 8″6′ 5 wt. It was super sexy, but I didn't get to actually fish it right away. One random day in early July of 2011, after our clients had to hit the airport sending us to the boat ramp early, we turned right around, splashed the boat again and floated until dark fishing dry flies on the Henry's Fork. The Freestone 865 loaded up at all distances and it's accuracy was pinpoint. There is a smoothness that I have yet to find in any other rod. Energy transfers effortlessly and the rod will almost cast itself - if you let it. To me, a fly rod is yet another tool to get the job done - the right way. The first part of the job is delivering the line and fly. The second is mending, if needed, and the third is how the rod fights the fish. Sure, there are lots of different rods that get the job done, but I want to feel the rod, or maybe the line and fish, at all times while angling. Freestone fly rods make the experience more intimate, if you will, elevating the anglers awareness at all times.

A sweet Rod indeed.

I could just quote their web site and sound really smart. Check it out for yourself. Read the text, then read it again and then maybe once more tomorrow at work. What these guys have figured out is that there is a way to build the best rod ever, to date, before they actually make the rod. I am a huge fan of slow action rods for trout fishing, especially when teaching someone how to cast, mend and fight a trout. Smooth flexing flyrods will get more trout to the net. They will take longer to learn to cast, but once the timing is there, it's like riding a bike. Sit down and hold on. At first glance, Freestone fly rods look simple and incomplete. Look a little closer, read what they have to say about finish work, and you will begin to understand why simple is better.

About a month ago, the 906 Freestone showed up at my doorstep. I was headed to the Missouri for my last stint of the 2011 guide season and had two days of pre-fishing prior to the clients arriving. It had been quite some time since I was excited about fishing a new rod. I normally fancy my late nineties Winston IM6 9ft 5 WT for dries and the 6 for nymphing and streamer fishing. Both of these rods are smooth and fight fish extremely well. Once rigged, I set up fishing in the Prickly Pear run on the Missouri.....you know the one...if you don't, you should. Anyway, I swung streamers at first and quickly noticed that while this rod felt like it was going to fold in half, it actually delivered in sweet style, launching all the line at my feet across the river - into the backing. I made about forty of those casts, because I could..... and it felt really good. Awhile later, rigged with a bobber and two flies, I stepped out of the boat and started nymphing the run. When nymping, on foot, I can tell a lot about how a rod is going to function. Wade fishing the Missouri sets one up for long drifts and shooting line way upstream. The 906 out performed my BIIX 6wt (which was rigged as well) by a long shot. Managing one's drift, mending, is probably the most important part of nymph fishing (besides setting the hook). I was not let down with the rod's capabilities. I tried to break a fish off, but the rod kept bending, protecting the tippet every time. Later in the week, while guiding, I re-rigged the 906 for dry flies. Dropping anchor a little close to the risers, Ken and myself, were about 20 feet from a small pod. Ken had not fished dry flies on the Missouri......ever. I kept seated and cast short, with a reach and taught him the basics. Ken took the rod, noticed it's unique vibe and quickly caught a nice 10 incher on a #20 Parachute Adams. Then another. And another after that. The 906 passed the short cast test with flying colors.

Freestone Rods are custom built from top to bottom by two very smart and fishy dudes. These boys designed the entire rod - from the mandrills to the finish work. Art and science have met......this is not your daddy's fly rod from 1980. I have yet to find anything wrong with either of these two fly rods and will continue to fish with the 906 throughout the winter on the Madison River. I have fallen in love, again. Will my 9 ft 5 IM6 Winston ever forgive me? At this point, I could care less.........

When Axel invited me along for some Steelheading on California's Trinity River, I must admit I wasn't expecting much. Having spent some time on the infamous river systems of British Columbia myself, I couldn't imagine how these lower latitude waters could really measure up. Boy, was I wrong. What a great time we had, but the fishing really became secondary quickly.

My fishing partner, Louis, turned out to be Louis Moskow of Sante Fe New Mexico, owner of 315 Restaurant. The meals he prepared, in combination with the wine Axel provided, came together just perfectly. Some of the greatest meals I've ever enjoyed, excellent job guys.

My wife and I visit Axel's winery later that week and were treated to the Estate tour, including a wine tasting in the tunnels 30 feet underground. We spent the remainder of that day carefully wandering around taking photographs, and harvesting materials for this new rod project.

May we proudly present the Eden Cane 'Schug Reserve' split cane rod - built for Axel Schug of Schug Carneros Estate, Sonoma California.
 

 

Reel seat crafted from vine stock (Chardonnay) harvested from the Estate's Block #1 vineyard.

Grip nose cork elements harvested from; the property's cork trees (Quercus Suber), 'recycled' Schug Merlot/Cabernet cork chips (Rebecca helped procure these, pic below), and a pinch of cork dust made from Axel's favorite desert wine stopper to hold it all together.

Tipping thread dyed with Merlot ("Wein Stein", or Tartrate ) crystals.

So, one and all, let's raise the toast!

Here's to the finer things in life.

How about when the 'children' are yours, they are naturals, and they really don't need you at all? How great is that!

Parris (top pic) and Drue were invited to spend a day messing around on a private pond near Salida, Colorado. Unlike most stocked ponds, however, this one had not been fished in many years. I've seen adults role into water like this, confident in the fact that a simple 'stocker' really didn't present a challenge; and go home fishless. Eager to show Dad up, both of my daughters rolled their sleeves up and just did it, with little or no instruction, both slamming Rainbows in the double digits.

The lesson that day turned out to be mine, and I'll never forget that self satisfied look on their faces. "What's so hard about that Dad, this is fun!" Indeed.

From the mouth of Babes.

Following is an account of my weekend fishing trip. I have written it to be included in 'Critter's blog' if you feel it to be appropriate.

The country town myself and a fishing mate went to was Oberon - about 200 km west of Sydney. It can be extremely hot in the day and extremely cold in the evening.

The two main rivers that I fished were the Duckmoloi and Fish rivers. We set up base camp at 'The Shack' on the Duckmoloi, but most of our fishing was on the Fish river. As you will see by the photographs, the Fish river can be extremely demanding, and in places almost impossible to cast accurately - this is certainly my style of river - on the Saturday I fished from six in the morning for seven hours, for one lovely 2 lb + brown in beautiful condition (Critter's first fish) - Wow! What a feeling, I was over the moon! I took him on a 12 CDC emerger, which was hammered. What a joy it is to fish with such an amazing little stick. Critter does it all . . . no matter the distances, no matter the conditions - the best stick I have ever fished with.

I hope you enjoy the photos of our weekend away.

Very typical of the Fish river.....

Critter's first spotted beast - who lives to fight another day.....

'The Shack' on the Duckmoloi river.....

Christened 'Critter' by its owner Garry Webster, this Eden Cane H704-2 was finished out with a birdseye Huon pine reel seat.

A piece of birdseye Huon, of this quality, is extremely rare. Huon for this project was provided by Garry's friend (a Tasmanian exotic woods collector).

A stand of Huon trees recently found in Tasmania is believed to be in excess of 10,500 years old.

 
Regards,
Garry

On the surface Jon's resume reads as you would expect, Henry's Fork Guide, Lodge Manager (Chile/Argentina), FFF Certified Instructor, Freestone's Senior Field Tester, and Montana Outfitter.

Somehow 'Pro Staff' is a title that just doesn't do the man justice.

What really got our attention was what his resume does not mention. Jon's honest, professional to the core, just plan fun to be around, and one of the best all around fisherman we've ever thrown a line with.

In short, Jon has game, and is humble enough to never admit that.

Jon provides Freestone clients with anything that has to do with fly fishing for Trout. Customized personal casting instruction, world class fly fishing adventures (both at home and abroad), and one hell of a good time.

He's our man on the ground.

info@freestonerodshop.com

Zach Matthews (American Angler)

'...the best rods I've fished...' '...smooth as creme anglaise.'

James R. Babb ('Gray's Sporting Journal')

'...casts like a dream...'

Ed Engle ('Fly Fisherman')

'...gorgeously appointed, and a delight to fish...'

Dave Hughes ('Flyfishing & Tying Journal')

'...as close to flawless as human hands can get'

Buzz Bryson (FlyRod&Reel)

'...outperforms Space Age competitors...'

Grayson Schaffer (Outside Magazine)

'... brings power without sacrificing the elegance, feel, or response ...'

Tim Murrell (writing for 'Men's Journal')