From questions raised regarding fly rods on various forums, we could see that the run of the mill fly rods were not doing the job. Bass fly rods from the US seemed to be okay - but not perfect.We decided to chat to some native fly guys and get a better insight into what would make for the perfect purpose designed and locally built fly rod that could be used for these mighty Murray cod & Golden Perch in the fresh. We saw that the rod could also be used on species like Barramundi, Threadfin salmon, Trevally, Mangrove Jacks etc up North in tidal mangrove rivers & estuaries.
We used what we learnt from these guys over time, and coupled with our own experiences fly fishing in northern tidal rivers, designed the fly rod duo we have named ‘Native Spec’. Australia’s first purpose designed fly rod, created specifically for the needs of fly fishing for our fish!
The blanks we designed are being made for us by CTS in New Zealand, and then individually tuned using our own process, using REC and Fuji components and then hand built by us in house, right here in Melbourne. This way, we have 100% control of the workmanship and quality.
The Native Spec features a fast taper, with a moderately fast action. This translates into smooth power transition through the tip to effectively sling shot big flies up to 6/0 into tight snaggy spots with pin point accuracy which has been proven during both test casting on the casting pool and use on the water during actual fishing. It also gives the rod big reserve power down low in the butt to help stop those huge powerful fish from burying themselves into leader destructing snags. It does handle big fish with ease.
Best of all, it feels so light in hand. The unique action and build means that you won’t have to heave every cast. These rods are an all day casting rod – the rod will do the work for you, especially important considering the huge flies and repetitive casts involved with this style of fishing: Close in, short and accurate with the ability to handle explosive takes and keep your fish out of the danger zones. In fact, feedback from our test guys tells us that even after up to 5 hours of continuous casting, there was no casting arm ‘fatigue’ as previously experienced using the traditional fast & stiff saltwater 10 weights.
Before we released the Native Spec, there were two final tests it had to pass: Firstly, we let a bunch of guy’s water cast it. They loved it. We got tremendous feedback that was very much appreciated and reassuring. Finally, in the ultimate test, we lent our first rod to native fish enthusiast, Ross Virt of Kaos Cod Flies fame. Once the season opened, he opened his account on the first evening with a surface caught cod of 67cm. In his words: “The rod works a treat. Change nothing!” All boxes ticked!
The blanks we designed are being made for us by CTS in New Zealand, and then individually tuned using our own process, using REC and Fuji components and then hand built by us in house, right here in Melbourne. This way, we have 100% control of the workmanship and quality.
The Native Spec features a fast taper, with a moderately fast action. This translates into smooth power transition through the tip to effectively sling shot big flies up to 6/0 into tight snaggy spots with pin point accuracy which has been proven during both test casting on the casting pool and use on the water during actual fishing. It also gives the rod big reserve power down low in the butt to help stop those huge powerful fish from burying themselves into leader destructing snags. It does handle big fish with ease.
Best of all, it feels so light in hand. The unique action and build means that you won’t have to heave every cast. These rods are an all day casting rod – the rod will do the work for you, especially important considering the huge flies and repetitive casts involved with this style of fishing: Close in, short and accurate with the ability to handle explosive takes and keep your fish out of the danger zones. In fact, feedback from our test guys tells us that even after up to 5 hours of continuous casting, there was no casting arm ‘fatigue’ as previously experienced using the traditional fast & stiff saltwater 10 weights.Before we released the Native Spec, there were two final tests it had to pass: Firstly, we let a bunch of guy’s water cast it. They loved it. We got tremendous feedback that was very much appreciated and reassuring. Finally, in the ultimate test, we lent our first rod to native fish enthusiast, Ross Virt of Kaos Cod Flies fame. Once the season opened, he opened his account on the first evening with a surface caught cod of 67cm. In his words: “The rod works a treat. Change nothing!” All boxes ticked!
The base fresh and saltwater models: 8 & 10wt. 8'6" 4pc. As we are a full custom fly rod shop, for a small cost, you are able to have 3” length variations of the production models built. For example, if you wanted a dedicated kayak 10wt Native Spec in 8’ 3” or even 7’ 9”, we can get a blank made just for you.
(The salt water version has a heavy duty REC reel seat and the freshwater version the same, but with a green dyed black ash burl insert).
Visit us at our website to see more of our range of great fly rods and check out & 'like' our Facebook page
UPDATE!
Another of Virty's Native Spec catches, a huge 88cm cod!
UPDATE!Another of Virty's Native Spec catches, a huge 88cm cod!
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