Growing up fishing the waters of the Great Lakes combined with spending the vast majority of my adult life on the waters of the Pacific Northwest provides me with a varied angling experience to draw upon and assist me in understanding a fellow anglers’ fishing experience and the time they spend in those special, natural places in search of their quarry.
The rivers, lakes and forests of the Pacific Northwest are tremendously special places for me where I can commune with nature either alone or with a good fishing partner. The time I spend on these waters is as sacred to me as it is to every angler and the tackle I choose to accompany me only adds to this experience. With that in mind I endeavor to craft “the rod”, the one special rod that every angler chooses first to accompany them to a favorite pool on a local stream or to search new waters for the first time with an old and trusted companion. The possibility of being the maker of that special rod for another angler drives my rod making just as much as the possibility of designing the perfect fly rod does.
Each and every J.M. Reid Bamboo fly rod is made specifically for the angler that will be the rod’s companion on the water. I offer very few set rod models, instead choosing to tailor make each rod to my client’s unique fishing requirements and cosmetic tastes combined with my own designs and style. As much a part of that fisherman as it is a part of myself, and a rod I am proud to ink my name to. This of course is a process that takes some added time, but one that I feel is well worth the effort. Together we decide upon a suitable rod length, action and line weight as well as choices ranging from cane color and guide wraps to reelseat woods and stripping guides. I encourage this process of exchange between myself and my client, however I am also happy to take the reins and make many of these decisions for you with some basic input.