Kids at Play

Kids at Play


Remember when you got so excited you couldn't sleep the night before fishing? Or how your hands shook with anticipation trying to rig up? Or the hopes held in a morning's thrilling first cast?

Of course, after a lifetime of fishing, it's awfully easy to become jaded. Tales of huge fish in exotic destinations are a long way from the kid who, fearing he'd sleep past dawn, lay on his back in the tent, holding tennis shoes above his face. In the unlikely event he should actually drift off, the shoes would bounce off his head to wake him. And that was just to catch first light at the local bluegill pond.

In the soul of every angler lives the kind of fun we felt as kids. It's what keeps our love for fishing alive. A psychologist might say we're harboring some kind of Peter Pan complex, but for us, it's what fly fishing is really all about. It might also explain why people are always asking anglers when they plan to "grow up."

We feel the same kind of excitement about introducing our new Z-Axis rods. We knew it wouldn't be easy to replace our much-loved XP line, but after spending the last three years in deep R&D, we are positively giddy about these rods. When the people who work here start fighting over who gets to fish the prototypes, well, you know you're on to something.

We'd also like to introduce you to J.D. Love and Brian Horsley, who provide the kind of on-the-water-every-day input that's essential to creating rods with maximum fishability. J.D. and Brian are "serious" anglers, but evenafter decades of guiding, both retain a kid's excitement about fishing. Our kind of people.

Whether you last felt the anticipation that leads to sleepless nights and shaking hands a week ago or a lifetime ago, may you experience it again in the upcoming season. When are we going to grow up? Hopefully never. See you out there.
How to select a rod