Revive - A Quarterly Fly Fishing Journal (volume 2 edition 1) | Page 70

When my passion for fly fishing was first sparked, I set out to learn as much as I could about the sport. With some outstanding fly shops close, I was able to gather tid bits here and there on weekends and slowly started the process of learning what was needed to be successful. But that wasn’t enough – I needed more. So I bought up every magazine I could and read about every place people told me I should go.

As I learned more and more, it wasn’t until I found The Fiberglass Manifesto, run by Cameron Mortenson, that I discovered all fly fishing had to offer. What I found on TFM was a whole other outlook on what the sport can provide. As a DIY guy, seeing the beautiful rods Cam featured regularly from the likes of George Minculete, Shane Gray and Christian Horgren, among others, I found a true passion that allowed me to bring some of my own style to the game. Beyond just tying flies, rod building would offer another chance to be hands on. Cam and Eric Heckman from Coren’s Rod and Reel here in Chicago helped me choose my first rods and Eric provided me the guidance in making them happen.

On a recent fishing trip with Jonathan Marquardt of BadAxe Designs, I could barely contain my excitement, as the day before a long awaited package arrived from Japan – my Kabuto Rods fiberglass 4 weight, just in time for Spring. As we got to talking, Jonathan explained that he just received a Swift Epic 4 weight, straight from New Zealand just weeks prior.