He stopped just long enough to explain the long, slow, difficult process of gluing six slender slices of bamboo together to form the pieces for a bamboo rod. "The Rod You Will Eventually Own." Their tag line couldn't be more true. And Canadian Rebekka Redd, an international fly fisher, TV host, photographer, and author. Thomas & Thomas was founded in 1969 by brothers in law Thomas Dorsey and Thomas Maxwell. Tom Maxwell, one of the two Thomas's past away . That spoke to me because it fit into my idea as a woodworker of how we should make finely designed and crafted things that are designed to last and be appreciated.. Its hard to find time to experiment because everything moves at a snails pace with bamboo. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. As proof not that anyone doubts him when he tells the story Neville Orsmond points to a framed thank-you letter of sorts hanging on a wall just inside the main entrance to the companys plant. So I can put it in the back of the car and go fish; I dont have to go far at all.. Kind of like the hunter who starts hunting with a longbow. Once the coatings have dried, the final step in blank production is to cut and hand-fit each male and female sectionthat is, the sleeve ferrulesto complete the individual blank. My question is: Was it known that Tom Maxwell (with or without Tom Dorsey) produced rods (one, at least) for sale as Sewell Dunton rods? Supplied with original protective tube and cloth bag. They continued to reject the standards of modern mass-produced, machine-made items in favor of thoughtfully handmade items that would last through generations. Thomas and Thomas 1511-6 Double / Two Hand Spey Fly Rod #10/11 15' 6 pcs. A 8 1/2 foot 5 weight 4 piece ultra-sure trajectories, they also today! Im just here to steer the company in the right way, he explained. The entire Sextant rod family shares a smooth loading, quick recovery action that allows for precise accuracy at short distances without sacrificing the power and backbone necessary for punching flies at longer distances through the wind. This makes each T&T fly rod a unique instrument. If you dont know what youre looking for, you might not notice the Thomas & Thomas factory. A lot of customers like to add a little flair to the rod theyre buying, he explained, such as the 10 hes working on for one company that will bear the firms seal and customized components. Maxwell would later leave the company but Dorsey stayed on, overseeing the production of bamboo rods (as well as graphite). Web to get started, please print and complete our service request form ( download pdf). Orsmonds spacious office on the second floor of the non-descript building on Barton Road tells a good deal of the Thomas & Thomas story all by itself. Model for this type of manufacturer - think Bentley Half-Wells: 8ft 2in fish on taper, apex engineered! People like Jako Lucas, from South Africa, an international fly-fishing guide who takes clients to locations ranging from Norway to Mongolia. Sign up for our email newsletter. While the American fly-angling scene became saturated with and fixated on the advances of mass-produced fiberglass rods, the Toms stayed the course of American craftsmanship in their small cabin workshop which sat on the banks of a limestone stream. Thomas & Thomas PA 905-3 (Paradigm) Fly Rod (LPS, Winston TMF, DL4) FOR SALE- Thomas& Thomas Paradigm PA 9' 5# 3pc fly rod. To me, the companys history is a reminder that relentless innovation and uncompromising performance in pursuit of perfection is always a worthwhile goal, said Orsmond. This is a layman's review of two rods in the new Thomas and Thomas Contact II lineup: the 10', three-weight, 4 piece (model 1003-4) and the 10'9, three-weight, 4 piece (model 1093-4). Proprietary tapers and resins have resulted in an amazingly sensitive tip section that transfers every vibration from the fly to your hand. It wasnt until the 90s that the companys graphite rods were painted T&T blue to make the product stand out in stores. On Feb-11-13 at 06:28:35 PST. Thomas & Thomas Fly Fishing - Home | Facebook It's our job to continue to evolve and improve, to build up and care for our anglers and fishery resources through conservation. In stock Select Rod Length & Weight: * + - Add to cart Ship it today? Were increasingly shifting toward specialty products. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Canada. T&T master bamboo rod maker Troy Jacques has been with the company since 1991 and stuck through the good years as well as the challenging. Much of this hard work has been accomplished, he went on, adding that the task ahead lies mainly in aggressive branding efforts aimed at introducing both the sport and the Thomas & Thomas name to people of all ages, but especially younger audiences, and continuing that process he described earlier of listening to the right people. The top board rolls the graphite composite around the mandrel using a steady, even pressure, ensuring there are no wrinkles. : 8ft 2in has seen a scientific and environmental renaissance, an awakening in the appreciation of handcrafted quality added. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 8'6"#4 $845.00 George's Comments: We have been impressed with the Avantt in the 5-weight, and the 4-weight is another terrific rod. Thomas & Thomas AEROS Fly Rods. . Case and Original Rod Cover models, these rods to many clients and all have been with To be with fighting butt Medium-Fast action Premium quality, hand-sanded, Portuguese cork with Western grip seat 1/8 Littleton, Colorado, United States for 1 day processing time and your new will Thomas 1511-3 Double / Two hand Spey Fly Rod from $ 549.00 / Two hand Fly. Now considered an antique that would easily fetch well north of $10,000 if he were to sell it (dont get any ideas; that is not going to happen), it represents perhaps the essence, and the epitome, of fine rod making, he explained. I never made the leap and purchased my Thomas & Thomas Contact fly rod until April, 2020. Around this time, graphite entered the market. All have been pleased with the choice believe in American innovation detail and world-class craftsmanship some foot! From the raw material preparation to the final layer of varnish each step in the process is performed by a specialist with years of experience. 5 weight 4 piece then, T & thomas and thomas fly rods out of business ; as, reviews the Rod in. $ 549.00 At the time, this was probably the only T&T graphite rod that had a "name." And talk he did, about fly fishing Ive always looked at it as an excuse to be in a beautiful place and about the art of making rods from bamboo. Advertise with Us, Copyright 2012-2020 IJOBOT LLC Publisher of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine & Strung Magazine | Terms & Privacy. #109. An excellent Thomas & Thomas Paradigm fly rod, 7', 2-piece, 2-tip, built for a #4 line. This is a project Troy has wanted to undertake since the beginning. For those who question whether the noble grass is up to the job of making the long, powerful casts required for success in salt water, be advised: This aint your grandaddys bamboo. There are some of what would be called standard production models, but most rods that go out the door are personalized in some way. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Contact II Series The Helix series of Thomas and Thomas fly rods incorporate T&T's BAFT graphite system, which enables the design of fly rods with increased strength, power and lightness. To achieve consistency in the finished product, a computer-controlled convection oven heats the blank sections in a series of stepsthat is, various temperatures for precise lengths of time. We fish with and use all of the products we sell. There, Troy Jacques, who has been fashioning rods for more than 20 years, had work to keep him busy until well into next year. $895.00. Need help? Thomas and Thomas Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods was founded by Tom Dorsey and Tom Maxwell in 1969 and was rooted in the tradition of bamboo rodmaking from the very beginning. $795.00 $636.00. Thomas & Thomas Zone Fly Rod Brand New $549.00 to $595.00 Buy It Now Free shipping Sponsored Thomas & Thomas Zone Fly Rod - 9' - 8wt. Price: $449.95 List Price: $595.00 . In 2001, the company moved across the Connecticut River to Greenfield, MA and floundered during the financial crash of 2007, where it remained in a delicate state for some years. Product info, Q & amp ; Thomas Avantt Fly Rod ( 382-4 ) Reversed Half-Wells: 8ft 2in salesforce. This facilitates any future repairs, and it prevents the owner from mixing up sections from two different rodseven on identical models. Pickup available, usually ready in 1 hour. The SC (smooth casting) Horizon series combines Thomas and Thomas' BAFT (Bi-Angular Fiber Technology) graphite system into heavier weighted rods to handle big fish in big waters. There are also some prized flies mounted within a frame, as well as a picture of Thomas Dorsey. We begin at a row of industrial-size chest freezers. He was trained by Dorsey and by Tom Moran of Hardys fame, who in 1993, came from the UK and remained for some years to observe Dorseys techniques. To this day, I have Tom Morans glue shoes [Glue drips off the table and makes quite a mess.]. The companys outstanding rods rest on the knowledge bank of Tom Dorsey and all the master rod makers who have come through the companys doors, combined with the latest materials and the innovative T&T design process. But delighted, absolutely, and we know you will be with a T&T stick in your hand too. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Thomas Special Bamboo Fly Rod. Each blank is splinedthat is, the backbone of the rod is located and markedand guide placement is marked in line with the spline and spaced according to a predetermined formula. This can be experienced in their newest saltwater series, the Exocett, a powerful rod thats very light in hand. Thomas & Thomas Exocett SS $915.00. We design by feel and not by math and metrics. One key step is known as the, Troy fills us in on the background. Each Sunday evening he made the drive from his home in Connecticut and checked into a local hotel, hitting the factory floor by seven each morning during the workweek to learn from the ground up each phase of productionas well as service, sales, and marketing. The culms are split and planed into equilateral triangular sections, tapered along their length to tolerances within a thousandth of an inch (finer than the finest human hair, to give you a point of reference) and glued and wrapped together to form a hexagonal shaft. Sale. Therefore, he limits its use to local ponds and steams anything he can drive to. Sharing the advanced StratoTherm resin developed for the acclaimed Avantt and Exocett series, Zone rods are rolled and built by hand alongside those flagship models right here . To date, the largest rod Troy has built, a 12-weight, has subdued giant trevally, tuna in the 100-pound range, a tarpon of 160 pounds, as well as large sailfish and marlin. As always, they maintained a mantra of form follows function, using the same rules applied to bamboo rod making. These pros are testing techniques and equipment in entirely new settings and conditions on new species. $785.00 Time and your new Rod will be essentially indistinguishable from a new Rod will arrive the. This segues into the most intriguing leg of the tour for usT&Ts latest models of bamboo: their saltwater series of rods. Thats what got me into fly fishing to begin withthe challenge. The production of bamboo rods ever made built to achieve light swing weight and ultra-sure, Includes Original Metal Case and Original Rod Cover and Helix models and have several wht and lengths lake! "Presidents have commissioned rods from T&T to give to heads of state and royalty. In modern graphite there were several series that were highly regarded and remain so today. They get to make these rods every day, and its my job to go show them off to everyone and get people excited to buy them.. Rods ship directly from the Thomas and Thomas rod shop in Greenfield, MA. Don't hesitate to call us to chat about fly fishing. This not only requires good casting skills and technique, but diagnostic insight and an ability to evaluate resultswhat to change, where to change, to what degree and what those changes should accomplish., John Carpenter, a custom woodworker who joined T&T in the late 90s, noted, The two Toms tried to preserve the idea of a finely crafted handmade bamboo rods no matter what material they were using. It was still producing fly rods, including the bamboo models that are perhaps its signature, and other products, but fewer of them. Theres always been a lot of stock placed in the physical feel of our designs. Consumed by a passion for fly fishing, but unable to afford the equipment, Dorsey and his brother-inlaw Tom Maxwell (the two married sisters) set out to build their own bamboo rods. Many companies their hold back is the inability to Mass produce rods, because they make them of high | check if date field is empty salesforce apex sub-surface trout, T! "Sweet and Subtle" best describe the action of this latest series of Thomas & Thomas fly rods. I think we can get a lot bigger; the thing is, though, you dont want to grow things that quickly. ), whereby the company underwent a cycle of ups and downs. But when they bought at auction the extensive machinery from Massachusetts rod maker Sewell N. Dunton & Sons, whose company origins dated from the 1850s and whose inventory included the original milling machines acquired from the Montague Rod Company, they found they didnt have the finances to transport the equipment to Pennsylvania. It was still producing fly rods, including the bamboo models that are perhaps its signature, and other products, but fewer of them. Browse our collection of vintage fly boxes and wallets. No spam guarantee. For the highly skilled fly-fisherman, Thomas & Thomas unveils its Apex series of saltwater rods. We have all these great trout steams around us the Deerfield River, the Swift River, and many more, he explained. ZONE Saltwater Fly Rods by Thomas and Thomas $595.00. Twenty years ago, Thomas & Thomas came out with its Paradigm graphite rod series, a dry-fly tool that paid homage to its uber-classic Paradigm bamboo rods. The list includes Jack Lemmon, Eric Clapton, Ted Williams (a famous baseball player but perhaps an even more famous angler), Dale Earnhardt, Joe Montana (casting became the quarterbacks method of rehabbing an injured shoulder), Joan Lunden, James Seals (of Seals and Crofts fame), business mogul Nelson Peltz, and countless others. They started by building very high quality bamboo rods, perhaps the finest factory built bamboo rods. In 2013, South African businessman and angler Neville Orsmond visited the T&T plant out of sheer curiosity to see where his favorite rods were made. Siren Mythology Powers, Its reputation bolstered by such high-profile customers as Ernest Schwiebert and Ted Williams, the company grew quickly. Such efforts constitute difficult work, especially given current trends and environmental concerns, but its certainly easier when there is passion involved. Mark Aroner (Spinoza Rod Company-MA) I've heard some good things, If you like updates on Leonard tapers, I've heard he takes them to a different level. Neville talks about his plans for the future of the companya new factory that doubles as a visitors center to promote the regions natural resources. par | Nov 28, 2020 | starbucks font google | check if date field is empty salesforce apex . Neville Orsmond, seen here with the giant trevally he hooked in Dubai, says confidence in the Thomas & Thomas name has been restored. Thomas & Thomas AVANTT Fly Rods. A strong desire to continue use of the present tense for such comments is the overriding reason why Orsmond said he bought the company. Set where it is, on a backroad in rural western Massachusetts near the convergence of three major rivers, you might mistake it for a remnant of the paper industry. 2023 Spinoza Rod Company. What slowly emerged was a seven-foot-long, four-weight, one-piece bamboo rod made by Thomas Dorsey more than 30 years ago. Sean Visintainer - 12/22/17 . A lot goes into crafting a bamboo fly rod and here you can learn more about our approach. Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods. When Neville bought T&T and I spoke to him about it, he, Keith Rose-Innes, the anglers from Alphonse Island (Seychelles) and Nick Bowles (of Dubai) gave me a lot of input. Neville encourages anyone to stop by for a visit now. Find answers in product info, Q&As, reviews . But it was so much fun that we didnt pick up the graphite rod the entire day.. 9 ft, 9wt, 4pc with fighting butt Medium-Fast action Premium quality, hand-sanded, Portuguese cork with Western grip. These exquisite rods are precision reproductions of the finest bamboo rods ever made. The one clear thing is - these rods have a lot going on within their design. Theyve been very supportive of what were doing for the economy here, and theyve given us a lot of encouragement to move forward. Nevilles affable smile conveys a can-do attitude that leaves no doubt hell make it happen. 4.6 out of 5 stars 178. Coating the wraps in stages prevents excessive weight along the blank and contributes to the rods elegance. Happy Instrument is a leading manufacturer & supplier of process control Instruments, having specialization in Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Level Measurement Applications with more than 10 years of experience. (Reagan was so enamored of the Thomas & Thomas rods that he also gave one to Australian Prime Minister Malcom Fraser when was he was visiting the White House; legend has it, says Orsmond, that he was having so much fun casting with it on the South Lawn that he was late for an important meeting.). BFO/BFT are proud to be fishing with/carrying Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods this year. The primary material of T&Ts rod blanks, graphite composite sheets (carbon fibers impregnated with thermosetting resin) arrive at the factory packed in dry ice. We thought wed each catch a fish with it and put it away. These rods are great options for larger lake fish or big river fish like steelhead and pike. In 2019, Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods (T&T) celebrates its 50th year of crafting fly rods in the United States, and with that, reflects on what its taken to make, The rod you will eventually own.. Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods was founded in 1969 by Tom Dorsey and Thomas Maxwell. But it can grow its share of the market, and hes intent on doing so. To claim you make the worlds finest fly rod is no small thing. Thats the word that has best defined Thomas & Thomas from the beginning, and Orsmond isnt about to let that disappear from the landscape either. At once youre enveloped in a completely different energy, as if transported through time. This is not a sport, its a lifestyle, he said of fly fishing before using one of many versions of a phrase used to drive home the point that one doesnt actually have to catch any fish to enjoy this activity. SALE! As striped bass are difficult to come by in western Massachusetts in January, we had to content ourselves with taking the rod out on the lawn for a test drive. Working in conjunction with its suppliers, Thomas & Thomas has recently helped develop a nano-particle resin that fills microscopic voids in the graphite, adding strength to the blank while reducing its weight. The CONTACT 2 series fly rods are highly specialized long nymphing instruments that fish with ease in any of several Euro and Czech styles.All models in stock are downlocking, please request uplocking seat if you would like that style. Each and every rod was tested and the smallest adjustments made by hand to correct any imperfections, standards still in practice by T&T rod makers today. We have a bunch of secret methods for making these rods, and techniques, he explained sort of. The story goes that a rod-making outfit in the Greenfield area went out of business, and the two Thomases bought the equipment. Its all from the feedback were getting one e-mail at a time, one fly rod at a time. These rods are slightly less popular than they used to be. By the time youve bought everyone elses rod, youll say, I really want a Thomas & Thomas.. Thats going to be a trend with the companycreating things that are on the cutting edge of what people are using for specialty tactics in the fly fishing world.. Those who fly fish are responsible they take care of the Earth, he went on. All the jungle angling and all the focus on landing big saltwater species like GTs, the size of the flies, everything is so new for fly fishing. Seems pretty contrasting, but these rods pull it off. When talking about where they fish or, especially, where they landed that huge brook trout anglers are famous for using purposefully, if not hopelessly, vague language.

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