ONE of the items on my bucket list is to become a proficient fly caster with the aim of catching a jewie or flathead on fly gear. Being a novice at fly fishing I decided to have a chat with Fisho’s Greg Finney and Bryan Todd of E.J Todd, the distributors for Temple Fork Fly Rods. After talking the ears off Bryan (I might add, he graciously answered the barrage of questions I put his way), I was sure the four-piece 7wt Temple Fork fly rod was the rod I needed. I had the option of getting the rod pre-made or the simply the blank and components to build it myself. The pre-made rods are of an exceptional standard, as are the kits. Being a rod builder I opted to build it myself.
These unique rods were designed by the legendary Lefty Kreh. The TiCr X Series rods have rod weights from 5 to 8 and are designed to present flies at distant targets. Rod weights 9-12 have the power to launch larger flies and to lift bigger, angrier fish out of the depths. The reserve power in the TiCr X Series give these rods the ability to carry a lot of line in the air. They can easily be over-lined for close-in work. In other words, they even made this novice look like he knew what he was doing!
The blue blank looks smick in the sunlight. The metallic blue and silver bindings I chose really makes this fly rod look like it was designed for royalty. The high quality cork, oversized titanium oxide stripping guides and uplocking reel seat with cushioned hoods top off this ultimate package of form and function. The rod also has a self-tightening ferrule design.
I would certainly rate this one of the very best seven-weight rods I have cast. For anyone who likes a fast-action rod, the Temple Fork has it in spades.
More info www.ejtodd.com.au
By Bob Russo
