Remember Him?

He has a new gig all about making rod blanks for the builders among us.

North Fork Composites is Gary Loomis' latest project, devoted to producing the highest-quality, American-made rod blanks for the custom-rod builder and OEM markets. All of the blanks bearing the North Fork name are designed and manufactured at North Fork's own facility in Woodland, Washington. And while North Fork is a group effort, we think it makes sense to introduce some of the core people involved:

First and foremost, there is Gary. Do we really need to say more about the man who was a key player in bringing graphite to the fishing world over 35 years ago? Well, perhaps we should say that Gary and the *North Fork* of the Lewis go waaay back.

Second is Gary’s son, Brad. You won’t hear much from Brad directly—he is happy to let his work with composites speak on his behalf. We can tell you, though, that many people think Brad is the finest machinist in the Loomis family. That's high praise indeed.

And third is Jon Bial, who serves as the General Manager (and general counsel). If you call North Fork, you are likely to get Jon. An angler, outdoors guy, and lover of fine, handmade rods, Jon finds his “down-time” is best served by hiking into the backcountry in search of untouched trout, or perhaps launching a whitewater raft off a 10-foot drop.

This Fly Rod Really Bites

Sam Stoner of Moore, South Carolina has found an excellent way to keep people from stealing his gear. He disguises it as poisonous snakes. Seriously though, Sam's rod building work caught our eye when we noticed that his reel seat spacer was made from the skin of a Agkistrodon contortrix or Carolina Copperhead.

Interested in Sam's work? Contact him via email for more information.

Fly Rod Bling

What do you get when you take a master goldsmith / jeweler and turn him loose on the world of fly rod building? Press release follows:


NEW WEBSITE OFFERS TRUE FLY ROD JEWELRY BY A MASTER GOLDSMITH

J. Marcus, a Master Goldsmith with over 35 years hands-on experience working at the bench in the jewelry trades introduces one-of-a-kind, handmade, reel seats, ferrule plugs and other fly rod jewelry.
~~~
The term "fly rod jewelry" has been much bandied about for the last few years. Although a few suppliers of metal and wooden parts for fly rods have made items that are of good quality and appearance, few or, perhaps, none of them have possessed the knowledge, skills and experience of a real goldsmith. Now J. Marcus, a master goldsmith with more than 35 years of bench experience in the jewelry trades, and a fly fisher since the age of six, enters the field. His reel seats and other fly rod parts reflect years of experience crafting high-end, one-of-a-kind personal jewelry in precious metals and gems. He has experience in building fly rods and has associated for many years with split cane rod builders, whose preferences helped shape the nature and appearance of the J. Marcus line of products.

J. Marcus’ reel seats are crafted of nickel alloy ("nickel silver") ornamented with precious metals such as 18K gold. The inserts are turned from fine woods and inlayed with fossil ivory, rare minerals, precious metal and gemstones. Most of the seats contain an area of fossil ivory where the purchaser may have the reel seat personalized in scrimshaw.

The J. Marcus website also offers hand-turned ferrule plugs of fossil ivories and other quality materials, as well as a selection of his handcrafted custom jewelry.

If you would like more information about this topic, visit the J. Marcus ~ Fine Handmade Reel Seats website at: http://www.flyrodjewelry.com or please call: Marc (J. Marcus) at: 360/647-5195 or email Marc at: jmarcus@flyrodjewelry.com.

He sources his exotic woods from sustainable sources or dead fall and even makes use of scraps from other woodworking shops that would normally be thrown away.