Vale Creek Rod Works Seele 794-3 piece Custom Rod
Reviewed by Ken Smith
I must admit there has been a lot of talk of late of raising the glass amongst fly anglers in regards to the use of fibre glass fly rods. With the long weekend looming and the last chance to fish the small creeks and streams I contacted Mick Warren from Vale Creek Rod Works. I met Mick at his Rod Works where I checked out the custom builds on hand and talked about the advantages the new age glass brings to fly fishing. We ended up casting cast rods from 1 wt through to 6 wt into the dark. I was very surprised at how good these rods are, I left with a Seele Zeitlos series 7 foot 9 inch 4 weights S Glass with spigot ferrules, matched to this was a Wild Creek reel, the fly line was a Rio Trout LT DT 4 weight and leader was a Blue Sky furled trout leader, to this I attached a 4 lb tippet. Heavy rain in the proceeding days to the long weekend meant many of the small streams were swollen and dirty so I found myself fishing the downstream side of a local dam who’s waters held trout, redfin, golden perch, European carp and the odd Murray cod. The 3 piece 4 wt was pure pleasure to cast with very little effort to lay the line out on the water. The first fish to fall to this rod was a small golden perch which had sucked in the wet fly and now was thrashing around in the water at my feet.
The Blue Sky furled trout leader and the medium action of this rod ensured the 4 lb tippet was not at risk of breaking, unfortunately the hook let go just as I was about to slide the fish on to the bank. Not ten casts later the rod again bowed to the Huon pine reel seat as golden perch number two sucked in the wet fly, about 3 metres out. Again the action of this beautiful little rod handled the small perch with ease. With the fish landed, photographed and released I moved further on. I changed flies to a perch pattern fly with a small flash back nymph as a dropper fly.The 7 ft 9 inch handled the two fly rig with ease and in the hours leading up to dark I managed to put a good feed of reddies together. With the sun going down on this overcast, drizzling and wind blown day I was pretty happy as I walked back to the car in the gathering darkness, more than impressed by this sweet casting rod, whether the fish are at your feet or 15 m away. For those interested in the specs of this rod they are as follows; the rod tested was a Seele Zeitlos series 7 foot 9 inch 4 weights S Glass with spigot ferrules (this model is currently available from McFarland Rods)
Reviewed by Ken Smith
I must admit there has been a lot of talk of late of raising the glass amongst fly anglers in regards to the use of fibre glass fly rods. With the long weekend looming and the last chance to fish the small creeks and streams I contacted Mick Warren from Vale Creek Rod Works. I met Mick at his Rod Works where I checked out the custom builds on hand and talked about the advantages the new age glass brings to fly fishing. We ended up casting cast rods from 1 wt through to 6 wt into the dark. I was very surprised at how good these rods are, I left with a Seele Zeitlos series 7 foot 9 inch 4 weights S Glass with spigot ferrules, matched to this was a Wild Creek reel, the fly line was a Rio Trout LT DT 4 weight and leader was a Blue Sky furled trout leader, to this I attached a 4 lb tippet. Heavy rain in the proceeding days to the long weekend meant many of the small streams were swollen and dirty so I found myself fishing the downstream side of a local dam who’s waters held trout, redfin, golden perch, European carp and the odd Murray cod. The 3 piece 4 wt was pure pleasure to cast with very little effort to lay the line out on the water. The first fish to fall to this rod was a small golden perch which had sucked in the wet fly and now was thrashing around in the water at my feet.
The Blue Sky furled trout leader and the medium action of this rod ensured the 4 lb tippet was not at risk of breaking, unfortunately the hook let go just as I was about to slide the fish on to the bank. Not ten casts later the rod again bowed to the Huon pine reel seat as golden perch number two sucked in the wet fly, about 3 metres out. Again the action of this beautiful little rod handled the small perch with ease. With the fish landed, photographed and released I moved further on. I changed flies to a perch pattern fly with a small flash back nymph as a dropper fly.The 7 ft 9 inch handled the two fly rig with ease and in the hours leading up to dark I managed to put a good feed of reddies together. With the sun going down on this overcast, drizzling and wind blown day I was pretty happy as I walked back to the car in the gathering darkness, more than impressed by this sweet casting rod, whether the fish are at your feet or 15 m away. For those interested in the specs of this rod they are as follows; the rod tested was a Seele Zeitlos series 7 foot 9 inch 4 weights S Glass with spigot ferrules (this model is currently available from McFarland Rods)
Vale Creek Rod Works Seele 886-4 piece Custom Rod Build
Reviewed by Royce Shanks
Good Morning Michael,
Firstly it was a pleasure to cast your glass rod and I must say the finish is fantastic. I like the idea of being able to customise the grip on a finished rod that is unique. On the blank itself at 8’8“ which I have always been a fan of (Sage SP and SLT in 5 piece the Winston LT) and now my own custom designed by CTS New Zealand. At this length it allows for short and long accurate delivery of dries, still enough power to throw small bead heads and indicators, particularly if you leave enough power in the mid to butt sections. This rod in particular was a great roll casting rod, cast a single hand spey well. It was quite versatile. I think to at 8’8“ you can allow yourself to fish the tight spots and get a roll cast but it leaves you to being able to make a nice long cast if you have the room behind. Mending the line was easy. In all honesty I would pick this rod up any day and fish it, surprisingly light in hand. To balance it a heavier reel than today’s modern light weight ones would benefit, say an old Young’s Pridex or Condex. That would complement a retro glass feel.
I found the recovery of the rod to be responsive and the accuracy of casts was good. The great thing about modern glass is it is a lot lighter, can be made in faster tapers and yet still has soul and feel. I think your rods would be at home with beginners and advanced casters. It had plenty of punch in a stiff westerly yesterday so it’s no wimp of a rod. In regards to fish fighting ability it handled an angry luderick (which play hard and dirty) with relative ease, being glass it would be friendlier in that environment a little more forgiving than graphite.
I think you are on a winner with these blanks.
///
Reviewed by Ken Smith
Vale Creek Rod Works Custom Made 6 wt Fly Rod I recently took this custom built glass fly rod from Vale Creek Rod Works for a trip to far north Queensland to target as many species as possible. Fishing the Lynd and Mitchell Rivers about 300 km inland from the gulf the species that were encountered and caught were Archer fish, Spangled perch, Sooty Grunter and Fork tail Catfish. The 6 wt loads up easily and casts well , when hooked up to a fish the progressive taper ensures the power in the bottom end comes into play while the soft tip section provides great tippet protection .The rod preforms roll casts with ease. The test of this rod culminated in a luderick session in Sydney Harbour where this rod shined when hooked to a good fish, traditional methods of fishing for luderick with long slow taper glass rods and weed or cabbage baits rods make this fly rod at home for chasing blackfish on fly. Several Sydney based fly anglers tested the rod and all had good things to say about this rod, the only negative remarks were the cork grip being a touch bulky, the reason behind this is that the rods are custom built and the grips are sanded to the profile of the owners choosing! Living west of the sandstone curtain this versatile rod would suit those chasing trout, golden perch, silver perch, carp and small Murray cod. I really like this rod as an all-rounder for the smaller to medium species found in both the fresh and salt water. The Seele 886 rapid s glass four piece fly rod specifications. The 886 denotes the rod length as 8 ft 8 inch and the rod is suited to a 6 wt line.
Michael Warren, the owner of Vale Creek Rod Works has tested many lines through his range of rods and recommends 406 Fly Lines made to suit med to slow action rods such as glass and cane. Snake brand snake and stripping guides in hard chrome finish and standard loop size snake brand tip are used in the rods construction. The rod is fitted with Vale Creeks own up locking reel seat with Tassie cherry pine insert and butt cap. It has a 2 inch fighting butt and is wrapped with white silk and red tipping wraps of five turns each with flex coat epoxy. The rod is suitable for a 4 lb to 15 lb test tippet making this rod very versatile. Michael Warren is happy for anyone to visit his Vale Creek Rod Works and to test this rod or any other in his range and discuss your custom build of blanks, guides, reel seats, hand grips, bindings and price.
Reviewed by Royce Shanks
Good Morning Michael,
Firstly it was a pleasure to cast your glass rod and I must say the finish is fantastic. I like the idea of being able to customise the grip on a finished rod that is unique. On the blank itself at 8’8“ which I have always been a fan of (Sage SP and SLT in 5 piece the Winston LT) and now my own custom designed by CTS New Zealand. At this length it allows for short and long accurate delivery of dries, still enough power to throw small bead heads and indicators, particularly if you leave enough power in the mid to butt sections. This rod in particular was a great roll casting rod, cast a single hand spey well. It was quite versatile. I think to at 8’8“ you can allow yourself to fish the tight spots and get a roll cast but it leaves you to being able to make a nice long cast if you have the room behind. Mending the line was easy. In all honesty I would pick this rod up any day and fish it, surprisingly light in hand. To balance it a heavier reel than today’s modern light weight ones would benefit, say an old Young’s Pridex or Condex. That would complement a retro glass feel.
I found the recovery of the rod to be responsive and the accuracy of casts was good. The great thing about modern glass is it is a lot lighter, can be made in faster tapers and yet still has soul and feel. I think your rods would be at home with beginners and advanced casters. It had plenty of punch in a stiff westerly yesterday so it’s no wimp of a rod. In regards to fish fighting ability it handled an angry luderick (which play hard and dirty) with relative ease, being glass it would be friendlier in that environment a little more forgiving than graphite.
I think you are on a winner with these blanks.
///
Reviewed by Ken Smith
Vale Creek Rod Works Custom Made 6 wt Fly Rod I recently took this custom built glass fly rod from Vale Creek Rod Works for a trip to far north Queensland to target as many species as possible. Fishing the Lynd and Mitchell Rivers about 300 km inland from the gulf the species that were encountered and caught were Archer fish, Spangled perch, Sooty Grunter and Fork tail Catfish. The 6 wt loads up easily and casts well , when hooked up to a fish the progressive taper ensures the power in the bottom end comes into play while the soft tip section provides great tippet protection .The rod preforms roll casts with ease. The test of this rod culminated in a luderick session in Sydney Harbour where this rod shined when hooked to a good fish, traditional methods of fishing for luderick with long slow taper glass rods and weed or cabbage baits rods make this fly rod at home for chasing blackfish on fly. Several Sydney based fly anglers tested the rod and all had good things to say about this rod, the only negative remarks were the cork grip being a touch bulky, the reason behind this is that the rods are custom built and the grips are sanded to the profile of the owners choosing! Living west of the sandstone curtain this versatile rod would suit those chasing trout, golden perch, silver perch, carp and small Murray cod. I really like this rod as an all-rounder for the smaller to medium species found in both the fresh and salt water. The Seele 886 rapid s glass four piece fly rod specifications. The 886 denotes the rod length as 8 ft 8 inch and the rod is suited to a 6 wt line.
Michael Warren, the owner of Vale Creek Rod Works has tested many lines through his range of rods and recommends 406 Fly Lines made to suit med to slow action rods such as glass and cane. Snake brand snake and stripping guides in hard chrome finish and standard loop size snake brand tip are used in the rods construction. The rod is fitted with Vale Creeks own up locking reel seat with Tassie cherry pine insert and butt cap. It has a 2 inch fighting butt and is wrapped with white silk and red tipping wraps of five turns each with flex coat epoxy. The rod is suitable for a 4 lb to 15 lb test tippet making this rod very versatile. Michael Warren is happy for anyone to visit his Vale Creek Rod Works and to test this rod or any other in his range and discuss your custom build of blanks, guides, reel seats, hand grips, bindings and price.
Ken Smith in action with the Seele 886 built by Vale Creek Rod Works
