A CTS Arsenal

Here are a couple of shots from the CTS Affinity Float rods currently on the bench. There's an FF1104-2, FF1203-2, FF1304-2, FF1363-3, FF1503-3 and an FF1504-3. I have to admit the Golden Olive is absolutely stunning! These rods will be built with performance in mind. As such, we opted for a custom Fuji graphite reel seat and RECoil Black Pearl guides. The end result will be incredible fishing instruments. They won't look to bad either ;-)

And a special tanks to Adam at Paine Falls Reel Company for milling the inserts!

Enjoy!

What's under the hood?

Following a discussion on a popular rod building forum started the thought train rolling. Many, if not most, rod builders use some type of tape to shim up the difference between the blank O.D. and the reel seat I.D.. While certainly effective and durable, it lacks in one key element...sensitivity. Masking tape acts as a damper which reduces vibrations passed through the blank. Graphite arbors meet all three criteria (effective, durable, sensitive) much better as they are dense and rigid enough to transmit vibration when compared to tape. After all they are made from the same material as the blank! Granted tape costs less and easier/quicker to use; however, when performance is paramount, graphite is the better choice.

A feather in Frank's cap

Frank contacted us in June to build a CTS FF1363-3. It was an absolute pleasure working with him as he had a very clear idea of what he wanted and he was open to suggestions. The end result is a float rod that truly marries function and form from the quality cork handle to the feather inlay alignment markers.

A big thank you to Steele News Live for this commercial!

My niece, Jessica Braid, and her senior class mates did an incredible job with our commercial! As part of their senior class project the TV Class presented a telethon to help fund a field trip to New York City. And from the look and sound of things, they did quite well. We couldn't be happier with their efforts and the finished product!

A pleasant surprise.

We had the opportunity to fish NW Michigan last weekend and was greeted by this guy. The conditions were tough, which made this catch all the more memorable. From the looks of things the fishery is in good health!

Sad to see this one go!

This has been one of my favorite rods...something about metallic steel blue on a satin black blank just does it for me. It's going to a good home and should find a lot of time fighting large Lake Ontario steelhead and salmon rather than collecting dust. Enjoy your new rod Jeremy!

Nothing's better than natural light in fall.

Took these for the 2012 Fuji catalog and absolutely love the composition so they had to shared. Sure hope Larry likes the handle as much as I like the picture.