Chris Barclay

I know exactly what you mean. Cant wait for the water to get a little warmer!

Excellent! I haven't fished there yet this year but need to soon. Great pics too!

For sale here is a rod I built back in 2012 on a 6'9" 3wt 3 piece smooth medium action James Green original blank. It's like new with no signs of use. Casts a WF & DT3 406 line really well and is a very sweet small water rod. SOLD Please contact me via email or pm to inquire. Thanks for looking!

NICE! Looks like the creek has moved around a little since the floods recently.

For sale is my last available rod of the year. 6’4″ 4wt 4 piece semi parabolic glass rod. My own taper and a super sweet and accurate small water rod. Clear wraps over darkened Snake Brand and Mildrum guides with deep brown wraps at tip, ferrules and grip. Brass capped aluminum tube is included but not shown. $565 shipped anywhere

I felt this was appropriate...

Hey guys, thanks!! Ha! Yes, I think she has some otter in her somewhere. Or maybe she's digested it by now. mic, I was casting the soft hackles upstream and letting them drift as well as swinging & drifting them through riffles and tail outs.

Friday I fished. It had been too long. I had a glazed look in my eyes and my wife said that I need to go fishing. So I took care of a few things and I did. I absolutely love that I'm able to build rods full time (dream come true!) but lately it's been a little slow so I've picked up some odd jobs to help fill the gaps - working 70+ hour weeks on several different projects while trying to run a business has a way of wearing a man down. I was reminded why I love to fish. It's the whole process. Like rod building. You can make it as simple or complex as you want. Every step of the way has meaning and builds on each other to create a unique and memorable experience. As soon as I started getting my fishing stuff together Stella started to get really excited. It had been a while for her as well. I drove to the closest wild trout I know of - about an hour away from home - and I wasn't in a hurry. On the way there we listened to some good music - Charlie Parr, look him up. Stella occasionally got in my personal space, put a paw on my leg and licked my hand or cheek and then went back to waiting patiently. We were both calmly excited. After arriving we both pee'd in our usual spots. Part of the ritual. I got the rubber pants on and set up my rod. When we started walking toward the water that's when the excitement started boiling. Stella started running up and down the trail trying to get me to hurry. I don't really hurry very well so I just watched and laughed and kept walking. When we got to the water I sat on a log, watched the water and tied on a soft hackle that I just received as a Christmas gift. I cast to a spot that I know holds fish but they always spook. I caught a few fish there. I didn't catch the 'big one' (~10") but that's okay I got to see it this time. Something that is fascinating to me about fishing is that I can enjoy being out smarted by a fish. It's a sense of being disappointed and satisfied when a fish rises and refuses. I love getting to know a creek and seeing the familiar twists, turns and logs and then seeing them change positions over time. This was a lot more open last time. I like that I don't have to try to catch every fish I see. I can leave them alone if I want. I can watch and learn what they are doing and I can also cast and see if I can fool them. It's part of the enjoyment. I like that Stella gets overly enthusiastic about me catching even the smallest fish. Size does not matter. She ate a 2" wild trout today. She's even learning to spot fish. Here she is trying to tell me that she saw a fish rise. This is a notoriously humbling creek and the fish are easy to spook. Today I caught around 20 fish which was about as well as I have ever done there. But being reminded of the joys of fishing makes it even better. I was only in the water for 2 hours but it went by slowly. When I was leaving I felt rested. 2 hours of driving and two hours of fishing. A few more pics... Thanks for looking!

I fished what I think is where you fished Friday for a couple hours and agree wholeheartedly. One of my favorite stretches of water around.

Burton, what the others have said I agree with completely. It's a very special little creek and I know that you appreciate that. It's worth the time and effort to explore but it'll humble you. Small subsurface is the way to go. And be careful if it's any kind of hunting season. I've been shot at a few times. (by the way, it's good to see you over here!) Chris

I agree with the guys above. You did the right thing and gunshots are a game changer. I've been run off LP at Vida a few times but not at gun point and I should have called the authorities but didn't. I've been run off BSC by an angry hunter via gun shots and didn't call the authorities then either but should have. I was just eager to get out of the way at the moment.

Lightly used custom 7'10" 5wt added as well as a few others!

Wonderful indeed, Geoff! Well done!

OTF, that's exactly right! Best training grounds around for sure. Though last week when I went I was schooled in a big way, still a beautiful day for a walk in the woods.

I have mentioned this rod before but I am pleased to officially introduce a new rod for C. Barclay Fly Rod Co. This rod is a semi-parabolic 6’4” 4 piece 4wt inspired by the venerable Paul Young Midge taper as well as the Mario Wojnicki 77p4. These are short but surprisingly capable rods and I wanted to add something similar to my lineup. I took my Limited Edition 75p taper and modified it to create my 64p. I chose to make this more of a semi-parabolic taper that is very user-friendly with ample feel and finesse at very short distance but also is capable of reaching out and a controlled mend. WIth a 20” section length these make a very packable rod. Like my LTD 75p, this blank is unsanded e-glass painted a sunny yellow with black spigot ferrules. As with my other rods, I like to keep the styling and build simple. Each rod will include my brass CBFRCo. seat hardware, minimal and lightly contrasting wraps, Snake Brand or Perfection running guides, Mildrum stripping guide, top Flor quality cork grip/seat, custom handmade rod sock and brass capped aluminum tube. Some custom options will be available as well. The price on these rods will be $565 plus shipping. For those who would like to preorder one of these rods, I am offering them available for a 10% discount with free shipping and an anticipated delivery of 2-3 months. Space is limited for these preorders to 5. This, however, is not a limited edition but a permanent fixture in my lineup. To discuss specifics and preorder requests contact me at cbarclayflyrods@gmail.com and include all necessary contact information. Here's a link to a short demo of the rod: https://youtu.be/P7Se3GXTOM4