Hello everyone and happy Thanksgiving!
I wanted to share with you my second installment in my LTD series, a 7’5” 4/5wt Parabolic Limited Edition in a sunny yellow painted unsanded e-glass with black spigot ferrules.
This rod is equally fun with a DT4 or a WF5 line and roll casts effortlessly. This is a fully parabolic taper that bends with power to the grip.

4 will be available with nickel silver cap and ring seats with cork insert.
5 will be available with dual nickel silver rings over cork insert with a black phenolic or wood butt cap.

Grip shape is variable upon buyer’s request.

Guides and seat hardware will be available either darkened or matte nickel silver finish.

There will be 10 of these rods made with 9 available (I’m keeping one!). Expected completion is by the end of December 2014.

The cost is $515 plus shipping with a $150 deposit upon reservation. Please send reservation requests to cbarclayflyrods@gmail.com and include all necessary contact information, seat and hardware finish preference.

Awesome news and beautiful builds. This series and cosmetics remind me a little bit of the Pezon Bamboo rods, which were Parabolic!

Dusty

Very cool. Dig the vid and the shot of the rod flexing into the grip
Beautiful finish. I like your choice of thread colors. Something about it reminds me of the Axisco rods. Maybe it's the black spigots. Are they fiberglass spigots?

Sweet!

Hi PP52, Thanks, I can't get enough of the bend of these blanks! No, I did not roll or paint these. They were done by my usual blank maker. The color turned out a little brighter than expected but it's growing on me.

HA! Thanks Marty!

The 1/4" cork rings are true classic look Chris - very cool looking rod Sir!

Beautiful rod grip, great parabolic action, I love it.

I'm saddened can't find such rod in my country.

To tell the truth not a skilled caster into the movie. Rod would deserve someone more sensitive to the timing .

Surely not a blue collar price.

Glass rods are sadly passing through a worrying surge in prices.

Please forgive frankness in my words.

They cost me a lot. I'd rather be sincere.

Greetings from Italy.

Maurizio

Maurizio, I agree that I can use some more casting practice but I felt it was important to film the action of the rod. Also, I understand the concern about being able to afford buying a rod - I try to price them reasonably but I also need to support my family. It's a hard line to walk! Regardless, I appreciate your feedback.

Thanks Andrea! And yes, the dog makes a good fishing partner.

Maurizio, Thanks for the tip - I'll give it a try!

I have had the very fortunate opportunity to handle #1 in this series for the past few days. All I can say is WOW! This rod is awesome! I paired the rod with a new Orvis CFO II reel and a Rio Indicator 4wt. line. The line has a short heavy head (akin to a bass bug taper) for turning over indicator rigs. I like the line quite a bit as the first few feet of line has a bright orange indicator tip. The line is more of a 4 1/2 (4.5) wt. line. The line was a perfect match for the rod.

When I first received the rod, the aesthetics really struck me. The painted blank with black spigot ferrules reminded me a lot of a Kenney (not the color, just the texture of the painted and unsanded blank). Chris chose the perfect thread colors to compliment the bright yellow blank. I LOVE the orange wraps tipped in red. The rod really pops with color yet remains tasteful (in my opinion). Just looking at the rod makes me want to tie on a bluegill popper!

The physical weight of the rod also reminded me of a Kenney. Let me explain: I have found Kenney's rods to be pretty hefty (physically). The physical weight of the rod impacts and is a fundamental element to the rod's action, which I might refer to as a "cane-like" action, where the weight of the rod contributes to loading of the rod. Chris' LTD rod shares this characteristic. The mid-length (7'5") prevents the LTD from feeling too heavy though. For me, it is not too heavy to interrupt the fun I have casting the rod.

Speaking of casting, the rod's action is noticeably different than pretty much any other rod I have handled. The tip is unusually strong, which I believe is directly responsible for the parabolic action. Instead of the rod flexing in the tip section, the extra-strong tip forces the rod to "first" start bending in the mid section, even on short casts. The net result is a full flexing rod or a parabolic action. What I quickly discovered is that the FULL power of the rod is easily tapped into because of the unique action. This made the rod shoot line better than almost any other rod I have handled. The rod is excellent in this regard.

On the water, I tied on a #8 bead head wooly bugger. This is a fly that I would characterize as "on the heavier and larger side" for a 4wt. rod, but nonetheless a fly size and weight that I fish quite often. The rod easily roll cast and shot line notwithstanding the heavier/larger bugger. In fact, it handled the weighted fly better than any 4wt. I have cast. So the strong tip also causes the rod to have plenty of power. With 15 feet of line in the air I was able to shoot 25 feet making 40 foot casts with ease. Not bad for a 4wt. casting a weighted wooly bugger!

In the end, I called Chris and told him he was not going to get this rod back. I am keeping it! I think he has two or three left. If you are at all interested, you would be making a mistake NOT to grab one of these!

Colt