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.

Done! I'm in. Looking forward to this one.

Stunning, and the 4pc set up will be awesome for some backpacking.

My name is Joe and I am a Phillipson junkie. There I said it, but let it be known that I also have room in my soul for modern glass.

Full disclaimer: I know Chris personally, but I have no personal financial incentive or professional interest in his business venture.

All this aside I have the utmost respect for his skills as a rodsmith as well as his vision for fiberglass rod design. I own one of his 7'2 3wt. rods and consider it one fine dry fly rod and as of today is only one of two rods that are on my "never gonna sell list." The other day I had the opportunity to fish the 64p prototype. I decided to take along "Lil' Phil" as it is the closest rod I have for any type of comparison. "Lil' Phil" is a Phillipson RWF60C (6'0 2pc 6wt.) and happens to be the other rod on my "never gonna sell list." After fishing a bit with my rod I asked for the 64p. The first thing I noticed is that both rods are close to one another in physical weight. The Phillipson weights 1 7/8 oz. The 64p is a tiny bit lighter. Though I could not measure their swing weight they felt similar in hand. The 64p was paired up with that sexy Ross Reel #1 and the Phillipson had a new Orvis Battenkill clicker on it. The 64p has a nice lively tip that is similar to the Phillipson, yet without any load and just a foot or so of line out I could feel it flexing deeper. If I were to own one these rods I would choose a reel light enough to enjoy that feeling and not balance it out at the front of the cork.

Now, I have never owned a parabolic or semi-parabolic rod in my life, but from what I have read there is supposed to be some sort of "hinging" effect that happens when casting one. I never felt that sensation while I fished the rod. In my hand the rod has a progressive flex profile throughout. We were on a very small tight little creek and I had "Ginger" tied on to the end of the tippet. "Ginger" is a size 14 crackleback/wooly worm type of fly that is tied on a 2x long hook with a small tungsten bead. I would think a fly this size would be right in this rods wheelhouse and it was. To get a good idea of the stream we were on check out the images on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=51576 None of the casts were in excess of 25' and as you can imagine there were ample opportunities for inventive presentations. I fish this creek and a couple of others that are very similar a lot so naturally accurate roll casting is important if you want to actually catch fish. The 64p with the 406 wf4 had enough mass to transmit what was happening back to me thus enabling a hack like me to put the fly where I wanted it to go. I wish we had a dt4 as I think it would pair even better on this rod. Even though it is a bit more delicate than the Phillipson it still has plenty in reserve. I found myself wanting to push the rod a bit so it was a Snap C or Snap T to set the line then a short hard roll cast with a nice tight loop. Off shoulder, side arm roll casting the rod is an accurate instrument. I consider myself the second worst fly caster in the world (there's always someone worse), but the rod made me look a little better. I really dig that it is a 4wt. and not 000-3wt. as there is so much more it can do with the added line control. If Chris gets one into the loaner program and you're in the market for a shorty you might want to sign up.

Edit: Chris did have the 406 dt4 spooled up. Knowing this I still would like a few more grains of weight or perhaps try a Rio Gold on it. Maybe even a triangle taper

Chris is there going to be a loaner to try,if so put me on the list

I was thinking maybe on the Red River......aurelio

Sounds great........aurelio

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to give another update... after several months and a lot of patience I have received the 64p blanks!
I am getting started building the rods for the guys that preordered, then I'll start filling orders and building a few for stock.
I've added a new page on my website called Parabolic Glass http://cbarclayflyrods.com/rods/parabolic-glass/ as I foresee more smooth yellow goodness in the CBFRCo. future.

Again, thanks so much for all your interest and support! I am positively humbled by it. I couldn't build this small rod shop without you.

Cool!

Man...I told myself I was done with rods but I really want one of your 64P's. Sounds about perfect for some smaller Highland streams here in PA. Beautiful work CB, as always.

Makes sense, Ken - and thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll see if I can get one of these in your hands at some point...

Fished my 64p a couple of days this weekend and it's a great little rod. Chris thanks for doing such a nice job on this guy for me. It's always a pleasure.

64p with #64 has found a happy home in Central Texas.... I have the 75p also, which was my go-to rod for remote, wild brookies, rainbow and browns in Vermont in June. So, when I heard about Chris's new offering, I had to get one. Love it for the skinny limestone creeks and river around here.

Sweet little rod. And What a pair of rods!