Smallmouth Angler
Fly Rods

"Better Rods at a Better Price"

No Question. The rod is your most important piece of fly fishing equipment. This is particularly true for bass fishing. To do well for smallies and largemouth, you should be able to drive a full-sized bass fly out 50 feet or farther all day. And sometimes into a 20 mph wind. Needless to say, this requires considerable effort and expertise on the angler's part. It also calls for the very best rod and line combo you can find (or afford).

While several manufacturers make rods that are good for smallmouth, the best ones are all extremely expensive. To keep you from either spending a fortune on your rod or settling for a substandard product, Tim Holschlag has designed a fly rod of the highest quality, yet very reasonably priced. Smallmouth Angler is proud to offer these terrific rods in 6-weight and 8-wt models

    "I wanted to write and let you know that my new Smallmouth Angler fly rod is fantastic! It makes casting very easy and really shoots the line with little effort. I used it this weekend up in Bemidji. The weather was lousy, very windy, but I was able to handle it with no problem.

"I have attached a picture of one of the bigger fish we caught. Notice the hat, the fly, and the fly rod. The fish was just under 18", and what a beauty hey?"

(Thanks for helping my wife Suzanne with the surprise-- it's my best birthday gift ever.) Ed Constantini
June, 2009

 

Castability:
The most Important Rod Feature

How it casts is the most important aspect of any fly rod. Many rods cast fine with just a piece of yarn behind the fly shop, but fishing for bass and other larger warmwater species is an entirely different world. Casting all day with a fairly heavy fly takes enormous effort. Therefore, the easier a rod performs for you the better. So virtually any rod that casts easier than another is the superior one.

This is where our Smallmouth Angler rods come in. Especially when they are loaded with our recommended line, they are absolute "rocket rods." They load quickly and cast easily at those short 40- to 45-foot distances. Even at longer distances of 50 to 65 feet, casting is a dream. We believe even intermediate level casters will be able to easily make 55-foot casts.

Smallmouth Angler 6-Weight -- $375

Our 6-wt model is superb wherever winds aren't too strong or flies aren't unusually large. The S.A. 6 is perfect for small and medium-sized smallmouth rivers, or for big rivers on calmer days. And of course, it's also excellent for big water trout fishing.

Smallmouth Angler 8-Weight -- $375

Our 8-wt handles just about every other situation. Of course, it's perfect for windy days and lake smallmouthing. But it is also ideal for largemouth, medium-sized pike, steelhead, and all sorts of saltwater species, such as snook, striped bass, bonefish and redfish. This is truly the workhorse of fly rods.

Smallmouth Angler Rod Specifications

Our rods are 9-foot, four-piece models offered in both 6 and 8 weights, the most popular rod weights for smallies. We offer 4-piece rods because nowadays a lot of guys fly to fish, so a rod case that's barely over 2 feet long is a near necessity. Even for car travel and home storage, a short case is much easier. And since S.A. 4-piece rods are such a great price, you still pay much less for them than for the ultra-expensive 2-piece models.

 Our rods are rated fast-action. We use top-of-the-line RX8+ series American-made blanks from the Rainshadow Company. Starting with these superior blanks, a custom rod builder individually creates each finished rod for us, based on Tim Holschlag and his partner Dan Johnson's exacting specifications.

Special Features

One special feature we believe will really help people are the special line weight inscriptions we have put on the blanks.

Because the traditional rod manufacturers base their line recommendations on trout or saltwater fishing, not warmwater casting needs, most bass anglers struggle with underloaded rods. To assist you in choosing the proper line, we list heavier floating lines for both rods

More Smallmouth-Friendly Features

Many other smallmouth-friendly features are incorporated into our rods. Our single-foot guides reduce weight, minimize rod-to-line contact, and maximize rod action. Our special cork handle has what we think is the most comfortable shape and diameter possible for a fly rod. (Cramping or hand fatigue is a real issue in fly casting, so having the best rod handle is very important.)

The handle also has a special flat thumb spot to aid in keeping a comfortable casting grip. Each model also has a fighting butt. Besides being great for battling big bronze, these longer butts enable you to more easily store or lay the rod on boat and canoe seats.

We think many smallmouth fans will also appreciate the permanent ruler marked on our rods (measurements from 17 to 21 inches, with that magic 20 inches highlighted). These measurements are easy to read, so there will no longer be any guessing about the size fish you catch. Yet the marks are unobtrusive and don't detract from the fine look of the rods, which have attractive dark blue wraps.

We've done everything we can to make this the ideal smallmouth rod. There's even a handsome jumping smallie embroidered on the rod's protective sock.

 

Rod Price

There are plenty of extremely inexpensive "beginner" rods on the market. Unfortunately, these ultra-cheap rods are terrible for smallmouth fishing. Invariably they have very "soft" action and won't push a big fly any distance nor perform in wind. And they are extremely tiring to cast, even for a few hours. In fact, Tim Holschlag calls these rods "Fly Fishing Killers," because they are so difficult and tiring to use that they "kill off" the desire to fly fish in the folks who try to fish smallies with one

At the other end of the rod spectrum are the super-expensive models. At least half a dozen major manufacturers make these $600 to $700 rods, and some of their models are pretty good for smallmouth fishing. But our S.A. rods cast at least as well as these ultra-expensive rods, yet cost only half as much

So it's really no contest. Why should you pay up to $700 or for a rod when you can get the same quality for just $375?

 

Warranty and a Money Back Guarantee!

Tim Holschlag has put his name on these rods. He is confident that they're an excellent product. And he naturally wants people to be happy with what they are buying. Therefore, Smallmouth Angler is offering a 4-year warranty that's essentially the same as what the most expensive brands offer. For just a modest shipping and handling charge, we will replace broken sections of a customer's rod.

Now here's the really amazing part.
We are so confident you'll love the rod if you try it, that we are offering a unique money-back guarantee.

You order a rod, go out and cast it, and if you are not satisfied, you send it back within 21 days and you get your money back. It's as simple as that. The complete rod price is refunded. All you pay is shipping. Virtually no other rod sellers offer a money-back guarantee like this, but we know how important it is to actually cast a rod to know if it is really the best one for you. And this way you get a chance to do that, no matter where you live.

Add it up: Castability, Special Features, Price, Warranty and a Money-Back Guarantee ...
THESE RODS JUST CAN'T BE BEAT!

To Order
Call 612-781-3912

More Information
Tim Holschlag
612-781-3912
Email