Meet the NS5 – No Sanctuary

A couple of our new product introductions are already exceeding all expectations. We’ll share some love about our new TNT line-up in another post, but the NS5 (NS = No Sanctuary), our new fast-action five-weight is off and running. We could say flying off the shelves, but in reality they never make it to the shelves in our warehouse…our dealers and distributors are grabbing them as soon as our signature’s on them.

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We know there were those among you who questioned our decision to launch a fast trout rod— and indeed Tom Dorsey had reservations. But this is a Tom Dorsey-designed fast five. It is not a broomstick by any means, but it does have serious reserves of power. Experienced casters are regularly touting this rod as one of the best distance rods they have ever cast. We had the rod at the IFTD show in New Orleans last August and industry professionals were returning from the casting pond shaking their heads in disbelief. If/when you get a chance, give this rod a try – it’s not the ONE…but for many it’s definitely their 5.

The response we’ve been getting from the folks that have been fishing them has been very good as well — like this review on Fly Life Online, a site dedicated to fly fishing in Australia and New Zealand. And just in case you have reservations about whether this fast-action rod will cushion tippet, guide John Coles, proves otherwise with these photos of a few fish its been catching in notoriously tricky New Zealand waters:

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Custom sessions at the shop

March 5, 2012 T&T 2 comments

From glass to graphite to bamboo, our passion is building the finest, hand-crafted fly rods in the world. While that statement may sound cliché, we’re confident that the amount of heart, soul and attention to detail that the T&T team puts into each rod that leaves the shop (and even those well-intentioned explorations that don’t) says otherwise.

As a way to share our passion, and hopefully ignite that spark in others, once or twice a year we offer a 6-week custom rod-building class at the shop. In addition to selecting their own graphite or glass blank and components, attendees are taught the theory behind T&T rod-building. So whether it’s their first build, or one more for the collection, they understand more than just how we build our rods–they learn why we build them the way we do as well.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

For more information on classes, to sign up, or if you’re going to be in the Greenfield area and simply want to stop by, email us at info(at)thomasandthomas.com.

From the River: My First 30 Years

February 24, 2012 T&T 5 comments

It will be 30 years this coming summer since I started working as a guide. Like all good things involving time, it doesn’t seem that long ago. Not quite like yesterday, but hardly 30 years. I started off as a shoreboy. I mowed the lawn, scraped and painted the cabins, cleaned the canoes and put