The new JMC Ozone 36 semi automatic fly reel

The most popular article I've written is the one about semi automatic fly reels.  There is
an old saying which says: " Those who know don't say and those who say don't know".  I realize
 that I do not know everything there is about semi automatic fly reels but I want to.  So I've
 purchased a new reel to add to my collection of semi automatic fly reels.

Last season I fished all year with the Swiss made Peux Fulgor.  I plan to write my opinion about
the Fulgor in the next few weeks.  But today I'm reporting on the new, for 2014, JMC Ozone 36
 semi automatic fly reel.

The Ozone 36 is made in France and looks "cool!"  In fact it is the skeletonized design that makes one take
a second look at the reel.  Most of the semi automatic reels I own have an open front and a closed back.
So I am curious about how this reel was put together and how the drag (brake) works.  The reel should arrive from Europe in a short while.  

 
Weight 130g  Line- 3/6


Fly reel : Ozone 36 JMC.

Made of anodised aluminum billet, this anti-reverse semi-automatic reel offers outstanding qualities. It has a real brake system Teflon discs with micrometric adjustment. This allows the use of low peaks of particularly fine line without risk of breakage. Foot position on the cage of the reel has been optimized to provide maximum fishing comfort. The trigger system allows quick and neat recovery of line. The materials used to manufacture the reel Ozone make it a product that is both lightweight and highly reliable.

Specifications:
• Width: 35 mm
• Coil Width: 20 mm
• Material: Aluminum
• Finish: Black Anodized and champagne
• Brake: Micrometer Teflon
• Coil: Large arbor
• Reversible: Right / left
• Case: Carrying case

The first day of winter

We've had several days of warm weather so I loaded my pack, cane fly rod and headed for a lake in New Jersey.  It had been cold enough for ice to form on the lakes prior to this warm spell; with temperatures above 60F, most of this lake had no ice.

I got to the lake after 4:00 pm. There was almost no wind but the water was cold.

When fishing for carp, or any fish, it is important to know the feeding habits of the fish.  I know the
feeding patterns of the fish in this lake.  As the sun sets, the western end of this lake becomes a buffet
line for tailing carp.  The draw back for carp fishing after twilight is you can not see the mouth of the
carp.  I could not determine with certainty where the carp were feeding.

I

I blind cast for an hour (there were that many fish) the best I could do was foul hook one carp; before I decided to call it a day. I was fishing with the aid of park lights. 



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The Last Stand

At the end of each fall I try to catch a few carp before the winter shut down.
This particular spot has given me some big and unusual carp the past two seasons.

There are usually several warm days when the air temperature is at or above 50F.
During this Indian Summer warm spell, fish are active and carp like to feed at the end of
the day.

I chummed this area for three days.  These photos were taken on the second day of
chumming.  After distributing my chum, I saw a ripple in the water.  I took a deep breath
to relax and make sure that I saw what I thought I saw.

I was right !  There was a carp clooping.  I could see the pink lips break the water surface
and sip something off the surface.   It wasn't a big fish, maybe 2 kilos.  The surface of the
lake was like glass.  So I expected to have a good day when I returned the next day with my
Fenwick Floater Bum ( 7 wt, 3piece, 6' 11" fiberglass fly rod).  The shorter rod works well
in this tree filled park.

When I returned the next afternoon, conditions had changed.   The lake surface was covered
with debris and drift wood.  It seems the direction of the wind had changed and caused
the cove to become a place for floating leaves and tree branches to rest in the water.

My dream of catching a carp in December was not to become true this year.

Urban Carp From Shore

Carp on fly no. 10

cane fly rod & carp

Since the injury to my right leg, I have not been able to do much but I no longer need to wear a knee brace.

 

Climbing stairs and walking down stairs is still difficult.  I have reached the point where
I feel I can attempt to catch a carp or die trying.  So today I went to New Jersey to try and
chum up a few late November carp using my $89.00 cane fly rod.

Here it is leaning against a park bench.  It is a 9 foot, two tip, 3 piece rod.  I matched it with
the Ambush Triangle Taper fly line, 6 weight as this was all I had.

I wore several layers in order to be able to withstand the wind chill effect of November.
The air temperature was about 50F.  The water temperature was about 7 degrees colder!
I followed my usual chum pattern for lakes in my area.  Normally fish  will start to feed
as the sun begins to set

After more than two months of nothing but rehab, I was happy to be able to walk, stand and fish.
The sun was getting lower in the sky; the air temperature was going down too.  The water looked still
 and there was no sign of carp, or for that matter, any fish feeding.

I stood as long as I could enjoying the fall.  Today there would be no November carp
to add to my years total

都会のコイをフライで釣る Urban Funky Carp on Fly

Carp on fly no. 8

Arizona Fly Fishing For Carp

Urban Carp fishing with Tenkara Guides

Carp On Fly (Urban Fly Fishing) - FlyBru

Must See! Fly Fishing for Catfish and Carp : Mulberry hatch 1.0 2013

Tim Rajeff on "Overlining Underlining Fly Rods" (+playlist)

Fiberglass Fly Rods

You are looking at a tournament legal, Bass fly rod.  This is the "Floater Bum" made for
the Japanese market by Fenwick   It is a six foot, ten inch long, 3 piece 7 wt  fiberglass fly rod.
Big bass flies, like the Dahlberg Diver, can be cast with ease.
 

Unfortunately, there is no hook holder; so I added one.  While it is a seven weight fly rod,
it is still fun to catch bluegill and other panfish with this rod.

Note the black rubber band like hook holder above the handle.

This rod I consider to be a steal.  I only paid twenty dollars for it.

It is a 3 piece, seven foot, six inch, 4/5 weight fiberglass fly rod.

For the money it is a great fly rod.  I remember taking this rod with me when I went to
to the Passaic River for carp.  It was Mulberry time and carp were feasting on berries
as they fell from the tree.  I fished a purple deer hair fly. 

There was a Northern Pike lurking in the background too.  Do pike like berries?

I plopped my fly near a feeding carp.  It sucked in the "berry" and made an 180 degree turn
in the river.  My rod began to turn with the fish.  In an effort to slow the carps acceleration,
I turned away from the fish.  The rod bowed  until it resembled the letter "C".

Fiberglass rods are almost indestructible.  I was not able to slow or turn the fish.
Once the carp reached an underwater obstruction, it was able to break me off.  But the rod
held.

This is a fiberglass rod too.  I got this bargain on e-bay for less than $16.00, brand new!
The rod is just as sturdy as my other "glass" fly rods.   I like to use light weight fly rods and
this 3/4 weight seven foot, 6 inch three piece is ideal for the places I fish.

Rod makers will designate their rods with line weight recommendations but don't be afraid
to try lines that are a weight or two above or below the rod makers recommendation.
I like to fish my rods by "underlining" or "overlining" them. 

From left to right: The Floater Bum.  Green fly rod, Yellow fly rod.

Carp Back

Japanese Fiberglass Flyrods

Japanese Fiberglass Flyrods

Some very fine fiberglass rods are now produced in Japan and Asia.  Like the US made glass rods, the rod makers chose fiberglass for it's performance.  If anything, there are even more choices than in the US.  These fiberglass rod lines are available via Japanese tackle stores or Yahoo Japan (the Japanese equivalent of eBay).  Currently, none have US importers.  But if you got here, then you are an Internet junkie and something as mundane as international purchasing and shipping isn't going to stop you.  I'll add websites and additional information as I can.

Tom's Fractured Guide to Japanese Websites:  You should absolutely make use of Google Translation or Alta Vista Translation to get a rough idea what you are seeing.  But some important website functions don't translate, particularly navigation buttons. And translating each and every Yahoo auction gets tedious.  So here are a few things I look for when surfing Japanese sites or Yahoo Japan.  Watch for the characters フライ  ロッド which represent "fly rod" or フライ  リール which indicates "fly reel".  With respect to fly rods, look for グラス as this indicates "glass".  Don't be put off if the translator program indicates this means "grass", the characters バンブー indicate a bamboo rod (often translated as Van Buu).  Also watch for カーボン, indicating carbon fiber or for グラファ which indicates graphite (note the first two symbols are the same as for glass!).  ロッドケース indicates a rod case. The characters ピース in conjunction with a number is the number of rod sections.  The characters 新品 usually indicate brand new, but sometimes have a meaning similar to "new old stock", whereas ビンテージ will indicate "vintage".

The translation engines are helpful, but sometimes they will cough up some very peculiar phrases.  For instance, the characters 仕舞寸法 will often translate into rather strange "Informal-Noh-dance (mask) size", but in reality this refers to the length of the rod packed in it's case.  The characters 自重 get translated to "prudence", but often indicate weight, or line weight.  Used item descriptions on Yahoo Japan often translate to "from Medival times" meaning an older item.  Used items descriptions may include the word "crack", but the meaning here is closer to scrapes or scratches in the finish or other indications of use and handling.

---

Tiemco Fiberglass Fly Rods:  Tiemco has held a licensing agreements with Fenwick and Orvis for years.  Recently, Tiemco has produced a couple of different lines of Fenwick rods exclusively for the Japanese market, including a cool looking HMG line.  In addition, they produce other fiberglass fly rods with their own model names.

Currently Available Tiemco Rods

Fenwick Yellow Glass Series II - there are 11 models in the product line.  The rods have yellow blanks, spigot ferrules, and elegant hardware.  The rods range from 3 weight to 7 weight.  FF663-2J, "Little Giant", a 6½ foot, 2 piece, 3 weight, Grip C (new rod and grip style for 2008); FF694-2J, "Grateful Rod "(?!), a 6'9", 2 piece, 4 weight, Grip C (new rod and grip style for 2008); FF633-3J, "Glass Midge", a 6'3", 3 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF733-3J, "Triple Apple", a 7'3", 3 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF694-3J, "De-Liar", a 6'9", 3 piece, 4 weight, Grip A; FF765-3J, "Indian Summer", a 7½ foot, 3 piece, 5 weight, Grip A; FF6117-3J, "Floater Bum", a 6'11", 3 piece, 7 weight, Grip B; FF663-5J, "Shangri-La", a 6'3", 5 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF703-5J, "Little Yellow", a 7 foot, 5 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF734-5J, "Continental Tourer", a 7'3", 5 piece, 4 weight, Grip A;  FF795-5J, "FF79.5", a 7'9", 5 piece, 5 weight, Grip A.  These rods are available through the Blue Dun Fly shop in Toyko.


Euflex Glassmaster - two small stream glass rods.  Not cheap.  The rods have black blanks, spigot ferrules, and cork grips with sliding rings.  There are only two models; NTF 604-3, "Dwarf", a 6 foot, 3 piece, 4 weight; NTF 733-3, "Midge Midge", a 7'3", 3 piece, 3 weight.

Euflex Bushmaster - a long running series of short glass rods.  Still not cheap.  The rods have black blanks, spigot ferrules, and cork grips with cap and ring cork reelseats.  Currently here are three models; BM 553-4, a 5'5", 4 piece, 3 weight; BM 6113-4, a 6'11", 4 piece, 3 weight; BM 654-4, a 6'5", 4 piece, 4 weight.  Previous models show up on Yahoo Japan; BM663; BM634; BM694; BM593-3; and BM664-3.

Euflex Excursion - two more small glass rods, although these may have some graphite mixed in.  Still not cheap.  The rods have black blanks, spigot ferrules, and cork grips with sliding rings.  There are only two models; 734-4, a 7'3", 4 piece, 4 weight; 795-4, a 7'9", 4 piece, 5 weight.

Discontinued Tiemco Models

Fenwick Classic Glass - these rods were produced around 2000.  These are very retro looking Fenwicks with brown blanks, classic Fenwick cork grips, and the bakery twine butt wrap.  But the reelseats are bright hardware, skeleton down locking, with walnut inserts.  Fenwick never marketed 4 weight glass fly rods in the US. It's too bad, because these are smooth and soft rods, but very capable casting machines once you slow down your casting stroke. If Fenwick had included these 4 weights with the Fenglass rods marketed in the US in about 2000, the whole line would have sold much better.   There were three Classic Glass models: FF764-2J, a 7½ foot, 2 piece, 4 weight; FF804-2J, an 8 foot, 2 piece, 4 weight, and FF756-4J, a 7½ foot, 4 piece, 6 weight.

Fenwick Yellow Glass (Series I) - these rods occasionally show up on Yahoo Japan.  They are similar to the current Series II rods, but have the classic Fenwick bakery twine butt wrap and classic Feralite ferrules. Some rods have white wraps with black tipping, others dark red with white bands.  One rod in the line that makes glass rod fans drool is the FF1106-3J, "Doublehand", an 11 foot, 3 piece, 6 weight, designed with a Spey style grip.  Other rods are the FF666-3J, a 6'6", 3 piece, 6 weight with a tiny fighting butt, FF694-5J, a 6'9", 5 piece, 4 weight and FF733-3J, a 7'3", 3 piece, 3 weight.

---

Norie: makes four lines of glass rods, the Flex Taylor, Sleeve, Amberstar, and the Orifice (no kidding) one model of which is built on a stunning clear white blank (try THAT graphite makers!).  The rods range from 5 to 8'6" and 2/3 weight to 7 weight.

Takeda: these rods are made as a sideline by a bamboo shop.  The aestethics are elegant. The rods are a 6'6" and 7'3", both for 3 weight.  The prices - if you have to ask you don't want to know.

North Country Angler: a line of two piece and three piece "Paraglass" fly rods. The rods are a 6'6", 7'0", and 7'6" all for 3 weight.

Studio Thin Line: for the fiberglass fanatic, these rods are eye candy.  The pattern of fiberglass in the rod blank is so strong, it became a design element.  The rest of the rod's cosmetics are equally strong.  Expensive, but wow...

Quiet Loop: this is a recently discontinued line of glass rods.  The rods range from 6'6" to 8 feet and 2/3 weight to 5 weight.
VF662, VF702, VF703, VF763, VF704, VF764, VF804, VF805  - in length and weight (VF 702 = 7'0" 2-wt);  these are all two-piece rods with tipover ferrules. The VF805 has a downlocking reel seat, and the other models have sliding bands.
Here is a link to a photogenic collection: http://blog.livedoor.jp/keytaccata/archives/50959063.html
The manufacturer (Anglers Republic / Old Beech) also made a Spirit Loop line of blended graphite and S-glass rods, and currently makes a line of tournament casting graphite rods.

 Axisco:  Recognized first for their 6-pc and 10-pc. glass Pack rods in 2- and 3-wt, 6'6" to 7'6".  They also make two piece glass in 6'6" to 8'6" and line weights 3 to 5.
Here is a link to the pack rods at Blue Dun Fly Shop: http://www.bluedun.net/RodsandReels_pack_rod_english.htm
Here is a link to Axisco 2-pc. rods:  http://jm.st70.arena.ne.jp/NTT/catalogue/ROD/ANGLE/FLY/AIRRITE.GLASS.htm  (use Google to translate)

 Issac (IZCH):  glass rods, 5 models in lengths 7'9" to 9'0" in line weights 3 to 6/7, all with parabolic taper.  http://jm.st70.arena.ne.jp/NTT/catalogue/ROD/CAPS/FLY/IZ6.htm
nice photo here of the finish work
http://www.kiroworld.co.jp/fly/rod/rod_photo/glass.html


The vendor Navy Bass also lists the following makers and model names of glass rods:
Kiraku Halcyone
CAPS Kids Fly
Coatac Crescent
http://www.navybass.com/index/navybass.FROD.GLASS.htm


This article was reproduce from the Fiberglass Flyrodders site .

Two weight fly rods - Ultra light fly fishing

I've had a love affair with short ultra light fly rods for years.  Most of the time, I fish in urban parks
where there is no wading.  There are trees, bushes, and fences everywhere;  so you adjust to the environment or die.

Short fly rods became my go to fly rod when I began to fly fish;  because they can be roll cast under most tree branches.

I got the AIRRITE Stream more than six years ago.  The less than two meter length
makes it ideal for me to catch bass, bluegills and other panfish in close quarters.  The rod is from Japan
and is made from fiberglass.

It is a slow flex rod and roll casts with ease.  Yes I have caught carp with this rod.

This is one of my favorite ultra light fly rods.  It is The March Brown, nine foot, seven piece
two weight.

Normally I will fish this rod with a 5X or 6X tippet and nothing larger than a # 10 fly.

I also own a six foot, two piece,  two weight cane fly rod and a five foot, two piece
St Croix Banty, fiberglass, two weight. If you have never used rods of two weight or less you
are missing a treat!  It takes  patience but  you can land really  large fish while using ultra light fly rods.
The more you do it the easier it gets.  Use a net to help with the landing of the fish.  There is no
need to play a fish to exhaustion.

Me wearing my leg brace as I recover from a torn quadriceps muscle.

Eleven foot custom made fly rods

My six weight, eleven foot, four piece custom fly rod.  I had this rod built with a fighting butt.
Even with the lack of casting room in most urban parks; this rod is fun to fish.  I use mostly
single hand spey  casting technique to reach fish.

I purchased the blanks on e-bay and had the rod put together by a buddy in Texas.

This is the sister rod to my six weight, eleven foot rod.  It is a two weight, eleven foot, four piece
fly rod.

Yes it is carp friendly too.  I tend to overline my ultra light rods by two weights.

As long as you use a net when fishing for carp you will be able to handle the occasional
big carp when you are fishing using ultra light equipment.
 

2 weight

Guides

Ferrules

6 weight

Guides

Hook holder

The boat dock at Prospect Park