I had been looking for a new fly rod to add to my arsenal that could handle some heavier nymph rigs and streamers better than some of my other fly rods I had been talking to my friend Mike Watts, Publisher at Riversandfeathers.com, about the possibility of a new fly rod purchase and he suggested I look at the Maine Fly Company. They’re a company in Maine, obviously, that produces handmade, small-batch fly rods.
Mike had recently purchased their Kennebec model and was raving about how well it was handled. After some investigation, I settled on the Magalloway. It’s an 8’ 6” 5wt moderate action rod with a burl wood reel seat and reverse half wells burl wood grip.
After the rod came in, the first thing I noticed was that it was truly a work of art. The burl wood handle and engraved hardware are incredible. At first sight, it makes you want to display it on a wall. However, I bought this rod to fish with, and that’s what I did.
I matched the rod with the Airflo Superflo Ridge 2.0 Universal Taper line and went fishing. Most of my fishing is in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Most of my casts are roll casts, and every now and then, you can get an opening in the mountain laurel canopy where you can really bomb it.
In both instances, the rod worked perfectly. The rod allows me to pick up the line easily off the water, and the tip is sensitive enough to feel strikes or the nymph hitting bottom. It worked very well for those heavier nymph and streamer combinations, and I was very pleased with how smoothly it cast. It turns the line over well on roll casts and is really a great all-around rod. I’m very happy with my purchase and will likely add more Maine Fly Rods to my arsenal.