Dear All,

I have asked Gary to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) / question / answer session in light of his 81st birthday.

You can ask your question here - and it will be answered live (Facebook/YouTube) Next Monday May 30th at 3pm Pacific Time/6pm eastern.

I will do my best to transcribe them here - but the answer will be addressed to the person asking the question on video.

I know that there will be a lot of questions - and we will take 2 or 3 hours to get through them all.

**UPDATE** I will post a live video link here on Monday the 30th. Please keep the questions coming!

Thank you,

Aleks



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2022 04:01PM by Aleks Maslov.

Gary, did you do the rod design work for Cabella's back in the 80's?
I bought a "Fish Eagle" graphite blank back then and put together a rod I dearly miss now - broke when I took a fall traipsing through the woods.

Gary, I've always been fascinated by the rod blank construction process. We hear a lot about the materials that go into making a premium blank but very little about the mandrels. I was wondering if you could talk a little about how you design and construct mandrels, what they're made of, the difficulty of developing such "skinny" tapers, etc.? When you wish to tweak a design, do you adjust the mandrel's taper/dimensions or do you attack the problem from the materials side to get the action you're looking for? Thanks

Gary,

What rod that you designed was/is your all time favorite?

This is awesome! Thanks Aleks!

I'd like to ask Gary about Don Mook.

There is so little about him online. Where is Don Mook from, how did Gary and he get into business together and what all did Don Mook do? And where is he today? And does Gary have any knowledge of Don Mook building a rod blank factory in Houston, Texas for Brett Crawford of All Star Rods?

Anything about Don Mook would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2022 10:54AM by Kent Griffith.

Where do you see technology taking rod building in the near future?

Scott Appley Wrote:
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> Where do you see technology taking rod building in
> the near future?

Good question... but let me put this one out there...

Check out nanotubes... puts graphite fibers to shame! They say they are unbreakable and stackable one inside another for increased strength. More than twice as strong, and twice as light. NASA is dialing it in now and no telling how long until it goes commercial. It could very well make graphite fiber rods go obsolete like the buggy whip and bamboo rods. Imagine no more rolled rods! Those flaws gone! One can only hope.

Looking forward to hearing all of Gary's responses!

Question: Is graphene a real benefit in fly rods or simply a marketing angle?

Are all the blanks you sell, rough non sanded blanks?

I have to say that back in the day before Gary sold G Loomis to Shimano, my favorite blank I built on and used was and is the ST114 2 IM6 8-12lb that I made for Steelhead and Springers on the Cowlitz (just north of you) drift fishing with a bait caster reel. What current blank that you sell is similar?

Kerry,

Only the "Delta" blanks are rough/un-sanded, the X-Ray blanks have ridges, but they are very fine, the "mirror-black" are polished.

SM, IM, HM blanks are all sanded.

Kerry Hansen Wrote:
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> Are all the blanks you sell, rough non sanded
> blanks?

Are there any plans in the near future to provide CCS, IP and AA numbers for all of the blanks you offer? Or at the very least, blanks that are targeted towards bass fishing?

And a question for Aleks, Any update on that ultra black blank finish you exposed us to a little while back?

Congratulations Gary, and thank you for all of your contributions.

Most blank sellers now offer little in the way of tangible specifications regarding materials, tapers, resins, or even origins. You wrote in your 80th birthday message to avoid advertising hyperbole. That is about all consumers are left with anymore, though. Almost everything, except the industry standard hyperbole, seems proprietary. Would you be willing to give a little more specific advice to buyers regarding what to look for and what to avoid when making blank selections, or help us unlock what is really meaningfully different? Advertised weights seem to be about all there is that can be compared.

Ok, when are the X Ray steelhead blanks coming out? I have no doubt there are prototypes out there.

What scrim types are being used for modern blanks now, or at least what is NFC using for their current lines? What type of prepreg material (fibers) is available for the different blank lines and does NFC have a specific proprietary epoxy formula for the different lines? Is it a "one type fits all" for different material fibers? What are the countries of origin for the prepreg? Just trying to understand how much sourcing is going on to run as many different lines as NFC has now. I also realize that different flag patterns and mandrels will be used for different model lines.

Is Gary still adamant in his belief that weight is the # 1 deterrent to performance ?

LINK TO LIVE FEED

[www.facebook.com]

Thank you for all that submitted their questions and tuned in!

Aleks