For those of you who follow us on Instagram, you will no doubt have seen the latest rod to arrive in the Troutlore stable in recent weeks, and pretty much the only rod to have been fished since it landed from Bens Fly Rods. For those of you who are not aware of this, I am of course talking about the Troutlore Special, an 8 foot, 5 weight glass stick that dry fly casting dreams are made of. This work of art in a tube was lovingly built by the team of Ben’s at Ben’s Fly Rods all the way across the planet in a little country known as Holland. Before I going in depth into the rod itself, I want to personally thank Benno for his time and efforts in creating this great rod. This man has a great passion for what he does and a sense of humour that is matched only by my thirst for a glass of red. Benno, thank you for what you have created, and thank you for shooting down my early ideas so that we could end up with this final product.

So, now that I have fished the 580 for several weeks, I think I can say it is my new favourite. I have always preferred a slow action to my fly rods and cringe every time I cast on of the Sages or Innovators in my arsenal (why I persist with some of them I do not know). When it comes to graphite rids, I have always preferred rods on the dark green shade from the Montana area, as they have provided that softer touch I like, but every time I cast a glass, I know it is where I am really meant to be. So, the first flick of the Bens Fly Rods 580 in the carpark before I got tot the water had me very excited indeed. Actually, the very first flick was in the hallway at home right after I had unboxed it after delivery, while my wife stood there confused, wondering why a grown man could be so excited about a fiberglass stick, but that is another story. Before it was loaded with a line, this thing felt rather unwieldy and a little too floppy for even my liking. But all that was forgotten when the weight of the Scientific Anglers VPT line was running thrugh the guides, offering that little extra control and feel I was searching for.

BENS FLY RODS GLASS 580

It was even better when on the water with a good lengthy leader down to 6X tippet and a tiny #20 dry fly on the end. Casting was effortless, so long as you remembered to stop and wait a while after each forward or rearward motion, allowing the rod to catch up with your arm’s movements. Having been casting a graphite rod only days before, it took a few moments to readjust to this, but I quickly fell back into that slow motion that delivers beauty in every cast with a glass. And this rod did not disappoint. From short bow & arrow casts under the trees, to great lenghty presentations across a current seem, the Troutlore Special delivered precision and control. And this was all while testing it on a windy spring day to start off.

It wasn’t long before I decided to load it up with a weighty streamer and see how it handled itself with a bit of swing action. Again, so long as I remembered to take my time with the casting strokes, this was a pure joy to fish with. I even managed some upstream nymphing with tungsten beads loaded up, although the control got a little out of hand here. Perhaps this was because I had been fishing for 11 hours at this point and my technique was suffering from a touch of fatigue, or maybe I was just demanding a little to much form this soft, gentle stick. Either way, it still handled itself beyond expectations.

And as for the craftsmanship, well, it is a work of art. Benno prides himself in his attention to detail when it comes to the wraps and the finish. try finding a loose thread wrap within the layers of varnish, or even an errant air bubble. They simply aren’t there. You will not find a rod of this sort of quality for twice the price anywhere else. In fact, you will not find a rod like this anywhere. Ever. The rods from Bens Fly Rods are all individual, so don’t ask for a copy of any, nor a copy of any other rod either. They don’t happen, nor do quick builds. Ask the Bens to hurry up a build process and you a likely to find yourself looking at a higher price tag. These are works of love, not money and it shows. If you want the perfect rod built for you, then perhaps try asking Benno very nicely if he would be interested in making your ideas into a reality.

Benno Bron, opdrinken mate! Thank you so much for this beautiful fly rod. Get ready for the next build, I already have an idea. Bens Fly Rods are my new choice for glass rods and spiffy headwear too.