If you got a letter like this:  And you catch a lot of these… Gary wants to talk with you: info(at)northforkcomposites.com

Well, Ron vouched for him, so against Gary’s better judgment (he he), we let Clancy is on the team too. Here he is with our a new prototype St 761-1(IM). Clancy has been guiding for over 50 years. Pretty tough to compete with that. Clancy is responsible for a new side drifting stick we’re coming [...]

If you’re a steelhead angler on the Cowlitz, you better watch out.  Ron Holt has his hands on a new side drifting stick and he is pretty excited about it. Ron Holt is one of five steelhead guides we have been working with. They will be the inaugural members of a new program we’re hoping [...]

The ARB program is moving ahead, with a few rods already into or nearly through the evaluation process. In that process, the rods are being seen by several people, all hand-picked by (and including) Gary. One of those people is Vern Dollar, Gary and Susan’s long-time friend, and a man who has directed literally thousands [...]

Congratulations to Jimmy Tutor of West Kentucky Rod & Reel LLC who submitted this MB 709-1 (IM) for entry into the ARB. The rod is a solid build with nice finish and an electric blue wrap. It’s also a tribute to those that protect our freedoms. Again, my apologies for the photos. You should check [...]

This time, it’s Bill Havens of Salty Dawg Custom Rods who is now on the Approved Rod Builder Registry.  Bill’s model of choice was the MB 663-1(IM). Aside from showing good finish, wrap and alignment, Bill’s special touch included some custom artistry. Again, we aren’t judging the art, that’s for the customers, but it’s much [...]

We are excited to announce that the ARB registry now contains its first approved rod! The rod was crafted by Matt Davis of Otterods on an MB 664-1 IM blank, and will now become part of the NFC display at select shows, as well as being part of the ARB Registry on the NFC site [...]

We’re working on a program for Pro anglers, members of the 10/90 club, the folks that are on the water 250 days a year, like the guy below. Details by the end of the week!

Part two of the Gary Loomis Story by Terry Battisti is up on Tackle Tour.

Apparently, there is a bit of confusion out there about the Approved Rod Builder program. A few people may be thinking that only North Fork ARB builders will be able to get North Fork blanks. Not at all true! We’re always pleased when anyone chooses to build on a North Fork blank—amateur, pro, hobbiest, ARB [...]

During the first week of December we met with a potential new European client, Imago Flyfishing, which is based Sweden. Imago’s owners John and Alex spent four-and-a-half days at North Fork, fishing, casting, testing, and of course, being entertained by Gary’s stories (everyone is entertained by Gary stories, trust us on that one). We had [...]

The first member of our ARB Panel reviewed submitted rods yesterday. Some got very high marks. Keep them coming in! Below is a photo of the first panelist. You probably don’t know her, but the phrase “behind every successful man” certainly applies to Gary’s wife Susan. Besides being married to Gary, she is considered one [...]

If you are interested in a story about the history of Gary Loomis, you might check out this article: A History by Terry Battisti

For you steelhead anglers, yesterday was a pretty cool benchmark for us here at NFC. Gary and renowned salmon and steelhead guide Herb Good got together to test some steelhead and salmon rods. By the end of next week, we should have three new steelhead blanks in the hands of our distributors, the St 960, [...]