E. L. KEULING ROD COMPANY

  .  These are fly rods made one at a time with an uncompromising search for perfection.  E.L. Keuling Rod Company knows no other way.

 

KEULING FLY ROD BLANK

DESIGN

Inherent in each Keuling fly rod blank are three fundamental design requirements: 

 

A. The fly rod must display the correct "bend profile" for its designated line weight.

B. The fly rod must display the correct action and power from tip to butt consistent with the fly rod's intended use.

C. The fly rod tip stiffness must match up with the fly rods designed intended use.

 

 Keuling fly rod blanks started with proprietary designs dating back to 1918 when Keuling Sr. began designing tapers for his split cane bamboo blanks. Later, fiberglass and graphite rod blanks were designed by Keuling Jr.

 

Today Keuling fly rod blank designs originate from a variety of sources depending on the particular type of fly rod.

The modern day carbon fiber fly rod blank is a very complex creation. There are only a small number of truly knowledgeable fly rod blank designers in the world. We are fortunate to have a few of them here in the USA. Gary Loomis blank designs have set the standard of excellence here in the USA. But there are others like Dr. Steven Harrison located in the UK. Today elite quality fly rod blanks are designed and produced throughout the world.  Our goal at the Keuling rod company is to search out these elite rod blanks and where possible utilize them in the handcrafting of our elite fly rods.

 

PRODUCTION

 Keuling fly rod blanks are obtained from various sources. Some fly rod blanks that meet Keuling design specs and quality standards are obtained directly from both USA and foreign manufacturers in "finished condition" ready for fly rod assembly by Keuling craftsmen in Larkspur Colorado.  While other carbon fiber blanks are "rolled-to-order" by USA and foreign manufacturers and the rough-finished blanks are then shipped to the E.L.Keuling Rod Company for completion. These rough blanks in some cases are fitted with proprietary modifications. Finally, the blanks are sanded and the final finish applied. All blanks are examined for defects and to confirm they meet required design specifications. 

 

DOWN-LOCKING VS. UP-LOCKING REEL SEATS

Most Keuling fly rods are available with either an up-locking or down-locking nickel silver reel seat with an exotic buckeye burl wood insert. The popular up-locking version has a more compact look. While the down-locking version is known as" old- school" which has an appeal for many. But style aside, what other reasons dictate the use of down-locking reel seats? Improved strength and reel stability on 7 wt. and heavier fly rods are key reasons. Another reason and the one considered the most compelling relates to the length of the fly rod. The nine-foot and longer fly rods, for example, do not balance out very well with the elite very light fly reels. By using the down-locking reel seat the weight of the reel is moved back by about one and one-half inches. This shift can have a significant impact on balancing the rod and reel. 

 

NICKEL SILVER VS ALUMINUM REEL SEATS

Why nickel silver over aluminum? Very simple. Aluminum scratches very easily. And once scratched its permanent. Nickel silver, on the other hand, can generally be buffed to its original bright shine. Scratches can be removed. Nickel silver costs a lot more than aluminum (5x-10x more in fact) but the quality and durability are unmatched. An elite fly rod that you one day will pass on to your daughter or son should be built with nickel silver hardware. Our saltwater rods use a solid one-piece anodized aluminum reel seat because it is stronger and more impervious to saltwater corrosion. But there again if you want scratch free saltwater reel seat hardware we recommend solid titanium alloy over aluminum.

 

 

THE FINEST COMPONENTS

 

Keuling fly rods are designed, handcrafted and assembled in our workshop in Larkspur, Colorado utilizing the finest components available to us.

 

* Flor-grade Portuguese cork grips handcrafted in our Larkspur Colorado workshop

*Chrome on s/s frame stripping guides with Nanolite inserts

*Chrome on s/s snake guides

*Solid nickel silver alloy reel seat hardware

*Titanium alloy and hard anodized aluminum reel seats

*Premium quality rod bag with Keuling logo

*Powder-coated aluminum rod tube with Keuling logo

 

ELITE WARRANTY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

 

TEN DAY EXCHANGE OR RETURN PRIVILEGE