Rise Fishing Company makes unbelievable fly rods!

Rise Fly Rods

Henry Clement, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, August 2023.

By Henry Clement

It is our practice—now mine—for the remainder of this magazine’s paid staff to attend at least three Fly Fishing Shows. Within that responsibility, I pronounce one fly rod as the year’s winner using the usual metrics as the reason why.

Most years’ winners were high-end rods with familiar names like Orvis, Winston, Sage, Scott, and Loomis. We rarely chose others; we followed standard measures.

The year’s best rods mentioned outside conventional 9-feet and in classes or types like Bamboo, Glass, Switch, small batch, Spey, Nymphing, and Tenkara are always left out of the ‘best of show’ circle.

Why the latter is true is easy to understand

As an industry, we are too small to have thousands dedicated to Tenkara, small batch makers, switch, etc. This year, an East Coast rod maker rang the bell, and fortunately, they were at the show of my choice, Atlanta.

I was pre-convinced this year that I would go with Helios, again, as this fish wrapper’s best fly rod. Its only con is that it’s undergunned in the lift and turn category for fish just above or recommended in its capture weight limit. In other words, a 5-weight is severely outgunned by a 7-pound New Zealand Salmo trutta.

My lazy approach had no merit after being politely encouraged to try Tobby’s Rise 5-weight.

PF Gjuro is fighting a tarpon with a Shearwater Series SaltwaterSeries Fly Rod – your ultimate companion for conquering the open seas.

Funny

The Atlanta Fly Fishing Show was so crowded on Saturday that the casting pond limit was three minutes. I stood in line for five minutes with no line advance. Screw that; I went outside to an empty football size cut lawn. The rod in every casting maneuver: short, curved, mid-length, and long, we’re all extremely comfortable – doable without relying on years of troubleshooting skill. The rod was damn near quiverless – something that quickly gives poor a chance to show its annoying head.

I was ready to return the rod after 25/30 minutes of workout

Then, an attractive Asian woman dressed in a sharp management-level outfit [heels and all] of the convention center’s hotel staff said, “That looks beautiful to do. May I try”? Fifteen minutes later, she had made the leap of feeling the rod load without hauling.

Now, there was a line of ‘wanna’ try casters

In under an hour, seven people from the show had seen the activity, assumed I was part of the show, and wanted to try the Rise River Series Fly Rod. Only two casters were skilled, and they wanted to know more.

No used car salesman trick

What I took from my unexpected but unfamiliar role as instructor was that the rod lent itself to aiding the novices because it lacked reverberation. Also, it performed the expression of loading paired with a 5-weight line, not overlined—the used car salesman’s trick.

Capt. Andrew Derr, one of a handful of Montauk fly fishing striper guides, confirmed the Rise of rods were reliable fish fighters and could contend very well in a weight class fish above the rods weigh-in rating.

Here is who to know at Rise:

Steve Bechard is the President and Co-Founder of Rise Fishing Co. Growing up in Upstate NY, Steve spent his free time fishing for trout in the Adirondacks and Catskills, chasing Great Lakes salmon and steelhead, and stalking carp on the flats of the Finger Lakes. He now calls the waters of Eastern Long Island home and spends his time on the water chasing stripers, bluefish, and false albacore.
Steve is a guide, casting instructor, and accomplished angler, having competed in the Fly Fishing Masters and ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games.

2003, 2004, 2006 Fly Fishing Masters

2004 ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games

2009 Montauk Redbone Tournament Grand Champion

2010 Manhattan Cup “Most Bass Released”

Koby Fulks was born in Southern California but raised in the Colorado mountains and Hawaii’s beaches. Koby has always had a passion for the outdoors, starting at a young age, camping, fishing, hiking, and hunting his whole life. Koby grew up in the military and is a former US Marine. e turned his knowledge of the outdoors into a profession by making products and has been in the outdoor industry for 22 years. With his background in products and marketing, Koby was featured on the Under Armour Ridge Reaper hunting TV show on the outdoor channel, living the life of an outdoorsman everywhere he traveled. He recently traded his corporate life in for the life of making fly rods and joining Steve Bechard in Rise Fishing Company. He brought a Western hunter’s perspective to Steve’s Rise Fishing co and East Coast saltwater brand. Koby has a passion for Western US trout species and spends most of his time figuring out how to return to the mountains. Steve and Koby’s backgrounds bring a well-rounded knowledge and experience in making fly rods.