Small Batch Beginnings - Representing Regional Icons

Everything we do is with thought and intention, and our small batch builds are no exception. Inspired by iconic locations across New England, every series ties back to locales that are meaningful to our team and our founders. This is the small-batch story of Creek & Current rods.

“I am looking for a lightweight, fiberglass fly rod for small creeks. I’ll be blue-lining for brook trout this weekend”. This one request sent me spiralling. Up until then, I had only built full custom fly rods - made to order, built to specifications, with lead times between a week and two months. The pain I felt - the embarrassment, even - of not being able to provide what my customers needed was more than any I had felt in a long time. I’m not one to let people down. This one request sent me on a journey I never could have anticipated, a journey borne of necessity, duty, and a deep obligation to satisfy the anglers that trust in me to make their time on the water unique, enjoyable, and intimately tied to the lands we hold dear. This kicked off our effort to provide quality tools that represent local icons. From stream to surf, this was Creek & Current’s small-batch beginnings. 

Pittsburg’s Perfect Fly Rod - The North Woods Wanderer 3wt

That first rushed request sparked a stroke of inspiration that would snowball into a series of fly rods designed and built specific to the waters their namesake regions and locations nod toward. The first in the series - The North Woods Wanderer - came quick and easy. Inspired by the namesake north woods of New Hampshire, this fiberglass 3wt was thoughtfully designed and meticulously crafted for exceptional performance in the tight, tree covered brooks and streams of northern NH and Maine. At 7’0” long the North Woods Wanderer sneaks through the underbrush and old growth forests to deliver delicate dry fly presentations to hungry brookies. Geared with a light weight, modern s-glass composition, this rod was designed to flex deep into the butt section while still maintaining that classic, slow-action that fiberglass is known for. The name itself harkens to one of the most iconic New Hampshire fly fishing destinations - Pittsburg’s north woods. 

The aesthetics and design were pulled directly from an earlier custom build I had done for a well respected native New Hampshirite, guide, and glass blower; Joe Forrestall. Joe specializes in the north woods’ backcountry creeks and streams, specifically guiding anglers of all ages and abilities to the stunning native gems found in abundance throughout those waters. The original build I did for Joe was even lighter - a fiberglass 1wt that bends and flexes like a wet noodle. Wrapping such a rod was no easy feat, and was a true test of my abilities as a builder. Sporting a stunning brown blank, a stabilized burl reel seat, ultra-lightweight guides, and an agate stripping guide feature-piece, I knew this design would not be a one-and-done deal. What I did not know at the time is what that design would become. With positive reports from the field, and a rushed request still heavy on my mind, I began designing what would eventually become the North Woods Wanderer. Tapping into a small, domestic provider of fiberglass fly rod blanks, I explored my options to begin the build process. The same beautiful brown that had been used for Joe’s rod also came in a 3wt size, perfect - I thought - for playfully handling the different sizes of brook trout one comes across in the north woods rivers, from small parr to “large” 14 inchers. 

Vermont’s Hidden Gem - The Kingdom Keeper 5wt

With a light, agile blue-liner under my belt and out of the way, I moved on to designing an all-purpose rod that customers could order ready-to-go, off-the-shelf to cover a wide variety of water in a pinch while maintaining a unique, high quality, custom crafted look and feel. Having spent four years of college in the remote, sparsely populated, trout-rich region of the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) of Vermont, I knew exactly where my inspiration would come from. An all-purpose rod, inspired by and built for an all-water region. This rod would have to cover all the ground the region has to offer, from small brook trout streams with hungry native brookies to the wide, sweeping waters of the Passumpsic River, Lake Willoughby, and the iconic Clyde River.

A rod built for that much water couldn't lean on a single specialty. It needed to do a little bit of everything, and do all of it well. I landed on a 9'0" 5-weight, fast-action, graphite blank in a stunning pine green. Featuring a detailed, custom burled cork grip and a green burl reel seat that harkens to the pine-wood forests of the region, the guides are finished with unique, digi-camo style, sandy brown thread wraps that tie the design together as a nod to all the beautiful features across the unique landscape. While the North Woods Wanderer demanded a slow, forgiving flex to protect light tippet in tight quarters, the Kingdom Keeper needed something different - enough backbone to punch a nymph rig through the Willoughby winds or across the Clyde currents, with enough finesse to lay down a dry fly on the slow pools and pocket water surrounding Burke Mountain and out to the Moose River. This rod had to have enough ‘oomph’ to move a stubborn Passumpsic brown, with enough delicacy so as not to overpower the feisty brook trout found tucked away in the multitude of cold water streams speckled across the region. The name came as easily as the design and inspiration, derived directly from the namesake region. The NEK feels like an old secret, like a place time has forgotten. A place a friend has recommended, a place not often referenced in the guide books and missing from the spotlight of social media. The Kingdom Keeper is designed for those types of waters; those that are a secret kept close to the vest, known only to locals and the willing adventurers that explore a range of new waters, and need a daily-driver that can do the same. 

Commanding New Hampshire’s Current - The General

Having covered the far flung fisheries of the north, it was time to look closer to home, to the salty sea breeze that raised me. Here, as before, the inspiration came easy. Growing up with Portsmouth in my pocket, the heavy-handed tidal flows of the mighty Piscataqua were my early introduction to saltwater fisheries. With season after season of failed striper spawns in the Chesapeake Bay I knew the incoming age classes were going to be brutish. Factor in the notorious strength of the current out of the Great Bay and I knew avid saltwater anglers would need something heavy duty, something with a strong enough backbone to turn big bass away from submerged structure while battling in the heavy flow. A 9wt wouldn’t cut it, my customers needed something better, something stronger.

The need for that kind of power drove me to settle on a 10wt build. Stout, stern, and strong as an ox, this rod would need to be balanced in battle, able to lead fish away from obstacles and bring even the biggest to heel with confidence and courage. The design was simple, yet elegant. The inspiration and naming historically and locally informed by one of the most iconic features across the seacoast - the General Sullivan Bridge. Named after a revolutionary war officer from Washington’s continental army, the General Sullivan Bridge has been a stalwart guardian of the Piscataqua for decades, standing strong against the infamous currents that run beneath her. Connecting the NH mainland interior to the coastal towns of Newington and Portsmouth, the General Sullivan Bridge established a strong, reliable connection for early automobiles. The rod I would build to fish these waters would have to be as strong and dependable as the namesake location. The design would pay homage to the deep blue water that rushed beneath, with highlights and details that would compliment and harken to the namesake bridge. A strong, titanium chrome reel seat calls back to the structural steel girders that spanned from Dover Point to Newington, and the scarlet red trim bands pay compliment to the aged rust that has overtaken her through the years. The bridge itself may be past her prime, relegated to memories and museums. The General, however, carries on the legacy of strength against the elements, battling big bruisers in stiff, heavy current across the Piscataqua, bringing to heel the beastly generations of bass that patrol the waters across the NH seacoast. 

Our small batch rods are more than just ready-to-fish fly rods. They are custom crafted tools with deep, thoughtful, local inspiration, meticulous design, and careful crafting built to do the job you entrust them to. We have taken our time to create these tools to bring you far and wide, from seam to surf, stream to sea, for the Creek and Current. Who we are, where we have been, and what we love is integrated into every build. Made by our hands, made for your hands, we hope you enjoy using them as much as we have enjoyed building them.