WFS 161 – Tom Morgan Rodsmiths with Joel Doub and Matt Barber – Rod Building Tips, Winston, Quality Craftsmanship

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/161

I sat down with Matt Barber and Joel Doub with Tom Morgan Rodsmiths.  We hear about the Tom Morgan story and how after selling Winston, Tom started Tom Morgan Rodsmiths after being diagnosed with MS.

We also hear about how Matt and Joel gave up their day jobs to purchase Tom Morgan and move to Bozeman Montana.  Lot’s of good stuff in this one including some great rod building tips from the finest fly rod craftsman in the business.

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Show Notes with Tom Morgan Rodsmiths

– George Daniel was on the podcast in episode 55 and talked about the benefit of Tenkara including why he thinks it’s the best rod for kids starting out.

– Patagonia had a line of Tenkara and we talked about it on the show with this guest.

– Here is the 7 wt rod from Tom Morgan and is the heaviest rod they have right now.  They did talk about adding a new rod to the line that might be in the trout spey realm.

– Tom purchased Winston in 1971 when Tom Morgan had no rod building background.  Here’s a little more history on the Winston story.

– Here’s the link to the ESPN article that told more of the Tom Morgan story.

– Matt and Joel put on rod building classes in Bozeman and you can stop by the shop anytime to see the guys.  You can find the schedule here.

– A great article on finding the spline by Thomas and Thomas and Here’s my video on finding the spline.

– Mike Mccoy at Snake Brand has a guide to finding the guide spacing on a rod.

– The Mountain and Prairie Podcast is one of Matt’s favorites podcasts.

– I note how Joel sounds just like Oliver White who was on the podcast in episode 69.

– Bozeman Rod Builders Guild or the fly rod forum.  Matt also notes to find a local builder who you can connect with.

You can find the Matt and Joel at Tom Morgan Rodsmiths.

 

Conclusion with Tom Morgan Rodsmiths

I had a great chat with Matt Barber and Joel Doub who own Tom Morgan Rodsmiths and describe how they do what they do.  We hear the story of how Tom Morgan created one of the highest quality fly rod companies in the country.