Russ Peak
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He was supposed to be one of the best at fiberglass.
The book in question was published in 1962, most gentlemen fly fishers were possibly still using bamboo?
The way I see it fiberglass was the new wonder material, and Russ Peak was building them This timeline with graphite still off on the horizon, possibly Boron was making inroads in the mid 60's to 70's?
Anyone fish thru this period or have a father that did?
Met Russ Peak at an FFF Conclave in Steamboat Springs sometime in the 80s. Actually met him at the casting pond. He graciously let me cast several of the rods that he had brung. They were very smooth. Very fishable rods at a time when hyper crisp rods were all the rage.
In addition to building great rods he impressed me as being one of the old school gentlemen fly fishermen.
In addition to building great rods he impressed me as being one of the old school gentlemen fly fishermen.
Some consider Russ the first.
I have no idea who was the first, I'm not a FG rod designer historian. I do know that there are a few of those, him included, from back in the day whose tapers are still considered top notch today.
OP, I see you posted up over on the Fiberglass forum, good call. Some folks over there who are historians of rod design.
OP, I see you posted up over on the Fiberglass forum, good call. Some folks over there who are historians of rod design.
Russ Peak, Vince Cummings and others were some of the early masters of fiberglass fly rod design. Another one that comes to mind is Jimmy Green (yes that one) who mastered the art of ferrule design for completing the package, if you will. Larry Kenney brought his knowledge of fiberglass composition to the original Scott Fly Rod company and developed some great fiberglass rods. I believe Larry has recently retired from designing & building to just fishing now. Wonderful guy.
Can’t forget the recently semi-retired Steffen Brothers either. A great source of Fiberglass rod development is Ernest Schwiebert’s book(s) “Trout” if you can, 1. Find it and 2. Lift it. Deep dive down the rabbit hole of Flyfishing.
Can’t forget the recently semi-retired Steffen Brothers either. A great source of Fiberglass rod development is Ernest Schwiebert’s book(s) “Trout” if you can, 1. Find it and 2. Lift it. Deep dive down the rabbit hole of Flyfishing.
Might be noteworthy to mention that Kerry Burkheimer apprenticed with Russ.
When Russ passed, Kerry acquired (some or all, I don't know) his inventory. He can build you a rod on one of Russ's blanks or he could in the past.
Fortunate for me, I have one of Russ's builds and one of Kerry's on a Peak blank.
When Russ passed, Kerry acquired (some or all, I don't know) his inventory. He can build you a rod on one of Russ's blanks or he could in the past.
Fortunate for me, I have one of Russ's builds and one of Kerry's on a Peak blank.
interesting stuff. Could l convince you to post a few pictures of their work?
All I remember from my childhood book was a single picture of a 4 piece Russ Peak rod next to its aluminum tube with label.
$2100 for a new computer set (Windows 11) up and I'm having nightmares trying to get it to work properly.
Think I was better off with my Windows 7. Not a lot of "upgrades or service" but everything woked!
I found a couple pictures of the Peak blank built out by Burkheimer that I had. It was very well finished.
I’ll just add that Kerry was very close friends with Tom Morgan, and rolled at least some of Tom’s blanks, including fiberglass. I broke the tip on a 2 piece 7wt fiberglass (Unity rod), after Tom passed. Eventually I reached out to Kerry for advice. He asked for the rod, which I shipped, and he built a new tip section that matches perfectly. In homage to Tom. Thanks Kerry!!!
I used to live about a mile and a half from his shop on Allen Avenue in Pasadena. It was open to the public on Fridays, 1 to 5, and Saturdays 8 to 12. He usually had a 2 to 3 year wait for his rods. He was a very friendly soul and would happily explain the design of his blanks and the effect of said design on their casting. Often we would take an armload of his rods the 3 1/2 blocks over to the reflecting pool in front of Pasadena City College and test the rods on its water. The pool was narrow and long, so you had to cast lengthwise from the end - one end butted up against the college library steps, so there was no room for a back cast, the other end the sidewalk and then Colorado boulevard. You had to be careful on your timing. We used hookless flies, so we never snagged anything, but i can't say we never wrapped a line around a car antenna or two as they drove past.
Often, when I really liked the characteristics of a rod, (they were all good) he would say " do you want to buy it? It's for a doctor in Maryland, he's already been waiting for two years, he can wait for another." I don't think I ever refused his offer. I bought 11 of his rods, but only have 9, having given two to my girlfriends. I dated smart girls...they dumped me, but insisted on keeping their rods that Russ had put their names on.
Two of the rods are boron, the rest graphite. The first I bought in May of '81 for $265, the last in February of '92 for $340. I also bought one of his rods off of eBay, much larger than my others, after moving to the PNW. I also found one of his glass spinning rods at a garage sale in Pasadena for $25.
His shop was a happening place in the fly fishing world. Often Dave Whitlock or Lefty Kreh would stop by his shop. Russ did all the work himself, except winding the guides on. For this he preferred hiring asian girls from the college.
One day he asked me to come to the back of the shop, a small area with an array of sunlights where he resined the rods. I was stunned when he asked me if I would apprentice under him. Stunned. Amazingly, I didn't have to think about my response. I declined his offer, explaining that fly fishing was my escape hatch from the world, and i was afraid that if it turned into a business I would lose my ability to escape. He was gracious and I am sure he understood.
I never bought any newer fly rods, actually have never even tried others. I am perfectly happy fishing the 40 year old rods that Russ made.
Often, when I really liked the characteristics of a rod, (they were all good) he would say " do you want to buy it? It's for a doctor in Maryland, he's already been waiting for two years, he can wait for another." I don't think I ever refused his offer. I bought 11 of his rods, but only have 9, having given two to my girlfriends. I dated smart girls...they dumped me, but insisted on keeping their rods that Russ had put their names on.
Two of the rods are boron, the rest graphite. The first I bought in May of '81 for $265, the last in February of '92 for $340. I also bought one of his rods off of eBay, much larger than my others, after moving to the PNW. I also found one of his glass spinning rods at a garage sale in Pasadena for $25.
His shop was a happening place in the fly fishing world. Often Dave Whitlock or Lefty Kreh would stop by his shop. Russ did all the work himself, except winding the guides on. For this he preferred hiring asian girls from the college.
One day he asked me to come to the back of the shop, a small area with an array of sunlights where he resined the rods. I was stunned when he asked me if I would apprentice under him. Stunned. Amazingly, I didn't have to think about my response. I declined his offer, explaining that fly fishing was my escape hatch from the world, and i was afraid that if it turned into a business I would lose my ability to escape. He was gracious and I am sure he understood.
I never bought any newer fly rods, actually have never even tried others. I am perfectly happy fishing the 40 year old rods that Russ made.
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Before I met and bought Peak's rods i used Fenwick's. Their factory / shop was somewhere in Orange County (Huntington Beach?) and I had multiple spinning / flyfishing / backpacking rods of theirs. They had a good reputation at the time, great warranty work.
I will try and post some pics of Peak's rods when it stops raining. The finish work on his rods is divine. I often had people comment on their appearance, which led to them questioning their origin. Few who inquired had heard of him. Not surprising to me, most of the people who knew of him were fishing in Montana.
I will try and post some pics of Peak's rods when it stops raining. The finish work on his rods is divine. I often had people comment on their appearance, which led to them questioning their origin. Few who inquired had heard of him. Not surprising to me, most of the people who knew of him were fishing in Montana.