STREAMSIDE - The Rifleman Viscount 150 Fly Reel

This past week an email showed up unexpectedly from Steamside Bespoke Engraving in New Zealand.  Nick Hensman introduced himself and explained that they had recently started a side business as passionate fly fisherman to compliment their jewelry company, The Rolling Mill, which is based in Wellington. 

This quickly had me checking out their website, following on Instagram, and sent a response with an invitation to share some of their recent and upcoming work on T.F.M.  We're going to start with their first fly reel project on a vintage Hardy Viscount 150 fly reel and hopefully there will be other stories to share in time.

Even after 17 years of writing T.F.M., I still get excited about these surprise emails from deep within the fly fishing industry.  Enjoy this story and images that Nick passed along...

Nick Hensman wrote...  "It was the first reel we decided to engrave as an example. We bought it second hand from a guy who was selling his friend's estate. His friend was a very keen fisherman so it worked out well that we put all the effort into this piece.

We wanted to mix traditional scroll engraving with a touch of New Zealand backcountry wildlife.  The 18ct Yellow Gold 'Rifleman/Tītitipounamu' are New Zealand's smallest bird and we always feel very lucky to actually see one.

The linework takes days of engraving and carving, done under magnification which certainly demands the need for a river walk at the end of the day!

The handle has been remade in 'Black Maire', a New Zealand hardwood which has come up beautifully.

The locking nut in the centre and drag tensioner have been replaced with handmade brass fittings.

All of this was completely hand engraved by Jan Bekker.

We are considering running an auction for the Viscount and donating a portion to a bird sanctuary here in New Zealand, though we are yet to decide.

We are very much a nature inspired company and have some exciting projects coming soon which we are happy to share in upcoming posts on The Fiberglass Manifesto."

Take a few minutes and visit the Streamside Bespoke Engraving website and follow on Instagram. 

Sex, Fly Fishing and 400 Horsepower

Let's ease into the week with a film story from Rolf Nylinder.  This is a follow-up to a film that I shared earlier in the month that you can watch in this T.F.M. post.



Visit the Rolf Nylinder website and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

I've Fallen a Little Behind on Book Reading...

On Saturday morning I cleaned my desk of mail and packages while noticing a couple different growing stacks of books that I have picked up or been sent over the past several months.  I've fallen behind on my book reading and have some screen-free evenings planned along with sharing excerpts and other content from a few of the books in this photograph.  I'm looking forward to it.

Not that I need anything else to read right now but is there a book that you'd recommend that is missing from the stack?  Send an email and let me know. 

TURTLEBOX - Introducing the GRANDE

Need more sound than your Turtlebox Gen 2 Speaker can push out?  Take a look at the just released Grande with 126 decibels of sound, two Class D digital amplifiers, 1.25" titanium tweeter, 10" woofer, and battery life that will last three days of continuous tunes.  This model can be paired with another Grande for left/right stereo or go into "Party Mode" to pair multiple Grande speakers for large spaces.

All of that packed in a waterproof, dust proof, and crush proof case.  It's no wonder the Grande weighs in at almost 19 pounds.

Press PLAY to let Will from Turtlebox unbox and explain all the features of the new Grande...



The only downside I see is the Grande can't be paired with a Gen 2 Speaker.  I can understand the reasons why but it would have been cool to go into "Party Mode" and link multiple Gen 2 Speakers to the Grande.

Check out the Grande on the Turtlebox website and place a pre-order now for mid-February delivery.

THE MISSION - Issue 49

Always free.  Always a stellar read.  Enjoy the latest issue of The Mission.  All 108 pages of it.

 CHECK IT.

TOM'S TIPS - How Does Rain Affect Fly Fishing?

I have fallen behind on sharing the "Tom's Tips" instructional videos and in the meantime, Orvis has put a few new ones together that are worth a watch. 



See more on the Orvis YouTube channel and check out the latest gear on the Orvis website.

SKWALA - Introducing the RS Outpost Jacket

On my visit to the Bozeman headquarters of Skwala in the fall of 2023 (T.F.M. post), Kevin Sloan and Rich Hohne walked me through and discussed feature by feature their upcoming technical apparel releases over the next year or so with the last being the RS Outpost Jacket.   

This jacket is thoroughly insulated and highly waterproof designed for cold and wet weather featuring a four-way stretch exterior shell with taped seams covering 150 grams of insulation.  The RS Outpost Jacket was designed to match perfectly with the RS Waders with jacket pass-through pockets that line up with the wader warming pockets. 

There is a lot more technical talk on the RS Outpost Jacket on the Skwala website that is worth diving into if you're in need of a jacket for on the water to stay warm and dry this winter. 

And, don't just take my word for it, press PLAY to hear what Pierce Oja of Wet Net Outfitters and Cameron Davenport of Eleven Angling have to say about it after field testing...

Visit the Skwala website and be sure to follow along on Facebook and Instagram for the latest shop news, special events, and more.