We’ve spent years building custom fly rods and developing our own fly rod blanks to cover a variety of fishing styles, conditions, and environments—and from that development came three distinct models ready to fish anything from saltwater to high alpine lakes.
To give you a better idea of the differences between the Craig, Dearborn, and Warm Springs, we’ve broken down their individual strengths below.
A Fly Rod Built for Trailblazing
We take pride in building beautiful fly rods. Between the gorgeous wooden reel seat, a blank finished in a metal-flake copper-colored varnish, and gold-highlighted, root-beer wraps, the Craig is a real eye-catcher. It reminds us of the warm canyon tones just downstream of its namesake fly fishing access in Craig, Montana.
Like all of our rods, the Craig comes in an adventure-ready Cordura rod/reel case and it’s the only rod we decided to offer exclusively as a 4-piece. That’s because this fly rod was designed with travel in mind—specifically the sort of travel that takes you into high mountain basins with the rising sun or down into bug-infested, snarled creek bottoms, well off the beaten track. Whether you’re day-hiking or backpacking, the Craig’s lightweight design keeps the added ounces from your fishing gear to a blessed minimum. (If you want a truly backpacking-ready outfit, combine it with our ultra-durable, ultra-light Lite 406 Reel. Yes, we’re shameless.)
We also wanted the Craig to capture the feel of that classic dry fly cast. If you’re a new fly fisherman, the Craig’s smooth, medium action will make it easier to feel the rod loading in your hand—and you’ll be a better caster for it. That said, don’t be fooled by the medium action. There’s a tendency to make “fast-action” synonymous with “high-performance” in this modern day and age, but a faster action isn’t objectively better. If you’re an experienced fly fisherman, you’ll get incredible accuracy from the Craig, allowing you to lay a fly on the surface of the water soft as a leaf fluttering down from a tree. The medium action also suites itself to lighter nymphs and is a blast to fight fish on.
Given the above, this rod isn’t our first choice for heavy streamers or sink-tip lines and (by extension) most saltwater outings—but worry not. We’ve got a rod for that too.
If a Fly Rod Could Launch Rockets…
…then this would be the one for the job. The Dearborn Fly Rod is named after another famous fishing access site on the Missouri River. It comes with the same Cordura Rod/Reel case as the Craig, featuring a Montana Casting Co. logo patch on the pocket and the Montana Casting Co. name embroidered on the side. (Trust us—it’s snazzy.)
This fly rod has a fast action. In fact, it’s our fastest action model, designed to be a two-line rod. If you purchased a 5wt Dearborn, for instance, you could overline it with a 6wt line to get that extra oomph for throwing heavy flies or casting through the wind. In a similar vein, you’ll find this powerhouse handles streamers and sink tip lines like a dream.
Of course, the fast action of this rod also makes it our go-to for fishing in the salt—and we took extra measures to make the Dearborn ready for the harsh conditions on the flats. A carbon fiber reel seat (that matches the classy, woven carbon-fiber of the rod itself) provides corrosion-resistance. Paired with our Elite 406 Reel, which is designed to hold an extra hundred yards of backing, you’ll have a rig more than capable of tackling any bonefish, permit, or tarpon you might encounter.
The Dearborn is an extremely high-performance fly rod. To allow you to experience this performance to the fullest, we offer a 2-piece version in addition to a travel-ready 4-piece.
Our Flagship Fly Rod (For a Reason)
The Warm Springs is named after a beautiful fishing access site on the lower Madison River. It comes with all the bells and whistles of our other fly rods, including that Cordura case, but what truly sets it apart is its versatility.
We spent months of the design process agonizing over its medium-fast action until we landed on something that’s got the subtlety to land accurate, light dry fly presentations and the power to chuck big streamers in heavy wind. Bottom line? This rod is a pleasure to fish with, no matter the conditions.
A 4-Piece Warm Springs Fly Rod
It’s also a showstopper on the river. We told you before that we’re proud to be manufacturers of beautiful fly rods. Well, we’re especially proud of this one. With all the highest quality finishes you could hope for, this rod comes alive in the sunlight, revealing a multitude of shifting blue hues reminiscent of the ever-changing tones of a river. Making fly rods, as with fly fishing itself, is an art.
Pair the Warm Springs with one of our Envy Reels, and you’ll have a western river combo ready to take on any fish or condition you’ll find here in Montana. To tap into the full extent of this rod’s performance, we encourage fishing with a 2-piece version, but we also offer it as a 4-piece for traveling convenience.
(Psst… If you’re trying to figure out whether you should purchase a 2-piece or 4-piece fly rod, you can read our blog, 2-Piece & 4-Piece Flt Rods: Which is Best, or give us a call at 406-285-1452.)
What Sets Montana Casting Co. Apart?
When we set out to design a fly rod, we begin with the way we want it to feel in the hand and build out from there. We put the prototype through the wringer: we fish it, bend it, break it—enough that we can experience firsthand the strengths and limitations of a given design. Once we’ve perfected the performance, we perfect the finishes—ensuring it’s both a durable and beautiful tribute to the sport that inspired it.
We’re not going to stand here and claim that we’ve got a monopoly on passion. There are other fly rod manufacturers and custom rod builders out there who love the art of fly fishing just as much as we do. But not all of them center that passion in every aspect of their business and their rods.
We put so much care into those shifting hues of the Warm Springs’ finish because we wanted you to connect with the soul at the heart of fly fishing each time you held it. We named our models after fishing access sites as a reminder of the places (and the people) that inspired us to build Montana Casting Co. in the first place. (Is that corny? Perhaps. But it’s also true.) We’re proud of our rods. They’re beautiful. They’re a joy to fish with. They compete with the best on the market—and we’re not afraid to say so.
We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee to ensure you only spend money on a rod that’s right for you. We supply one of the best warranties on the market to protect the investment you make in that rod. (The Montana Handshake is our ol’ fashioned, western promise: be honest with us about how you broke your rod and we’ll replace it—regardless of how it happened.) When you make a purchase, big or small, you’ll get a call from us to double-check that we’re getting your order correct and to share a fishing story or two—because we’re not just here to sell you a fly rod. We’re out there with you, fishing the same rivers, lakes, and saltwater flats, living for the moments when the world fades to nothing but a fly rod and a silver flash of scales.
Hero Banner Photo Credit: Tony Bynum
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