We’re heading down to Puyallup for the weekend, excited about what we’ve packed! Fetha Styx will occupy booth 763 at the 2012 Washington Sportsmen’s Show from Wednesday through Sunday.

We have our brand new Pacific Northwest-inspired Chrome series fishing rods — that you named — with us, as well as our Homewater series and some super show-only specials. Yippee!

The Washington Sportsmen’s Show runs from today (January 25) through Sunday (January 29) at the Puyallup Fair and Events Center.

The show is open from noon-8pm Wed-Fri, 10am-8pm Saturday and 10am-4pm Sunday. Entrance fees are $12 for adults, $5 for juniors (6-16) and free for those under five. The Outdoor Line offers a $2 off coupon to the show here.

Make sure to come introduce yourself and get a first glimpse at our brand new Chrome rods! Hope to see you there!

After a lot of internal debate over all the incredible submissions (There are some very creative people in the Fetha Styx family), we decided on one name:

CHROME

We feel it represents us and our Pacific Northwest anglers the best.  We’d like to thank everyone for submitting and participating in this fun contest, it was a blast for us!

This is my kind of rod! Not only is it pink in so many different places, but Nick Frye with Fetha Styx rod company did an amazing job in their custom shop to build this rod with me in mind. When I first read reviews on Fetha Styx rods, I knew this was going to be my next rod. I checked out their custom shop and when I saw the work that they do, I had to have one for myself. I wasn’t thinking too over-the-top, maybe just some colored wraps with my name on it, but when I got to their shop to pick out my specs, I felt like I was in the Toys-R-Us for fishermen.

They had so many options to choose from and had so many great ideas themselves that it made it a great experience! Both Bill Boyce and Nick were there to answer all my questions and help me create this masterpeice. But the creation didn’t stop when I left the shop: they would update me as new parts came in and as they thought of more ideas. It was great to see that they were constantly thinking of my rod and for me to be able to be a part of the entire process.

I ended up with a 10’6″, 8-12 lb rainshadow casting blank. When I initially picked out my blank, I was torn between a 10-20 lb because I wanted this rod for salmon, and the 8-12 lb blank. The 8-12 lb was exactly what I was looking for in a sense that it had an incredible backbone, but the taper and tip of the rod were ultra-sensative and I knew it was also going to be great for the fish on the smaller end.

I also had the option of choosing how many guides I wanted, what type of guides to add, and where I wanted them placed. I was trying to keep it simple so I stuck with the original number of guides and placement, but ended up with double-footed guides through the first half and single-footed guides at the tip for a sleeker look and less weight at the top.

When choosing the colors to wrap the rod with, the options were absolutely endless and Nick wrapped a few different options for me so I could see what the final look would be. I got a carbon fiber butt in a dark grey and pink, marbled reel seat. This reel seat wasn’t designed for the rod I chose, but they even custom altered this so that I could have this on my rod. The thing that amazed me the most was that they actually sized the end of the rod to fit my arm and where I hold the rod when fighting fish. I had no idea it could get THAT custom! It’s about 3″ shorter than the original size so I don’t have the extra weight or length of the butt in my way.

I couldn’t wait to get this rod on the water and get into some fish so I could see how this beautiful masterpeice handled. I was steelheading on the coast and originally had it rigged for drift fishing. I couldn’t believe all that I could feel through this rod. It truly was amazing the sensitivity it had. I felt every little tick and bump including the tiny little trout that decided to test my bait. Float fishing is really my specialty and what I had in mind when designing this rod, but I wanted to really be able to feel the sensitivity.

I switched my reels, put on my braid, and rigged up my float gear. I instantly saw how much that extra few inches off the back and the lighter tip was so important. The last thing I want when float fishing is a heavy, top heavy rod that makes my arm tired of mending after about five minutes. The entire day that I fished this rod, my arm felt no pressure while fishing and this rod was virtually weightless, but it was still long enough to make my mends smooth.

It was a slow morning, so I was elated to watch my float go under and get to put this baby to the test. I quickly set and instantly felt the throb of the steelhead. Now this was no trout and I wasn’t exactly in the best spot to land a fish. I had to do some maneuvering and walking down river in order to land this fish. The action on this rod was unbelievable! As I tried to steer this fish down river and handle it while it took its screaming runs, I could feel every move the fish made and was able to muscle it to me.

I was astonished that Fetha Styx was able to create a rod that looked like this, was built just with me in mind, and yet was obviously created to handle fish. There was no doubt in my mind that the most important thing to Fetha Styx was to make sure this rod was going to handle well.

This is my first Fetha Styx and it will not be my last. From their amazing customer service, to the tiny details that they paid attention to, and to the most amazing rod I’ve ever fished, Fetha Styx blew me away. This rod truly is an all-in-one package and Fetha Styx took pride in every little step.

Visit the Fetha Styx Custom Rod shop for more information on our custom fishing rods.

Well, it has been a while since my last blog and report — sorry about that, but we have just been fishing everyday as the weather, the fish, and river conditions have created the perfect storm of steelhead catching! We can’t miss a day as you never know when it will change. You can always “like” our Facebook page for more information also.

Right now, the weather is chilly in the mornings, but warming up and sunny in the afternoons and the fishing and river pressure are great as well! We have been spending most of our days floating the Wenatchee River in our raft with an occasional day or two on the Methow River also, as both are fishing very well as we are averaging four to eight fish a day.

We are using mostly jigs right now in blacks and pinks and some oranges under a bobber (or float for some of you guys) to get some bright nice fish that are hanging out for the catching. We have many days open if you are interested in catching some of these prized fish and also we have gift certificates available on our website for all of your Christmas shopping needs! Lets go fish!

Brad Wagner
Bobber Down Guide Service
509 670 3095
email Brad

Originally published on Brad’s Fish Wenatchee blog — check it out for his latest updates.

We need your help naming our upcoming 2012 fishing rod line.

These rods are specifically designed for the Pacific Northwest angler with a focus on salmon and steelhead. There will be 14 models of rods in this line, including a couple of fly rods. These will be entry-level rods assembled in Washington and will be well built, performance rods for the everyday angler.

With that said, we’ll give the first rod off the factory floor of your choice — Fishing Rod Serial Number #0001 — to the person who comes up with the name we like the most.

Use the form to enter your email address and name idea below. Enter by January 1st and we’ll pick a winner by January 5th, 2012, so stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates and winners.

Entries are closed.

I’m Baaaaaaaacck…! I just arrived back home on 11/1/11 from my month-long guiding adventure at Heller Bar, WA on the Snake River. I was able to guide 27 of those 30 days with some great people on my boat. The scenery was epic and the weather, except for three rainy days, was fabulous. Summer-run steelhead were the fish of choice, but we caught many Chinook adults and jacks, plus catfish, squaw fish, white fish, sturgeon, bass, and suckers — all side-drifting good eggs. The Snake is a very healthy river system to say the least.

If you missed this fishery in 2011, not to worry: I am already working on my 2012 season on the Snake River at Heller Bar, WA. I will start around 9/15/2012 and finish up around 10/10/2012. I would recommend two days on the water, if at all possible. This year was wall tent central and I’m looking to rent a house next year. If nothing is available, I will run my trips through the Red Lion in Lewiston, ID which is 45 minutes from the boat launch and is surrounded by restaurants and stores for your convenience. Otherwise, you’re more than welcome to camp out at Heller Bar right at the mouth of the Grande Ronde River with me. Fish, big horn sheep, turkeys, chukar, deer, fires, glo corkies and spinners from the bank, drinks, and that day’s fish stories are all a part of the Heller Bar experience.

I was looking over my fish log for the month of October and my boat landed over 250 steelhead, not including king salmon and jacks! You can expect double-digit fish days on this river. We did have a couple of slower days where we caught 5-8 steelhead and kings. But, again, only a couple of slow days. The water was at a 20-year high for that time of year, which definitely changed the fish holding locations a bit … it took me a day to re-figure it out. But after that day it was on. Our best days were 25-30 hook-ups on salmon and steelhead — NO joke! Below are some of the fish that we caught. FYI those un-clipped fish (you will see in the pictures below) are legal to pull out of the Water with an Idaho fishing license. Get a hold of me with any questions regarding my favorite Jet Sled steelhead fishery, hands down!

I am now booking winter-run steelhead trips on the Cowlitz, Skykomish and Snoqualmie Rivers starting 11/29/11 through 12/30/11. Get your date before you’re too late! Fish ON! and see you on the water.

Bonner’s FishON! Guide Service
Website bonnerfishon.com
Cell 425-281-8772
Email bonnerdaniels@live.com

Also, don’t forget to check out Steelhead University’s fishing report as I put up a fresh weekly report there, you can go directly there through the links section on my website’s home page. Mention Salmon/Steelhead University and take 10% off of your next fully guided trip from now through December!

Well, with the first frost of the year here, and some high water in our river systems, don’t be afraid to move around to find some chrome coho in our local rivers. We have been on the Snohomish River System and will continue to be there as we are having one of the better seasons in a long time with limits of coho the norm. Chum are also definitely showing up in our catches (must be released) as well….

Last year we got our first winter-run steelhead Nov 15 so it’s a very fun time of year to be out on the river. If you want to get out in a heated boat, give a call. Prime dates still available.

Todd
Tall Tails Guide Service
(206) 437-8766
email

Originally published on Steelhead University’s weekly fishing reports.

I was very excited to make it down to the Bass Pro Shops in Nashville, TN last weekend. I went primarily for Culprit Lures, but took along my two Fetha Styx Homewater rods. After each demo, I was able to let customers hold them for themselves and they were amazed by both the light weight and feel of the rods; many people also seemed to have a lot of good questions about the rods and where they could be found and purchased. Beforehand , I got to get a little fishing in at Watts Bar and caught all my fish on topwater baits with a 7′ 2” MH Fetha Styx Homewater Bass rod. The fall bite is at its peak here in East Tennessee and I cannot wait to get back out and put more fish in the boat with my Fetha Styx rods!

Andy Montgomery talks Fall Dock Fishing with Wired2Fish.