Derek McKenzie
Featuring custom crafted freshwater fly rods, saltwater fly rods and Switch Fly Rods for the discerning fly angler. Match these with our line of fly reels and fly fishing accessories and you have a winning combination of quality, performance and value. If you take your fly fishing seriously, you have come to the right place.
Phil O'Brien - Mittagong NSW - Talks about his Great Bay Winding Brook 764 4wt. fly rod
Try before you buy.
This was too good an opportunity to miss when I started my search for a 4
wt. fly rod. The quest was to locate
a short rod that was not only accurate but at the same time had the ability cast
a reasonable distance when required.
Phil Caltabiano - Melbourne VIC - Talks about his Great Bay WB 763 and Our Service
I bought a rod through Derek McKenzie Fly Fishing Outfitters for last year's Forum Gathering and I have been very impressed with the rod. I bought the Winding Brook 7'6" 3 wt. and have just fallen in love with the rod. I am convinced this rod makes me a better fisherman. While fishing over Christmas, I broke the rod tip and was not too pleased at the time. it was my fault all the way. I contacted Steve Hoagland at Derek McKenzie and I received a reply within hours. He was just as keen to get me back on the rivers as I was. I don't often find the level of service that has been provided by Steve and I felt the need to share with fellow fly fisherman who might be able to benefit from this service. So thank you to Steve and Derek Mckenzie Fly Fishing who had me back on my local rivers and fishing within days of making contact. One very happy customer
Nate Wakefield - Canberra ACT - Talks about his Great Bay MSR 804 5wt. fly rod
I'm very pleased with my new rod and it "feels" well made. It's had three good trials so far all on the Thredbo and I've had some decent results. I can cast from the bank easier, especially from over bushes and branches, than would have been possible with my former rod. My casting style still isn't even close to 'correct' but the rod responds well and I find I can fully extend the leader and fly a lot easier whereas before, I would often end up with line piled in a heap on the water, I can actually also roll cast with this rod, which had always been a mystery in the past! I like the finish and the colour, and it even had a "new smell" it arrived. Overall, it plays fish beautifully, and once hooked i haven't lost a fish due to broken tippet as I probably would have with my old stiff rod which didn't soften much impact at all. I actually picked up my best trout to date on Monday, a 52cm rainbow on a dry humpy. Thank again for your great service.
Nathon Dalton - Oakland Park SA - Talks about his Great Bay PTA 904 8wt. fly rod
They long anticipated arrival has come. I was really wowed! This is a stunning rod, and I'm really impressed by the packaging and workmanship on the handle and custom logo. A 10/10 for a rod that honestly looks more impressive than any GLX Loomis or Sage rod I've seen. I was actually looking at some GLX's a few weeks ago, and I couldn't believe how classy the GBR looks. I'm a fan for life. I couldn't wait til the weekend, so I went to a near by park to give my new rod a cast just before sunset. The obvious clear punching power is what first struck me. I would by no means regard myself as a pro, but with the knowledge and feel I do have, I was really impressed. My first cast...three false casts... shoot the line... and bamb, had a 90 foot cast that was pretty spot on where I wanted it. I really hope the company explodes with this superior looking product. Thank you for going the distance with the extras and all your help choosing and designing my own personal fly rod.
Matt Simmons - Castle Hill NSW - Talks about his Great Bay MSR 904 6wt. fly rod
Now about the new rod, which in a word is just excellent! The first day I took it out, a vicious cold front had just blown through the previous night and when I arrived the next morning, I was greeted by sleet and a 40 knot "breeze". It amazed me how far out I could punch casts in these conditions. Also, the line control of this rod was something that I really really was impressed with. This is perhaps the single best feature of this rod and is a huge asset in these rough conditions. The finish of the rod is really good too. I also had no trouble casting small dry flies either and most perhaps most importantly, it handled a 2kg trout with ease. Thanks for all your help, Steve. Much appreciated.
Neil Grose - Tasmania - Talks about his Great Bay Northeast 704 3 6wt. fibreglass fly rod
As some of you many know or have read along the way, Neil Grose did a review of this fly rod in both the Tasmanian Sportsfisher and FlyLife magazines a while back. As he said in the review..."it's been a long time since I cast a fibreglass fly rod. However after casting with a SFT Northeast series rod they will be getting a trundle a lot more often. This rod as you would expect is big on short line delicacy and finesse – perfect for small to medium streams. It has enough power to handle bulky dries like hoppers and weighty flies like small bead head nymphs, but its true beauty is the small dry upstream presentation." Now what you might not know is that after reviewing this rod and taking it out on the water, Neil ended up buying it to add to his small stream arsenal. That, for us, was the best review of all.
Colin Hall - Wamboin NSW - Talks about his Great Bay MSR 804-4wt. fly rod
I spent a bit of time on the weekend casting with the new MSR. It is quite a remarkable rod and easily added 15-20 feet to my standard 3wt casting stroke. I love this rod already and am now itching to get into some proper fishing. Slight tactical error buying this rod at this time of the year with closed rivers and is now a really big tease! I'm thinking of giving this rod and reel and little try on the whiting and bream in a small south coast estuary I fish and thanks for letting me know that the Series 1 reel is fine in the salt. I am also mega impressed with the furled leader as it really does turn over well and it turns quite bushy dries over well too. The rod performs as good or better than it looks, which is saying something special. I am really looking forward to hooking some fish with this rod as it just has such a great 'feel'. Thanks again for all of your assistance and advice. Looking forward to catching up with you sometime soon.
Derek McKenzie Outdoors | Box Hill South Melbourne Australia | Mobile (61)414.403.687
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