John Nagy uses this rod exclusively on his Lake Erie tributary steelhead guide trips. It is the ultimate tool for dead-drifting steelhead fly patterns (with or without an indicator) such as egg flies, bead-head nymphs, soft hackles and wooly buggers. Many of his guide trip customers, after fishing this incredible fly rod all day, end up ordering one!
It can easily play a big steelhead on lighter tippets (steelhead over 15 pounds have been played and landed on it), has tremendous fly line and leader control due to it's great length and casts split-shot, weighted flies, indicators, etc. very smoothly due to it's soft action.
The soft action also allows for wide casting loops (versus faster fly rod blanks which cast tighter loops) resulting in less tangles of tandem fly and indicator rigging. The added length allows for pressure to be added at largely different angles when playing a steelhead. This keeps a steelhead off balance and reduces total playing and landing time.
On Stream Reviews of John Nagy's
Noodle Fly Rod:
"The design of John Nagy's noodle fly rod is well thought out with great workmanship. The action of this custom fly rod provides an unparallel ability to protect the lightest of tippets and at the same time have enough back bone for fly casting. The 5 inch fighting butt also adds increased leverage in playing those chrome sticks of dynamite. I am so pleased with this fly rod that I have packed away my high-end production rod (at twice the cost) in favor of the noodle fly rod!"
Tony DiBenedetto, Jr. of Youngstown, Ohio
"It is so easy to cast even with weighted flies, split-shot and a float if needed. I have very little trouble casting this rod even in wind gusts up to 35 mph. This rod roll casts with very little effort. Its 10 1/2 foot length makes it so nice to make on the water mends with ease. The best thing about this rod is its soft action and your percentage of busted off fish with lighter tippets will really drop. My biggest steelhead taken on this rod was 15 lbs. on 5X tippet. Anyone serious about tributary fishing for Lake Erie steelhead should have this rod in his or her arsenal."
"It is so easy to cast even with weighted flies, split-shot and a float if needed. I have very little trouble casting this rod even in wind gusts up to 35 mph. This rod roll casts with very little effort. Its 10 1/2 foot length makes it so nice to make on the water mends with ease. The best thing about this rod is its soft action and your percentage of busted off fish with lighter tippets will really drop. My biggest steelhead taken on this rod was 15 lbs. on 5X tippet. Anyone serious about tributary fishing for Lake Erie steelhead should have this rod in his or her arsenal."
Joe Ciavaglia of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
"I was very impressed with every aspect of John Nagy's noodle fly rod. I was able to get a drag-free drift with little effort, feel every little bump on the drift and could easy tell if I was in the strike zone. Also I was able to roll cast with little effort and the fish fighting abilities of the rod were outstanding. For you guys fishing with production rods and are serious about Lake Erie steelhead fishing you have to get one on John Nagy's custom steelhead rods!"
"I was very impressed with every aspect of John Nagy's noodle fly rod. I was able to get a drag-free drift with little effort, feel every little bump on the drift and could easy tell if I was in the strike zone. Also I was able to roll cast with little effort and the fish fighting abilities of the rod were outstanding. For you guys fishing with production rods and are serious about Lake Erie steelhead fishing you have to get one on John Nagy's custom steelhead rods!"
William Cober
"The soft action of John Nagy's noodle fly rod enabled me to down-size my tippets and increase my hookups and land many larger steelhead without break-offs."
"The soft action of John Nagy's noodle fly rod enabled me to down-size my tippets and increase my hookups and land many larger steelhead without break-offs."
Walt Schaffer of Willoughby Hills, Ohio
"John Nagy's noodle fly rod is ideal for dead-drifting flies on light tippets in the cold winter flows of the Lake Erie tributaries. Its 10 1/2 foot length allows me to reach out over tricky currents, precisely present my flies and achieve long, drag-free presentations. The capability to interchange fighting butts is also a nice feature."
"John Nagy's noodle fly rod is ideal for dead-drifting flies on light tippets in the cold winter flows of the Lake Erie tributaries. Its 10 1/2 foot length allows me to reach out over tricky currents, precisely present my flies and achieve long, drag-free presentations. The capability to interchange fighting butts is also a nice feature."
Joe Morgan of Hamburg, New York
"Forgiving, rewarding, fun to use are just a few words to describe the custom built John Nagy noodle fly rod. The length allows me to keep the line off the water while high-sticking favorite steelhead runs. The rod's action is great when using finer tippets resulting in minimal breakage. Landing big steelies is a breeze. It also looks great!"
Dan Houk of Steubenville, Ohio
"I found John Nagy's noodle fly rod to be everything I had hoped for in a steelhead rod. It's high-stick nymphing, mending and fighting abilities were awesome. I highly recommend this fly rod for the chrome chaser!"
John Kikel of Finleyville, Pennsylvania
"John Nagy's custom made "Noodle Fly Rod" was the ticket for chromer steelhead and fresh run salmon last October on the Salmon River in Altmar. I was able to control huge fish on a light tippet which made for some great fly fishing. It's the perfect tool for bottom bouncing and indicator techniques and is very forgiving during that first insane run the fish normally make!"
Jeff Tucker of Gorham, Maine
Custom made "noodle" fly rod by John Nagy
The rod is custom made from a 10 1/2 foot St. Croix, Wild River Salmon & Steelhead noodle rod blank (black satin finish, SC II mid-modulus graphite). It has ultra-light power with a slow action, is 2-6 lb. monofilament line rated but can handle tippets up to 9 lb. when needed.
The fly rod is assembled with quality Pac Bay components and has 3 stripper guides (single foot with black chrome frames and Hialoy rings), over-size snake guides and an over-size tip-top to prevent ice freeze-up (all with stainless steel/industrial hard chrome plating), hook keeper and a 2 inch detachable fighting butt. An optional 5 inch fighting butt (also detachable) is available for more added leverage when high-stick nymphing and playing large steelhead. The 5 inch fighting butt option is highly recommended. A permanent 5 inch fighting butt is also available.
Over-size snake guides (stainless/chrome plated), single foot stripping guide (Hialoy ring/black chrome frame) and epoxy finish guide wrap (silver flaking added) with metalic silver accent tipping.
Rod comes with your choice of western, full wells or reverse half wells super fine grade cork grips (front tapered reverse half wells is ideal for feel/sensitivity when high-stick nymphing), your choice of guide wrap and tipping color, heavy duty pvc rod tube and your name or initials on the rod. Optional hand made/flannel cloth rod bag is also available.>
Reel seat is heavy duty/all aluminum with double locking rings (uplocking design) and a machined fixed hood (which is ideal for heavier weight reels). Front lock nut has imbedded rubber O-ring for secure locking. It is available in all titanium or black anodized black satin finish. All locking nuts are heavy duty reverse knurled nuts to prevent scratching rods during transport or storing.
Note: To properly "lock" reel seat locking nuts into place (to prevent reel slippage on reel seat) perform the following procedure. 1.) Snug up first locking nut and hold with left hand (if right handed). 2.) Screw (with right hand) the lower locking nut to upper locking nut so that it just touches. 3.) Hold first locking nut stationary and then tighten lower locking nut (upward) to "lock" rings.
Guide wraps (which are epoxy finished) can also be accented with tipping in standard or metallic colors at no charge. Accent tipping is added at stripper guides, female ferrule, butt wrap near hook keeper and trim wrap where name is located. Epoxy finish for guide wraps can have very fine gold, silver, blue, green or red flaking added for a subtle/unique effect at no charge.
Reverse half wells grip, black satin anodized hood and nut fittings, rosewood colored/Dynawood reel seat (not available now), 5 inch and 2 inch fighting butts.
Hash marks (subtle 1/16 inch diameter painted dots in red, green, blue, yellow or black) can be placed at 18, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 inches (from the butt of the rod) for measuring steelhead. A hash mark (yellow) can also be placed 12 inches down from the tip top for measuring water clarity with the rod tip. Ferrule line-up dots (yellow) can also be placed on the blank.Rule of thumb: less than 12 inches of water visibility is tough fishing conditions, more than 12 inches is ideal.
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This slow action fly rod casts a 6 weight floating fly line like the Wulff Triangle Taper (which is ideal for high-stick nymphing presentations) very well. Incorporating a single fly line "haul" on your forward cast will increase your line speed on this rod allowing you to "turn over" split-shot, weighted flies and indicators more easily, cast into the wind and also relieve casting fatigue since you are using your free arm (non-casting arm) to help cast the fly line.
It sells for $440 shipped (including insurance) to your door in less than 2 weeks after receiving payment. 7% PA state sales tax is applicable for PA residents. This price includes choice of fighting butts (2 or 5 inch), hash marks and ferrule dots, guide wrap flaking/tipping, name on butt section and shipping/insurance.
For a 65 inch by 2 inch diameter cordura rod tube add $31.50. For a 65 inch by 2 inch diameter aluminum rod tube add $35. Also for a 5 inch fighting butt (non-detachable design) add an additional $7.50. Cloth rod bag is an additional $10.85.
(Note: If you do not choose an cordura or aluminum tube, rod will ship in cardboard shipping box.)
Please contact John Nagy at steelheadguide2021@yahoo.com or (412) 531-5819 for more details on his custom "noodle" fly rod.
See book ordering page for information on making payments by check or Paypal
John Nagy now offers the newly designed Solitude fly reel to match up with his noodle fly rod. Please go to the Solitude reel page on the right menu bar (under Steelhead Equipment and Flies) for more information on this great steelhead reel.