In his seminal tribute to the split-cane fly rod, Fishing Bamboo, John Gierach observed that fiberglass fly rods may offer the angler the best of both worlds — the tactile nature of bamboo and the ease of use of graphite. In recent years, fiberglass fly rods have experienced a resurgence in popularity, with offerings from Orvis, Redington, and Echo commonly seen on the river, along with our subject for the day — Thomas & Thomas.
Having been in business from the golden age of split cane, through the fiberglass era, and now with modernity’s graphite rods, Thomas & Thomas know their way around fiberglass fly rods just as well as any other rod maker (if not better). They’ve updated their well-received Lotic series of glass rods, and the new Lotic II line is on sale as of today, October 1.
The folks at Thomas & Thomas were kind enough to rush me an early-production rod in time for this coverage, and I was able to get some fishing in with the new Lotic II (in a 7’10” 5-weight configuration) in both the Greater Yellowstone region and on some smaller Great Basin streams in southern Utah. There were no strings attached to this review.
Updates and Form Factor
First, the Lotic II lineup now includes a 2-weight as well as a 6-weight, good for tiny brook trout all the way up to big warmwater fish like bass and carp.
All of the new Lotic II rods are 3-piece construction (I love 3-piece rods), and come in lengths ranging from 6’3″ for the light-weight offerings to 7’10” for the 6-weight. The new 6-weight changes things up further with a full wells grip and fighting butt.
A significant cosmetic difference from the outgoing Lotic model — instead of the classic T&T gunmetal blue color, the blanks are now finished with a beautiful amber color (“bamboo colored,” per the manufacturer), reminiscent of the mellowed Bakelite you can find on the dashes of old Fords and radios. While I loved the looks of the original Lotic and the trademark T&T blue, this new finish probably matches the retro character of the rod a little better and is deep, timeless, and gorgeous in its own right.
Action
Some folks who grew up with modern, fast-acting graphite rods can have difficulty when they pick up your average fiberglass rod for the first time. Flip Pallot fished extensively with glass (on the salt!), and his general advice to anglers struggling with throwing tailing loops in these circumstances was to do two things: smoothen the casting stroke, and extend the “window” of the cast. They are also sometimes thought of as a bit of a compromise in an online world filled with graphs, numbers, and furious debates about “modulus.”
However, the Lotic II is not your granddaddy’s glass rod (as endearing as those always are). T&T uses “steeply tapered S-glass blanks” to quicken up the usual fiberglass action, but not so much that it loses sight of what it’s supposed to be. T&T describes the Lotic II as bridging the gap between traditional E-glass and graphite, and that is indeed how it feels while casting. I think that even those anglers coming from the fastest of graphite rods won’t take long to adjust to the casting rhythm of this glass. Just slow things down and increase the angle between your front cast and your back cast.
I found that my rod was true to the weight of my Cortland double-taper line. As always, if you’re fishing super small water, you can go one line weight over to load the rod quicker for short casts.
Fishing Experience
I fished a variety of situations using this rod that run the gamut of trout fishing, from the weedy spring creeks of Island Park to riffly Montana freestones.
September is the month of Tricos and Mahoganies on the Henry’s Fork, and the Lotic II provided the feedback needed to place delicate #20 and #22 Trico Compara-Spinners where they needed to go during the morning’s spinner fall. The result was a creel full of beautiful, small brook trout. Of course, casting typical, larger dries (such as those Mahogany dun and spinner patterns) was no problem; the slower action and feedback of this rod do help with those textbook dry fly presentations.
The slowdown that usually accompanies the autumn equinox up here was apparently a little ahead of schedule. While the terrestrial bite was lacking and the wind was howling, this was a good opportunity to see how the shorty 5-weight performed while casting larger patterns on tippets running from 2x to 4x: chubbies, Dave’s and Letort’s hoppers, and various other foam monstrosities that one can play around with in the early months of fall when footsteps are still flushing hoppers.
Unsurprisingly, the rod can handle these bigger bugs just fine. If I was getting this rod for warmwater, I’d get the 6-weight for those Boogle Bugs and deer-hair poppers that need just a little more oomph behind them.
I also fished extensively with dry-droppers and nymphs suspended under an Air-Lock bobber strike indicator, sometimes with a bit of Dinsmore’s lead-free shot applied to the leader. Fishing a dropper on this rod is absolutely okay, but once the heavy Air-Lock was added, the slower action of the rod was compounded, and the casting experience became (shall we say) more utilitarian. Then again, if you’re hucking this kind of rig, getting a good presentation isn’t a concern anyway, and with a good double-haul the Lotic II can still cast these setups as far as you’d ever be fishing.
I did not experience any of the vibration that is a common complaint of fiberglass rods, even when throwing pile/parachute/wiggle casts downstream. Reach casts were also no problem, which is good because I probably throw them 90% of the time on bigger rivers, and vastly prefer them to mending line when possible. I will say, with any sub-9′ fly rod, your ability to throw quick mends is going to be somewhat compromised, so (as always), it behooves you to just get closer to the fish you’re targeting.
Overall, I spent less time adjusting to the action of the Lotic II than I was expecting to, and found it to be a wonderful, versatile companion to my time on the water.
Fit, Finish, and Materials
This is the easiest section to write in any article about Thomas & Thomas fly rods. Across the board, T&T is synonymous with beauty — the paradigm of build quality in production fly rods (pun intended). The Lotic II is no exception.
The aluminum reel seat is beautifully made, and finished with a matte/bead-blasted finish. As somewhat of a gearhead, I enjoy quality machining when I find it, and the threads feel wonderful when installing or removing your reel. There are no imperfections in any of the hardware or fitment in the rod I received, and the guides feel wonderfully smooth to the touch and inspire confidence.
The reel seat insert is cork, befitting the throwback nature of the rod. The cork itself is extremely high-quality, like all other Thomas & Thomas rods. I seem to recall reading somewhere that quality cork is getting harder to source as it’s such a slow-growing material, but you don’t have to be an arborist to notice the brilliant color and consistency of the cork on the Lotic II — especially when there’s so much of it.
Each section is serialized, like other Thomas & Thomas rods. With no amount of exaggeration, the rod is such a thing of beauty that it turns even the mundane task of stringing up into something you’ll smile about.
Below the applied T&T decal, you’ll find the model number and the serial number hand-written and epoxied over. I’ll also point out that T&T offers a custom inscription service for all their rods, including the Lotic II. I’m a vain little guy, so I got the ol’ John Hancock on my 5-weight. It seems like every single consumer product these days has to be stamped out in some windowless factory overseas, and all of these personal, handwritten touches that T&T employs are effective reminders that there are still some real craftsmen left in the world, raging against the dying of the light that more than a few of us are still trying to hold on to.
Where the Lotic II Fits In
I’m drawn to shorter rods due to the smaller, encroached waters that I spend most of my time on in Nevada and Utah. Hence, fiberglass is a perfect material choice for those of us on small water (and I’m also looking at you New Englanders, too).
As I said above, though, the rod will eagerly oblige when you let it stretch its legs, and I’d take my 7’10” 5-weight Lotic II to any trout stream in North America.
Because of its size and weight, the Lotic II is an ideal backpacking rod (for this, pair it with the T&T cordura travel rod tube). Some pocket-protector-wearing types might complain that fiberglass isn’t as light as graphite and blah blah blah, but trust me — leave one of your jelly donuts at home, toss this in your pack, and make some memories with it.
Final Thoughts on the New Thomas & Thomas Lotic II
If you can’t tell, I hold the Lotic II in high regard in all aspects: build quality and aesthetics, casting feel and feedback, and (most importantly) fun-factor. I get a sense that a large part of the hobby is getting burnt out from ultra-fast rods with no tactility, feel, or personality, and the Lotic II is a perfect antidote to all of this.
Will you catch more fish with high-end rods? No, but that’s not the point. The point is that you know you are holding a handcrafted monument to the art of the American fly rod that casts like butter, and it will increase your enjoyment of the sport. The point is that some guys (and girls) named (maybe) Bob, Steven, and Josephine in Greenfield, Massachusetts, United States of America, built this fly rod… just for you.
Likewise, I’m not sure I want fly-fishing equipment that simply “fades into the background,” as some anglers do. I want my gear to feel like a partner; I want to know it’s there, because I’ve selected the effects of my life to bring me joy. I want a rod that will send that jolt of electricity down my arm when I’ve nailed a dry-fly presentation, or send me a sideways glance when I’ve blown it again.
Fans of Top Gear may remember James May’s highest praise for a car: that hard-to-define sensation he called “the fizz.” The new Thomas & Thomas Lotic II has the fizz in spades.
Find the new Lotic II series of fiberglass fly rods online at Thomas & Thomas, or one of their authorized dealers.
