Today's fly rod marketing is predictable, nearly all the manufacturers want to tell you how light and fast theirs rods are, and why that makes them better. They go on and on talking about proprietary materials, processes and actions. The truth is, all rod manufacturers are using pretty much the same materials and processes to build a fly rod. After you wade past all the hype in the press releases and internet postings about how they belt out 80 feet of line in the parking lot, exactly where fast rods are designed to impress and excel. But my experience shows these to be very poor fishing tools. Let’s get back to what matters in a trout rod. How about a rod that simply makes you cast smoothly and effortlessly, protects light tippets, and has built in fish-ability. Whether you’re fishing caddis along the Madison River for bank hugging Browns or small Royal Wulff’s on Rock Creek for beautifully colored Cutthroat. The bank bound dry fly angler encounters the same scenario in both situations, Trout holding in pockets of turbulent water around rocks, undercut banks, and overhanging brush. This style of fishing demands a rod designed to throw smooth, tight, accurate loops with a short line, and delivers your offering in tight quarters. If you find yourself working this type of pocket water then you need to consider the 483-4 DAL.
For years CF Burkheimer Fly Rod Company’s two and three piece rods have been coveted by anglers across the West for their high performance, but super sweet full flexing actions. When we ventured into four piece rods many of our customers loved the new actions, but also missed the full flexing feel of the earlier two piece models. Thus we added the DAL (Deep Action Load) series to our line of four piece Trout rods, bringing back the high performance and full flexing feel of our earlier two & three piece rods. I feel the 483-4 DAL is the sweetest of the bunch.
A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of taking a phone call with a gentleman from California. He had seen a couple of our rods and decided to give us a call. He was reasonably happy with most of his current rods but like most anglers was seeking to get more out of them. The call lasted about an hour as he described the fishing he was doing. I knew for a fact the 483-DAL was the absolute right rod for him. He agreed to give one a shot and here‘s the evaluation in his own words.
“I fish rivers in the high Sierra's of California for one reason, to have fun. With the 483-4 DAL in my hand it is just that, fun to fish. Whether you are doing a curve cast, an overhead cast, snake roll, or a standard roll cast, this rod is amazing. The feeling you get when the rod loads and unloads goes from your arm straight to your heart. I love the feeling of casting this rod and find it to be deadly accurate between 25 and 45 feet. I would give this amazing little rod my highest recommendation to anyone who fishes small streams and wants to have fun.
Thank you Kerry Burkheimer and crew, for designing and building this extremely high quality rod it’s fun to cast and fish. I have named my 483-4 DAL, Sweetness.”
James Telles
If your trout fishing consists of casts between 25 to 40 feet with small dry flies then the 483-4 DAL will be your best friend and greatest joy.
Rob Allen
Rod Blank Production
C.F. Burkheimer Fly Rod Company