Nico Vreugdenhil is a new, talented rod builder from the Netherlands. Nico has recently released a parabolic blank designed by himself under the brand Yamame Fly Rods. A couple of months ago, he asked me if I was interested in evaluating the taper and build a rod for him. I love new blanks and couldn't resist the offer. This is my take on this blank. It's a 7'2'', 5wt rod with true parabolic action, rolled by Mike McFarland. A few years ago, it was hard to find parabolic glass tapers on the market, but today there are a few. My personal favorite is Dennis Franke, but unfortunately those old rods never surface the market. Close behind is Mario Wojnicki, who has a bunch of amazing (and expensive) paras. Among contemporary builders, Chris Barclay has a few really nice parabolics in his line up at reasonable prices. Nico Vreugdenhil has designed a very competitive taper, that was made to fish and is surprisingly accurate on all distances. The rod was appointed with all cork reel seat, NS skeleton and bamboo/micarta butt. Straight Ritz grip, with a front ring in cork bark. Snake Brand Universals wrapped in Pearsall, and a Mildrum style stripping guide. I hope you will enjoy the rod, Nico!
