About us


Well I’m flattered that you are reading this, so in case you are interested this is how Fly Rod Saver came about.

Back in 1999 I was fishing on the River Test in the UK, and I put my fly rod on the ground while selecting a fly. Like a fool I stepped back and heard a crack. I’d snapped the tip off my rod, worse than that was I didn’t have a spare rod and so I had to drive home (over 3 hours away) and my long awaited fishing trip was ruined. Of course at home my rods are kept safe in a fly rod holder, so why not have a fly rod holder on the bank of the river or lake you are fishing? This led to me coming up with the idea for Fly Rod Saver. But like most of us when we come up with an idea for a new product or invention, the idea stayed in my head. Five years later I went on a fishing trip with my 3 sons. We were camping near Gisborne in New Zealand and were fishing the Waioeke River. This time I brought a few spare rods. We were camping in a really remote spot but there were bullocks in an adjoining field. Our tents were placed close to the fence, so we could dry clothes. In New Zealand people tend to wade in boots and shorts in summer, rather than waders. On the first night I was looking for a place to put my rod. The fence seemed the obvious place and I leaned my rod against the wire. Unaware that the wire was carrying an electric current to keep the bullocks in check. Well as I was wearing boots full of water from wading in the river, the electric shock was horrendous. My sons thought it was hilarious as I did the dance of fear, shrieking with pain. Once again I thought of my idea for a fly rod bank stand, but did nothing with it until 2010 when I promised myself I would get it into production no matter what.

Coming up with ideas is the easy part! Getting a product made and into production is much harder than I thought.
The cost of making prototypes, and the cost of a die or mold, runs into many thousands of dollars. As for patenting your product, be prepared to mortgage your home as it is incredibly expensive. Even with patent protection, you need money to pay for lawyers if someone infringes on your intellectual property.

I was lucky because I have 3 very talented sons. Now I know all parents say that but this project has been a real family affair.
Richard my youngest son did a fantastic job on the design of the product and was my tech guy for the production process.
Jak is the photographer/videographer in the family and he did wonderful job, though I feel he could have made me look younger, slimmer in the video!
Jo is my web/social media guy and did an absolutely superb job as you can see.
So as you can tell, we’re not a big company, just a family who love trout fishing and came up with an idea for a bankside fly rod holder. We hope you like it.

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