Bigger is Better - Big flies, Big fish, Big Fly Rods.

Big flies, Big fish, Big Fly Rods. The day I bought my first fly rod was the day I acquired my first vice. To me there was never a question in my mind, if I take up fly fishing, fly tying has to be part of it. I could have easily just gone to my local water and try that new fly rod straight away, after all I had small
big flies for fly fishing pikes and saltwater

Big flies, Big fish, Big Fly Rods.

Epic Ambassador Norbert Renaud is a big man with a big heart. Norbert ties big flies and chases some very big fish (he also makes a mean video) - here is his story and some of his favourite recipes.

The day I bought my first fly rod was the day I acquired my first vice.

To me there was never a question in my mind, if I take up fly fishing, fly tying has to be part of it.

I could have easily just gone to my local water and try that new fly rod straight away, a I had a small fly box with a few pike flies that some clients and friends had donated to me to get me started. But in my mind that didn’t sit well with me, if I was to get my first fish on the fly, it had to be with my own fly!

saltwater fly fishing fliesI started this journey on my own, no one else was fly fishing for pike around me. At the time, fly fishing for pike was only p by very few, nothing like nowadays, where you now see rods, lines, fly tying materials purely dedicated to pike fly fishing.

I came from lure fishing and I held a fly rod once in a shop, I was clueless. There was no f tutorials on YouTube and only a handful of articles online to learn. So I kinda started in the deep end, but straight away I liked the challenge and knew that the rewards could be huge in terms of satisfaction on the water.

My first stop was saltwater flies, these were the only big flies online that I could try to recreate, deceivers and baitfish was my starting point (my very first pike was caught on a deceiver) .

Then I discovered the world of trout streamers, particularly those from the U.S and from Mr.Galloup. I never have seen any trout anglers fishing with sex dungeons, meal tickets or monkey butts here in Ireland or the EU. And if you tried to look for trout streamers online, all you could find was not appropriate for pike.

 

So I started tying those trout streamers, but much bigger and started changing materials so they would last me longer.

This was my tipping point, from there my real fly journey began and quickly realised that you don’t need to really match the hatch with pike. You can be as innovative, complex, simplistic and artistic as you want. Pikes don’t care, an ugly fly will still catch pike (like my first one).

 

So I was free to experience as much as I wanted, and most importantly, I wanted to fish my own flies and my own design. This is what’s pushing me to think further, innovate and try to come up with ties that are not even seen around previously.

Now I don’t find inspiration online, but mostly while on the water, either fishing myself or when I guide and have the time to really look at pike behaviours and what makes them tic....

The Bodytubing mice: 

https://youtu.be/1760yxzTouc

Big fly fishing flies for saltwater and pike

The Belly changer:

https://youtu.be/GmfzhmLx0nE

fly tying flies for fly fishing

 

And a couple of flies for the carp anglers:

The Kawaii grub:

https://youtu.be/QqZ51Q7xhc8

The maggot bunch:

https://youtu.be/kWPgxyW5N5A

  

Norbert Renaud is a Frenchman living in Ireland. Norbert owns and operates L'ile-Verte fishing lodge in Ireland and also hosts trips to Alaska and Columbia 

He is an Epic Ambasador.

FLy Fishing lodges for big fish on fibreglass fly rods

 

FLy fishing fly rods

 

Big Ass Glass

Epic 888 8wt FastGlass Fly Rod

Best 8wt fiberglass fly rod

 

 

Epic Bandit - 10wt FastGlass Fly Rod

10 wt fiberglass fly rod

 

The Mighty 12 wt Boca Grande Fly Rod

Bad Ass glass 12 wt fiberglass fly rod by Epic fly ords

 

CUSTOMER FAVOURITES

GUIDES CHOICE

Epic Gift Card - Gifts For Fly Anglers
Epic Gift Card - Gifts For Fly Anglers from $50.00
Give the Gift of Choice No Delays, No Shipping. The Perfect Fly Fishing Gift On Time Every Time - Instant Delivery! Looking for the perfect gift for the Fly Angler in your life? Give them the gift of choice with a gift card. Gift cards are delivered by email from you directly from our website and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Gift cards are charged and redeemed on our stores base currency - $US For customers outside of the USA you can still shop and check-out in your native currency, our store does the conversion for you. Shopping for someone else (or yourself) but not sure exactly what to choose?Not sure what to get? Length, color or size?  It's very easy with an Epic Gift Card. You give - they choose! Schedule a Time to Send!You can even prescheduled  time / day / date that you would like your Gift Card delivered What is this?Gift Cards are delivered to you the purchaser by email and contain simple instructions to redeem them at checkout for products in our store. Each gift card features a unique code. Your gift card can also be printed out and gifted to the recipient, or it can be emailed to them immediately. Need Help? - drop us a line and we'll help you or your gift card recipient choose. How does it Work? Simple, you purchase the gift card you would like to give and check out just like you would for any online purchase. Our system will send you an email the recipient your gift card with your custom message. (That gift card has a unique voucher code on it) The recipient uses the voucher code to redeem against the purchase of their choice. Questions: Gift Cards work just like cash Any unspent balance can be used later Purchases can be topped up with cash, credit card or Paypal for larger purchases Customers can check their balance by visiting the unique gift card link sent via email Gift Cards have no additional processing fees. Purchase in your native currency to be redeemed at any time.Any questions or problems, just email us
Special
Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault Bag Epic Backcountry Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault Bag
Backcountry Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault $83.99 $119.95
Backcountry Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault Fish faster and smarter with the Backcountry Double Fly Rod Vault! This powerhouse of a storage solution is designed to carry two 9ft fly rods and reels, rigged up and ready to roll. Durably crafted from tough, water-resistant 600D Cordura material and reinforced by 210D Ripstop Polyester inner, you can rest assured your valuable fly rods and reels will be safe in all conditions. Waterproof YKK zippers keep moisture and dust out while the thickly padded interior protects your precious fly reels from being scratched. A hardshell outer helps look after your fly rods no matter what terrain awaits you. This is an unbeatable way to transport two complete setups. Save time and be ready to fish at a moment's notice!
Special
Best fly reel for fly fishing as voted by field and stream best of the best Best fly reel waterproof fly reel
Backcountry Fly Reel $295.99 $399.95
Large Arbor Backcountry Fly Reel II The best looking fly reel on the river. Our Backcountry fly reel features a smooth, sealed ceramic drag mechanism that boasts 3kg of drag and is easily swapped from left to right-hand wind. Super smooth sealed drag, lightweight large arbor, stealthy satin finish. Suitable for both fresh and saltwater use. CNC machined from cold-forged tempered 6061-T6 aluminum, High capacity large arbor spool Waterproof sealed stacked ceramic drag Type III military spec hard anodised finish Suitable for both fresh & saltwater use Large Arbor Spool The large arbor spool features a curved U shaped design that adds strength and assists in line levelling upon retrieval. The exposed reel edge makes for easy palming. A no-nonsense, tough, waterproof and lightweight fly reel. Epic in every way. Finished in a stealthy low sheen type III hard anodised satin finish available in any color as long as it's black.  Backcountry 3/4 Backcountry 5/6 Backcountry 7/8 Weight: 115g (4oz) Weight: 131g (4.6oz) Weight: 139g (4.9oz) Capacity: line + 50m  Capacity: line + 100m  Capacity: line + 150m  Dia:  84mm Dia: 94mm Dia: 104mm Got questions? - Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.
Special
Fly Tying Tool Kit by Epic Fly Tying Tool Kit by Epic
Backcountry Fly Tying Kit $138.99 $199.00
Backcountry Fly Tying Kit Equally at home on a trip or on your fly tying bench, our Backcountry Fly Tying kit features the very best Italian made tools by Stonfo and a pair of remarkable hand crafted fly tying scissors by Renomed of Poland. There are no finer fly tying tools made. We've taken the best of the best and presented them in a thoughtful waxed cotton canvas tool roll featuring genuine leather trim and straps fastened with classic brass catches. The hand stitched waterproof tool roll houses & protects these high quality tools and features two additional pouches to tuck away fly tying materials and hooks. The Renomed "Fly Tier" scissors feature a 'super cut' finely serrated blade that makes cutting deer hair and fur a breeze, and the larger scissor handles afford comfort and extraordinary durability and functionality. Tool Collection  Renomed Fly Tier Super Cut scissors (retail US$45) Stonfo Dubbing Twister Stonfo Hackle pliers Stonfo Elite Bodkin (Stainless Steel) Stonfo Dubbing Brush Stonfo Bobtec1  Adjustable Bobbin With Ceramic Insert (Stainless Steel) Stonfo Elite Bodkin (Stainless steel) Stonfo Elite Whip Finisher (Stainless Steel)
Special
Stainless steel Hip Flask Hip Flask
Good Libations Stainless Hip Flask $23.99 $34.95
The Good Libations Stainless Steel Hip Flask  Carry your favourite adult beverage in style with our Good Libations Stainless Steel Hip flask. About the size of a small fly box it's the perfect addition to your fly vest or bag. Smooth rounded corners make for quick extraction in times of celebration. Stainless steel and about as tough as they come, at a hearty 9oz ( 28 ml) there's plenty to share! Stainless Steel Silicon cap retainer Easy sippin' ergo design Bigger than most Cheers! Capacity: 9oz ( 266 ml) Dimensions: 127mm x 83mm x 29ml Material: Stainless Steel Positive Mood Adjustment
Stroft Tippet carry system Stroft Cutter and Carry System - 3 spool Set
Stroft Cutter and Carry System - 3 spool Set $27.95
3 Spool Stroft tippet system Three high quality German made Stroft Cutter & retaining rings - made to fit over standard Stroft tippet Spools. Spool Holder Stroft short strap - Vest strap & Carabiner The ideal system to hold, dispense and trim Stroft tippet A retainer rings and high quality cutter ring. Cutter is razor sharp, and coated in some magical stuff that is corrosion resistant. (We couldn't even spell the alloy) Fits all Stroft spools from 25m to 50m (ABR, GTM, FC!, FC2, Fluer) Includes colour coded easy peel labels  This is an incredibly well made tippet system! *does not include spools of tippet material - Stroft Tippet Spools available for purchase separately  Got questions? - Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.

The Epic Fly Rod Chooser

Find your perfect fly rod with our 10 second quiz

TAKE THE TEST
Lifetime Warranty
Lifetime Warranty

Love It or Return It

100% total satisfaction guarantee

5 Star Support

Industry leading support and service

Easy Returns

Hassle free returns

World Wide Shipping

Shipping worldwide daily
Experience the Epic® difference.