I used these rods for the most exciting fishing this season: fiberglass 3/4wts and graphite 7 and 8wt fly rods.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Friday, June 13, 2025
New Build: Graphite 9' 7wt Fly Rod
Just completed...a nice quick and lightweight streamer rod. From salmon and steelhead, to bonito and bonefish, a 7wt is a very useful line weight! My favorite for sightcasting for striped bass and bonito fishing here in the North East! Fuji seat, turned cork grip (Ritz shape) and the red EVA fighting butt. Two-footed/snake guides on the two lower sections, single foots on the tip section - for lightness and faster recovery. The very last picture shows it next to its bigger brother, an 8wt I built last winter.
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
A Pair of 4 wt Fiberglass Rods
I have just completed a pair of 4wt fly rods. The 6'11" and 7'5", both 4 piece. They are built using imported S-fiberglass blanks, with some tweaking.
The shorter 6'11" rod uses single foot guides from the spot where the blank flexes up (starts just below the tip section). The longer 7'5" rod model wears all traditional dark snakes, while both rods have vintage Allen carbide strippers, both oxidized to match seat hardware. Rods are wrapped with Japanese Clover silks in honey and rust, and have traditional style sliding band reel seats with cork inserts, and flor cigar grips turned on blanks.
Both rods are fantastic casters with prescribed lines... very, very smooth. The shorter rod features a snappy dry fly action, while the longer rod will also take a 3wt line for more delicate presentations.
Friday, April 25, 2025
Saturday, April 19, 2025
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Monday, April 14, 2025
Monday, March 31, 2025
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
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Monday, January 20, 2025
Sweet and Salty 4wts
A couple of older Retrograph 9' 4wt builds. One made for freshwater, the other for ultra-light saltwater fly fishing.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Saltwater Retrospective: Saltwater Fly Rods by Vladan Milenkovic
This is a small snippet of rods I built for saltwater flyfishing. Certainly very far from the complete list of my builds, but these are few of the creations I use and enjoy on daily basis. They are all a part of my current fly rod collection. Each rod has so many stories to tell...
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Completed New Saltwater 8wt Graphite Fly Rod
The new rod is completed. Slightly faster than my old trusty 8wt...(I made a side by side photo.) It will be a nice stick for stripers, bonito and albies!
Ritz composite/cork grip, Fuji seat, EVA butt, non-tangle black strippers and TiCH single foots. Carbon grey wraps with red silk tipping.
Friday, November 29, 2024
Ritz Handle on the 8wt Graphite Rod
Just taken off the bench for a quick photo. My latest graphite 8wt is in the works! Guide wrapping and finishing to follow. (My older 10wt is on the right, for comparison).
Friday, November 22, 2024
Fiberglass 6wt - Streamer Special
Just completed... This is an 8'6" 6wt streamer and sight-casting fiberglass rod. Medium-fast taper, S glass, 4-piece. Light in the hand, with excellent power in the butt. Downlocking saltwater aluminum body/composite hood seat, Struble rubber button, black EVA Wells grip and tiered check. Single foot TiCH guides and no-tangle TiCH strippers. Clover silk olive windings, tipped red at the handle and the tip. Ready for action, with that 1970s charm!
Friday, November 15, 2024
New Streamer/Sightcasting Fiberglass 6wt Rod
New/old work in progress... Glass streamer/sight-casting rod in 8'6" #6 configuration. Pictured with my Conquistador 868/9-4. You will notice a similarity, and also some differences. Both made from the original batch of green blanks, just different shades.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Bane, Red Glass and Pliva River
Bane Topalović and his red Milenkovic 774-4 glass rod, with beautiful grayling from Pliva river. The fish took a small nymph, size 22.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Two Trout Glass Rods
I just completed two prototypes. Both are 4pc models, with uplocking seats. One is a 5'11" 3wt, the other 7'5" 4wt. I am planning to fish the smaller rod on my trip to Europe next week.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Almost There...
Handles are completed with reel seats attached. Rods are almost completely wrapped and ready for the signature and the finish!
Friday, April 26, 2024
Reel Seats
Working on two new light line glass rods, a 3wt and a 4wt. Here are the reel seats, partially done, both are uplocking. I will make small fighting butts for them, too. Pics of the finished rods are coming up soon.
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Old rods revisited: HarborSky saltwater camo fly rods
I built these rods in 2012 and still use them regularly. They are 9' for #6 and #7 lines. Graphite blanks were made by G. Loomis, painted by myself with a non-gloss paint, for the stealthy camo look. Their moderate action is well suited for precise shots on the flats. I use the #6 most often for my local sight-casting. It loads quickly for shorter casts. The #7 (fishes like a #8) has more power...I like it for longer casts on pale bottom flats.
They are still fun rods to fish today, and they have held up very well, after many days in the saltwater environment! You can read about them in my original post.
