World's Largest Fly Fishing Rod
Houston, British Columbia

Photographs provided by the Houston & District Chamber of Commerce.

Flyrod Facts:

The Flyrod Story

The World’s Largest Fly Rod was the brainchild of local resident and avid fly fisher, Warner Jarvis. The idea came to him while at a tourism workshop where Warner suddenly shouted, "Eureka – I’ve got it!" The rest of the participants looked on in surprise and puzzlement as Warner proceeded to sketch his newly – hatched idea onto a handy paper napkin. Thus, the World’s Largest Fly Rod was born.

From the paper napkin, Warner’s project travelled to numerous local machine shops, then south to Vancouver to be anodized. Volunteers contributed countless hours of time and effort. The unfinished rod was displayed at the "Discover Houston" Trade Show, giving locals a chance to see and touch the rod before it was permanently installed.

The rod is constructed entirely of aluminium and is anodized bronze to simulate graphite. It is 18.3 m, or 60 feet, long and weights approximately 363.6 kg, or 800 lbs. The feel has a diameter of 90 cm, or 36 inches. The fly is a florescent orange "Skykomish Sunrise" and is 52.5 cm, or 21 inches, long. The fly is attached onto bright 5/8 floating line of hollow plastic with tapered leader (wee-eater cord and 300 lb test tip).

There are 2 knots used on the rod. One type is a nail knot and the other is a blood knot. The rod was machined in six local machine shops with 470 hours of donated equipment/shop time, and over 576 hours of donated labour. 41 local companies contributed the goods and services used to make the rod.

The installation of the rod was May 5, 1990. The many people who helped to craft the rod carried it on their shoulders from the Industrial Park to it’s new home beside the Visitor Information Centre. The long line caused a temporary closure of the highway. The months of preparation ended when the rod was placed on it’s supports by a crane and anchored within a matter of minutes.

By selling shares of the rod, the residents of Houston managed to raise the funds required for this venture. For five dollars, each purchaser received a "Piece of the Rod" in the form of a numbered certificate, showing ownership of a specific centimetre.

For more information or to take a closer look at "The World’s Largest Fly Rod" please stop by the Visitor Information Centre in Houston, BC, or give us a call at (250) 845-7640.