Native Fly Fishing, new and unique french manufacturer !

Hi Pierre! Can you introduce yourself and the rest of the Native team?

The broader Native team is made up of five partners and a few others who are deeply rooted in the world of trout fishing—many of them with professional activities tied to the sport. It’s a mix of highly experienced anglers: passionate fishermen, pro guides, travelers, and competitors. All of them are close friends, people who share the same philosophy of fishing and human values, and for whom fishing is a major part of daily life.

As for me, I’m originally from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. I started fly fishing more than 30 years ago, when I was about 10 or 12 years old—first on the banks of the Béarn rivers (the Gaves), then on all kinds of rivers around the world, starting in the early 2000s.

Alongside fishing itself, I’ve always been passionate about gear—rods in particular—but also about the engineering and technical aspects that go into their design and manufacturing processes. That passion led me into various practices, starting with rod building, then the design of rods through Native’s nymphing series, and now what feels like the culmination of that journey: the manufacturing of our own blanks.

How did the Native Fly Fishing project come to life?

Although the Native brand became known for its rods tailored to match-nymphing rods, most of the team members are either fly anglers first and foremost, or have been seriously into fly fishing for many years. From the very start of this adventure, it was something I had in mind: not only to make fly rods, of course, but—my wildest dream—to manufacture our own blanks, with the specific characteristics we want to see in the rods we use for our style of fishing.

Much like what we see with match rods, we started with the idea that—even though there are excellent fly rods on the market today for just about every approach—there’s always something that could be improved or fine-tuned, whether it's in the blank itself or in the build choices.

So my approach was to bring together all my skills and knowledge in blank manufacturing, and to fill in the gaps wherever I felt I was lacking, in order to be fully independent—from A to Z—in building exactly what we wanted, with zero compromises. This means being able to fine-tune every detail of every rod model: power, action, taper, responsiveness, weight, finish, guides, handles, reel seats—you name it.

How did you go about training yourself?

Part of my training—though not academic—simply stems from my lifelong interest in the technical side of things and how rods (and many other things) are made.

Unfortunately, there’s no book out there that lays out all the processes and countless technical details you need to master in order to make a blank. So, over the past twenty years, I’ve devoured everything I could get my hands on that was even remotely related to the topic.

Videos, articles, documentaries, interviews—you name it. The sources are scattered, but there’s plenty of information out there if you’re willing to dig deep.

Before officially launching the project, I did a full assessment of my theoretical knowledge and worked to fill in any remaining gaps. Then, I finalized my training with a rod manufacturer in the United States, where I was able to observe, practice, ask every lingering question I had—and eventually build my very first blanks. That was the real test: to see if I could turn this from a theoretical idea into something concrete and achievable.

After that, I had to set up our own blank production line here in Ariège. For over a year, I designed and built most of the machines and tools we now use in the production process. Then came the development phase—testing, defining mandrel tapers, doing real-world research to validate certain assumptions, and getting exactly what we’d envisioned from the start: rod mechanics perfectly adapted to modern fly fishing, tailored to each technique and approach, with zero compromises.

That’s the short version, but the journey was long and demanding—a path full of challenges, problems to solve, setbacks… a wild ride, exhausting at times, but incredibly rewarding.

I also had the benefit of advice from a few individuals with decades of experience in the field. I don’t think they’d want to be named here, but their help was absolutely invaluable.

Can you tell us which segments of the market Native Fly Fishing rods are aimed at?

It’s hard to talk about specific market segments. As we’ve always done in our product development work, our goal is to create technically flawless gear. So the target audience is simply the angler who wants to fish with a tool where every detail has been designed for comfort, performance, and efficiency.

We’re launching a first series called Anthem, which is meant to be fairly broad, but we’re taking the time to develop each model until it perfectly matches the original specs we set out. So the models will be released gradually, at the pace of our testing and development.

In terms of pricing, the Anthem series is sold at a retail price of 890€. That places it in the high-end category, though without reaching the extreme price points of the big legacy American brands. All things considered, it’s a fair and reasonable position, given the investment, the depth of R&D, and the fact that these rods are 100% made in France from start to finish.

Which components of the rod build stand out most to you?

All of them! [laughs] Joking aside, our goal is to optimize every single element of the rods. When it comes to build quality, we make sure that every aspect is intentionally designed to stand out.

The quality and wire strength of the guides are tailored to the specific fishing style each model is designed for. For example, different wire strengths are used depending on whether the rod is intended for traditional fly line casting or for euronymphing. Naturally, the size and spacing of the guides are also carefully considered for each individual model.

We also designed our own grips, available in either cork or carbon, with shapes and diameters refined down to the smallest detail.

The reel seats, also designed in-house, are built to strike a balance between aesthetics, optimal weight, perfect reel locking during fishing, and ideal trigger placement relative to the handle—particularly important for semi-automatic reel users on down-locking models.

In terms of the actual build and aesthetics, the finish is understated, with subtle, clean thread wraps, trim bands, and varnish. Nothing excessive—just pure efficiency.

And finally, even though this moves slightly beyond the build itself, we chose to use painted carbon tubes to maintain a clean, minimalist look. Our cotton rod socks are also made locally, right here in Ariège.

Who are these rods made for?

The idea is to cover all the main fly fishing techniques we personally practice—essentially, the most common forms of fly fishing found on our rivers and mountain lakes. Euronymphing enthousiats with rods specifically designed for that style, as well as those who fish dry flies and sight nymphing in rivers and alpine lakes, will find what they’re looking for in our current lineup—or in models currently in development.

Beyond fishing techniques, these rods are aimed at anglers who want to fish with tools designed by meticulous fishermen, where every detail matters—rods created by people who bring their experience and critical eye to every aspect of rod design. We're talking about fine-tuned action/power combos, weights, and balance points that maximize casting efficiency, minimize lost fish, and improve control during the fight.

And that’s really our strength. We have the ability to prototype endlessly, to explore every detail of both action and build. With our technical know-how, in-house production capabilities, and the combined fishing experience of the whole team, we’re able to develop and produce rods that are not only incredibly effective, but also truly enjoyable to fish with.

So who are they for? Any angler who wants to fish with a top-tier tool, crafted with care—and 100% made in France… which, let’s be honest, is a nice bonus.

In fly fishing—maybe more so than in other techniques—there’s a lot of talk about carbon, modulus, and so on. What’s your take on that?

My take is that it’s not really the point, in the sense that a fly rod is never made from a single type of fiber. The real science of rod design lies in knowing how to use the right material in the right place. For example, our rods contain between 5 and 7 different types of fibers.

We mix multi-modulus and multi-axial fibers oriented at 0°, 90°, and ±45°. And of course, we use carbon scrims to improve both strength and lightness. These are the most advanced materials and techniques currently available.

Right now, we use Toray materials exclusively, and we’re even planning to incorporate French-made fibers in the future, since Toray Fibers Europe has a production facility in the Béarn region.

What kind of warranty comes with an Anthem rod?

As with all our rod series, we offer a "no-questions-asked" warranty for the first year. That means if you break your rod—for any reason—we’ll replace the broken section(s) for just the cost of shipping.

After that first year, our in-house manufacturing capabilities allow us to repair or replace parts for any model at a cost based on the specific service needed.

Thanks, Pierre! We’ll see you soon for the first hands-on tests in this column. In the meantime, here are a few behind-the-scenes footage from Native Fly Fishing: