Last updated on January 4th, 2024.
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What happens if three great Scandinavian fly fishermen get together to create a new brand?
Marcus Bohlin is well known in the Scandinavian fly fishing scene. A few years ago he set out to create a small, personal and individual range of fly rods.
His approach was driven by the “beginner’s mind” based on the philosophy of Shunryu Suzuki. The idea behind this philosophy is that “in the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities whereas in the expert’s mind, there a few.”
The idea behind Nam Fly Rods
In Old Norse “nam” means “learning” and is a word that is still used to this day in Iceland. Bohlin wanted to explore concepts and ideas beyond what already existed in the world of fly rods. The common denominator was the concept of a fly rod that loads deep into the blank all the way down to the handle. Bohlin and his engineers also agreed that the rod would need to have a very fast recovery.
Bohlin decided that the rod should be made of the best possible components even if that meant an expensive product in the end. There was no room for compromise in that regard. A focus of Nam’s R&D process was in the graphene chosen for the blank of their fly rods. According to Bohlin it gives their fly rods the edge.
Delgado: Another Level of Cork Quality
We got the Nam Delgado with the following specs: #5 – 9’1″ – 4ps. The rod comes in a nice dark grey tube made of aluminum. It features Nam’s logo and the specs of the rod on the top of the tube – a well made packaging that instantly portrays quality.
When putting the rod together for the first time I realized two things. The beautiful matte grey color of the blank (which on top is a nice feature on sunny days) and the very low weight of the rod. Nam claims that this is partly due to the graphene used in building the blank.
The cork used to make the grip is special too. The rod derives its name from the type of cork it is made from. “Delgado” literally translates to “thin” or “slender”. The grip is derived from cork from thin barked trees which feature a denser cork.
Since the pores are smaller there is almost no need for filler material at all. The endings of the handle do without rubber material. A fact that also contributes to the low weight of the rod.
We paired up the Nam Delgado with a Hardy Duchess reel and an old Orvis Battenkill Mark IV Reel and the Elite Rio Gold WF Line. A powerful combination as it turned out. The rod loads very easily and feels stronger than a #5. It was absolutely no problem to cast even big streamers for trout.
On the other hand the rod also allows for very delicate presentations. All of that with incredible ease thanks to a fine tip. When playing bigger fish you can feel the rod’s power stretching all the way down to the handle.
I handed the rod over to a couple of friends when out on the water and they all were impressed by its performance.
Final Thoughts on the Nam Delgado Fly Rod
Besides the great “inner values” the Nam Delgado also scores with its looks. The reel seat made out of root wood combined with the black metal gives the Delgado a timeless look. The matte grey blank adds to the minimal Scandinavian design.
Nam also has a line of double handed fly rods which are certainly worth a look if you are into spey casting and fishing for Atlantic Salmon or Steelhead.
Price Tag: about $800 / €680 / 7,100 SEK
