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Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast

906 | Scott Fly Rod Founder Larry Kenny on Design and Innovation

Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast

Dave Stewart

Hobbies, Leisure, Sports, Wilderness

4.7530 Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2026

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

#906  Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/906

Presented By: FishHound Expeditions, Visit IdahoStonefly NetsDrifthook Fly Fishing.

Fly fishing has always evolved, but some moments change everything.

From bamboo to fiberglass to graphite, each shift has redefined how anglers experience the water. In this episode, Larry Kenney shares what it was like to be at the center of one of the most important transitions in fly fishing history—the move to graphite fly rods.

Larry, co-founder of Scott Fly Rods, takes us through the early days of rod building, the rise of graphite innovation, and the lessons he's learned from decades in the industry. Along the way, he shares practical advice that challenges how anglers think about gear, casting, and improvement.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Some parts of fly fishing evolve quickly. Materials change, resin improve, rod prices climb.

0:08.0

But every once in a while someone is there at the exact moment, the material shifts.

0:12.0

Today's guests helped build one of the most influential rod companies in the country.

0:17.0

From the garage days of fiberglass to the early experiments with long light graphite rods in the mid-1970s,

0:22.6

he was there when fly rods stopped looking like bamboo and started becoming something entirely different.

0:27.6

This is the Wet Fly Swing podcast where I show you the best places to travel to for fly fishing,

0:32.6

how to find the best resources and tools to prepare for that big trip,

0:35.6

and what you can do to give back to the fish species we all love.

0:40.0

Larry Kenny is here to talk about the founding of Scott Flyrods.

0:43.4

We're going to find out how internal spigot ferrels mattered and what made early graphite revolutionary and how timing shaped the company's growth.

0:52.2

We're also going to find out about the difference between spigot ferrels and tip over butt ferrels and why this mattered at the time.

0:58.0

What separates a good rod from an expensive rod, I'm going to get into some details there,

1:03.0

why progressive rod action still defines great casting tools, and the one piece of advice he'd give to every 25-year-old angler today.

1:12.1

This is going to be a good one.

1:13.0

All right, let's get into it.

1:13.9

Here he is.

1:15.2

Larry Kenny.

1:17.9

How are you doing, Larry?

1:19.2

Good enough.

1:20.3

Yeah, good to have you on here.

1:22.1

I'm excited about this conversation because you were part of a pretty major company out there, Scott, fly rods. I think

1:30.3

you go way back on the history. We're going to talk about that and what makes those rods unique.

...

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