Smith · Johannesburg · Est. 1994

Crafted for the water.

Bespoke fly rods built one at a time, by hand, in a small workshop in Bryanston. Thirty years of patient work on premium blanks.

Derek Smith crafting a fly rod
The Maker

Built by hand.
Made to outlast you.

Derek Smith is living the dream of many avid fly fishermen – turning his lifelong passion into a full-time craft. Nestled in the heart of Johannesburg, Derek builds 2-3 rods a week from his workshop, each one meticulously handcrafted from the finest materials.

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Rods Built

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Years

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Output

“It's not hard to convince someone of the quality once they've had one in their hands.”

— Derek Smith
Bryanston, Johannesburg
Official CTS Partner
The Collection

Rods presently in circulation

Tuition Programs

Learn from the bench it's built on

Two programs, run out of the same workshop where the rods are built. Both small, both unhurried.

Program № 01Casting
Casting Tuition · Private

The cast is everything.

Most beginners overpower the rod and undercut the timing. A few hours on grass unteaches that. Sessions are one-on-one — Derek watches your loop, names what's going wrong, and you feel the difference inside the first hour. From first-time-with-a-fly-rod to dialled-in casters looking to add distance, mend better, or beat the Highveld wind.

What you'll cover

  • Stance, grip, and the timing of the stroke
  • Pickup-and-lay-down and the roll cast
  • Loop control — why your line is collapsing
  • Mending, slack, and presentation
  • Casting in wind, into wind, with wind at your back
  • Distance, single and double haul (intermediate)

Who it's for · New to fly fishing, or stuck where you are. Most useful before a first trip — or after a frustrating one.

60–90 min1-on-1grass or water
from R 3 000
Program № 02Fly Tying
Fly Tying · Workshop

Tie the flies you'll actually fish.

Half-day workshops in the Bryanston workshop. Vises, tools, and materials are provided — you leave with a small box of flies you tied yourself and the foundations to tie more. The patterns Derek teaches are the ones he actually fishes on Highveld streams and the Drakensberg: a pheasant tail nymph, a parachute Adams, and the RAB.

What you'll cover

  • The vise, bobbin, hackle pliers — what each does
  • Hook anatomy, thread foundations, proportions
  • A nymph: pheasant tail (the most reliable fly in your box)
  • A dry fly: parachute Adams
  • A South African classic: the RAB
  • Hackling, dubbing, the whip finish

Who it's for · Anglers who want to fish what they tie — and skip the YouTube spiral. Small groups, slow pace, no prior experience needed.

3 hoursup to 4 peopleall materials supplied
from R 5 000
Upcoming Sessions

Book a date

Live availability across casting tuition and fly tying workshops. Pick a session — payment is secure via Yoco, and Derek confirms within a working day.

Correspondence

Let's build your rod

+27 83 307 3163
derekdonovansmith@outlook.com
Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa

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