Gatti Fly Rods, uniquely driven by science, stand-alone in Advanced Hi-Performance fly rods.
Our methods, processes, and materials are unparalleled, setting us apart from the competition. Take an in-depth look at our innovative designs and processes and see how we deliver Gatti Performance!
OUR BLANKS
are meticulously crafted one at a time at our shop in Italy. The blank is the foundation of a fly rod. Making a blank that is light, strong, and responsive, is a challenge. Attaining this and having feel and sensitivity is something else entirely—and it is not achieved by chance. It takes ambitious engineering, advanced new materials, and innovative processes.
Forty years ago, we developed our low-mass, thin-wall design utilizing applied physics. Our goal was to create a single foundational platform that met all our performance criteria without any compromises. This platform needed to embody:
1. Strength and Durability: To ensure a lifetime of consistent, non-degrading performance.
2. Modifiable Mechanical Attributes: Providing the ability to create different performance characteristics using a single design platform.
3. Scalability: The platform could be used across all line-weights without compromising performance or durability.
4. Low-Mass: Use minimal materials to reduce weight for better transmission of micro-vibration for sensitivity and feel.
5. Thin-Wall: To eliminate inconsistent wall thickness and voids in the composite blank, creating torsional stability and minimal recovery oscillation.
We discovered during development that our criteria could only be achieved using advanced materials and processes not available to us, so we developed them. At Gatti, we don't compromise; we look forward "out of the box" and engineer the solutions to achieve our advanced performance goals.
Our process is proprietary and not publicly shared, but we can reveal some details. Our advanced composite fabrics are cutting-edge. We blend Hy-Bor/Graphite filaments with a unique weave and fiber count, producing a high-modulus and high-strain-rate material that is not brittle. Developed in collaboration with Kordsa SA in Europe, this hybrid composite fabric (pre-preg) gives us the unlimited ability to modify performance characteristics while retaining robust practical durability. This advanced material is available to no one…it is exclusively ours.
Our hybrid composite, combined with our advanced tapers, creates a progressive and fluid-like axial loading and energy release from the butt to the tip of the rod. Our unique multi-directional layups allow us to precisely tailor performance characteristics without adding materials, that increases mass and weight.
We use an exclusive epoxy specifically developed for our pre-preg, that cures at a higher temperature and under vacuum to eliminate voids in the composite. This unique process ensures our blanks have a thin, consistent, and precise wall thickness, with no spine. The uniform wall thickness virtually eliminates the adverse effects of unstable radial loading or twisting. This provides unparalleled torsional stability, ensuring consistent, repeatable casts, superior line control, and pinpoint accuracy—all without the additional mass and weight of web-encasement materials.
Our Low-Mass Thin-Wall design minimizes recovery oscillation and better transmits micro-vibrations, resulting in the superior feel and sensitivity that Gatti rods are known for. This core design is used across all models and weights, creating an incredibly lightweight, durable, accurate, and sensitive fly rod with unsurpassed performance.
For more details, please follow the link:
https://composite.kordsa.com/en/default.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUBqHGv-_Lg
GATTI
PERFORMANCE SPACING (GPS)
Physics offers a simple example of energy conversion: a Ferrari racing engine with fuel is a tremendous source of energy. Unless this energy is converted into power, there is no movement and therefore no legendary race car.
When casting, a Gatti rod stores a tremendous amount of energy. This energy also means nothing until it’s converted to power, creating movement, and the time it takes to convert or transform this energy is critical; the faster the transfer, the more power is produced.
Each guide on a Gatti fly rod creates a 90-degree load on the blank during casting or when playing fish. We carefully number and position the guides to maximize the convertion. The result: the conversion is FAST, VERY FAST.
Fast energy conversion makes Gatti rods responsive and “quick”. This is why mending and lifting the line is effortless and why our rods are legendary for ripping line off the water and throwing a forward cast in any direction without false casts. This faster conversion delivers quick static recovery and virtually eliminates post-cast rod oscillation (adverse rod movement after the cast) seen in poorly designed rods.
Our design, combined with patented guides, shoots line longer distances because the fly line is better contained and suspended, remaining inline, which minimizes the adverse effects of wind and gravity. GPS exploits axial load energy more effectively over the entire length of the rod for increased power when double hauling line for longer casts and added power for increased liftability when turning and playing bigger game fish. We mean GPS when we say, Gatti Fly Rods look different because they are different. When you cast and play fish, the enhanced performance of GPS is self-evident. Gatti Performance Spacing is engineered individually for every length, line weight, and rod by model.
OUR REEL SEATS
Were designed and engineered from the ground up. Our precision-machined seats use structural-grade 6061-T6 aluminum tubing and billet-cut aluminum end caps, hoods, and shoes. Dual locking nuts are crafted from corrosion-resistant Grade 7 Titanium-Palladium alloy, offering outstanding durability.
Both internal and external thread clearances are precisely cut to deliver a washer-less mechanical engagement. This design gives our reel seats a smooth, clean, and lubricated feel, ensuring lock-solid security when installing your reel on the rod. Every reel seat features a Cerakote finish in Clear or BluBlack, providing unmatched protection, durability, and lasting performance.
Why Cerakote? Let science and testing set the record straight on metal treatment for fly rods. Aluminum, while solid and lightweight, is a softer industrial metal that is more prone to corrosion from the elements. Since fly rods are used in harsh environments, reel seats must be incredibly durable and corrosion-resistant.
6061-T6 aluminum is a robust alloy well-suited for reel seats, but any event violent enough to deform this reel seat would likely destroy the rod itself. It's the metal's protection that gives the reel seat its durability. To ensure this protection, we need:
- Impact and abrasion resistance
- Corrosion resistance
- Dry-lubricity thread engagement
Cerakote delivers unmatched performance in three key areas: durability, corrosion resistance, and sustainability. Unlike anodizing, Cerakote is an advanced, ultra-durable thin-film ceramic coating engineered for harsh environments and high-wear applications—like military firearms and precision machine parts for racing engines. It is 8 times more scratch-resistant and 12 to 23 times more corrosion-resistant than any anodized product, including mil-spec III. Clean, sustainable, non-toxic, and both EPA- and RoHS-certified, Cerakote stands as the clear environmentally responsible choice at Gatti. See the proven results in the provided testing videos.
For more details follow links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8BQ40MVd-c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZOgA7ANIcc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL_bXx_qtfo
OUR WOOD INSERTS
reflect our focus on beauty and quality. We source exotic burl wood from around the world and hand-craft each insert.
Each Gatti reel seat insert starts as an entire burl root ball, which is then cut into manageable blocks. Each block is examined individually, and pieces are selected based on the complexity of their grain, shade, and color in their raw, unfinished state. The selected pieces are then stabilized, lathe-turned, hand sanded and then finished.
We make a final selection for the best aesthetic match with the rod blank and wrap colors. Only 7% are chosen for a Gatti Fly Rod, underscoring our dedication to beauty and quality.
OUR GRIPS
are not only ergonomically designed, but also built for durability and sustainability. We precision-machine and hand-sand each grip, cutting them from solid blocks. This method, unlike using traditional glued cork rings, delivers superior strength and consistency.
At Gatti, we prioritize sustainability. We use proprietary industrial cork—a 'green' product from high-grade Portuguese cork aggregates blended with organic polymers. The material is nearly weight-neutral and delivers consistent density, color, and feel. Unlike natural cork, Gatti grips contain no filler putty that degrades, ensuring lasting durability and appearance.
High-density rubberized cork in our grip butts increases durability where needed. This design also enables precise cutting of the inlet for our reel seat. It securely centers the reel seat with the rod blank. The solid structure better transmits micro-vibrations, enhancing Gatti's feel and sensitivity.
Our fighting butts are not just unique; they are performance-designed. They are engineered and finished at an optimal angle to provide a larger contact area on the torso, reducing uncomfortable “dig-in” when fighting larger game fish. They also give our rods an unmistakable look.
OUR RUNNING GUIDES
are a testament to our commitment to advanced design and materials. Manufactured by Mike McCoy of Snake Brand Guides, they represent the most advanced guides available anywhere. We collaborated with Mike on the patented ECOated single-foot guide and the ECOated Universal guide. Both guides are made from 17-7PH stainless steel wire, tempered to 64 Rockwell hardness, and feature a low-profile, perfectly helical design that reduces fly-line friction. Perfectlly aligned feet with a concave radius and taper inables a superior fit to our blanks.
ECOating is a proprietary, sustainable, EPA & RoHS-certified plating that is harder than nickel-chrome, without the hazardous waste from traditional nickel-chrome. This advanced guides deliver the performance, innovation, and environmental stewardship that Gatti customers expect.
OUR STRIPPING GUIDES
are the only components of a Gatti Fly Rod not manufactured in the U.S., and the unfortunate reason is that none are made there. We tested stripping guides from the top seven guide manufacturers.
Our results led us to one stand-alone guide that met our performance and environmental criteria. Fuji Tackle is a family-owned company in Shizuoka, Japan, since 1938. We chose the KW Titanium / Torzite stripping guides. Their state-of-the-art design is backed by leading-edge technology. This sets them apart from all others. Like our rods, "they look different because they are different." Made of proprietary titanium alloy, they offer unsurpassed strength and corrosion resistance.
They are stamped, not welded. This means there's no heat to alter metal properties or create brittle spots. They are secure and rigid with no flexibility. The frame legs are concave for extra strength, making them the strongest titanium guide available. The patented forward cant design virtually eliminates line binding when shooting line. The Torzite ring insert is a proprietary ceramic with a Mohs hardness rating of 9.4. Only diamond is harder, yet the ring is not brittle. The Torzite ring is wider and flatter, with less mass, so it's 40% lighter. The ring is deeply pressed and fully sealed with epoxy. This protects it from impacts and prevents separation from the frame, a problem with flexible guides. Fuji guides are produced under Ministry of Environment oversight, ensuring an environmentally safe process that we promote and require.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aZ2RfNxvrE
(Ring Impact Strength)
https://www.fujitackle.it/en/corporate.html
(Fuji Environmental Commitment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCpbB4v6e3I
(Competitor Flexible Guides)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ_e-Ci4cns
(Flexible Guide Repair Tutorial)
OUR HOOK KEEPER
Like all Gatti components, the hook keeper is not an afterthought. It's thoughtfully designed and positioned for a specific purpose. Most anglers prefer to stow about 12 feet of leader or line when moving to a new spot. This keeps the leader entirely out of the rod guides and leaves the fly line through the tip-top. As a result, it prevents crimping the mono leader at the tip-top. Anglers do not need to straighten the leader before the next cast. Many anglers typically attach the fly to a running guide after looping the leader around the reel. We place our hook keeper roughly 30" to 35" up from the grip, on top of the rod and opposite the guides. This provides optimal convenience and functionality.
Our hook keeper is designed for secure hook storage with the sharp end of the hook securely stowed facing away from the rod. This ensures there is no risk of the hook scratching or scoring the rod blank, which can cause a catastrophic failure of the fly rod.
By placing the keeper one-third of the way up the rod from the butt, we ensure you have enough line out. Your leader doesn't get bent or crimped. The keeper is positioned away from the grip, where some anglers may rest their fingers on the blank to sense "takes." It also stays out of the way when not in use. We have thoroughly tested this position, and it is proven effective.
The three most common reasons a fly rod breaks while angling are:
1) Weak spot in the blank due to void(s) within the composite. (Gatti Rods do not have voids)
2) Striking the rod with the fly (e.g., bead head) while casting, creating microfractures.
3) Hook scratching that scores the rod blank, creating a fracture point, much like when cutting glass with a glass cutter.
OUR ROD TUBES
are made from a unique carbon fiber and fiberglass composite, which makes them a fraction of the weight of an aluminum tube—exceptionally light and durable, yet not brittle. The end caps and threaded neck are machined from the same 6061-T6 aluminum as our reel seats, ensuring the same thread engagement and smooth feel.
OUR ROD SOCKS
They are handmade in Italy from 4oz sustainable cotton canvas sheeting, and dyed and screened with plant-based material.
Overview of Gatti Fly Rods process and production
position vs. competition.
1) Gatti designed, engineered, and tested every component of a Gatti fly rod. Everything is ours.
2) Our proprietary materials and processes are unsurpassed and available to no others.
3) We have complete quality control of every component we use to make our rods.
4) We have environmental oversight with our component manufacturers as they are in the United States.
5) We are EPA and RoHS-compliant in every aspect of our operations. Fostering our commitment to environmental stewardship.
