Good morning,

                                            Now that we’re well into the first quarter of the new year, I wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for an amazing 2025, and give you an update for what’s planned in 2026.  

  Last year was definitely an “interesting” year. With Generation 4 being discontinued, and Generation 5 taking off where Gen 4 left off, it was quite the roller coaster ride! Thankfully, the rod building community has fully embraced the improved working properties, and performance that Gen 5 has to offer, resulting in another record breaking sales year in 2025.  

  When I started Axis Outdoors in 2015, I had no idea that a tiny company that began with the intent to supply high performance epoxy formulations to the custom knifemakers would eventually lead me back to the custom rod building world in such a big way...but here we are!  Over the last 10 years, Axis Outdoors and the Gen4/Gen 5 product line in particular have reached totally unexpected levels of success, and because of that I have always had full intentions of staying in the epoxy business indefinitely.  

  Recently however, a new opportunity in the rod building world has presented itself that has more than just piqued my interest.  And, for better or for worse, the only way for me to take advantage of this opportunity is to reduce my exposure to certain significant parts of my responsibility as the owner of Axis Outdoor Products. To that end, I have made the decision to transfer ownership of the Gen 5 product line to a new owner.

 I’d like to congratulate, and extend a heartfelt welcome to Joe and Steve Haywood as the new owners of the Gen 5 line of adhesives and coatings. As of February 6th 2026, all sales, marketing and wholesale distribution into the dealer channel will be handled by Joe and Steve through their new entity, Downstream Distribution LLC. I will remain closely involved with Downstream through this transition in a support role, as well as assist Downstream in future product development and consultation when necessary. I have full confidence and faith in Joe and Steve to be outstanding stewards of the brand that I have built over the last decade, and I am sure that anyone who has had the opportunity to get to know these two fine men feels the same. 

 Regarding my plans for the future, I have been offered, and accepted a position to partner with European flyrod designer, world champion competition fly caster, and owner of SexyLoops Fly Fishing, Paul Arden, to open a domestic production facility building high performance fly rods on proprietary tapers of Paul’s design for the US market. While I have always labeled myself a “custom rod builder”, there has always been a very significant part of me that has a romantic fascination with small volume factory rod makers like Tom Morgan and Kerry Burkheimer, who built their companies producing a limited number of very high end, conservatively and elegantly decorated production fly rods. That tradition is exactly what Paul and I plan to carry on with the new SexyLoops Tornado line of fly rods. This is something Paul and I have been discussing since 2018, and now the time is finally right for me to take advantage of an opportunity that allows me to augment whatever legacy I ultimately leave in this industry by going back to my roots as a maker.

 On a personal note, over the past two years, circumstances in my personal life have evolved in a direction that have caused me to re-evaluate the balance of my priorities as both a business owner and a parent. This is my son Jackson’s last year at home, and it has become extremely important for me to maximize the amount of time I am able to spend with him before he goes off to college to build a life of his own. Additionally, as I start pushing closer to the age of 60, my priorities have shifted from maximizing corporate growth and industry exposure, to prioritizing some much needed attention to my, physical health, so that I can continue to pursue, in an undiminished physical capacity, the flats fishing that I love.

To say I am excited about this is an understatement. This transfer of ownership will not only allow Axis Outdoors to become the exclusive domestic builder of one of the finest flyrods in the world, but will also allow me to stay involved in the custom rod building community through Downstream Distribution, while also freeing up the necessary time to spend with my wife, my parents, and my son. 

  Finally, and most importantly, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you, not only to every retail dealer in the distribution channel, who have all done an absolutely PHENOMENAL job over the last 10 years, but also to everyone in the entire rod building community for giving me a second, successful professional life in the craft that has given me so much.

Best Regards, 

Andy Dear