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3. What was your very first fly rod

After seeing the post about the Narmco fly rod I got to thinking about my very first fly rod and the circumstances surrounding the purchase of it. This might be a fun thread for all of us but especially for us older guys who actually remember what a fiber glass fly rod is!

My very first fly rod was a 9' two piece Phillipson. I kind of remember it had kind of circumferential spiral markings just under the surface from the butt all the way to the tip. I don't recollect the reel seat at all but I do remember the grip as being like a half Wells. I saw this rod in a regular sporting goods store where all sorts of ball sports items were sold. But way in the back the owner had a little fishing section and when my Mom went to one of her stores I walked in this store and saw the rod.

I was probably about 13 or 14 because I got very intrested in fishing in general during the summer of my twelvth year. That was about fifty-four years ago before rods had the modern line weight identification on them. It was probably a HDG or one of those other three letter identifiers. Probably today it would take a WF#6 as I remember it was not very heavy or stiff feeling.

I might of had my first fly rod but for a number of years the only thing on the end of the leader was a #8 Eagle Claw baitholder, a BB or two, and either a garden worm, or when I got a little smarter, a caddis larvae that I carefully pulled out of it's stick house.

To that I would have to reply "I can't remember". But then again I spent some time in San Francisco in the early sixties, in Haight-Ashbury of all places. Is that an acceptable excuse?

Hell Matt, if I had a clear head I'd give up fly fishing and go back to drowning worms. Anyway, now that you have me thinking it was also a Conolon but the color was a light green as opposed to my dad's which was white. I can't remember the reel or any other specifics, but hey, it was a long time ago.

P.S. Sorry Matt for mixing up my posts.

That was my second rod, Matt. It had a solid brownish finish, if I remember right. I'll never forget that little nickle band on the ferrule though. Did yours have one? I thought it was the coolest feature. It was an 8 ft for a 5, which was considered a really light rod in my bailiwick at the time. It was for picky fish on tough water so it's parabolic action and glass construction would really mush out trying to punch a decent distance in the wind.

My first was a Fenwick ff857 birthday present from my dad. It was a great all-around workhorse.

I'd sure like to get my hands on the bastard that stole both of 'em...

I bought my first kit from the local hardware store in 1993.
The rod was a ABU Diplomat 9' #6 2-piece with a ABU Flymax reel and a DT-line.

I was strongly adviced not to start fly fishing. My dear mom had seen it on television and told me how hard it was.

My first rod doesn't date back quite as far as some of you guys, but i would love to get my hands on an old fiberglass rod to play around with once and a while. My first rod came to me in the form of a long, cylindrical present under the Christmas tree when i was only 7. It was 2piece White River, Dogwood canyon rod. Still have the son of bitch and love her to death ha!

Hmmmm... I guess the first one I ever really used was a Berkley Cherrywood dating to the 70s. I soon replaced it with a REALLY nice "Kassner" that I would still love to this day, except that my buddy closed the car door on it at 6am on opening day. :(

Here is a couple tid bits for the younger guys on fly line evolution over the past 50 years:
http://flyanglersonline.com/features/readerscast/rc150.php
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/flyline_chart.htm

in 1987 I bought a 'package deal' ABU Garcia Conolon 7/8 wt which came with a matching Garcia Diplomat reel...the rod, in retrospect, was something of a pool-cue and exceptionally tip-heavy. It's been retired to use with an UL spinning reel, panfish special.
I still have the reel in use; it's not a bad unit with a decent drag, nice finish, and it's on my 8 wt St Croix Avid.

The Roguerat

I Peter 5:7 'Cast your cares upon Him...' the flyfishers' verse

Mine was a Browning Siloflex fiberglass 8-foot 5-6 weight. Cost forty bucks back in 1985. The reel was a cheapie, I think it was basically a Pfleuger Medalist knockoff that I got at K-Mart. My first fish on this rod was a 6-inch rock bass that hit a Muddler Minnow that I was using for casting practice off a dock.

I replaced it with a Sage Discovery series 8 1/2-foot 5-6 weight 4-piece in 1990. Caught some really nice fish on both on my natal fly-fishing stream, the Maple River near the U of MI Biological Station. And a few nice bass and panfish to boot!

Jonathon

Mine was a 7/8wt. St. Croix. First time I used it I managed 11 steelhead, and two browns!

Guess I'll show my age. Mine was an Eagle Claw 8.5 foot for 7 weight line. I still have it, and it is just as pretty caramel color as it was new. I saved my allowance till I had enough to purchase it.

Mark

Mark wrote;

"I still have it, and it is just as pretty caramel color as it was new. I saved my allowance till I had enough to purchase it."

Wow, that is a neat anecdote! I have no idea whatever happened to my Phillipson - don't even have a clue. My next rod was an original Sila-Flex. Not a Browning Sila-Flex. At that time the Sila-Flex was the epitome of glass rods.

Mine was a Browning 9'6" Graphite. I begged for months for my 13th birthday. It was 19.99 at Shopko in 1986. I ordered a Berkley reel from Cabelas. Still have the reel. I caught over 1,000 trout on that setup. I broke the rod when I turned 16. My tackle box rolled over it and cracked it in the back of my truck. I made an ice fishing rod out of the tip. Then I got a shorter fiberglass Berkley, hate it, now I use a Redington 9.6. I do miss my 1st 20 dollar rod.

Fenglass 7'6" 5wt.
I saved and saved, then went to the post office to get a "money order" and sent away to this company in Nebraska for a kit to build my first fly rod. That was 1977. Cost me $40 plus shipping! A ton of money in those days for a 14 year old...
The guides were aligned as straight as an arrow, but the wraps were uneven. I slid on the cork rings and glued them in place and then they were sanded down into my best guess at a cigar shape. It had a down locking reel seat that fit my Akron, OH made reel perfectly. When matched with a Cortland 333 DT line, I was in business...

in 2004 Best Fishing Buddy and i went to fly fishing school and were given a pair of 9' 6wt graphite rods that were simply too big for where we wanted to fish. after a couple of futile afternoons, we went to the Keystone Country Store and got a couple of 6'6" two piece fiberglass Eagle Claw rods for $19.95 each. at the end of the summer, we were far more proficient. these treasures are still in the back of the closet, but truth to tell, in spite of the soft fiberglass action, they were not really fun to cast. a knowledgeable critic asked if there had been a 9' rod for sale next to these. we said yes, and he said, well, they made the 6'6" by taking out that middle section...but, hey! we learned to fish!

Do you still have that one Tony? That would be a hell-of-a nice practise wand for a little hockey playing chip off the old block that I know...:)

My first fly rod was wrapped for me by my fishing mentor Bill. It was a Loomis IMX 8'6" 5wt that I still fish. Even after a canoe trip with my wife when she drove us in to some sweepers on the South Branch and broke off the tip at the first eyelet down...I sent it back to Loomis and they matched the replacement tip to the butt section and my friend re-did it...It is now an 8' 6 & 1/8th" Loomis...:)

This started a tread where he also built for me two Sage rods for my Montana trip in 1995...and I stole from him a Sage LL Series 9' 5wt that he now wishes he had never parted with...

I have won two rods and have actually only purchased one rod built by the manufacturer and not by Bill...A 6'6" 3wt Loomis. But I think there's a retirement Winston rod in my near future...Say before my trip back up north in May...:)

Here is a side question for you boys...4wt BIIIx...do I go 8'6" or 9 foot? The smaller one was a sweet performer for me last Friday afternoon...It is a rocket launcher with back-bone...They had to pry it from my hand. :) A roll casting dream!

Spence

"...Cortland 333 DT line..."

I wonder how many of us had this as our first fly LINE!

Jonathon

As an 18 year old with an Exacto knife, I tried to make the wraps even, and the rest was history.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) I had found out about graphite and had wrapped another one by then...


If you're already comfortable with the 8 1/2 footer, then...
Maybe you need both?
The nine footer comes in a five piece model.
You could tell her "Honest, honey, I don't even own one five piece rod..."

The one I started out using was a fiberglass collapsible fly rod. It is probably over forty years old.

I caught probably over 20 trout,landlocked salmon, and grayling on my first day of using it. I say that is excellent considering that I just picked up my dad's rod and thought it might be fun to try fly fishing for a change.
I didn't know really anything about fly line, casting, flies, or really even how to tie a proper knot.