A Pair Of Fly Rods

This past winter I bought a pair of fly rods. I really did not need either of them, but for several reasons I wanted them.

The first one was a Sage XP model, a model that is no longer produced. New, XPs were expensive rods that good flycasters (not me) could use to heave fly lines for long distances. I had once owned an XP. A fishing guide needed some money to buy a new bow for archery hunting, so he sold me the XP and another rod at reduced prices. However, after only a couple of years, he wanted the XP back. He said his father had been ill and had recovered. The father wanted to use the XP to get back into fly-fishing. So, even though the XP had become my favorite rod for dry-fly fishing on large trout streams, I sold him the rod.

Over the next several years, I kept an eye open for an 8 1/2-foot, 5-weight XP like the one I had returned, having no luck. I bought another similar rod. Though it cast well, it wasn't quite the same.

Last winter I found an 8 1/2-foot, 5-weight XP for sale. I contacted the owner. He delivered it to me, and we exchanged his rod for my check. I used the rod only a couple of times before I broke the tip section, which I've had repaired. This fall I expect to use it again on the BFO River.

The other rod was to be a back-up for my ancient small-stream favorite. My old graphite 7-foot rod has taken a beating over the years – and has accounted for more trout than any other rod in my arsenal. But, I detected signs of rod fatigue. Last summer I bought a cheap back-up rod. It turned out to have been made in China and was not satisfactory. I had discussed my desire to get another back-up for my old rod on a fly-fishing website. One of the respondents' advice was, "Treat yourself to an Art Weiler split bamboo fly rod. It will help you maintain contact with fly-fishing's traditions." (Bamboo rods are traditional fly-fishing tools.)

I finally saved enough money to purchase a Weiler rod. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and I almost feel guilty using it in some of the "jungles" I fish on small streams. However, the advisor on the Internet site suggested that when I got the rod, I should "fish the heck out of it."

Recently, I have been doing just that.