HOW about Fly Fishing? Let's see your outfits . . .

[Matt Crunk]

It's a sport that I've had an interest in for years, and am just now starting to get into. Been reading up on it a lot lately and just bought my first fly-rod over the weekend. This sport for me has a lot of vintage appeal.
So let's see your vintage fly gear: Rods/Reels, Creels, Nets, Vests, Waders, Canoes?

 

[Oldsarge]

Tell you what. I'm headed to Ontario, Canada next month to essay battle with the voracious Northern Pike. I'm packing my 8 weight and a bunch of bizarre home tied flies that I hope will attract their toothy attention. If it works, I'll post.

(I even tied some flies that just might catch walleye . . . maybe)

 

[fortworthgal]

I love fishing, but don't fly fish... however, my husband does! He's been an avid fly fisher since long before I came along. He has quite a few vintage rods & reels, and at least one vintage creel. Most of the gear he actually uses is new, though. I'll see if I can dig up some photos to share! We have a lot of fun hitting the rivers and lakes together, even though I'm just a lowly lure-fisher. :lol:

 

[RBH]

I was hoping this one would have some great post.....

 

[Doublegun]

Hi, my name is Doublegun and I have a problem....

Been fly fishing for almost 40-years. At last count I have 23-24 rods and a dozen reels. I am a big fan of IM6 graphite rods made by Winston, I have a handful of fiberglass rods bit I have a real problem with bamboo. They just keep multiplying in my closet. Prodigious little buggers....

I'll try to get some photos posted of rods and reels. Given I spend so much time here I guess it's no surprise that I have a passion for fishing with bamboo. I don't own any Paynes, Youngs, Leondards or Dickersons. With the exemption of one old (1958) Orvis rod all of my bamboo rods were build by artists I know personally. Now, I don't go completely vintage; no greased silk lines, no wicker creel (I'm strictly catch and release), no old tattered vest and no old canvas wading pants. Mostly I wade but I like working an Old Town canoe back into quiet water and on the AuSable river system I love fishing out of a traditional AuSable boat.

I'll see what I can come up with in terms of photos.

 

[rocketeer]

Go Go Go you fly fishers! other than a trawler its the only way to catch fish, some nice rainbow Trout, well salmon as well I suppose but I don't know how you catch those.
Fishing a sport? No not in my book, I wouldn't give em a chance, the sooner the fish is on my plate the better.
I see carp are popular now, I suppose it's all about size with that fish but why throw them back? Those Eastern Europeans have the right idea. And all those stupid bite alarms? Special scented bait? Just sit back and watch your float.
Yes you fly fishers, tie the fly, fool the fish, catch it and bash it then serve it up nice and fresh.

Either that or get in a trawler and catch England's favourite takeaway, Cod n Chips.

 

[PADDY]

In Scotland. Fly Fishing Trout. Very rural so poor Internet when achievable ( this sent from iPhone att top of a windy hill, middle of nowhere! Bliss ..!!!).

 

[RBH]

WOW Paddy... I hope you let us in on more!!!

That is one sweet photo.

 

[bulldog1935]

This looks like the place for me to check in.
Hi, I'm Ron Mc, introducing myself to the forum.
here's the signature I use on a couple of other forums, which are principally fly fishing.

Shotguns and flyreels are jewelry for men
I guess I can't use a photo in a signature here...

I collect and fish vintage cane and venerable glass rods.
I collect and repair vintage fly reels, especially between-the-wars reels made by JW Young of Redditch.

I live in the Texas hill country, and have been fly fishing here, the Rockies, and the coastal flats for 40 years.
We fish 12 months/year here, we have the southernmost tailwater trout fishery, which made John Ross' America's 100 Best Trout Streams. I'm on the board of our TU chapter, and fished bamboo on television with TU On the Rise and KT Diaries.
Years ago, I became jaded with graphite rods and disc drag reels and felt completely insulated from the fish and fishing.
The first time I hooked a 20" rainbow on a vintage bamboo rod and click-pawl reel, my reaction was "oh crap, what am I going to do now?" I remembered why I did this in the first place.
I found a place for my vest - on a hanger on a pegboard, where I use it as a filing cabinet - and I fish out of a Chapman bag.

(sorry about the nylon rain shell - will get that fixed...)
but the photo does show what brought me here. That floppy Stetson kangaroo looks like that after only two winters. Tired of smelling like a wet kangaroo and spraying starch on the hat, I broke down this year and had Art make me a Journeyman in pecan beaver

I came by my love for hats fairly - my grandfather was never outdoors without a hat. I'm an outdoor person, fish, kayak, shoot, bicycle and I too wear hats - and so does my daughter

enough of that, here's what you really want to see - fly rods

Leonard #39 Fairy Catskill (c. 1920) and Pflueger Golden West (c. 1920) with a NM brown

Heddon #14 Thorobred (c. 1940) and Meek 55 (c. 1940) with a Guadalupe (TX) rainbow

Fred Thomas Special (1932) with Young Pattern 15a reel (1940). The reel was also sold as the Thomas Special reel.

modern tackle with a classic look and feel
Quiet Loop Japanese glass with CAPS classic reel (and another Texas rainbow)

there's plenty more where that came from.

I enjoy your board and all things classic.

oh, and I also like my cigars

candela wrapper - classically known as American Market Select

 

[m0nk]

I fly fish quite a bit, and even tie my own. I have mostly modern gear and apparel, though.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I love to fly fish, but I’ve got no vintage gear.

I'm actually more of a salt-water fly fisherman and, around here, salt-water fly fishing is a relatively new sport. Heck, twenty years ago, few people in this area had ever heard of such a thing. As a result, there isn't much vintage salt-water gear available to be purchased. Also, salt water…and big, irritable salt-water fish…are kinda tough on fly fishing gear. Most early fresh-water gear that was pressed into service for salt-water fishing is now but rusty junk...with burned drags and fractured rod tips...fit only for wall hanging.

AF

 

[bulldog1935]

monk, I fished Pine Creek and Slate Run in the PA grand canyon about 10 years ago. I spent the weekend at the Blackwell Hotel, and was sad to learn they are now no more. I really liked the place, and they loaned a bicycle to ride the trails that followed the creeks.
http://visittiogapa.com/railtrail.html

something I also like to do at home - all the nicest roads follow creeks and rivers

Atticus, I caught my first redfish on the TX coast on a Shakespeare Wonderod in 1974.
Though I will admit, while I have a couple of inshore 8' and 8-1/2' glass rods, I always go to graphite to fish 9' - glass and cane in that length are just not fun.

and for you guys who might be interested, here is the forum for fiberglass fly rods
http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/

 

[Atticus Finch]

Atticus, I caught my first redfish on the TX coast on a Shakespeare Wonderod in 1974.
Though I will admit, while I have a couple of inshore 8' and 8-1/2' glass rods, I always go to graphite to fish 9' - glass and cane in that length are just not fun.

1974! Good gracious, that's the year I graduated from high school. In those days I had never even seen a fly rod. We thought the only way you could catch a speckled trout or a puppy drum (red fish) was with open faced spinning reel on seven foot glass rod...or in a gill net.

BTW...that's a pretty spec in your photo, above.

AF

 

[bulldog1935]

that was the year I got my driver's licence - graduated next year.
I read a lot of Hemingway. First thing I bought with my Saturday tire-mechanic money was a cheap shotgun. Second was a cheap fly rod.


my biggest fly rod fish is a 44" king mackerel, caught off the end of the jetties at South Padre around Thanksgiving - on a 7-wt (Sage RPLX) with a lot of a backing (Lamson LP 3.5).

and since I like to post photos, here's a couple of fly rod stripers caught after a flood in my tailwater

 

[Atticus Finch]

that was the year I got my driver's licence - graduated next year.
I read a lot of Hemingway. First thing I bought with my Saturday tire-mechanic money was a cheap shotgun. Second was a cheap fly rod.

Sounds like we may have been cut from the same bolt of mid-1950's, coastal salt-marsh cloth.

AF

 

[bulldog1935]

and this is what we call Texas brook trout: endemic Guadalupe bass, which are native only to 3 Texas hill country river drainages.

above is a c. 1930 Pflueger Medalist on a 7-1/2' Cummings Water Witch glass rod, and below is a c. 1940 Young pattern 1a on a Phillipson 6-1/2' glass rod

and this is as big as Guadalupe bass get - this fish would have been a state record, except I released her a couple of years before they began catch and release records - she's my home computer wallpaper

 

[seabass]

that was the year I got my driver's licence - graduated next year.
I read a lot of Hemingway. First thing I bought with my Saturday tire-mechanic money was a cheap shotgun. Second was a cheap fly rod.


my biggest fly rod fish is a 44" king mackerel, caught off the end of the jetties at South Padre around Thanksgiving - on a 7-wt (Sage RPLX) with a lot of a backing (Lamson LP 3.5).

and since I like to post photos, here's a couple of fly rod stripers caught after a flood in my tailwater

Bulldog
STRIPERS ! My favorite catch
no vintage fly gear
but old rods i made myself many years ago & vintage spinning gear & Antique Creek Chub Pikie's
they get big out here, real big. CA Delta or the coast surf or boat.....
great pics !!!!

 

[bulldog1935]

seabass, they're crazy in a hard-flowing river. They head straight downriver - always - and you have to stop and turn them. Then they fight their way back upriver, have a couple of more winds when they see you, but are expended when you get them to the net - unless they expend you first.
First time they lowered dam release to wadable levels after the flood, I was out swinging streamers to check on rainbows.
Instead, to my surprise, I got two stripers that day - on a 5-wt. trout rod - and size 10 streamer

Went back to the same hole in the early fall and took 7 stripers total. We don't like it when the get over the dam and into the tailwater - they eat the rainbows, so we harvest them. The state fly rod record (not mine) was 37 lbs, and the fish had five 15-16" rainbows in its gullet - my friend John caught it.

 

[Cane Rod Maker]

Hand Crafted Split Cane Fly Rods

Hand Crafted Split Cane Fly Rods by Cane Rod Maker.

Gentlemen,

I am having difficulty loading some large file photos but I'd like to share my work with you all, just give me some time to add photos or simply PM me with your e-mail address.

I made a series of rods for Slate Run Tackle shop, but with a very tough economy rods were not selling, and I really do not believe sales staff were helpful to the customer; I did confirm that not once did they offer to take one outside to lawn cast to encourage a sale.

I picked up these rods the 2 weeks ago, disappointed needless to say.

I had a referral that same day, a gent came to me with a tattered old H&I bamboo rod, delaminated tip, re-varnished.....needed a total restoration and he was not looking to put several hundred into this project. I suggested he look at my work. He cast those rods, he bought an 8'6'' rod, and the next day bought a 7'4'' that he also liked.

My work is influenced by Payne, Young, Gillum and Dickerson.

MY WORK HAS A VERY VINTAGE LOOK TO IT. I HAVE REFFERENCES

All flame tempered and absoutely stunning. My workmanship is impeccable.......PM Tonyb the hatter, he will tell you what a nice looking rod I make.

I learned from George Maurer back in 2005 and made over 40 rods since.

When times were good 1350.00 was the cost........my work, well it stacks to some of the best in the country.

I'd be willing to make a 2/2 configuration rod with powder coated rod tube, brass top and bottom, poplin rod bag for 925.00

Sorry I can't get a photo up right now and believe me I have been at it for over an hour here trying.

I would like to put an heirloom quality rod in your hands.

Pm me with your e-mail.....I will send rod photos to you.

Thank you for your interests.

Tight Lines,
Tim

 

[bulldog1935]

Hi Tim,
I have a John Pickard 725 Driggs River (here mated with a Hardy JLH Ultralight). And of course you know this is a parabolic taper.

It's great in little hill country creeks, along with my mid-length, mid-weight venerable glass rods, but I fish a tailwater mostly for trout, and my favorite rods for that work are Thomas and Heddon.Other than the Thomas Special, my favorite tailrace nymphing rods include Heddon 8-1/2' 1-3/4 ferrule, and 8-1/2' South Bend 323 HEH. I have a gang of 8' and 8-1/2' 4/5 wt. rods for my home tailwater.

Here's the SB 323, wearing a c. 1930 Shakespeare Russell.

And the Heddon #17 Black Beauty 8-1/2' 1-3/4f wearing a c. 1930 Heddon Little Rivers (which is also a Shakespeare Russell marked for Heddon)

Dennis Stone made me a Thomas Light Special that's a superb 8' dry fly rod with a 4-wt.

It's an astounding rod, super-progressive taper that will cast the leader, and literally feels like it casts itself out to 50', though the taper also will not let it cast past 50' (but who needs to). On the afternoon of this photo, I caught over a dozen on dries and showed up my friends.

The reel is a Young pattern 2a, Ogden Smiths Exchequer. If you're interested, you can find more on the reel here - about halfway down the page
http://bulldog1935.u.yuku.com/

In NM with smaller fish, the Leonard #39 Fairy Catskill is outstanding. It's a true 3-wt made in the 20s.

Another parabolic rod, 7'10" 5-wt., The Guadalupe, made by my nearby friend Floyd Burkett. A super streamer rod, but I made the mistake of taking it one day when we stumbled on trout rising to dries and the tip was way too fast for that work. But it's a real rocket for blasting out big streamers and is great for hill country bass.

The reel is 1917 Hardy St. George, which I don't own any more. It was burning a hole in my pocket, and I bought a new Wilderness Tarpon 160 kayak with it.

A couple of my reels came from famous collections. The Exchequer above came from Jamie Maxtone Graham. My Lyon & Coulson Varden, Young pattern 15a, came from Hoagy Carmichael. My Golden West came from Michael Sinclair, and I currently have one of his reels for repair in my hobby shop.

Looking forward to photos of your rods.
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