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Well sir, as we lose sight of February, the month of March has only three things that stand out in my mind.

The first is that it encompasses the majority of Lent.

 

The second is the Ides of March, which was bad news for Julius Caesar, and gave Marcus Janius Brutus a modicum of fame.

And the third is St. Patrick's Day. Now much has been credited to St. Patrick, but my guess is that a great number of the legends have been tempered by the aging of malt in a vat of some sort. Perhaps the application of a few drams will help to distill the facts.

 

My Father and myself have no irish blood. In fact, our forefathers came from Wales and Germany. Now that right there is scary. Maybe there was a viking or two somewhere in the dark past, who is to know. Anyway, we both shared a desire to visit Ireland, but neither of us have done so. For him, God rest his soul, there is no chance and for myself, it is extremely unlikely that I will ever do so. But when he was alive, we had an annual celebration. We would gather together with a pint or three and watch John Wayne in the movie The Quiet Man. My favorite scene in the movie is when Ward Bond, as the Priest, is fishing in the river and Maureen O'Hara is trying to tell him of her problems. Watching that lovely banboo fly rod in

his hands is magic. It captures the essence of Ireland for me.

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I, too, like The Quite Man. My Moms side of the Family came from Ireland, Dads came from Norway. My Aunt and Uncle lived in Seattle and had a 1973 Chevy Truck and camper. In 1990 She called me and asked if I wanted it. I flew to Seattle and drove it Home to Anaheim. I found lots of fishing poles in it. One was a split bamboo fly rod. It's up in the garage rafters. I know they are worth

$$$ but I never have used it.

 

On my next trip up to the Pacific North Wet, I'll bring it along and let you be the caretaker of it. Maybe you could use it and I would rather it be used, than just sitting in the rafters waiting till I croak and my kids sell or throw it away. What say you?

 

Big Jake

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Better idea Jake. How about I take you out and teach you to use it. Good bamboo is special for sure. But it

does have some problems. It will take a "set" if not cared for. It can be corrected if it does, but it is a PITA

to do so. You must heat the bamboo and then bend it. Bamboo that is tempered with heat can be formed quite easily. Most high quality bamboo rods were made with two tips, because the tips were much finer in diameter and would set more quickly than the thicker base.

 

The bamboo in fishing rods, especially fly fishing rods, comes from only one place in the world. China's

Tonkin valley.

 

You might find this interesting reading, Jake.

 

http://hipwader.com/2004/building-custom-cane-fly-rods

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I rescued my grandfather's split bamboo rod. My uncle was throwing out Grandpa's "old junk," which included an absolutely beautiful bamboo fly rod and some classic antique fly reels.

 

I've cast the rod a couple times, but have never taken it out on the river, and never will. It handles like your typical old bamboo rods...slow action...and throws a 6-weight line beautifully. I gave it to my oldest son, who is also an avid fly fisherman. He has it on display, as it should be, in his office.

 

Getting back on topic...my mom's family is Irish...real Irish. Grandma was an Irish redhead. Dad's family is from the Isle of Man, off the coast of Ireland.

 

The Quiet Man, in my opinion, was one of the Duke's all-time great movies.

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Fly fishing is artisty at its purest but personally can't talk about it in your terms. My foray into fly fishing started with a cheap kroger fiberglass rod bout 9 foot long. A low willow shortened it to 7.5 ft. With a new tip it became magice in my hands for casting a popping bug up in to standing willows and wearing the bluegill out.

 

Some of the older Mississippi guys used nice old rods to roll cast a live cricket out to bluegill beds. I never could do it without popping the head off.

 

No use for a fly rod here too much unless you afix a 1/2 ounce weight to compensate for the wind :lol:

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March brings April and here in upstate New York April 1st is the traditional opening day of Trout season. I hail from near the Catskill Mountains and it's renowned trout steams, the Beaverkill, East and West Branches of the Delaware, Neversink and Willowemoc Rivers. I always return home a few times during trout season. I fish the Beaverkill and Willowemoc with a vintage split bamboo rod. But prefer a Sage rod, made in Seattle, WA for the East and West Branches. These are bigger waters and it's faster action holds a tighter loop for more accurate, longer casts.

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Well sir, as we lose sight of February, the month of March has only three things that stand out in my mind.

The first is that it encompasses the majority of Lent.

 

The second is the Ides of March, which was bad news for Julius Caesar, and gave Marcus Janius Brutus a modicum of fame.

And the third is St. Patrick's Day. Now much has been credited to St. Patrick, but my guess is that a great number of the legends have been tempered by the aging of malt in a vat of some sort. Perhaps the application of a few drams will help to distill the facts.

 

My Father and myself have no irish blood. In fact, our forefathers came from Wales and Germany. Now that right there is scary. Maybe there was a viking or two somewhere in the dark past, who is to know. Anyway, we both shared a desire to visit Ireland, but neither of us have done so. For him, God rest his soul, there is no chance and for myself, it is extremely unlikely that I will ever do so. But when he was alive, we had an annual celebration. We would gather together with a pint or three and watch John Wayne in the movie The Quiet Man. My favorite scene in the movie is when Ward Bond, as the Priest, is fishing in the river and Maureen O'Hara is trying to tell him of her problems. Watching that lovely banboo fly rod in

his hands is magic. It captures the essence of Ireland for me.

 

HOORAY THE IDES OF MARCH!!! Some great things happened on the 15th.

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I am going to assume that you are not a big fan of Julius, Forty Rod. I assume you are not a big fan of most anybody. Except me. :D

 

Willie, those Sage rods are awesome. When I retired, I got ahold of a 5 wt. 9 footer SLT which is now obsolete. Like me I guess. Anyway, that thing will cast itself. It is slower than some of the fast action rods

they sell but I like it that way. I would like to try the new ONE class that they just came out with. I guess it does cast itself.

 

Sam, some of those newer rods will compensate for the wind. They all make rods for the bonefish crowd down in the Bahamas and on Christmas Island. I guess they fish in some gale force winds at those places.

Bring $$$s though.

 

Pack, Friday morning, I am going over to have coffee with a fellow that is retired, but he builds split bamboo rods and sells them. No, I am not in the market, but it will be nice to discuss fishing and rods and reels over a coffee.

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Julius who? I quite like you, but I won't ever tell you because your head will swell up.

 

My dad said there were three disasters associated with the Ides of March:

 

1. Julie's murder

 

2. Income Tax Day

 

3. My birth.

 

They moved tax day to April 15th, Julie has been buried and long forgotten, and that leaves ME!!!

 

"Beware the Ides Of March"? You bet your sweet bippie, bub. 70 years of terror and confusion! :D

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:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

If your Dad and my Dad had got together, they would have had a lot to discuss.

 

I will remember your birthday. I am sure I can find time to do something unremarkable for it. :lol:

 

Maybe I will walk across your lawn.

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Willie, those Sage rods are awesome. When I retired, I got ahold of a 5 wt. 9 footer SLT which is now obsolete. Like me I guess. Anyway, that thing will cast itself. It is slower than some of the fast action rods

they sell but I like it that way. I would like to try the new ONE class that they just came out with. I guess it does cast itself.

Badger, I agree. Those Sage rods are great. I have an old 9-foot RPL in 6 wt. It's amazing and definitely one of my all-time favorites! This rod certainly covers up my flaws! And when a rod does that, it's priceless. :D

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Badger, There's a fly shop in Roscoe NY that's a Sage dealer. Maybe by the time I get down there they'll have the ONE available to try out. I'm pretty happy though with the ZXL model that I have now that I'm used to it.

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Funny thing, I bought a 9"6" 8 wt for a fishing trip to Canada. It is RP. One of the earliest ones. Well, I

put a shooting head on it and I can cast that thing down to the backing. What a sweetheart. Only Sage rod

I have that is just so so, is a little LL 8"3" four piece in a 5 wt.. I only keep it around because I can stuff it into a suitcase and head off to where ever. It cast ok, but it is nowhere near the other sage rods I have.

Even that little 2 wt I have is more responsive.

 

I was reading the hype put out by Sage on the ONE. Looks like it is a little different in the matrix of the

fibers. I would like to see one just to see what is different about it or if it is just another pretty rod.

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...so, today's effort is going to be to clean up the shop and make a space for all my fly tying equipment and supplies... <_<

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I, too, like The Quite Man. My Moms side of the Family came from Ireland, Dads came from Norway. My Aunt and Uncle lived in Seattle and had a 1973 Chevy Truck and camper. In 1990 She called me and asked if I wanted it. I flew to Seattle and drove it Home to Anaheim. I found lots of fishing poles in it. One was a split bamboo fly rod. It's up in the garage rafters. I know they are worth

$$$ but I never have used it.

 

On my next trip up to the Pacific North Wet, I'll bring it along and let you be the caretaker of it. Maybe you could use it and I would rather it be used, than just sitting in the rafters waiting till I croak and my kids sell or throw it away. What say you?

 

Big Jake

On a bear hunt in Ontario a few years back, I noticed a car in the bear camp parking lot with a bumper sticker that said "SMALAND". I looked up the owner and became instant best friends when I told him that my Great Grand parents were from Smaland(a province, county, area) in Sweden.

A few days and several conversation later we were drinking a beer one evening. He leaned over and whispered in my ear. "See that woman", pointing to a lovely lady on the other side of the table. "That's my wife" he said.

A few minutes later he leaned over and whispered again. "She's Norwegian. I don't tell many people that."

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The dreaded double tap hit this old cuss.

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On a bear hunt in Ontario a few years back, I noticed a car in the bear camp parking lot with a bumper sticker that said "SMALAND". I looked up the owner and became instant best friends when I told him that my Great Grand parents were from Smaland(a province, county, area) in Sweden.

A few days and several conversation later we were drinking a beer one evening. He leaned over and whispered in my ear. "See that woman", pointing to a lovely lady on the other side of the table. "That's my wife" he said.

A few minutes later he leaned over and whispered again. "She's Norwegian. I don't tell many people that."

 

You know what a Swede is dontcha? A Norwegian with his brains knocked out. :lol:

A thousand screaming Swedes come running out of the weeds with 1 Norwegian chasing them. :lol:

My Grandfather was full Norsky, but I think Grandma had some Swedish blood. Ya Sure. Ouf Da!

 

Big Jake

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My ZXL is a 5wt. I originally had a WF 5wt line on it. Didn't like the way it felt or cast. I decided to over-line it a little with a DT 6wt line and right away noticed a big improvement. It loaded the rod easier and slowed the action a little. It suits my casting style better and still has good distance and accuracy.

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That is the beauty of fly fishing. You can jiggle the rules a bit. I am going to try something new on the

summer run steelhead this summer. I have rigged up a 20# fluorocarbon leader six feet long for my wet tip fly line. I figure the fluorocarbon will sink more readily than the nylon plus the low light index. Wish me luck. The rivers will not open until June 1 however.

 

I will be fishing off my old Sage 9'6' 8 wt. RP rod.

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My ZXL is a 5wt. I originally had a WF 5wt line on it. Didn't like the way it felt or cast. I decided to over-line it a little with a DT 6wt line and right away noticed a big improvement. It loaded the rod easier and slowed the action a little. It suits my casting style better and still has good distance and accuracy.

 

Is it just me?

 

I know this is in English, 'cause I recognize some o' the words, even a whole sentence, and I have tried mightily to have them make sense, but its no use. I can rearrange words, take out words or add words and it still makes no sense whatsoever! :lol:

 

Bama (who never could make any sense out of fish, fishing or fisherfolk) Red

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Yep, that flurocarbon leader and tippet will sink more readily than nylon will. Plus you'll have a thinner diameter so you can increase your pound test an land them big ones with less chance of em breakin off. Aound here, one can fish most of the Lake Erie and Ontario tributaries year round for Steelhead. It's been spotty this past winter due to the water conditions.

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One of my earliest memories is watching my father wading in the Rio Grande near Creede, Colorado, and landing a rainbow. He waded to the shoreline and let me look at the fish in his wicker creel. I was about 3 years old, in 1947. I have his two Montague bamboo rods on the wall in my den.

 

Dang, you guys are forcing me to get out my fly tying stuff.

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I used to live in San Jose Calif. and knew a gentleman who would Fly Fish. He knew I went squirrel shooting, and asked me to cut off the tails and bring them to him. He would pull the fur off and use them for tying Fly's for fishing. Anyone heard of this?

 

Big Jake

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I fish the Beaverkill and Willowemoc with a 8ft 6wt Montague. I was about 8 years old, early 1960's, when I got it. The husband of an older couple who lived next door were moving and he gave it to me. I kept it and fished with it ever since.

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Sure have Big Jake. Squirrel tails are used quite a bit in tying flies. Mostly for nymphs. Not the female kind that flit around in the woods. Those take Mink. Anyway Mepps still buy them to use for their spinners.

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For all you fly fishing "experts", I have a Heddon #10, 3 piece in a cardboard tube that I inherited. Can you tell me anything about it? Are they a good rod, etc. Should I use it, sell it, neither? I can put up some pictures.

 

Thanks,

Hamley

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USE IT , what use is it sitting in the corner :huh:

 

J-Bar

Are you gonna be at Cassville Sat ? Maybe we will talk fishin while not shootin :)

 

I have gotten spoiled to the fast action of the new rods , tight loop and long casts ,

Will break out the bamboos to play once in a while , shortline wetflys .

 

8wt for whites and stripped bass , 4wt and 2 wt for trout .

 

Cuaght a 8 lb hybred on the 4 wt , what a fight :blink:

 

CB

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USE IT , what use is it sitting in the corner :huh:

 

J-Bar

Are you gonna be at Cassville Sat ? Maybe we will talk fishin while not shootin :)

 

I have gotten spoiled to the fast action of the new rods , tight loop and long casts ,

Will break out the bamboos to play once in a while , shortline wetflys .

 

8wt for whites and stripped bass , 4wt and 2 wt for trout .

 

Cuaght a 8 lb hybred on the 4 wt , what a fight :blink:

 

CB

 

 

I look forward to swapping fishing tales, but this weekend my boss tells me we are visiting our daughter in Arkansas. Gonna hafta content myself with the Mountain Valley Vigilantes on Saturday instead of The Ozarks Posse. Shoot well and save the lies for next time!!!!

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I used to live in San Jose Calif. and knew a gentleman who would Fly Fish. He knew I went squirrel shooting, and asked me to cut off the tails and bring them to him. He would pull the fur off and use them for tying Fly's for fishing. Anyone heard of this?

 

Big Jake

 

Jake, squirrel is a big item in nymphs as Big Boots said. It is dyed to various colors and used al natural, along with just about any other type of fur out there. I have not heard of coon fur, but opossum, rabbit, deer, elk, caribou, black bear, brown bear and even polar bear if it is legal. Seal fur and mole hair.

One fellow even used his dog's hair to tie the original sofa pillow pattern, so the legend goes. Bird feathers are even worse. Folks have been using just about everything they can to make flies and catch fish.

 

 

For all you fly fishing "experts", I have a Heddon #10, 3 piece in a cardboard tube that I inherited. Can you tell me anything about it? Are they a good rod, etc. Should I use it, sell it, neither? I can put up some pictures.

 

Thanks,

Hamley

 

Hamley, I hate to tell you but every bamboo rod will not demand a high value figure. Heddon was a factory rod produced back in the first part of the 1900s so unless you find some one that has a great

interest in it you most likely will not get all that much for it. You could do a google search on Heddon rods and see what come to hand. That is not to say that it might be worth a couple of hundred bucks if it is in good condition. Some guys just like bamboo.

 

The Leonards, and a few others will bring big dollars but for the most part they are collector items. Most folks that want a new rod will opt for the high end graphites. Some can demand as much as $600 or $700 a copy. Some hand made bamboo will be worth double that but the market is very small. As you can imagine. The plastic rods are made with an assortment of materials.

The low end rods are made with fiberglass and a fiberglass/graphite combination. The 100% graphite rods are next in the hierarchy, along with boron and graphite/carbon fibers. Sage has a new one out with carbon fibers that are aligned in a different matrix, that is supposed to be the cat's whiskers. It retails for

around $750.00 a copy. Add to that a reel that runs around $600.00 and an extra spool at maybe another couple hundred, a $90.00 fly line or two and you can see where this goes.

 

When I got into flyfishing back in the 1960s, I bought a fiberglass rod, reel and line for less than $30.00.

Sometime around the 1970s Visa Card ran an ad from a fly shop down in Texas, showing a bamboo rod, nice reel and a colorful fly with the admonition to "Bring your Visa card because they don't take American Express." It caught on and the yuppies interest became fly fishers, going off on jaunts to the Bahamas, Christmas Island, and Florida keys to fish for bone fish and other exotic fish. The price of fly fishing sky rocketed. Thankfully, it seems to be leveling off now, but prices are way high and the manufactures are

struggling with new technology and paying for the R&D of new equipment.

 

Sorry to be so long winded, but I really get into this stuff.

 

Edit:

Here is a link for prices and values. Looks like I was off a little in my estimate, but it still depends on

the condition and the mind set of the buyer. Good luck to you.

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze2h7gi/fishnbanjossliceoflifeincyberspacecopy/id19.html

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My Father was full Apache. Mom is Irish and German..................................................

 

 

Guess dat's makes me a mutt :mellow: ........................wif one very nasty temper ! ! :blink:;)

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Badger, The late Fran Betters tied dry flies using hair from a Snowshoe rabbit's feet. He had a fly shop in the Adirondack Mountains on the banks of the Ausable River near Lake Placid, NY. It's a hollow hair and he found it kept the fly afloat better than anything else in the more turbulent streams that are predominant in the Adirondacks. He is known for a dry he tied named

"The Usual".

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