I recently accompanied a friend to the local fly shop. I was
along to aid in his quest for a new fly rod, and while the visit
was about helping him, I selfishly was excited to cast some
rods myself; comparing tapers and actions from brands that I
never have judged face to face before.

Prior to arrival, the goal was to find the ultimate five
weight. Somewhere along the way though, things changed and
we set our sights on a four weight; a rod that would cast a dry
fly perfectly on one the many small meadow and mountain
streams we fish out here in Wyoming. Not an all-purpose rod
by any means, more a luxury item that would only be used
when fishing to cutthroat trout on hot summer days. Here’s
where things got interesting. While we cast approximately six
rods from several manufactures, our opinions varied greatly. A
rod that my friend loved, I couldn’t put down fast enough, and
a slow action rod that I quickly became smitten with, my friend
shrugged off in favor of a stiff brown pole made of space age
NASA stuff.

Regardless of our preferences, we did think it was pretty
cool how rods, much like guitars, are destined for certain
individuals. Different rods appeal to different casting styles. I
think the guy at the fly shop said it best when he explained to
my friend that no amount of fancy writing or opinions matter,
“the rod picks you.” And it was true because at the end our
comparison, my friend picked the rod that he connected with,
not the green one that I liked and not the fancy one that
earned 50 gold stars in the magazine shootout.

Our time spent casting rods made me examine my own
preferences and rod arsenal. Deep down I’m a guy who likes a
slow action rod, but I know that for practicality, it’s hard to
argue with a fast action 5wt, at least for our here in the West,
where wind and bulky flies are the name of the game. I also
realized that despite all the fancy polymers and nano weight
technologies being employed to create fly rods these days, it
doesn’t really matter. A rod from 20 years ago cast just as well
(maybe even better- yeah, I said it) as the current crop being
built in today’s arms race.

Here’s to hoping for a Winston 4 weight some day……

Saturday’s fishing adventure up north didn’t offer much in the
way of fish; one scrappy little brown trout fell for a nymph, but
aside from that, the only thing we got was wet. We did learn that
the resident grizzly bears are up and active….

I’ve returned to the cold mountains of Wyoming, after
doing my best to live like a pirate for the past two weeks;
consulting a hand-written tide chart daily, consuming copious
amounts of rum, neglecting to wear shoes and combing pink
sand beaches in search of treasure. A man could get used to
this sort of thing. The treasure I (and my friend Kurt) sought
(and discovered) came in the form of bonefish. All our
searching was done together on foot, with 8 weight rods and
hand-tied flies. The first week was fantastic. The second
week, not so much (wind and clouds made fish spotting
impossible). Overall though, our trip was a major success and
a much needed break.

In addition to tying flies, playing guitar and making art,
lately I’ve made it a habit to read more. I’ve gotten through
quite a few books this winter but my hands down favorite was
“Life”, by Keith Richards. If any of you are Stones fans or just
fans of rock n’ roll in general, this is a must read! Keith covers
his whole crazy life, sharing details about song writing, life on
the road and his relationship with Mick Jagger.

Below is my Keef inspired rig- a Telecaster and a couple
Champ amps; what more do you need?