Old Yankee Rodsmith's 5wt Boron Blend

We had our first super nice day here in Minnesota, spring is finally here! I was fortunate enough to get a custom 5 wt rod from Andy Manchester (Old Yankee Rodsmith) for Christmas. This is my second rod from Andy and I can't tell you how impressed I am with the craftsmanship and quality of Andy's work. The rod is a boron blend and measures out to 6'.

My boys call it the "Orange Crush" because of hue of the blank--I hope to CRUSH a few trout this year with this beauty. It is my first boron rod, so I wasn't sure how it would perform. After 20 minutes of driveway casting I found this rod to be more than I ever thought it would be. The flex of the rod is full and smooth making it a dream to cast.

The detail of this rod is second to none. Andy graduated the rod in increments up to 24", so no more guessing on the length of fish (see below). The snake guides are large and allow line to shoot perfectly with a DT 5wt line.

I love this rod. Many of you may think a 6' rod is not practical, but I encourage you to give one a try. If you are nervous about boron, don't be--it has a flex that is a joy to cast.

I will post a better review tomorrow after I catch some pigs with this rod. Look for fishy pictures tomorrow!

The one issue I had with my first 6' rod was finding a small reel that worked well. I settled on a Martin Model 72 "tuna can" reel and I have to be honest....I didn't like the reel at all. I shot Andy an email inquiring about a good companion reel for the rod and he told me about a reel I have never heard of...a Lawson Laurentian #1 Dry Fly Special? The Laurentian was made in Canada in the 1940's. Turns out Andy was dead on with the recommendation! The reel balances out both of my 6' Old Yankee's perfectly and looks great too!

Here is a great article about Andy from Joe Cornwall's online magazine Fly Fish Ohio.