I never thought I'd say this, but my fascination with older glass fly rods and reels is over. Don't get me wrong, from a collectors standpoint it was very fun to collect vintage glass fishing gear. Along with the rods came some interest in classic fly reels.
Over the past few months I have been fishing more than I have been in years. I have been using modern gear lately and must admit that the modern stuff works better for me.
I have not been able to fish much in the past decade. My career and my kids took the front seat to my hobbies. If I want to get Freudian I must have collected the vintage gear to satisfy my fishing bug. Now that I am actually out there fishing I am finding the new gear to be more up my alley.
For smallies I have settled on a 9wt and 7wt TFO Clouser series rods. I am still a little cheap when it comes to reels. The 7wt is paired with a Redington Behemoth and the 9wt is married to a Lamson Konic. Not the highest quality reels, but I'll get there eventually.
In the coming months I will begin unloading my vintage collection on Ebay. No way can I sell them all (some are just too cool), but the majority will be sold to fund a few new lines and God forbid....nicer reels.
Time to get out there and fish rather than collect!
I'm with you on the vintage gear. And with the exception of two rods - glass in general. Every time I take out glass, at the end of the day my shoulder is screaming!
ReplyDeleteI can take my graphite out and have very little pain at the end of the day.
Since someone will ask - the glass I kept is the Moonlit Fly Fishing Shadowcast 5wt and the ever present Eagle Claw FL300-7. The Eagle Claw was kept for sentimental reasons and the Moonlit because it's relatively fast for glass and it's a good rod.
Hey Doug, I don't know if I deserve it, but I want first dibs on the chance to buy whatever rods you decide to get rid of. Not the reels, though...I have tried to like vintage reels but never found any I liked. I'll be in touch.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott. Sorry for the slow response... I will have to get you a list of rods after my house renovation. All of my vintage rods are packed away safe and sound for about the next 6 months. I am with you on the reels....not a big fan either. Talk to you soon.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott. Sorry for the slow response... I will have to get you a list of rods after my house renovation. All of my vintage rods are packed away safe and sound for about the next 6 months. I am with you on the reels....not a big fan either. Talk to you soon.
ReplyDeleteI have not been fishing much lately but I was given many vintage items as hand me downs. I have not had the opportunity to use them as much as I like but it's good to know that they may not perform as I would like. Thanks for the insight and happy fishing!
ReplyDelete