My Kusse 7' 4wt Quad. Easily my favorite rod.
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My Kusse 7' 4wt Quad. Easily my favorite rod.
Lamiglas 7ft 3wt that Betty built for me!
7' 6" 5 wt hollow built bamboo,
7' 9" 5wt extreme super hollow built bamboo,
9' 9wt extreme super hollow bamboo,
10' 6" hollow built bamboo switch rod,
and
12' 9wt(560 grain weight) hollow built bamboo spey rod.
All of the above made by me. Sorry for posrting so many but I fish for a lot of differnt fish in a lot of different places.
Sage 490 LL Graphite II. If I could only have one, that's it without question. Followed closely by the Sage 389 LL Graphite II. Both are early 90's vintage. I've tried a lot of others, and eventually sold them off. Have a cheap bamboo that's supposed to be a Payne 100 taper, 7 1/2 foot 4 wt. Whatever it is, it works nice with a DT 4 and I like it too!
My favorite bamboo rod is a 6' 2 weight. Accurate, delicacy and incredibly fun! Harry Boyd was the maker. When it comes to graphite, my best rod is the 9' 4 weight Orvis Hydros tip flex. Inexpensive, accurate and it casts itself.
I am probably gonna get picked on for this, but I have to be honest. My 'go to' rod most of the time is my ugly, yellow 6-1/2' Eagle Claw 4 wt, with the chewed up real cork grips. I bought it new in 1972, and it is still my favorite rod. It's like an old friend. It was the second fly rod I ever bought (my first was a South Bend). We've fished all over the world together for several decades. If this rod could talk, it would tell you stories that make Indiana Jones look like a couch-potato.
I don't know why, but I cast better with the shorter rod, especially from one of my kayaks. Maybe it's because I am short (but solid...).
Anyway, it's cheap, it's ugly, it's old, but it's like a part of me.
Ex my boo's, which have become too costly to fish and risk breaking, it's my new Superfine Touch 7' 4 wt.
Purchased basically to replicate that 'boo feeling.
For most of my fishing on a pretty good size river with dry flies from size 20 BWOs to size 2 Salmonflies, I really like the TFO BVK 9' for 5 wt four piece built by BB member Apachetrout.
I've been fishing it regularly with a Rio Selective Trout II WF4F line, and can line up to a 5 wt line if it gets a bit breezy.
For winter fishing with big stonefly nymphs, I like the Sage Fli 9' for 7 wt four piece. Tight loops with two big weighted nymphs and an indicator.
John
For trout fishing in our spring creeks, it has to be my St Croix Avid (pre IPC) 8 1/2' 4wt 2pc.
Winston WT 2-piece 8-1/2' 5wt.