Blaspheny! :lol:
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I learned to fly fish beause I broke my only spinning rod while fishing. It was a two hour trip home and I decided I wanted to fish so I stopped at the only hardware store there was on the way home. The only rod they had that my reel would fit on was a cheap ($18.00) fly rod. Sometime later I decided to buy a fly line and reel. Taught myself to cast with this outfit and the rest is history.
One of the brands is ajust-a-bubble. They are available at Wallyworld and just about any sporting goods or bait shop.
You can also make a bunch of wooden spinning bubbles from wood dowels. If you have a lathe you could make a lot of them very quickly. No lathe?, just cut a 1 1/4" dowel into 1 1/2" lengths. Taper each end to look kinda like a rootbeer barrel candy, but with one side smaller than the other - 3/4" and 1/2" ends. You can do this with a wood rasp and sand paper or probably on a drill press. Attach an eye screw to both ends - paint the bubble any color you like ( I like white or fluorescent orange ) and your done. I'm still using the ones my dad made me, back in 1974! Also, you could seal the wood with spar varnish or something similar. I seriously need to get a digital camera! LOL!!!!
DIAGRAM
3/4" big end ------ eye o( >o eye ------ small end 1/2" ( line from spinning reel attached to small end eye screw )
( leader&fly on 1 1/2" ( length of dowel )
this end )
(starting dowel dia. is approx. 1 1/4")
Best regards, Dave S.
This really touched a nerve with me. Last fall my son and I were preparing to go with a group up to Lake Erie tributaries to fish for steelhead. We were given all sorts of advice on equipment, rods, reels... basically the whole works. Having grown, he needed new waders and boots, and I knew we needed heavier rods than the 5 wts we had always used. I began to look everywhere, and finally ordered two rods from L.L. Bean- the entire set-up, ready to fish, was under $100 each. There had been al kinds of discussion about the drag on the reel being able to handle a large fish, the feel and action of the rod, and so on. What I found was that the most important factor was being with people who knew where to find fish, what flies to use, and how to present them. When it was alll done, a 13 year old had sucessfully hooked and landed 3 fish over the weekend, all at least 5 pounds. There were people with us who had spent twice the amount we did just on a reel, but nobody had a better time. Our equipment did just what it needed to do, the results were super, and I had no complaint with what we fished with. I don't know if we would have appreciated any difference using "superior" equipment, and having gone back and done it again, I doubt that we'll ever see the need to upgrade what we have.
Thanks for your thoughts. This applies to all sorts of activities, especially to us who have kids. Do you need a $2000 guitar to start? Or a $700 bow to try your hand at archery? See how you like it, try it out, and then by all means upgrade if you want to or need to!
I think that Casey makes a good point that a comparison between a $20 rod and a $600 rod will come out massively in favor of the more expensive rod. The difference between a $100-150 dollar rod and the $600 rod gets much smaller very quickly. In fact, if you select your rod carefully, the difference can negligible for many anglers. Some anglers even prefer the cheaper rod because because the ultra-fast tip, high-priced rods tend to be very unforgiving of less than perfect casting. For me. the "bang for the buck" rods fall in the middle price range. Now let me say if you can afford a $1,200 graphite rod or a $3,000 bamboo and fishing such a rod brings you joy and pleasure, I have no argument with you at all. All I'm saying is that rods with excellent casting characteristics may be found in the more moderate price ranges.
BTW, I was casting my grandfather's yellow glass Eagle Claw (circa 1950) the other day and with a few small adjustments in my timing, it was laying out some pretty good line.
I'm sure others will disagree but consider the opinion in the light of what you paid for it. 8T :)
I don't disagree in the slightest.
Two years ago on a trip to Montana I only shipped my one favorite bamboo rod.
Big mistake!! Second day I hooked a locomotive-like rainbow. The rod splintered slightly above the mid ferrule.
I still think it was my fault but nonetheless the damage was done. There I was without a rod. My brother-in-law, a non-fisherman called his brother and arranged for me to borrow the only fly rod he owned, an old Eagle Claw glass rod.
Well, for the next couple of days I fished it. The action was terrible but I was determined to make it work. Caught a bunch of fish and bolstered my ego to no end. I figured if I could catch fish with that rod, I could catch 'em with a crappie cane pole.
I suppose you could say you can catch fish with about anything that will throw a fly line?
It's, in my opinion, a lot more fun to catch 'em with a smooth casting rod and that does not have to be a "break-the-bank" one!!
Bob
AlbaSurf; OMG.....how refreshing to have sense and experimentation in the same act. You elated me so much I didn't finish your post; which I will do as soon as I reply.
It took me about 10 years and thousands of dollars to discover what you did in one outing. I should have taken Neil Travis' article about Castwell doing a demo with a broom handle to heart (and mind).
Also, I did your little trick last summer. Took a 5' ultralight spinning rod and put a reel with 4wt. line on it and cast like crazy!!!! Go figure.
But, I was in one of those TU chapters and you know what that means....lots of experts with expensive rods and reels that know more than me; and, certainly discourage experimentation. Give me an old piece-of-crap IM6 rod and I'll cast the living *$%# out of your Orvis, Sage, Winston, T&T, etc. all of which I've had over the years.
Have the time of your life, AlbaSurf.....for a few dollars.
Regards, Jim
That's awesome! I like stories like that - thought sometimes when you are staring at a broken rod it's hard to imagine such an unfortunate event could open up a whole new world of opportunities, but often, that's the way it works if you don't get discouraged. :-) Thanks for sharing!
TU Chapters? lol, I actually don't know what that means. What does it stand for?
It saddens me that anyone would discourage experimentation - but how exciting and satisfying it is to invent and discover new possibilities on your own!
Jim, your response encouraged me, thank you.