Paul Young Rod Co. Parabolic 15 (K T Keller Model) and the Boat Rod, aka the Encampment Special. In direct response to the accolades Dickerson's Guide Series received Paul Young responded with 2 different approaches to solve angling needs.
The Para 15 was a Parabolic that required minor change in your casting style to receive a phenomenally accurate presentation be it with the dry fly or wet fly tip (customer could order it with both) and the Encampment was the Young equivalent to the Guide and a cannon in its own right. Modern and faster versions of the Para 15 rod are made by R. W. Summers as the Model 856 and Bob worked for Paul Young Rod Co. for 16 years before starting his own company.

8' Rods 3 pc construction

H. L. Leonard Model 50 DF (including the Tournament, Hunt and Hunt-Tournament) this venerable model was technically the rod that wrote the book on DF fishing beginning with the DF. This series of rods ranged from slow-medium to fast for all kinds of DF situations and definitely a fine taper.

E. F. Payne Models 200, 201 and 202, the 200 was a light DF rod, the 201 a medium DF and the 202 a fast DF and powerful taper.

L. L. Dickerson Models 801510 and 801611 were similar to the Payne 200 and 201 tapers.


8'6" Rods 2 pc construction

The rods built by E.C. Powell and R. L. Winston of hollow or rather semi-hollow construction have no equals in my opinion and are some of the finest tapers for DF work ever made.

8'6" Rods 3 pc construction

I could write about all of the makers who offered rods in this format and it would take pages of text but suffice it to say that E. F. Payne rod Co. i.e. Jim Payne, without a doubt made the best 8'6" 3 pc format than any other maker to plane a culm and the Model #'s are 204 and 205 which could be had as an L or H series which stood for Light and Heavy.

When you reach the 9' mark again there were so many makers with so many variations it would take pages of text to make any headway so in this format I'd look for rods made by Dickerson (9015 and 9016), Payne (208 and 209), E.C. Powell, R. L. Winston and Gillum although Gillums as a rule were mostly custom built and not a standardized taper as such.

Classic Rod tapers by maker may be found at:

http://www.uwm.edu/~stetz...pers/hexrod-archive.html


You may analyze or compare tapers from classic makers and tapers you may see in print here by plugging in the #'s:

http://www.uwm.edu/~stetzer/hexrod.html

Probably the most variation of a taper occurred in the 8' and 8'6" models as makers redesigned their existing tapers to come up to the standards of DF requirements and until they nailed a taper they felt they could offer as a standard variations will be found.

Well the old coffee is empty, as Bob Corsetti always says, and the end of another Cracker Barrel. I may be away next weekend but definitely will be the following weekend and week as I travel for work so we'll resume when I return unless one of the BoB's jumps in for Week 13, until then tight lines all.



I still fish with bamboo...........