I can well remember my first flyrod, although it disappeared years ago. My older brother returned from a tour of duty with the Air Force in Japan in 1953. He had heard from my mother that I loved to fish (Cane Pole type). So, he brought me a cane flyrod from Japan. I can well remember receiving it. It was in a balsam wood box with felt lined mounts in the box. It also had a collection of flies in a small compartment at one end of the box. Fortunately, it had two tips because I quickly broke the first tip in a willow tree. I used this rod for many years with the same flies that came with the kit. That was the beginning of my love for fly fishing and it has never deminished. I often think about this beginning because I now have many rods, but none that I enjoy more than that first one.