RODS
How many rods do you have? I haven’t counted recently but between the Ladyfisher and me we probably have nearly three dozen. Before we combined our collections I had over a dozen of my own. The newest rod in my personal collection is an Orvis™ 1 weight that I put together from a blank back in the mid-90’s. The rest of my collection consists of some bamboo sticks that I acquired back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, some fiberglass rods from Scientific Anglers™ and a few Winston™ sticks, and several graphite rods, mostly 1980’s models. Many of these rods were purchased when I was ‘working’ in the fly fishing industry and, except for the one bamboo model; I never spent more than $150.00 dollars for any of them.
Now compared to the latest models my rods are mostly old school stuff. While they may have been “state of the art” when they were new, like the owner, they have passed their prime years ago. However, for some strange reason they still deliver my fly to the fish, they still allow me to set the hook when appropriate, and I have not noticed that it takes me any longer to land a fish with them than it did when they were new.
Before we say anything further about this subject it is important to remember that, when we are speaking about rods, reels, lines – to wit: when we talk about “stuff” – that we should avoid subjective words like best, greatest, preeminent, unsurpassed, incomparable, without equal and similar words. These are adjectives [a word qualifying or describing a noun] and are considered to be in the comparative degree. Example: “This is the best fly rod being produced today.” In other words, in the writer’s opinion, the rod in question is better than any other fly rod that is currently being produced. Such a statement is purely subjective, and is certain to engender an indignant reply from the owners and sellers of all the other fly rods that are currently being produced, and I might add, properly so. It might be the ‘best’ fly rod that the author has ever personally used, it might be the ‘best’ rod based on the author’s casting style; it might be the ‘best’ fly rod for the type of fishing that the author pursues, but to state, unequivocally, that it is the ‘best fly rod produced today’ is a completely subjective statement, and can only provoke controversy.
When considering the merits of various brands of fly rods it is important to remember that the fly rod is a tool. How efficient that tool is will be determined by the skill of the person using the tool, and not by the tool itself. Like many of my readers, I have a garage full of tools. There are saws, drills, wrenches, and the like, and over the years I have used these various tools to repair and build things around my house. However, I am far from a skilled carpenter but I have quality tools. In the hands of a master craftsman those tools, which I am only able to use marginally, could be used to build fine furniture. The fact that I cannot build fine furniture with those tools is not the fault of the tools but the lack of skill of the person using them. The same can be said of fly rods.
Are there differences in fly rods? Obviously; they are constructed of different materials, they have different tapers, they come in a variety of lengths, some are stiffer than others, and some are lighter than others. Material, taper, length, stiffness, and weight are not subjective conclusions but factual information.
So, if we leave out subjective words when we are describing our “stuff” , and remember that fly rods are simply tools, we can be more objective. Objectivity is the ability to be free of any bias or prejudice caused by personal feelings, and is based on facts rather than thoughts or opinions. While it is difficult to be completely objective when talking about something that is close to ones heart it is possible and it’s essential to productive discourse.
With these ground rules in place we can look at our ‘stuff’ in a different light, and since we are talking about fly rods it will allow us to look at fly rods objectively rather than subjectively. If you consider my eclectic collection of rods they are from several manufacturers, and they are composed of a variety of different materials; bamboo, fiberglass and graphite. They consist of various models from Orvis™, Winston™, Fenwick™, Scientific Anglers ™, and Leonard™. All of them were top of the line when they were sold, and over the years each one has proven to perform as advertised.
Are my rods “the best” fly rods available? My answer would be a qualified yes, qualified because the word ‘best’ is subjective, but the word ‘best’ can also be use to express an opinion. When the word ‘best’ is used in this manner it is perfectly acceptable. The fly rods in my personal collection have proven to be the ‘best’ fly rods for the type of fishing that I enjoy. Each rod that I own is different. They are constructed of different materials, they are of different lengths, and they require different line weights. Some were designed to be used to fish small flies and some were designed to cast larger imitations. Some of them are lighter in weight than the others, and some have a “faster” action than other models, but each one does what it was designed to do – cast a fly line. When I combine them with the proper line weight and use them to fish the size flies that they were designed to cast they all perform as advertised. Thus, they are, comparatively, the ‘best.’
Are my rods “the best” rods for everyone? My answer would be a definite no. My fly rod selection would not satisfy everyone, but that does not negate the fact that all of my fly rods do exactly what they were designed to do.
All modern fly rods manufactured and sold by the major manufacturers are basically all the same. Yes, they differ in material, taper, length, stiffness, and weight, but in the hands of a competent fly caster each one will do exactly what they were designed to do – cast a fly line. Will one cast a fly line better than another one of the same material, taper, length, stiffness and weight? Subjectively yes, but objectively no. Beyond personal bias it all becomes a matter of personal preference.
What then is ‘the best’ fly rod? The one that you enjoy using, it’s really as simple as that! So let’s all take our “best” fly rod and go fishing.