So, over the years I have owned a bunch of rods, most of which turned out to not be the best fit for my casting stroke. So, those rods got moved on to a new owner, while I have kept the ones I like. I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the rods from the past, and talk about what I liked and didn't like about them. Here are some of my Rods From the Past...
First up is my first Shakespeare Wonderod model 910UL, a 7' 5 weight. If you don't know much about Wonderods, they were some of the first fiberglass rods made. Wonderods burst onto the scene in 1947, and were manufactured up until the early 80s. A majority of them were white in color, although you can sometimes find green, black, and other colors of Wonderods. I had heard a lot about the casting prowess of the shorter Wonderods, so when I had a chance to get this 7-footer, I snapped it up. It really was a fun little rod, but for some reason that I can't seem to recall at the moment, I decided to move this one on. I'm sure it was a good reason...
I had always wanted a Heddon fly rod. I think probably because my dad had a rod tube made by Heddon, and he seemed to think they were a well-made rod, even though he himself didn't own one. Over the past few years I have owned several Heddons, but there was always something I didn't like about them. Mostly it was that they were too heavy for my liking. I did like this Heddon Mark #8251, which was supposed to have a "Wet Fly Action", whatever that means. It's the only Heddon I have owned that didn't have a metal ferrule, which probably helped keep the weight down. Over time, though, I realized it was too slow and whippy for me, so I sold it.
Next up is my old Orvis Silver Label graphite 7'6" 3weight. This is one of the few rods I have owned that I bought new. I had it for a long time, and caught a lot of trout on it. But there came a point in my life that I stopped using 3 weights. I just really liked the greater flexibility that a 5 or 6 weight gave me. I liked having the ability to throw bigger nymphs if need be, so I decided that I would never have a need for a 3 weight again, and I sold it. It didn't take me too long to realize that a 3 weight can be a lot of fun sometimes, so now I am back to owning a couple of them, neither of which have the soul that my old Orvis had...
My second Shakespeare Wonderod Model 910UL came shortly after I sold the first one. I got a great deal on one that turned out to be brand new, still with the tags on it. Never been cast! I couldn't believe my fortune! But I also couldn't get myself to take it out on the water. It was over 50 years old and had never been fished! I could hold onto it for another 50 years and sell it to the Smithsonian...or I could move it on to someone who would appreciate it more than me. After all, I'm a fisherman, not a rod collector. I did move it on, and I haven't regretted it once. But I did get myself another 910UL a couple of months ago...
My last rod that I will talk about today is an old Winston 8'6" 5weight fiberglass rod I acquired a couple of years ago. I was super pumped to own my first Winston rod. Winstons are the Rolls Royces of fly rods, and I had been used to casting Geo Prisms. But there was something weird about this Winston. I never could figure it out, but it just didn't feel right. All my buddies who tried it out felt the same way. I guess even Rolls Royce makes a few lemons every once in a while...
Well, I hope you enjoyed this virtual walk down memory lane. There are a bunch of other rods from the past that I might write about some day. I will dig through my old photos some time and see what I can find.
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