Crippled Caddis

A great opportunity to ask others to join my on-going campaign to always refer to the idiot-fringe 'animals-are-better-than-people' group ONLY as 'PETAphiles' in order to lend them the credit they so richly deserve. I consider myself an 'arch-conservationist'. I was raised and trained in outdoor ethics by a father born in 1900 who was a consummate human predator but was also the best amd most understanding practical conservationist I've ever known and would have fitted in well with Boone and Crocket had he been born in an earlier era. In virtually all areas of life and philosophy it is the polar extremes in any debate or difference of opinion who are the widest of the mark. In this case the PETAphiles are fully as guilty of being wrong as the 'slob' hunter who kills everything within range without utilizing it or considering the consequences of his actions. Balance in all things is the secret of a well-lived life and the PETAphiles are unbalanced in all nuances of the word. CC

Ryno, Did you get the info I sent by PM? CC

For a slightly different look at the W&M Eagle Claw Feather Light series here's an abbreviated report to Dano, who just acquired a totally rebuilt 7 1/2" W&M 'Sweetheart', about the late '60s Feather Light I recently acquired. I hope Dano will post pics of his new rod, totally rebuilt by a local artist----it's absolutely gorgeous! The Feather Light I fished today has the short, neat-appearing metal ferrules common to the era and the right number of proper snake guides rather than the spinning guides on the current (spinning rod derived) Feather Light. It is rated for a 6 wt. line. ********************************************************************** <Can't wait to see & cast your Sweetheart! Wanta see how it compares to my Feather Light that I fished today with a WF5F on the little Hardy Marquis 5 that it handled gleefully. It's a 100% different rod from the modern version and I suspect even moreso after fishing it that it shared a blank with a higher grade rod. Stuck a 'good'un' shortly after starting and Mark, the local guide on the Spring River and my fishing buddy, who was watching and could see it better than me, said "You got a big'un"! There's a couple of big rocks near 'the slot' and he promptly ran under one and shucked the fly. :-( Best I could tell was it mighta been a 4-5 # fish. Strong! Fishing was tough today! Never did pin down a pattern or consistant technique. The fact that every rock has an eddy behind it full of hatchery 'trout chow' may have more than a bit to do with it. :-\ Best fish was @ 2 1/2-3 #s, a hook-jawed male 'Bow that was foul-hooked. :-( But he sure put the Feather Light through a work-out! Mark and I both tried to catch some fish for our new 'fishing buddies', Ivan & Olga, an older emigre' Russian couple. Between the two of us we weren't able to send them home with their limits but Olga promised smoked trout if we showed up on Friday anyway. ;-) When Mark and I between us can't catch limits in a few minutes the fishing is tough!> ********************************************************************** So if you stumble across an older Feather Light with metal ferrules and snakes in good condition--------grab it! It's a 'good'un'! CC

Ryno, I sent you an e-mail thru your profile page. I think I may have what you're looking for. CC

Heck JJ, if I had an extra jarfull I wouldn't NEED any flies. I'd just sit on the bank and tend the fire for you. ;o)

JJ: You and Dano both better keep an eagle eye on me if I get my hands on your flyboxes!;o) CC

FWIW: After buying a new 7' W&M Feather Light last Winter I've suspected that it owed far more allegiance to spinning rod blanks than to W&M's origins as a maker of good quality 'blue collar' flyrods. It's very tippiness suggested that it was designed to cast light lures on light mono rather than a flyline. That the tip collapsed when lightly loaded and the rod required a LOT more weight in order to load down into the mid-section in order to 'get down and work' to toss the sort of flies one expects a 6 wt. to deliver effortlessly only added to my thoughts. Well yesterday the opportunity presented itself to either verify or give the lie to my suspicians when I acquired a very early short-metal ferruled 'Feather Light' wrapped with proper snake guides and showing only superficial wear. But let me just paste in my note to Dano this afternoon on the subject: <My back wore out after trying the little 5 wt. Shakespeare and the 7' Heddon Pal and I didn't get to try the older W&M Feather Light. But I just now took the Martin model 61 'tuna can" with the WF6F you gave me off of the modern rod so I could compare flex profiles. As I theorized in a post yesterday the only similarity between the two is the color of the blank! Simply allowing gravity to show up the different flex profiles with the butts held parallel in hand and the tips resting on the floor revealed polar opposites and the spinning rod blank background of the modern version. And goes a long way toward explaining the 'tippiness' of the modern version that causes it to simply collapse under load until it is loaded heavily enough to flex down into the mid-section. The older rod shows a true progressive profile mode while the first third of the new one sags like a hot candle. This 'elder stateman' W&M may yet prove to be a real jewel---can't wait to fish it!> So----hardly definitive data at this point. But I've been 'foolin' with flyrods long enough at this point in time (well over 50 years!) to suggest that if the opportunity presents itself to compare your modern iteration of the Feather Light to one of the originals with the short, neat metal ferrules and snake guides rather than the current spinning guides equipped version---take it! I suspect you will find it something of a revelation and I'm already giving odds that the old version will "lay the new in the weeds" as a flyrod.

KingFisher wrote: <well I should let you know I am not a man> Then just think of all the gasps and dangerously elevated eyebrows you can get out of your lady friends by casually dropping the line "I'm gonna start strippng now that I have some free time". If you play your cards right you can keep them scandalized for ages before 'fessing up. With some perseverance you oughta be able to induce permanent cramps in some of the raised eyebrows. ;o) This bunch of unregenerate flyflingers could benefit from the presence of a civilizing influence in their midst as well. Lord knows Miz Ducky could use some help trying to get this group to at least act like gentlemen even if they have to fake it. ;o) CC

Bill wrote: <I would consider the Hook and Hackle lines. They are made by Cortland, cast and float very well, have gotten good write ups, and you can get THREE of them for that hundred bucks.> I'll echo Bill's suggestion. And offer the information that the H&H 'Hi-Floater' lines <http://www.hookhack.com/flylines.html> are often suggested for use on older rods with the small diameter guides originally intended for use with silk lines. With real silk line prices resembling the GDP of small nations the H&H Hi-Floater represents a viable alternative to those who enjoy classic rods. Simply put they are good quality line by a reputable maker adaptable to various needs at a reasonable price. What's not to like? CC

flyfishmaster wrote: <What is line weight for that rod since it is so small? I was thinking about getting one for my wife for xmas. Is a 4wt line what it takes? or can you go smaller?> They are generally conceded to be 5 or 6 wt. rods according to ones tastes. Those who have never had any experience with fiberglas and bamboo may well prefer them with a lighter line as Trout Bum does with the 4 wt. The lighter line will make them feel faster. Those who favor and are comfortable with the more relaxed pace of traditional actions might well enjoy the slower casting pace of a heavier line. While I haven't cast one of the 6 1/2' foot versions I keep one of the 7 footers rigged with a Martin 'tuna can' reel in the van at all times in case I run across a creek that needs to be sampled on the spur of the moment. It has a very soft tip action that would cast a lighter line in close pretty well but I admit to preferring a WF6 on it because it will work the rod deeper into the mid-section to allow throwing bigger offerings. So don't buy one with the expectation that it is a 4 wt. Like Trout Bum you may find that you prefer it with a 4 but it's just as likely that you will like a 5 or 6 better. Just get one---they are so cheap there's no reason for everyone not to keep one rigged in his vehicle for 'emergencies'. ;o) CC

There's several get-togethers a year at various venues, but the local stripper's club is one of the most dependable places to meet some of the OAFs. (Translation: the guys addicted to stripping huge streamers for heart-stopping big trout at night below Taneycomo) Just tell your wife you're thinking about becoming a stripper and are going to an audition. Or maybe not. ;o) As you are a native fish fancier I suggest the book 'Fishes of Arkansas' by the state university press. (ISBN-155728-000-2) It's fairly recent, very complete and well illustrated and a must-have for anyone who wants to know what lives in the waters of the state. We have some incredibly beautiful darters in our streams that vie with tropicals in color and variety. I suggest a Long-eared Sunfish as a companion for your Bluegill. They rival the brightest tropicals in color and are a delightful little gem on the end of a line too. My own aquarium currently hosts a school of Ozark Shiners. CC

Welcome to Paradise for panfishermen. Chase down Darryl Bowman who is the biologist that manages the Bella Vista waters and ask him for advice. He's one of the 'good guys' and worth knowing outside his professional life as well. As Dano said you'd be hard pressed not to find good water anywhere you turn in that are. Get used to carrying a rigged rod at all times so you can prospect those gems you'll be finding at every turn. CC

JJ wrote: <I have a midge box also and its got all the usual suspects in there. shh I also hide my "egg patterns" in there.> Two boxes, two pockets on a shirt. Coincidence? I don't think so!;o) <And if I left my vest at home wouldn't I be out of uniform.> The only proper dress code for fishing is the amount of fish slime on your garb at the end of the day! He with the most sets the sartorial standard. I've been gradually reducing my load as my back worsens in order to stay in the water longer. I'm now a minimalist by force of circumstance. The really sad part is that in review I could have done without that loaded vest for years had I only gave it a bit of forethought and developed the confidence neccessary to feel comfortable without bearing a tackle shop astream. As I suggested in my previous post I now can get by very well indeed with a couple of tiny, homemade flyboxes in my shirt pockets, my tippet lanyard, (also homemade) hemos, clippers and a small box of assorted splitshot in my pants pocket. It is incredibly liberating and increases my sense of freedom and oneness with the natural world exponentially. I now stock my flyboxes with patterns appropriate to the season along with a few old dependables effective in all places at all seasons. I seldom feel deprived or undergunned. CC

JJ wrote: <Here is my newest the Irresistible> I like it! If that won't work just turn around and go home. <And a shot of my Soft hackle and Dries Box> Empty one of the dries compartment, fill it with Zebra midges and you're good to go for winter fishing. Stick only that box in a shirt pocket, loop your lanyard around your neck with hemos, clippers and tippet and leave the vest at home. I don't think you'll find yourself unarmed between now and March. CC

Greg wrote: <most soft hackles I've seen have a slim body/profile. But I'll bet your flies will fish just fine.> Spot on Greg! The unadmitted truth, which I was guilty of with my original comments, is that we all too often tie for our own artistic sensibilities and that of others, slavishly following currently accepted style by rote. I try to keep reminding myself that the only arbiter with a valid opinion is the fish yet I remain guilty of spreading accepted stylistic opinion. I hope I'll eventually learn that not my own opinion, that of others or accepted standards have a darn thing to do with the validity of a fly but at this stage it ain't looking too good.;o( So---JJ, pay no attention to me---present the product of your eye and vice to the fish and let them be the only proper jury in the case! CC

JJ: I assume you want a critique so here goes----- In general good results for first attempts at tiny S-H. The hackling on the P&O looks pretty darn good! Can't say the same about the green butt. Both bodies are too bulky. Slim & trim bodies are one of the hallmarks of classically tied S-H patterns. That said---try 'em! The fish you're trying to catch may not be classicists.;o) FWIW, I detest tiny hooks with turned-down eyes! With hook gapes already measured in thousandths TDEs just further block the chance of getting penetration on the strike. For flies tied on anything smaller than a # 16 I like to tie on straight eyed hooks that are 2X Short. That way I can tie a #20 fly on a #18 hook with a gape wide enough that I might actually stick something. HTH, CC

Greg wrote: < sometimes a certain fly rod will just fit you like a glove. Can you really put a price on that? > Nope----that is priceless!

Brian wrote: <What was that $75.00 rod in 1952 compared to a $280 rod now?> Factoring inflation into the mix the Phillipson was a considerably more expensive rod. Consider too that in that time frame you could walk into almost any sporting goods store or hardware store in the country and buy a serviceable bamboo rod by the likes of Montague or H-I for well under $10. Phillipson was a premium brand and it's reflected by their current value on the collector market.

Looks like Dano pretty much nailed it. The 3 star rating puts it just above halfway on the Garcia quality scale so it is a pretty good rod if it's been properly cared for. If you're young enough that a heavy duty rod won't make your body hurt it would be fine to use as a learning tool and it's a great rod for hauling bass out of heavy cover. It's capable of just about anything you might want to do with it including saltwater fishing and, being fiberglass, is much tougher and harder to wreck than graphite. Watch for sales this time of year and you should be able to pick up a line at a bargain. It will work, if Dano correctly interpreted the line rating, (try cleaning that area and examining those letters under a light and magnifying glass and get back to us on it) with a Weight Forward 9 Floating line. (WF9F) A 'Bassbug' taper, or 'Saltwater' taper or any number of other 9 weight lines would work fine. Just avoid the cheap level lines as a level line will make learning to cast much more difficult. So find a new line and someone who can give you a few hints on casting and get out and start having fun. Just one warning: after you catch a few fish with the long rod you may never want to go back to spinning.

While I'm in general agreement with Terry I would point out that Schneider Rods in Mt. Home has a wider selection of blanks and accessories. <http://www.schneidersrods.com/> I've built rods from both sources and enjoy all of them. My latest build was a Batson Forecast blank from Schneider. It is a 6 1/2', 2 piece graphite reputed to be a 2 wt. but I was already prepared for it to throw a 3 or 4 better from comments on a few rod building boards. The advice proved to be true and both the rod and the user are happiest with a WF4F. So I STILL need to roll a 2 weight. Upside is that the blank was only $16 from Schneider IIRC. The grip/reelseat is one of the all-cork w/sliding bands from Netcraft for under $12 so it's not like I broke the bank. Take a close look at some of the E-Rods on the Dorber site. They are an early generation graphite that isn't so unmercifully fast and are a pleasure to fish with. They may not come out ahead in the parking lot wars but they're a joy on-stream and more durable than the later, ultra fast and ultra fragile graphites. For my purposes I'll take a rod that's friendly for fishing and let the cannoneers enjoy their parking lot artillery. I have the 7 1/2', 3 wt and it is a pure joy to fish. CC

Welcome from another flowing water devotee. Would you be willing to share pics of the boat you built? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested in your handiwork. CC

Drew wrote: <What makes a brown a rare catch at MSP?> Just guessing since I've never been there, but predicated on the well-known differences betweem 'Bows and Browns you can say with no little degree of accuracy that Browns are just smarter or more wary and consequently more difficult to catch than hatchery 'Bows. And just because you seldom see them doesn't mean much. Browns naturally become more nocturnal as they get older. In intense pressure situations such as trout parks I suspect their inherant wariness causes them to become nocturnal very early if they are to survive. To put it very indelicately hatchery bred Rainbows are the village idiots of the trout species and Browns are the Einsteins. And that is why most flyfishers prize the catching of a Brown more than he does a Rainbow as well.

Greg wrote: <Just like so many things "affordable" is very subjective and depends on the individual person's perceptions, income, lifestyle, etc, etc.> Absolutely true-----and in spades! Since I now fit the 'Fixed Income' appellation I tend to examine with experiencially jaundiced eye the claims of unheralded excellence from gear manufacturers that are meant to lead the great unwashed to believe that all that has passed before is now passe', surpassed by incalculable margins by the latest breakthroughs in materials, design, technology and manufacturing advancements. Such claims tend to send my BS detector into critical overload. The last quantum step was the advent of graphite and everything subsequent is merely incremental in nature when the BS is boiled away. Some of the Luddites among us, myself included, haven't yet succumbed to the idea that the advent of graphite was an unqualified success. A very good case can be made that fiberglass was supplanted long before the limits of the material itself had been reached. I own (and fish!) bamboo, fiberglass and graphite. I enjoy certain aspects of all three materials. But the 'fishability' of a rod lies more in the execution of the design, no matter the material, than in any inherent superiority of the material used. Great rods can be made from all three basic materials. The difference is in execution. <For years I thought all top of the line fly rods were bogus. Just not worth the price at all. Then I made the mistake of casting a Sage SLT and had to have one.....> Predicating everything on the presumption (Yes---I DO understand the acronym---ASSUME) that the Sage is in the $600 bracket, is it truly worth $580 MORE than a $20 W-M Shakespeare? Can you catch 30 times more fish with the Sage? Or fish that weigh 30 times as much? Or enjoy it 30 times as much as a fisherman of equal ability fishing the $20 Shakespeare? Or is it worth 30 times as much to your ego? Indelicately phrased questions I realize, but very much to the point. Whatever your answers may be mine are a solid "No!" in each instance. Today was 'bamboo day' and I fished a rod worth close to my monthly income. I caught some nice fish and enjoyed the day very much indeed. But in truth I would have enjoyed it fully as much had I fished a little rod I built in 2002 from an old fiberglass ultralight spinning blank. Or an early graphite 8', 6 wt. built on a blank made by EXXON! that is so sweet that I bought it back a year or two after I sold it in a weak moment. The whole and entire object of this diatribe is to point out that not material, price nor brand name can supplant good design and execution in rods or any other of the gear we use in pursuit of our finny fantasies. And that we should never read the claims propounded by manufacturers or advertising flacks with other than great incredulity. Only our own preferences and experience can provide guidance in the selection of the gear we use. All else is hype and will-o-the-wisp in choosing the weapons of our choice. Ultimately, if it suits us the fish will be equally pleased. CC

drew wrote: <Thanks for the heads up, but $285, affordable? For who? I find anything over about $150 to be out of their minds....but that's just me, I would love to know what others think.> Drew----I think guys like you & I & Dano will continue to seek out old fiberglass rods and chuckle softly to ourselves each time we enjoy using them and hearing others talk about $600 rods in their arsenal. And feeling vaguely sorry for them. Perhaps it's time for an Ozarks 'Glaass 'Clave'? In the meantime I'll continue the rebuild of the early Phillipson 'tobacco glass' 8', 6 wt. POWR KAST while continuing to look thru dusty junk shops for more treasures of yesteryear. CC

<Or am I overlooking something else all together> Yes you are---you're ignoring the single most critical factor--- your own preference in rod action. Someone may very well suggest a great rod, for THEIR casting style, that you will absolutely detest. Ultimately only YOU can pick a rod that will work to your liking. Get out and cast your choices before making a decision. If you find one that 'speaks to you' get it. With a rod that fits you like a bad habit you can do many things well---even some things the rod was never meant to be used to do. I look for rods that tell me with the very first cast that we're gonna be friend that can work together to solve any casting or fishing problem. I couldn't care less what the label says, the price (within reason) or the advertising hype.