Yomogi in Action

I'm not much of a trout fisherman.  There....I said it.  I admit it fully...I would rather chase bass and panfish on the fly.  I love it.  I can't help myself.  Regardless of my addiction and professed love of warm water fish, I do occasionally attempt to catch trout.  My choices are somewhat limited where I live.  In order to chase browns or brookies, I have to travel some distance.  Pursuing pellet heads is closer to home but my least favorite thing to do.

I wanted to get out and give the Yomogi a whirl.  However, I was short on time so I decided to go to the local pellet head stream.  I was really on the fence as to whether or not I wanted to soil this marvelous new Yomogi I had in my possession with pellet heads but I also knew that I wanted to try it out.  So....short on time, I made up my mind on the pellet heads and headed out.

Upon arrival, I noticed that the stream was low and the water was clear.  I decided to pair the rod with a Cortland Crown II reel in the small size.  I have had this reel for probably twenty years.  I really dig it.  I also went with the Rio Products InTouch Rio Gold trout series fly line in a WF4F.  After selecting my fly and tying it on, I headed down to a pool below a bridge where the stockers like to hang out.

After watching the trout for a few moments, I carefully waded in and started casting.  Immediately, I noticed that the rod was soft but powerful.  I had no problem zipping line out.  It was smooth like butter.  A few drifts through the pool produced this little rainbow pellet head:

I was also able to land this guy a short time later:

I was truly amazed with this rod.  It is not only soft but also full flexing with power.  I had no problem delicately dropping dries or slinging some weighted streamers with it.  I could not recommend this rod enough.  It was a pure joy to fish with hidden power.  Well done Kazutomo Ijuin on creating such an awesome profile.  Splendid indeed!

Long Time Coming

First, I have to apologize to my good friend and master rod builder Zeb from Snowman Custom Rod Works.  This post has been a long time coming and I should have gotten to it sooner.

After casting Cameron's Epic 686 up at Beaver Island, I knew I wanted one.  I had been following the builds of Zeb for a while and decided to contact him and work out a build for an Epic 686.  Needless to say, I was not disappointed.  If you would like to read about it, you can here at Epic Build From An Epic Rod Builder.

Since I was not disappointed with what Zeb did with my Epic 686 I decided to contact him again to have an Ijuin Yomogi built.  I was looking at getting the 7'3" 4wt which comes as a three piece.  I already have a few rods in the lower line weights so I was hoping this would put another arrow in my quiver so to speak.  We worked out all the details which went something like this:

Zeb: What would you like? color? reel seat? etc.
Me: I don't care just make it look nice.

I have stated before that Zeb is an artist in his own right.  I never feel comfortable telling people who are true artists and craftsmen how to do their jobs.  I really just didn't care to dictate how it looked.  Based upon what I saw from my Epic as well as what I saw from his other builds, I knew it was going to be a stunning build.  As always, Zeb kept me informed as he went along with the build.  I allowed him free reign to choose everything.  I hope he enjoys the freedom, but maybe he likes to be told what to do...who knows?  Anyways, back in February Zeb was passing through the area and we were able to meet and greet.  At the time, he brought along my rod for me to see even though he was't done with it yet.  Talk about being a big tease!  It looked fabulous in the photos and even better in person.  Man I could not wait to get my hands on it.  Finally, Zeb was able to finish it and it shipped.  Without a doubt I am happy that I chose Zeb to build another rod for me.  It's a looker for sure!

Bass Fishing in November???

Bass fishing in November?  Who would have ever thought it?  Not I, that's for sure.  Well, I did manage to do some bass fishing just last week.  Here in Maryland it was in the low 70's. Hard to believe that we had such nice weather so late in the season.  I did not want to waste an opportunity so I decided to see if a friend of mine would let me have access to his pond for a few hours.  I have had the chance to fish this pond before with great results.  After a few texts were exchanged, I headed out with my friend Greg.

Upon arrival, Greg and I could see that the pond appeared to be muddy and stained from a distance.  I was worried about fishing it, so I walked down to check it out.  This is the sight that I was met with:

The water was definitely up, muddy and covered with pine needles and leaves.  Needless to say, I was not pleased.  After a quick discussion, Greg and I decided to give it a try.  We figured why not given the warm sun and beautiful weather we were having.  I strung up the Cabela's CGR 7'6" 7/8 and headed down to the pond.  As a side note, I have been using the CGR 7/8 for a while now and I love it.  I have been pairing it with a Waterworks-Lamson Konic II reel spooled with RIO Products Smallmouth 7wt line.  I like to use braided leaders and Scientific Anglers Freshwater tippet in various sizes when I am chasing largemouth.  This is just my setup and what I enjoy using at this point. Anyways, we headed down to the pond and started slinging some bugs.  I chose a size 10 black masked bugger.  I enjoy tying these flies and they seem to be loved by the fish.  For those interested, you can find tying instructions for them here.  

The fishing was slow going with a lot of pine needles and leaves being dragged in with the fly.  In an effort to get a good strip without carrying along debris, I would try and pick out lanes of traffic that I could strip the fly through.  This seemed to work in eliminating some of the debris but not totally. Regardless, after a while the stars aligned and I was able to connect with a fish.  Immediately, I knew it was a good one.  The line went taught and within seconds the fish went airborne.  The fight was on. The largemouth would jump another three times and make several attempts to hide in various submerged logs before I was able to land it.  While not particularly long in length, it made up for it in girth.  It was clearly a fish that was packing on the pounds in an effort to weather the coming winter season.  

Given my initial success, we decided to stay around and fish a while.  Several hours later, I managed to land another small bass.  That was it.  Two fish in three and a half hours.  I guess it could have been worse...I could have been Greg.  He didn't catch a thing all day.  For me though, it was a great time.  I got out of the house, enjoyed some gorgeous weather and the company of a good friend.  I can't ask for more than that.

 

Wright and McGill Sunrise Rod

One thing I really enjoy is discussing vintage fiberglass rods with other glass enthusiasts.  I regularly chat with a small group of people about listings on eBay and Craigslist or just what they have been using.  Its always nice to see what other people are collecting.  So, one of the guys I chat with on a regular basis had been looking for a Cortland rod in a specific length and weight.  I happened to also be looking for a Cortland FR 2000 8 foot 6/7.  As luck would have it, two Cortland rods popped up on eBay in a lot.  One of them was a 7 and 1/2 foot Pro Crest that I already had but the other one I was the Cortland FR 2000 I had been searching for.  While watching the lot, I had an epiphany. Why don't we split the lot?  Sounded like a great idea to me.  However, my friend one-upped me by offering a trade.  I would buy the lot of Cortlands and he would trade me a Wright and McGill Sunrise rod from the 50s with an original tube, sans end cap.  This rod listed for a whooping $14.95 in the 50s and is rated for 5/6 line.  It sounded like a great trade to me so I went ahead and purchased the lot of Cortland rods.  Upon receiving them, I shipped his Cortland out to him and he sent me the Wright and McGill.  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at the Sunrise once I got it.  At 7 and 1/2 feet this rod is the perfect length for most of the fishing that I do, be it cold or warm water.  The rod is tobacco in color and it has yellow and green wraps.  The tube itself is a little banged up but I am happy to have it since it is an original.  The rod shows minimal wear and the wraps are nice and tight.  My understanding is that it works well with a DT5 or a WF6.  I am really looking forward to fishing this for panfish and smallies in the future.  I am happy to add this guy to collection and I can't wait to put a bend in it.  Many thanks to my friend for coming up with the brilliant idea to trade rods.  Dig it!

Cortland PAC Rod

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone at this point that I love Cortland rods.  With that being said, when the chance to grab a Cortland PAC rod came up, I jumped at the it.  At this point, I am not sure it was a smart move.  These rods belong in the Cortland FR 2000 family and were made between 1974 and 1980 I believe.  There has been some discussion as to who made the blank and many people believe the blank was made by U.S. Fiberglass.  The tube is marked Cortland PRF-2000 7' PAC-Rod.  The rod has 5 pieces and when assembled it is 7'.  My understanding is that there were two versions made of this blank made, one was a 5 piece and the other is a 6 piece.  The rod itself is a translucent red with brown wraps.  On the second piece of the rod it says PRF-2000 1-650-1 7' for line 6 rod weight 3 oz.  Herein lies the problem.  This rod actually handles better with a 7 weight line than it does a 6 weight line.  For me personally, that seems a bit excessive in a 7' rod. I'm really not sure how I feel about it.  In fact I'm not even sure when I will fish with it.  Most of the waters I fish require between 3 and 6 weight line.  I could see it being used for a short streamer rod on some of the smaller streams but even that might be overkill.  I mean, we are talking about streams that are less than 5 feet deep and 20 feet or less across.  Right now I am using a 5 weight line to chuck streamers and in clear water I feel like it might as well be a 12 weight.   So, I am really on the fence about keeping this guy.  I will have to take it out and throw some flies around when I have an opportunity.  Maybe I'll change my mind.  On the one hand it is a Cortland, vintage, hardly used and fiberglass but on the other hand it is a 7 footer throwing a 7 weight line.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  Thoughts?  What would you do?

I Love Glass This Much

Just a quick post today about my awesome mail day.  I'm sure it won't come as a shock to anyone that I love fiberglass rods.  I made the switch to glass about three years ago.  Love it.  For me its a perfect fit because I enjoy the vintage glass as much if not more than the newer glass rods.  I really do love hunting for these older rods and finding a bargain.  Anyways, I got another box of swag from Cameron over at TFM.  I'm happy to be rocking some of the new click and pawl stickers.  I do love a good click and pawl reel.  It's even better when it's paired with a vintage rod.

From One Extreme To Another... I will Buy Anything

Yep, that's right, from one extreme to another, I will buy anything.  Anything vintage fiberglass fly rod related that is.  Currently, I am working on acquiring a Shakespeare Howald Wonderod from each year of the 1950s.  I also have a problem saying no to vintage fiberglass fly rods regardless of their condition. Frankly, I want them all.  Anyway, not everyone treats their rods the same.  You can have rods that are beaters to rods that are still mint and pristine after half a century.  It really depends on the owner.  I tend to be hard on my equipment.  Of course, after spending all this money on vintage glass, I will be attempting to do a better job of caring for them.  Speaking of money, there is something for every price range out there.  Vintage glass is easily attainable and affordable to everyone.

A few months back I bought two rods that range from one end of the spectrum to the other. One appears to have been abused and the other appears to have been well cared for.  Both are from the early 1950's.  Does this mean one was "loved" and one wasn't?  Absolutely not.  Maybe it just means that someone didn't care as much about the way one looked as opposed to the other one that might have been handled with kid gloves.  There's not a way to determine whether someone really enjoyed a rod based solely on the condition of it.

First up....the beater.  This is a 1951 Model 1270 two piece 7'9" 6 weight rod.  It is a yellowish colored blank with green wraps.  The decal has long since been rubbed off, the wraps look horrible and the cork is well used.  It still goes together well and has a pop when pulled apart.  The fish this rod must have caught and the stories it could tell.  For $17.50 I couldn't pass it up.

Next we have a 1955 model 1250 two piece 8'6" rod.  It is a brown colored blank with green and yellow wraps and an all green real seat.  The decal has apparently been sliced through but overall it is in very fine condition.  It came with the original cardboard rod tube and plastic sleeve.  While fished, it was apparently very well cared for.  

Both of these rods can be fished and, to me, both are collectible.  The first one might not be a wall hanger by any stretch of the imagination but that doesn't make it any less desirable.  Both are fine examples of what I am willing to spend my money on... much to the dismay of Melissa.  They also give you an idea of what is out there in the vintage glass market.  Even if you can only afford the first one, that is OK.  I would still highly encourage you to do it.  Glass is not dead!