This handsome rod came in the mail on Friday. It was the only flyrod I brought with us (Noe and I) on Saturday as I wanted to focus my attention on it. I have heard so much chatter over the web about it - I was excited to finally have one in my own two hands.
After a couple of casts, I had a green sunfish inhale my fly - first fish on!!! Check out the bend on the rod - deep into the butt section!!! I LOVE ultralight weight Japanese fiberglass fly rods - nothing else feels like them!
An interesting point, this is absolutely the softest/slowest action rod I have ever felt. In the past, if I had picked up a rod like this, I would have immediately put it back down and scoffed at it - wet noodle, no way this could cast a line or catch a fish. But those were my graphite days... subjected to the marketing hype of ultrafast carbon fiber stiffness, I took the advice of others and only looked to go faster. But I was battling wind and much stronger fish - graphite has it's place. Well for what conditions I fish in now, my eyes and mind are open to other alternatives. With this rod, just like with every progressively slower rod I have picked up in the last year or so, casting a line made my jaw drop!!! Exquisite feeling and equally well behaved slow, perfectly unfurling loops!!! It is very ironic that my casting is getting better as the choice of rod speed is getting slower and slower. And as the shad return to the Potomac here in the coming weeks, and as I break out the longer, stronger graphite rods to cast sinking line and weighted flies, my expectation is that my improved casting flows straight into the use of that equipment.
I'll post more in the coming days, but catching 4 inch fish on this rod put the same smile in my face that 40 pound wahoo used to on 80 pound class standup trolling gear (which oh by the way is also fiberglass - Sea Striker Billfisher, dig through my old posts for more on that). I am looking forward to developing a more in depth understanding of this rod and the joys it promises!
After a couple of casts, I had a green sunfish inhale my fly - first fish on!!! Check out the bend on the rod - deep into the butt section!!! I LOVE ultralight weight Japanese fiberglass fly rods - nothing else feels like them!
An interesting point, this is absolutely the softest/slowest action rod I have ever felt. In the past, if I had picked up a rod like this, I would have immediately put it back down and scoffed at it - wet noodle, no way this could cast a line or catch a fish. But those were my graphite days... subjected to the marketing hype of ultrafast carbon fiber stiffness, I took the advice of others and only looked to go faster. But I was battling wind and much stronger fish - graphite has it's place. Well for what conditions I fish in now, my eyes and mind are open to other alternatives. With this rod, just like with every progressively slower rod I have picked up in the last year or so, casting a line made my jaw drop!!! Exquisite feeling and equally well behaved slow, perfectly unfurling loops!!! It is very ironic that my casting is getting better as the choice of rod speed is getting slower and slower. And as the shad return to the Potomac here in the coming weeks, and as I break out the longer, stronger graphite rods to cast sinking line and weighted flies, my expectation is that my improved casting flows straight into the use of that equipment.
I'll post more in the coming days, but catching 4 inch fish on this rod put the same smile in my face that 40 pound wahoo used to on 80 pound class standup trolling gear (which oh by the way is also fiberglass - Sea Striker Billfisher, dig through my old posts for more on that). I am looking forward to developing a more in depth understanding of this rod and the joys it promises!
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