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Posted By: shrapnel Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/21/14


There are posts on every type of hunting gear, how about some flyfishing equipment? One of my favorites is a Winston 8 foot 4 weight I got from Tom Morgan when he owned Winston.

I went to Russia on a flyfishing expedition to the Kola Peninsula with Tom, Stu Apte, Buzz Ramsey and a few others of note, to do exploratory fishing on the Ponoy River for Atlantic Salmon. When I got back, I spent a lot of time with Tom and eventually got a bunch of rods from him. This 4 weight was the first, finished with an Abel TR-2 reel.

When we were in Russia sitting on the river waiting to be picked up by the boats to take us to camp, a number of local Lapplanders showed up, so to impress them, I told them Tom and Myself had just graduated from Med school and were brain surgeons treating ourselves to a fishing trip. He then started calling me "Doc" Stovall and labeled some rods accordingly...

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Sage TXL 0wt with a Sage 3100
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'Loomis Stream Dancer 5wt
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St. Croix Ultra legend 8wt
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Posted By: shrapnel Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/22/14


Tom Morgan Rodsmiths 3 weight, Abel TR-1 reel, Yellowstone Cutthroat, Lamar River...

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Posted By: patbrennan Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/22/14
Nice rods, and nice cutthroat from the Lamar. I am hoping to be back there next September to catch the end of the hopper season!
Posted By: shrapnel Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/22/14


I was there today, headed back to the Yellowstone Buffalo Ford Saturday...
Posted By: FieldGrade Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/23/14
Nice stuff guys.
I don't have anything in that league and with my skills it wouldn't matter anyway but I did buy a new 6wt TFO with some of my fur money this year.

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And a Redington 4wt I've had for a few years.

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Posted By: ingwe Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/23/14
Buffalo ford any good these days Shrap? Do they still fall for the "teaberry Shuffle'?

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Posted By: shrapnel Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/23/14


The Buffalo Ford hasn't been the same for the past 10 years or so. 2 years ago, I went there and caught a couple small fish, indicating that the Cutthroats are coming back. This was last year, probably the biggest girth I have gotten at the Buffalo Ford.

Be here at 5:30 in the A.M. and you can go with us...

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Posted By: ingwe Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/23/14
Im thinking about hitting the Lamar in September�.havent been there in a long time�.

BTW: thats a DANDY cutt for Buffalo Ford
Where exactly is Buffalo Ford in the park and how are you fishing? Drys or nymphing? I'd like to make a trip there.
Posted By: shrapnel Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/29/14


Buffalo Ford is now re-named Nez Perce Ford and it is about 4 miles North of Fishing Bridge on the Yellowstone. There aren't many Cuts left, they are coming back...

Tom Morgan Rodsmith rod, 8 1/2 foot 5 weight with Able TR-2 reall, Teeny DT 5 floating line....

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Posted By: ingwe Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/29/14
Was hoping to post a new fly rod pic today, but yesterday my fishing and my casting sucked�..
Posted By: shrapnel Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/29/14


Headed out to the Bighorn today, should have plenty of pictures by Monday...
Posted By: ingwe Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/29/14
Bighorn should be getting good about now. Its only one of two places in Montana Ive ever see lightning bugs. The other was the lower Madison below the Bear Trap.
Fishing report said lots of moss on the 'Horn. Still good but will be cleaning off the flies a lot.
Posted By: 458 Lott Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/29/14
I guess I should call this one the special

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Long story short a guy was giving away some rod blanks if anyone had kids they'd like to teach how to build a rod. I took him up on the offer and had my son's each build the 7 and 5 wt he offered up. He also threw in a 9' 3 pc 4 wt that I decided to build for myself. Stinky deer suggested using cottonwood bark for the grip so I made donuts with a hole saw, sanded em flat then stacked them up. After turning it down on the lathe and putting on a coat of wax it came out pretty good.

Was at the local hunting fishing store and they had a small stack of ross reels 30% off. The cimarron 1 looked to be the right size and I found one that was already spooled up. The sales guy said he didn't know how to price the line so it was gratus.

Seems to be a well balanced no name setup with a sweet action. Just need to break myself free and chase some grayling with it.
Posted By: shrapnel Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/30/14


Sometimes the story bests the rod itself...
Posted By: seal_billy Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 08/31/14
I'm not about to show you my self made flyrod... You guy would laugh me out of this place.

I have a good rod but the one I use the most is a 7' 4wt Shakespeare micro graphite I got on clearance at wal mart for 13 bucks and change. I use it for a spin/fly combo rod. I stripped the guides off and replaced them with small low profile spinning guides. I'm gonna take the reel seat and cork off and replace it with a 12" tennessee handle with rings so I can mount a spinning reel at the top or a fly reel at the end. The trigger of a spincast reel mounted in the flyreel position can be pulled with the pinky and casted with your hand in the position as if you are fly casting. This is how I rig it when fishing for sunfish with tiny hand tied jigs under a float.

I took it with me on a motorcycle trip yesterday to the clinch river for sunfish but neither the sun fish or smallmouth weren't biteing flies real well so I changed reels and started catchin smallies on spinners. My cheapo fly rod saved the day. Its ugly but its a great tool. NOT picture worthy.

TFO 3 wt, Okuma SLV 2/3 and a Row River Steelhead.

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Shoulder issues keep me from using much over a 5 wt these days, unless I'm in the drift boat.

I caught two nice summer run steelhead yesterday on the Rogue, but used a spinning rod and bubble with a tandem nymph setup. It's still a lot'a fun!
Posted By: pal Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/01/14
Better late than never? smile

Redington CPX graphite 4-pc, 9'-0" 5-wt with Orvis CFO III disc drag reel.

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14ft 9wt Sage One with a Vosseler (Gaula River, Norway)

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Posted By: vmthtr Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/03/14
Grady 4 weight bamboo with a Pflueger 1494
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Posted By: WFR Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/05/14
Just picked up a "Made in England" Battenkill 3/4 and put it on my Sage SP376. Sweet combo!
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Posted By: fishnut Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/06/14
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a couple of mine
Posted By: troutfly Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/07/14
Originally Posted by vmthtr
Grady 4 weight bamboo with a Pflueger 1494
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Very nice rod/reel setup. I have a Pflueger 1495 1/2, makes sweeeet music when a trout is takin line! Have had it since the late 70's, take it out a few times a season.
Cane rod is on my bucket list.
No pictures but my favourite rod is my St Croix 9 foot 6wt with an Orvis Battenkill reel.
Posted By: PastorDan Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/09/14
Orvis Rocky Mountain 3 piece 10 ft. 7 weight and my dad's LA Battenkill. My best fish from a trip to Yellowstone last summer. My dad passed away about 5 years ago and left me all his gear. The fly is a BH peacock and black wooly bugger that he tied about a year before he died.

I am an Orvis devotee (ok, Orvis junkie!), primarily of their older stuff. My favorite dry fly rod is a 70's vintage Spring Creek rod (a 5 weight, 9' 3").

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I just took delivery of an older Fenwick FF75 Feralite 6wt.

That's a 7.5 foot, 5/6wt glass rod made in either 69 or 70 (J series).

These are great old rods that flex right down to the cork. My plan is to use it from my drift boat for trout dry fly and light nymphing on the Rogue. I have an Okuma SLV 4/5 reel for it.

This one isn't mine, but representative as it has the same aluminum rod case and flannel bag.
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53, I have one just like it.. It was my first good fly rod bought about 1972.. Have used it most years since that time.. I also have 2 8'ers, 1 8.5' all for a 6 wt line. Also picked up a 9 ' 8wt for bass.. After using these rods for so many years, it is difficult to warm up to the new rods with about as much flex as a telephone pole.. Enjoy..
Posted By: PastorDan Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/12/14
Originally Posted by WyoCoyoteHunter
53, I have one just like it.. It was my first good fly rod bought about 1972.. Have used it most years since that time.. I also have 2 8'ers, 1 8.5' all for a 6 wt line. Also picked up a 9 ' 8wt for bass.. After using these rods for so many years, it is difficult to warm up to the new rods with about as much flex as a telephone pole.. Enjoy..


That is a big reason I like the full-flex Orvis rods from the 70's. They have much of the flex of glass with out the weight.
Originally Posted by WyoCoyoteHunter
After using these rods for so many years, it is difficult to warm up to the new rods with about as much flex as a telephone pole.. Enjoy..


Agreed! I have to slow down my timing a bit when I first start out - it's a totally different feel.

I have a quickie steelhead drift with the bro tomorrow and will sling a few nymphs just for fun. Even a small trout on the glass rods is a treat smile
Posted By: Dryfly24 Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/14/14
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Just found this section of the forum. I'm new around here but I think I'm going to like it!

These are my favorite rods:

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Very nice rods, and welcome... At 19 degrees, it will be a while before we can use them!!!!!!
Posted By: Dryfly24 Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/15/14
Ha Ha! You got that right! Two feet of snow on the ground makes it tough to get a good drift. . . laugh
Nice Granger! A 7030 by chance?

Never cast a Bob Summers' rod, though have read "good things". A bit out of my price range smile By almost an order of magnitude.
Posted By: Dryfly24 Re: Let's See Those Flyrods - 11/19/14
You have a good eye, it is a 7030, but I like the 7633 even better. Bob makes a fine rod. I am proud to call him a friend. We'd were squirrel hunting just a week or two ago. Most folks would be surprised to know that he likes hunting and guns as much as fishing. Hell maybe more! wink
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