Guess I'm not fussy enough. I still have and occasionally use a rod and reel my dad had made up for me around 1959. The reel is a Mitchell 308 presently spooled with 6# Stren Sensor. Sensor was a low stretch mono line with great sensitivity, maybe a little stiffer than regular Stren. Still it casts well though something like Magnathin does better.
The rod is two piece five foot glass basically ultralight and fits the reel and a little kid well. Mom and I stayed with my grandparents in northern Wisconsin while the Army had Dad in Korea. When he got back it was about a 12 mile ride to the St. Croix factory in Park Falls. Dad told the guy at the factory store what he wanted and the guy went to the factory floor and came back with the bottom section from one rod and the top section from another. Worked beautifully together. Seems that they were experimenting with the idea of a short, light rod for working streams in hip boots where you have brush at your back. You would pull the rod tip back with your off hand and the spring from the bent rod would propel the lure.
