2023 Bamboo Fling?

[@Dryflyphotography]

I'm a long-time member of that club on the Met.

 

[Dave Westburg]

Dave,

We'll just have to make an arrangement so that you can cast it. And I can bring it to subsequent bamboo flings. It's quite the thunderstick, and I don't see myself seriously fishing it in the future, given the lighter weight alternatives I have.

What length and weight line is your Powell. I've never cast a bamboo powell. See a lot of them offered for sale on the Adams Angling website.

 

[Salmo_g]

What length and weight line is your Powell. I've never cast a bamboo powell. See a lot of them offered for sale on the Adams Angling website.

It is a 9 1/2' that handles a 9 wt line pretty well. Could probably cast a 10, but I have never tried.

 

[@Dryflyphotography]

One of my favorite rods I cast was Mike's 8' four weight parabolic. It wanted me to slightly slow my tempo and didn't want my usual (bad habit) double haul tugs. When I got it right the rod virtually strung the four weight line on a rope out to probably 60' with ease. Pick a spot, aim, deliver. Nice taper Mike Monsos.

 

[PhilR]

I'm a long-time member of that club on the Met.

Yeah, I don’t fish there for the numbers. It’s a magical place.

 

[Mike Monsos]

Thanks Ron, the rod is a 5 wt, 8’4” that is a taper of my own. It came out better than I expected and lots of fun in a float tube.

 

[Tom Butler]

One of my favorite rods I cast was Mike's 8' four weight parabolic. It wanted me to slightly slow my tempo and didn't want my usual (bad habit) double haul tugs. When I got it right the rod virtually strung the four weight line on a rope out to probably 60' with ease. Pick a spot, aim, deliver. Nice taper Mike Monsos.

That sounds familiar. I have a bad habit of trying to force to much power into the final presentation cast. My parabolic casts best when I slow down and just let the rod do the work, like you said.

 

[@Dryflyphotography]

Thanks Ron, the rod is a 5 wt, 8’4” that is a taper of my own. It came out better than I expected and lots of fun in a float tube.

Thanks Mike, for someone like me who finds the 8' and 8-1/2' rods to be my favorites, an 8'4" is possibly my ideal. Long enough to mend and fish from a float tube, short enough to remain light in hand with easy swing weight. A great taper.

 

[Tim Cottage]

There were so many great rods there, but the highlight for me was being able to see and hold/waggle a true piece of bamboo rod making history. Greg brought his "US Net & Twine Co. - Izaak Walton" to the gathering. That rod, made in the late 1800's, was made by a small maker comprised of three of the biggest names in bamboo rod history: Ed Payne, FE (Fred) Thomas and EW (Eustice) Edwards. Those three makers all worked together as apprentices to the original Leonard and all three went on to make the most innovative, quality and collectible rods ever made. To see and hold a rod made by those three legends was memorable to be. Thanks Greg for bringing it! Ron

This reminds me of the time I got to cast a Kosmic rod at one of the Corbet gatherings. It was a 10ft Salmon rod with full intermediates and an Ivory or Iverene seat. Long and heavy and slow as molasses but could really lay out a long silk line wound on a Kosmic reel. Afterwards I had to pinch myself. For the next few weeks I thought I might have been dreaming. Kosmic rods and reels were displayed at the1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

The rod was owned by Bob Stewart. One of the two authors of F.E. Thomas, The Man and His Rods by Robert Stewart & Jerry Girard. A book I wish I had bought when it was more available and affordable.

There were other vintage rods available to cast with appropriate lines which I took full advantage of. A selection of Payne's and and a double handful by F.E. Thomas. As with any batch of assorted rods I liked some more than others but the Kosmic took the cake.