A nice flamed modified Para 14 taper, 7'9" 2/1 5wt. A real pleasure to cast and I am very proud of the finished rod. The new owner is very happy with what I hope will become his new favorite flyrod and fishing companion, 
Latest rod just completed and on to its new adventure
- Thread starter Mike Monsos
- Start date
Today was the quarterly cleanup day
Great looking rod!
Bambooflyguy
Legend
As always, nice rod Mike!
Looks great Mike.
Very nice work; the new owner is right to be very pleased.
Cheers
Cheers
Beautiful Mike! Your describe the taper as "modified" Para 14. In what ways did you change the taper from the standard Para 14 and how would that change the casting feel? (I think tapers are a very cool aspect of rod making)
Agree with everyone else here Mike, that is a beautiful rod!
I can't take credit for the taper modification Ron, a friend made those, a little stronger at the bottom of the base section. A few thousandths max, but after casting his taper I asked if he would share his taper and he did. I haven't had the opportunity to cast any of the other Para 14 tapers out there but there are at least 5 that I have seen. I'm not sure how close this is to a true "Paul Young Para 14" but this is a Parabolic 7'9", with a #14 ferrule and a sweet casting action.
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I can vouch for the feel of this taper. It's an easy and pleasant rod to cast particularly if you're not very familiar with Para type actions. If this is the same 14 taper that you have been making all along it is probably Chris Carlin's taper. You sent me the numbers soon after you got them from Chris and started making the first one.
Mike is right about there being a lot of Para 14 tapers out there. This is due in part to Paul Young himself. The originator of this taper (not Payne). Paul was an inveterate taper tinkerer. He just couldn't help himself. From one year to the next the tapers in his annual catalog would vary while the model name and/or number remained the same.
Mike is right about there being a lot of Para 14 tapers out there. This is due in part to Paul Young himself. The originator of this taper (not Payne). Paul was an inveterate taper tinkerer. He just couldn't help himself. From one year to the next the tapers in his annual catalog would vary while the model name and/or number remained the same.
You're right Tim, this is the taper that Chris Carlin was so kind to share with me. One of my favorite rods to share with others to test cast. And thanks Tim for correcting me that this is a Paul Young based taper. Old man foggy memory fault here.
I was given my first bamboo fly rod in the mid 50's when my uncle came back from Japan. It didn't mean much to me at the time. Then about 15 years ago a friend got me started fly fishing with an old glass rod built in 1962. One thing led to another, you know to routine, fly tying, restoring an old fly rod etc. Then a few years ago Bambooflyguy started a thread about bamboo fly rods under 6'. I bought a blank and built one and took it to a Bamboo Fling. Ever since I have been fighting the urge to build from scratch a bamboo fly rod. So far so good, I haven't bought the tools to do the deed. All I can say is you guys aren't helping at all. Every time someone posts photos of one of these treasures, my temptation starts all over again. Guys, I am not saint. At my age I don't need another vice. Buy the way Mike you built a beautiful rod. Hope we can put together a Bamboo Fling this year.
