Andy Dear | Monday, 2 December 2024
The choices of rods are mind boggling, and spending $750 isn’t necessary. Remember, most manufacturers’ second- or third-rated rod was their premium rod five years ago.
---Capt. Tim Mahaffy
A few weeks ago, I was invited to do an interview with Andres Spinetti of The Laguna Podcast. Andres generally focuses on documenting the stories of influential guides and fisherman, rather than tackle designers and manufacturers. However, Andres and I hit it off at the recent Gulf Coast Casting Confab, and I suppose he found my story and history interesting enough that he invited me on the show.
One of the recurring themes that Andres and I discussed both on and off the podcast, was the subject of "Have we reached the limits of performance and development of fly rods made from carbon fiber". I am of the opinion that the improvements that have been made over the last twenty years continue to become smaller and smaller. Yes resin systems continue to get better, and layups providing reinforcement continue to become more complex, but short of the introduction of some new material, we will not see performance jumps like we did from cane to glass, and glass to carbon.
Like Lars, I tend to agree that some of the premium rods on the market today are simply NOT enjoyable to cast. I won't name any names, but we probably had twenty-five sticks at the Gulf Coast Casting event, and there was one rod in particular that just about everyone agreed was a complete dud. And yes, it was one of those with a price tag that is pushing four dollar figures.
Like Lars, I completely understand the pride of ownership that comes with possession of quality equipment. And, I certainly don't discount the fact that both technological and manufacturing advancements have been made. However, a SAGE RPLXi still catches just as many fish as it did in 1997. A Scott Heliply still has that same sweet soft but fast feel with the same rapid recovery that it did in 1998. And, as far as I know, arguably the BEST bone-fisherman in the world was still using GLX Classics twenty-five years after they were first released. I know for a fact that at least two of the state record redfish that came off of the deck of Freddy Lynch's boat in the mid/late 2000s were caught using a SAGE RPL 8wt.
Just because something has a little age on it does not make it irrelevant. And in fact, I really enjoy fishing with the older tackle. Not just because much of the time it's a bit more user friendly for us older guys, but also because of the nostalgia that wafts through the air when I bust out the 8'8" Heliply and the Tibor Everglades is so thick you could cut it with a Rapala filet knife. Fishing with that rod reminds me of days of days long gone, when the fishing may have been a little better, and the crowds not so thick, and I still had the energy and stamina to wade several miles in one day because I couldn't afford a boat. Those were GREAT days, and it is amazing to me that fishing with a rod that has been deemed as "no longer relevant" has the ability to transport me back in time.
So, Thanks Lars for the FP that paralleled some ideas about tackle that had also been floating around in my mind. It was a great read!
Hope you all are having a great week!
Andy