FishingBanter - View Single Post

**D. LaCourse** · October 28th, 2010, 03:34 AM posted to rec.outdoors.fishing.fly

On 2010-10-27 22:05:48 -0400, said:

And finally, I'd remind all that pretty much before most of us were born (and
certainly before any of us were FFing as adults), folks were fishing SW with
bamboo and Medalists, and not much later, with 'glass and Medalists, and caught
and brought to hand plenty of fish. If you saw what gear was used,
even as late
as the mid 70s, by _serious_ S. Florida fishers, it might put Abels, Pates,
600-800.00USD rods, etc. into perspective - things like pine sapling poles (and
then, pole-vaulting poles), cut-up tuna/cobia towers over motors as poling
platforms, etc.

big smile
I still have my mother's fly rods - glass 5 and 7 weights I believe -
along with her reels. Sort of beat up, but I still cast them with the
original line put on somewhere in the 50s. I also have my dad's spin
outfits. I learned to fly fish with a Sears and Rubbish boo rod made
in occupied Japan. I think it cost $5 or so. It and several other
rods were stored in my sister's basement. Of course over the years,
things disappeared, including the boo rods.

I can remember both mom and dad landing some very big trout with what I
now identify as crap rods and reels. I especially remember a very big
bass my dad caught on a cheap boo fly rod using bait in Cobble Mountain
Reservoir (drinking water for Springfield, Mass.). And, we tied our
own leaders - I never saw a tapered leader until I came back to fly
fishing about 25 years ago.

Fond memories. Thanks for tweeking them.

Dave