wrote:

Let him take the lessons first.

That's the plan, actually.

He might not like it, or he might really take a
shine to it, and in either case, there's a pretty good chance that whatever
y'all pick out, while special as a gift, won't be the rod he would have picked
for himself.

Yeah, I know. I may try to find a way to hook him up with an instructor
in Durango and then stay in contact with that instructor to see if he
gets much of a sense for what sort of action worked best for my Dad.

If you really want to get him a FFing-related gift, get him some
_serious_ lessons with a shorenuf real instructor.

That's another very good option. The custom rod option just has a little
more "glamour" to it. Besides, my father is the type to make sure he
gets hooked up with no less than a shorenuf real instructor. He does his
homework as far as that sort of thing goes.

If you feel a rod is a must,
too, might I suggest y'all get him something like a Temple Fork in 4 or 5 wt.
Just a decent rod, well under $200USD, with a great warranty to boot.

Will keep that in mind. It will end up being a tough decision to go with
just the lessons or just the rod, but we probably won't go for both.
Have heard lots of good things about the TFO rods, though.

Mark