recommended gear for Durango area?

My father is retiring soon and moving from Houston to Durango. He
doesn't fish right now but has expressed an interest in taking some
lessons up there after the move.

As a retirement gift, our family is considering getting him a custom
built fly rod. Unfortunately, we know very little about the area and the
tackle requirements.

What sort of specs should I have in mind for a good quality beginner's
rod for that area?

Thanks,

Mark

Mark E. Wallace wrote:
My father is retiring soon and moving from Houston to Durango. He
doesn't fish right now ...

Forget the fly rod, the last thing we need is another old
clueless geezer on our trout streams.

Golf clubs, that's the ticket. Get your Dad a set of Ping
irons and top them off with some Callaway metal woods.

--
Ken Fortenberry

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 02:43:58 GMT, "Mark E. Wallace"
wrote:

My father is retiring soon and moving from Houston to Durango. He
doesn't fish right now but has expressed an interest in taking some
lessons up there after the move.

As a retirement gift, our family is considering getting him a custom
built fly rod. Unfortunately, we know very little about the area and the
tackle requirements.

What sort of specs should I have in mind for a good quality beginner's
rod for that area?

9 foot 5 weight 4pc Winston Boron-2x ought to work nicely...

/daytripper (Pricey, sure, but *nothing* is too good for Dad ;-)

daytripper wrote:

9 foot 5 weight 4pc Winston Boron-2x ought to work nicely...

/daytripper (Pricey, sure, but *nothing* is too good for Dad ;-)

;-) Indeed.

I get the wink. Is 9' 5wt the right general ballpark though?

Thanks again,

Mark

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Golf clubs, that's the ticket. Get your Dad a set of Ping
irons and top them off with some Callaway metal woods.


Oh, he'll probably be doing that too. Someone else is gonna have to pay
for those though.

Mark

Mark E. Wallace wrote in message
...
daytripper wrote:

9 foot 5 weight 4pc Winston Boron-2x ought to work nicely...

/daytripper (Pricey, sure, but *nothing* is too good for Dad ;-)

I get the wink. Is 9' 5wt the right general ballpark though?

Yep. A 4-piece 9' 5wt is your best bet for an all-round Western trout
rod. (Though I'd opt for a Sage SLT rather than the Winston).

JR

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 02:43:58 GMT, "Mark E. Wallace"
wrote:

My father is retiring soon and moving from Houston to Durango. He
doesn't fish right now but has expressed an interest in taking some
lessons up there after the move.

As a retirement gift, our family is considering getting him a custom
built fly rod. Unfortunately, we know very little about the area and the
tackle requirements.

What sort of specs should I have in mind for a good quality beginner's
rod for that area?

Thanks,

Mark

Let him take the lessons first. 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. If you really want to get him a FFing-related gift, get him some
_serious_ lessons with a shorenuf real instructor. 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. That way,
no huge outlay for what might not be his thing.

HTH,
R

Gene Cottrell top posted:
What a useless, ignorant post!

Hmmm, perhaps you're right.

OK, instead of a full set of Ping irons buy just
the 4 through 9, nobody can hit the small irons
anyway, and replace them with the geezer's best
friend, the 7 wood and then fill out the bag with
specialty wedges.

--
Ken Fortenberry - Geezus, tough crowd tonight ;-)

Gene Cottrell top posted:
What a useless, ignorant post!

Hmmm, perhaps you're right.

OK, instead of a full set of Ping irons buy just
the 4 through 9, nobody can hit the small irons
anyway, and replace them with the geezer's best
friend, the 7 wood and then fill out the bag with
specialty wedges.

--
Ken Fortenberry - Geezus, tough crowd tonight ;-)

Mark E. Wallace wrote:
...
Do YOU have a recommendation for Durango fly gear, or did you just want
to flame Ken?

Nah, mostly I just flame.

One observation though. Buying one's own fly fishing gear is
damn near as much fun as using it.

--
Ken Fortenberry