I remember mine, it was a 9' 7 wt. Shakespeare Wonderod. It was white with red wraps and black tipping. It had the bumpy fiberglass where you could feel the bumps from where the tape was over the cloth. It came as a kit with a level line and a knock-off Martin reel. Hard to imagine knocking off a Martin but they did. I bought it at Canadian Tire, 1150 Heron Rd. in Ottawa, Ontario. My best recollection is that it was around 1971-72 and the kit was $29.95. I purchased a Hardy 9 wt. 9' rod for salmon in fiberglass, this was one HEAVY rod purchased in 1977! My third "better" fly rod was a HMG Fenwick again a 7 wt. and that was around 1984-85, this was my first rod that came in a tube and my first "graphite". Then I bought an Orvis Far and Fine graphite, this was an interesting rod, it was rated for a 5 wt. line but worked better with a 3, go figure. I then bought an 8' 4 wt. T & T graphite with nickel silver hardware. I decided I wanted to get a bamboo rod so I ordered a T & T 7 footer. I never got the real story but Tom D. was supposed to make it and it never showed up so I got a refund and put the money toward bamboo rod making forms and tools. This was around 1994 when my daughter was three and my son one year old. The rest they say is history. The first bamboo rod I owned was one I made for myself, that rod I still have, the grip way too big, the tips have sets and the varnish is a tad heavy but I love it. I still have the Hardy glass rod from 1977 and the T & T rod from circa 1990. I don't remember my first car but rods, well that is another story.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a cane rod builder and co-founder of Canadian Cane Archives
February 2019
Categories |